SCX #5 Enumclaw

Well, even though it didn't really rain all day, the ground was still quite saturated from the week of rain leading into this weekend. We are getting into the last few races of the season. Here comes the Enumclaw mud-race.
I entered this race only 1 point off the lead and with a solid front row position. As we launched I was about 6th heading into the first corner when one of the riders slid out right in front of me and I flew off the bike. I quickly got back up (about mid-pack now) and realized the chain had dropped and the brake was dragging. I popped the chain back in place and got the bike rolling but now I was at the back of the pack, starting in 40th place. Not exactly the position I wanted...
As we made it through the first lap I managed to claw back a few places and would continue to fight tooth-and-nail to get back toward the front for the rest of the race. It was quite slick and some of the quick corners required smart maneuvering to navigate.
By the end of the race I was within sight of the top-10 and I pushed it hard to try to catch them. Heading into one of the last tricky corners I carried a bit too much speed and skidded a bit, losing one of the riders I just passed seconds before, however I gassed it to the line and ended up finishing 13th, about 2 minutes off the pace of the leader. I am a little disappointed that I finished so far back, but at the same time it is pretty good to know that I was able to claw from 40th to 13th over the race. Just need to watch these errant riders to make sure I can stay on the bike and in contention for the win.
As a result of that unfortunate incident I am now 3rd overall in the series, 16 points back from #1 with 2 races left. Just need to shake it off and gear up for Steilacoom in 2 weeks and put the placings back in my favor.
Unfortunately it looks like I was the only one flying the team colors this weekend, but hopefully we will be out in force at Woodland Park next weekend!