//Race report: CANADA HEIGHTS
The team made a short trip to the infamous Canada Heights, notorious for its mud!
UNDER 8s and UNDER 10s
Our younger riders got lucky. Riding before the course got swampy.
Six LEC riders started. 50% ended the race in tears!
Tejus was one of them, but 12th on the grid and an 8th place finish felt like a decent effort on a hard course, but he is his own biggest critic sometimes!
Kien was also upset. His usual expolosion out the blocks had him up in contention, but a grueling hill at the end of each lap in heavy conditions took its toll, and he faded near the end. Again, take the positives, Kien - the starts are good, just need to get the pacing right.
Final tears were Lola's. Started at back of grid and a similar race to Kien, great start but faded. The catalyst for the implosion this time not so much the long hill as the fact a new U8 rival passed her on it and despite trying to , she couldn't get near her. 2nd place was enough to clinch the league but not enough to stop the tears.
Keeping his emotions in check was Elias. The first mechanical jinx of the day was his, with his lower gears out of each he did well to grind away on this tough course and stay the distance.
Kasper, again, found going tough, but this time, there were no falls, which was a bonus. This week's COVID positive, possibly a clue to why he wasn't his usual energetic self.
Ride of the day in this Cat goes to Daniel. While he didn't have to hold back tears, holding down a breakfast smoothie was his challenge. "I want to throw up" became his response to every shout of encouragement from the Green machine on the sidelines!
8th on the grid, 5th on the finish line, and no 2nd viewing of the smoothie.
“Results look good in very tough conditions.
Podiums for Lola and Edie. League title wrapped up for Lola.”
UNDER 12s
U12, just Floyd in LEC colours for this one. For mental attitude, his debut season is a success already. Every race, he looks up for it and most importantly, that he is enjoying it. But to top it all off, as he approached the final few corners, he had the previous day's lesson from Coach Jay ringing in his ears. Saw a gap, and cut in past the girl in front while taking a corner to jump one place in the final standings.
YOUTH
Youth A/B next. And the course looking grim now.
Edie was next to keep the emotions in check. Usually battling with nerves, it was a 180° turn around. As the LEC Edie Fan Club lined the course with chants, she repaid them with a beaming smile while climbing the Canada Heights Gravel Mountain.
First podium of the year for her.
Meanwhile, Rytis was again dealing with the Petruskevicius curse as his gears also failed for the second week in a row. Also for the second week in a row he showed amazing strength of character. Running up the hills, cycling down them. Doing whatever it took to finish the course when so many would have called it a day. Chapeau!
“he showed amazing strength of character. Running up the hills, cycling down them. Doing whatever it took to finish the course when so many would have called it a day. Chapeau!”
ADULTS
Finally, Dom and Diego took on a course that was by now looking like Glastonbury toilets on day five. Diego had a two place advantage on the grid, and more raw power but at Canada Heights it’s Cross skills that pay the bills and Dom brought a stack of paper while Diego had pennies.
Bragging rights to the youngster here, but just to finish on a course that was trying to breathe life into the struggling bike-selling industry is a great effort. Well done both!
