With the taco-juice still course through our veins and a silly grin still plastered on our dusty mugs, it’s time to invite you all the the last Speed of Light for 2019. We’re chopping the Vuelta and shuffling the World Championships up to August 22 so you can start your Iceman training…and because Cody doesn’t want to get stung by bees again.
The VST TT was a huge success, and you should both read about it and become a NMMBA member to support trails and the great people who make them happen. I’ll admit; growing up, I just assumed that the Vasa Singletrack existed in its immaculate, stick-less state by magic. Well, it doesn’t. It takes a dozen volunteers literally hundreds of hours per season to make it rideable, safe, and fun. If you’re not going to pick up sticks and trim back face-slappers, support the people that do.
If you thought it was going to be all-party, you weren’t in the first thirty riders that lined up last night. From the gun, it was a bare-knuckle brawl not only for WorldTour points but for the title of King of the Vasa. Last year’s winner, Sunset Scott, showed up ready to rock, and may have had a slight advantage in starting a few spots back. John O’Hearn was first off ahead of Jeff Owens, Garrett Jenema, Dan Ellis, Wes Sovis, and a few others. O’Hearn crashed twice, Owens once, and it was enough for Sunset to take another win.
The points picture gets close, thanks to decidedly lackluster ride from Yours Truly, who failed to score a single point. That gets John closer to the WorldTour win, but he’ll need to take what would be a well-deserved rainbow jersey next week and hope the undefeated WorldTour champion fails to score points for the second SOL in a row.
Sunset Scott and Garrett Jenema made the biggest leaps forward, though a flying Mike Walters saw himself vault well up the WorldTour overall with a top ten ride. The ride of the day? Craig Fortuna, one of just three singlespeeds to ride and turning in an astounding sixth place for the kolo t.c. squad! We’d tell you what gear ratio he ran, but then he’d punch us.
You can check out the full, season-long Speed of Light results here.
The up-to-date WorldTour standings are right here.