Henri Dumont, age 11, reports on his Ghost CX experience.
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This weekend was the Ghosts Cyclocross Race in Amherst. The day started off cooler than expected and remained pretty cold. When I arrived, I was greeted by many people including my friends from Trail Blasters, Jasper and Günther. At the NCC tent, there were munchkins for sharing and a kids course to warm up on (thanks Tom H!).
Inconveniently, I got a pinch flat, where my tube, in my tire, popped. I was very concerned that I would not be able to race. Luckily, Doug B. came to help and was able to take off the tire (after we tried, many times), and a nice man (thanks Tony!) let us borrow a patch kit which saved the day. After my dad patched the tire, Tom H. helped put the tire back on.
When it was my group’s turn to race, I was cheered on by so many kind people, some I knew, and some I didn’t. I raced the Juniors 9-12 group with about 8 racers. I saw a couple familiar faces from the cyclocross community as I raced against them at Hydra Cross and Treehouse.
The course was just about 2 miles. Because I had a flat, I didn’t have a chance to pre-ride the course so I had to race without really knowing it. There was a nice down hill start, followed by a bunch of climbing and a small drop. I slid out at the “spicy corner” which unfortunately allowed a racer to pass me. I stayed close and crossed the line in second place.
I was also really happy to cheer on my younger brothers who raced in the Juniors 6-8 group (and they did great!).
In the end, everyone was so nice and kind, and it was just a really fun event. The cyclocross series has been so much fun and I can’t wait for next year.
