UCI rounds 4/5/6 - Sarah
25 January 2008
With 6 UCI rounds down and only 4 to go, things are looking good leading up to the Olympics at the end of this year.
First weekend of January, the New Zealand BMX team headed up to Nerang on the Gold Coast to race the 4th and 5th UCI rounds. Although we were in the middle of a cyclone, they ran the event. The track was rim deep in mud and it was almost impossible to get around the track without having to touch the ground. It wasn't really "true" BMX racing as it all depended on who had the best lines or the best luck. The track officials even moved the finish line towards the last corner because the last straight was ruined so badly.
The first of the two rounds were held on Friday night and it was pouring with rain and didn't look like it was going to let up. I beat everyone out of the gate to the mud in every race but that really didn't matter. In the first moto, I was winning but hit a bad spot in the last corner and ended up 2nd. 2nd moto I won and 3rd moto I was winning to the last corner again. Another girl came up next to me going down the last straight and because the track was so muddy, I decided to run my bike down the last straight. I ended up 2nd by about a 1/4 of a wheel but took the overall anyway.
The UCI round on Saturday was a similar story but the track had dried out a little bit. I finished 2nd overall but knew I could have won if the track had been in better condition.
This weekend, we had the 6th UCI round held in Melbourne. I took out every race convincingly which was a good confidence builder for me as it shows that my coach leaving hasn't had a huge effect on my BMXing.
Next month, the 7th and 8th rounds will be held in North Harbour, Auckland. If I win those, I will have reached maximum points (best 7 of 10) with two rounds still to go.
I'd like to thank everyone for supporting me throughout the last few months. It has been hard at times but I am determined to keep moving forward.
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