Two classic courses were on the menu October 26 and 27, offering diametrically opposed surfaces and racing.
Saturday was a twisty, grassy, and technical affair at Interlocken, a place where riders with a punchy riding style would do well.
Local pro Meredith Miller dominated the women's race, but Melissa held her own and finished best-of-the-rest in second.
"My favorite part of the Interlocken course was most definitely the mud pit," she said. "I was intimidated by it at first, but rode through it once during pre-ride and thought it was super fun. During the race the hecklers by the pit made me laugh on every lap. It was a tough course with little rest. I was riding on my own most of the race."
Kristen finished sixth, and Jess and Kate rounded out a strong performance by the Evol ladies, riding into the top 15 after 45 minutes of racing.
The men's race also saw some big names toe the line, but Spencer was able to hang with a fast front group for nearly the entire race, though he did have a couple tangles — unintentional, but unfortunate — with Chris Baddick. In the end, he was fourth. Ken finished seventh, and Michael was ninth.
"I feel bad about how I kept getting up in Chris' business," Spencer said. "I definitely owe him an Upslope or two for that. We were both on the limit, trying to hang with guys like Allen and Danny, so I suppose that's what happens sometimes."
The next day, on the fast, hard-packed dirt at Xilinx, Chris got his revenge. After being dropped by Danny Summerhill and Russell Finsterwald, Spencer and Chris were fighting for the final podium spot. However, Chris had more horsepower on the course's wide-open, decisive climb, and dispatched Spencer, who rode to fifth place. Ken was not far behind in sixth, and Josh was 11th.
Fortunately, the Evol ladies carried the day with a dominant performance. Melissa won, and Kate was fourth. Jess snagged a top-10 finish in ninth, and Kristin was 12th.
"On Sunday at Blue Sky, Kate had a great start, leading through the start/finish," said Melissa. "I tired to grab her wheel but got edged out. I was able to work back up to her wheel and eventually take the lead.
"The rest of the race, I pushed hard on the two climbs and paved sections, trying to gap 13-year-old Katie Clouse. I felt a little shaky in the corners until about the third lap when I was finding better lines and feel smoother. I noticed Katie was not a quick on and off the bike, so I pushed hard in these areas. On the final lap, Katie was still glued to my wheel.
"Knowing her ability to sprint and beat some of the pro ladies, I didn't want to go head to head with her on the line. I was able to power up the final stairs, tear down the hill and hit the pavement with enough of a gap to take the win. Great to have teammate on the podium in fourth as well!"
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