A Bikers Eye View: Pan AM Champs: A great excuse to eat tacos!

Race Report – Pan American Continental Championships

This past off-season I petitioned and was selected to represent the United States at my second Pan American Continental Championships in Puebla, Mexico. The Pan American Continental Championships for me is usually one of the first races of the season and another great opportunity to gain experience and grow as a rider. For most competitors who have been riding down south all winter it is the equivalent of the World Championships. This creates a fantastic world cup like atmosphere where riders normally push their limits past their boundaries with the goal of becoming the Pan Am Champ.

High above the Mexican mountains

Team USA stuffing the welcome wagon

F.C. Puebla stadium outside of the complex

Located at an elevation of 7,350 feet, Mexico City is home to almost 9 million people. After flying over large desert mountains and rounding this massive city on my final approach it was very apparent that this was going to be one heck of a weekend. After surviving the most hectic rush hour I’ve ever experienced and taking a few wrong turns among other setbacks along the streets of Puebla, we finally found our home for the weekend at the city sports centre. Once checked in, bikes built, I hit the hay early that morning prepared for another early wakeup call, and for the first day of practice. The sports centre is located smack dab in the middle of the city of Puebla, and the race venue is half an hour away on the outskirts of town, so every morning we would make the journey through the city and hustle and bustle. Passing by opening street front tortillerias, avoiding giant pot holes and weaving through back alleyway streets until the city opened up to the foothills and switch backed up to the top of the track.

The Adventure begins at the airport

what it looks like driving around the streets of Puebla

Joey and a burro riding friend at the bottom of the course

fits 4 and can carry all of your friends in style to the local tortilleria

I felt very at home in the dry high altitude hills and after completing the track walk I was excited to get back on the bike. Some of the track features included monstrous agave plants, lots of sharp rocks and some well constructed concrete features which provided a fun twist. Practice got underway and after one slow run getting back up to speed, I had a great day of practice completing 5 total runs throughout. The last run I felt confident that I could put a full race pace run together, this was a great feeling after being off of the downhill bike since October. We celebrated by enjoying some of the local affair and the most delicious mangoes I’ve ever experienced. The next day didn’t go as smoothly with only 2 practice runs completed, but after taking an hour run to practice sections with the team making line adjustments I was ready for qualifiers the next morning.

Joey at the to overlooking the smoking volcano Popocatepetl

Team USA checking out lines near the bottom of the track

View from the top overlooking the XC venue and the dry rolling hills

Logan loves Mexico

Another view from the DH venue of the city of Puebla and 17,800ft volcano Popocatepetl

The course is pretty short in relation to what I’m accustomed to, but it has a little bit of everything and is very physical. The top gets you up to speed very quickly with a big pedal and a fun mix of jumps and banked turns. The middle section dives straight into the forest of tight technical lines, concrete drops and loose rock gardens. The third section opens up and runs parallel to an exposed cliffed out canyon wall with lots of line options and a final sprint takes you off of a big drop into the finish arena ending with two large table tops to the finish line. After doing many visualization runs I was ready to accomplish my goal of having a smooth error free qualification run. I qualified in 7^th place with a rather rough run, but without any big mistakes. With a lot more left in the tank I knew with a good race run I was very capable of possibly cracking the podium. Feeling good and fully decked out in my POC gear aboard my Banshee Legend MK II I made the last trip to the top of the track. With chickens and burros spectating I peddled hard out of the gate and attacked the course with a sense of urgency. I hit my lines and kept her steady until the last technical corner where I took it too wide and high sided into the hill. Disappointed but knowing that I could still salvage a few world cup points I quickly got up and sprinted the remaining 20 seconds of the track finishing 21^st overall Elite.

Click below to watch helmet cam:

Helmet cam from champion Marcelo Gutierrez

Joey eating a Larabar and getting his game face on

Racers gather at the start

Joey is stoked, ready to rock his trail bike to its full potential

Neko in 2nd and Marcelo the Champion

Jacqualine Harmony your 2012 Champion

A big thumbs up to the Pan Am Champs

Mid run on the lookout for Chupacabra's

With a busted up hand and my pride slightly damaged I swallowed my disappointment and enjoyed the rest of my Pan Am experience watching the rest of the race, taking pictures for the local spectators and exchanging my jersey with a young Ecuadorian rider. The atmosphere was electric as the final riders came through the finish and the awards ceremony was enjoyed by the masses cheering on their fellow Mexican countrymen and women who made it on to the podium. This race always stands out and tends to be my favorite every time I compete in it because of the positive friendly vibe, rider/country friendships that are formed, and the local culture that I try to fully immerse myself in. After the festivities are concluded I headed back to the complex sitting shotgun in the shuttle box truck speaking my best spanglish with the local driver taking in the sights and sounds of just another afternoon in Puebla. It wasn’t exactly how I planned to end the weekend, but I walked away with world cup points, made some great friends and ate some incredible tacos. I’m incredibly excited for the rest of the year and cannot wait for the adventures to come. Thank you all so much for your continued support of Team Geronimo and myself.