Dana Point Grand Prix (Pro Race)
Dana Point Grand Prix (Pro Race)
by Shane Kline ( Team Smart Stop p/b Mountain Khakis)
We had a rough time traveling here, with cancelled flights and 4AM wakeup calls, but we made it, and boy are we glad we did!
Coming into today we had a fair bit of pressure on our shoulders, with Smart Stop Self Storage headquarters only a few miles away in Ladera Ranch. Fortunately, the boys were up for the challenge.
Knowing this race normally ends in a bunch sprint, my teammates put their faith in me and sacrificed there chances to win by just shutting everything down and keeping me protected all day. Our leadout suffered a bit due to the guys having to race so hard, but they were still able to place me in good position coming into one lap to go! From there I just had to finish the job. Coming into the last turn I was about 5th or 6th wheel. Since it’s a bit of a downhill before the last kick to the line, I actually backed off the slightest bit to carry all the speed from the downhill and just put my head down and had a good old-fashioned drag race to the line!
It was huge to come out on top in front of the sponsors. The boys rode too well to let them down! I’m just glad I could be the one to take the team’s first NCC win of the year.
