MTB Nationals: Junior Expert Short Track

I watched a lot of racing over the course of three days up at Mt Snow and this was the best race I saw. Hordes of juniors were absolutely flying, the crowd and Richard Fries were going nuts, and it was half the length and 1/3rd the course of a cross race so it was even more intense. Linnea and I were pulling for Nick Keough since he was rocking the fully rigid ride like a true cross racer, until he crashed on the last lap, snapping his bars in half and ruining what would have been a crazy 10-up mountain bike sprint. I quickly picked a new suitor for my heart, Greg Carpenter, only to have him lose the sprint for third by less than a wheel. Anyway, it rocked. Short track MTB is definitely up near cross racing in terms of spectating potential. If they'd had a super-technical downhill on the course (Nick Keough was competitive on a rigid!) then it might have jumped over cross nats for the title of "coolest race I've attended."

Without further ado, here is the video!

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