The Pony Shop p/b KPMG embarked on their first race adventure of the 2019 season at Roanoke Go Cross in Virginia, a relatively newly-minted UCI race that saw a handful of the country’s best come out to bust the rust in the official opener of the American UCI calendar.
Andrew Giniat and Erica Zaveta made the quick drive from Asheville, NC to Roanoke, along with Asheville mechanic, Eric Holm. The weekend contained both goods and bads, as any first race weekend of the year does, and the team is ready to head up to the first C1 of the season this weekend in Rochester.
Here is Andrew’s report of GoCross with photos by Bruce Buckley:
Day 1:
This was definitely the hottest CX race I’ve ever done, with temps nearing 90 degrees. The course was bumpy and dusty, but I had a really good start and found myself in the lead group of six or seven on the first lap. Gaps started to open and a more select group of race favorites began to roll away after a lap or two. I played it conservative given the heat and did my best to stay on the wheel. For the remainder of the race, I just kept on the gas as best as I could without blowing up and picked off a couple of individuals who had pushed it too hard early. Eventually, I did fade, but still finished 7th on the day, a great result for August, and one of my best UCI results to date.
Day 2:
The course was slightly different on day 2, with a faster, flowier layout, which I was excited about. Temps were slightly milder, also a plus. Once again, I had a solid start and rode onto the tail of the lead group, where I remained for a couple of laps. However, there wasn’t much in the tank. The heat of day 1 had taken its toll on me. I slowly drifted backward throughout the race and spent the day focusing on being smooth and taking advantage of the course time. I finished 14th, which was a bit of a disappointment but not totally unsurprising given how I felt and at this point in the season.
All things told I’m really happy with how my form is coming along. I definitely had to blow off some cobwebs but I rode clean technical races on both days. With form and skills coming along well, I think I will be very competitive this season once I get a couple more race weekends in the legs.
Pony Shop CX Team 