Nick wasn ’ t the only rider to experience some mechanical issues . LeBlond almost had a mechanical failure right between the last two check points of the day when he found that his radiator hose had allowed all the fluid to drain out . He had a solid lead at that point in the race , so he felt confident that he didn ’ t need to push to another check .
Being the first enduro of 2021 , and still being new to the style of racing , Smage made an impressive push for a second-place finish only two checkpoints behind LeBlond .
“ Right from the start , I got a little bit tense ,” said Smage . “ I developed arm pump pretty quick in the first lap , which really hinders my riding abilities , and it just becomes survival mode . The second lap was more recovery ; I tried to get the heart rate and the arms a bit more in check . I tried to just keep finding people on the trail , get up close enough to find them and hopefully get by them . I had some luck on my side with Nick have a mistake that allowed me to catch him . I was also going back and forth a little bit with Jordan Ashburn who was really fast ; I was surprised to be able to hold him off the rest of the race . Overall , for not racing for quite a while , I was happy with the finish , just not happy with the way my body handled it .”
VOL . 6 ISSUE 4 - APRIL 2021 // PAGE 79