Zermatt and the Soldier Hollow Race

I was just going to do one mountain biking post, but we made a little trip out of the first race, so it will get it's own space.

The first race was at Soldier Hollow, and the cheapest deal I could get in the vicinity was actually at Zermatt Resort, which I've always thought of as a pretty high-brow place. It was fun. We particularly enjoyed the pool.

Our outside space.

Link between the indoor and outdoor pools.

An action shot of John throwing Jonah

I felt a little anxious the whole time, since Eli had never raced, and we didn't fully know what to expect. I signed up to volunteer at the Utah MTB merchandise tent the morning of the race, so I went over early with Eli. He didn't know the other kids on the team very well at that point, so he didn't feel comfortable waiting around in the pit zone with them. Both of us agreed it was the longest day ever. (His race didn't start until 2:55.) The rest of the family was there for hours before he raced, as well. From that race, we learned not to spend the whole day there. His coach likes to have everyone there supporting each other, but the racers come by so infrequently, and the rest of the time is just sitting.

The race itself, though, is thrilling! Here is what I wrote about it on Facebook:

In the staging area, they called up the 50+ kids in his age category with the highest cumulative scores from last year. Then they called up the kids who haven't raced before, and Eli was lumped in the back with that group. He was so far back, and I didn't know if he would be aggressive enough to pass many people during the race - especially in the single-track areas. I was so stressed for him!

The race is a five-mile course that they cover twice, so we got to see him at the halfway mark and then at the end. I can't express how exciting it was to watch anxiously for the first racers to appear and then to wait for Eli to come around the bend! Right at the end, Eli was behind another boy and he got around him at the last second for a photo-finish pass. Aaahh! Best sport ever! (Well, to watch....)

So, he took 26th, which is great for a beginner. And he LOVES it.

I was so proud of him! I took a couple of shots of  teammates in the pit zone, and then I followed him around with the camera for a bit.

Waiting by the staging area. So scary the first time!

Here are a couple of shots that John got. I love Eli's smile in the first one, as he passes some of the Uintah crowd cheering for him:

Prepping with a coach before the race.