I just finished the first NMBS event of the season and it was great to get back to racing. After being in Idaho all winter and having a pretty big snow year and no races in my legs, going into the event I was more than a little nervous.  It seems that as a guy who gets out and enjoys the snow, the first couple of races are always the worst of the season.  But somehow, I ended up having a weekend that far exceeded my expectations.  

In the XC I had my typical get - a good call up and go backward a bit, then move all the way back to my call up on the first real climb. I settled into a rhythm around a few guys in the top 15. At different points in the race, I rode with many of them. A couple of guys who had experienced worse starts than I did came by on the second and third laps, but I did not panic and didn’t ride beyond what I could sustain to stay with them. On the fourth and fifth laps, a couple of guys who had overcooked themselves faded and I was able to keep my pace going. On the second through fifth laps of the race I was able to keep all my lap times within 30 seconds of each other. At the finish I was 12th, which makes the short list of my best ever XC finishes and I think it was my top finish at a C1 event.  

For the short track, I was called up to the front row after a great season result last year. I even managed to stay in the front 10 throughout the first couple laps. But then the course started to get the best of me. I did not have the speed on the flats and a few guys pushed me back a bit. On the climb every lap I would make up tremendous ground and felt super strong but still could not put it together on the long flat sections. As the race wore on I felt better and better and passed most of the guys that had slid by me early on. In the end I came across 12th, just like in the XC.   

I am really happy with my races this weekend. It was by far my best early season performance. I hope to be able to build on this for the rest of the year. I am already in Phoenix and am looking forward to NOVA this weekend.
 

Cody Peterson
www.codypetersonracing.com