Specialized Florida State Championship series #6 + ST + E MTB #3 – Haile Trails – Newberry, Fl
It is almost November and it is still quite warm in North Central Florida as the sixth round of the series rolled into the popular Hailes trails venue. This property is privately owned and only open a few times a year and many riders look forward to not just racing but riding the course when they get the opportunity. It is located on an old limestone rock quarry and features lot’s of short steep climbs and technical sections along with some awesome views across some of the lakes. The course was on the short side this race due to some flooding in the bottoms of the quarries but it still packed a punch at 5.2 miles per lap.
Saturday was day of the short track with a short but challenging loop that had about a half mile of single track and a half mile of open dirt / grass road plus a nice little climb up the “island” section. Both the yellow and white waves were on the large size so start position and passing ability was at a premium but in the end it was Ryan Woodall and Simone Berger taking the top slots and maximizing the bonus points.
Sunday again saw some strong turnouts in most classes and both winners Ryan Woodall and Simone Berger saw challenges but ultimately they both pulled off a pair of aces on the weekend by claiming the XC and ST wins. Meanwhile in the jersey chase there was a new owner of the men’s jersey with Troy Davis taking his first lead in the series in a close series, Simone Berger however has firm control over the women’s jersey with 2 rounds to go and is unbeaten so far.
In the E MTB race series it was Nick Mackie and Kelly Lalima again claiming wins respectively in the men’s and women’s top classes.
The team championship also witnessed a new leader with Galera Do Pedal / Jim’s Bicycles taking over the top spot by one point. The FSC now takes a one month break and will return to action at Alva on November 21st.
