We arrived nice and early into Snowshoe and had a great time exploring the trails around Snowshoe. I even spotted a couple of black bears (mother and cub), a snake and plenty of whitetail deer out on the trails. After surviving the local wildlife, the next step was to race!
The short track was the shortest race of my life as I broke my chain just 10 meters in. It was frustrating to lose out on some World Cup overall points and also the chance to have a blowout and test the legs before the XCO. I turned my focus to the XCO with the hope that some extra rested legs might do me some good.
I started off the 4th row in the XCO and had a decent start, moving into the top 20. I circulated around 18th – 19th for the first half of the race, having to dig very deep to stay there and not fall back.
A front flat halfway around the 4th lap was the nail in the coffin for me and cost me a lot of time and places as I was a long way from the tech zone.
The last lap was just about making it home and I crossed the line in 26th place to cap off a frustrating end to the year but leaving me hungry for more.
2021 has been the strongest season of my elite career. The highlights for me were winning Nationals at home in Christchurch, my 3rd place finish at the World Cup in Leogang and most of all my strong performance at the Olympic Games which ended with a 6th place. Another 6th place in Albstadt at the first World Cup of the year and an 8th a week later in Nove Mesto along with the best short track races of my career helped me to secure a final World Cup placing of 8th overall.
I have some big goals next year, primarily the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England and the World Champs in Les Gets, France. But first it’s time to enjoy a well-earned rest before returning home to NZ in October for the summer.