Draper

Corner Canyon, site of the Draper ICUP race, offers some of the best trails around. This years course took advantage of their great single track. Aside from the road section, just there to spread things out a bit, the entire course is groomed single track. With a water crossing thrown in for the spectators. This is always a popular race based on its location and, of course, the trails. Monday was no exception, huge fields in all categories. Unfortunately this presents a bit of a challenge: passing. I've been doing this for a while and think I've gotten this one down. Not that I'm fast by any means, just on the course longer than most. Passing other groups and lap traffic isn't the problem. Trying to get position within my group is hard. As a whole the Expert Men 30 - 39 category is huge and fast. Then there are the really fast, in order to race with them you have to be able to see the front of the pack. Coming into the race I new I had to go out fast in order to get a decent spot in the line that would form ascending toward the road. By accident I started on the front line, along with twenty others. I ended up farther back than I wanted and couldn't tell for sure where I was. The younger group caught up and mixed in along the road section. I felt I was riding fast passing others here and there throughout the lap. As we started the second lap the group I was in started to pull away. I tried repeatedly to catch a wheel, it didn't happen. My legs were gone. I thought about quitting, but where's the fun in that. I kept spinning and enjoyed the ride while the rest of my group, and a few others, passed me by. I finished the race, which felt more like a group ride, and went the annual team picnic. It's always fun to hang out with the team, their like an extension to my family.

-- Carson Chynoweth

More pics form the race
Team Points