Great early season race with a nice dry fast course and perfect weather!

It was back on the full suspension for an early season dirt race. The weather was perfect for a hard effort at 5C during the warmup lap. On the line I decided to remove the Castelli - Stages vest and reveal the new 2022 Stages kit for the season. The arm warmers were a good choice for lap one, but had to roll down and remove during the second lap.

The race started with a fast sprint and then up the steep gravel climb. I got to the top in a respectable position and then into the first section of singletrack. East coast is known for rocky and rooty trails and the MARC was in great shape for such an early race. Only a couple of small wet sections and the rest was dry and fast.

The trail skills and comfort wasn't really dialled in this early in the season but I felt the fitness from a good off season of training. Overall a great day on the bike.