VOLUME 59 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 25, 2022 P71
"The second [loop of 41
miles], Joe surprised me be-
cause I felt like I was pushing
pretty good, then it opened up
and it was really fast. I was keep-
ing a good pace but not 100
percent, and he sucked right up
on me and I definitely had to,
like, 'All right, time to go; let's get
it done!'"
Wearing the number-one plate
for the first time wasn't the huge
burden some might expect,
Wasson said. "I've been work-
ing on my whole program overall
just to be a well-rounded rider
no matter what situation I'm in,
no matter if I'm chasing or being
chased.
though he nearly collided with
Robert who took the lead shortly
after. From there, Robert re-
mained out front, though Was-
son got close near the end.
"I'm glad to be back out here; I
just had a real strong desire to go
back and do some real off-road
racing," Robert said. "The course
was awesome—[the club] did a
really good job with that; it was
definitely some of the best mark-
ings I've seen in a long time.
"Joe and Jake were both
ripping—they definitely kept me
honest! I kind of kept an eye
on Jake that whole 43-mile first
loop; I was pushing pretty hard
and he was staying right there.
(Below) Two-time Pro Women
Champion Britney Gallegos
took the class win over last
year's series runner-up Rachel
Stout and newcomer Ava
Silvestri. Lexy Baker, shown
here behind Gallegos, crashed
and had to settle for fifth.
