Below is a vij of a race. It tells part of a story. You see men riding around in circles for an hour, and then three riders come across the finish line in the order which the podium reflects. This is a small part of the story, and instead of a boring race recap of who attacked where and how things panned out, here is an honest recap from a race announcer's point of view, and just how hard the call was for me yesterday.
Everyone out there knows Jake Wells and his family are very close friends of mine, and yesterday was an amazing opportunity for me to not only observe the 2010 State Cyclocross Championships, but I was also presented the chance to call the action due to some unfortunate occurrences which took place for another announcer. DBC Events asked me to sit in on the mic all weekend, and I was honored.
When one of your best bros is out there racing, for a championship, and you call the action, it's VERY difficult not to play the homer and stick to the task at hand, for every rider out there has a fan base, and you must be fair, concise and spot on making the call. Typically I'd be out in the field screaming words of advice and encouragement, but that is just not possible while on the mic. You must watch the ebb and flow of the race, and call it, and keep it exciting. Yesterday's race was incredibly exciting, with three riders I really like at the front, all incredibly talented. I wanted Jake Wells to win yesterday, badly, and I wanted to be making the call when it happened. This is probably not fair to Jake to say "we" wanted this win badly, as I know how much he hungered for this win himself, and Jake is the one who put in the countless hours of training, travel and sacrificed the time with his family to be there yesterday, but we all of course hoped for a win. The racing was fierce at the front, and it was anybody's ballgame with one to go when Wells jumped. Once reeled in late, I too was on the edge of my seat as the threesome approached an amazing finish. Just one difference between myself and everyone else, I had the microphone and had to stay focused on my task at hand. When Brandon Dwight made the decisive and perfectly timed move approaching the finish, I had to call it like I saw it. I do not even know what words came out of my mouth it was so exciting. I do remember this, when I saw Jake could not answer the move, and the words "Brandon Dwight has Jake Wells in trouble" came out of my mouth, my heart sunk, and it hurt me to see my good friend not have any gas left to complete his dream. But Jake won yesterday, in so many eyes, as our lives will never be defined by one moment in one race, but rather the overall journey and excitement we provide for others in the arena, whatever that may be. Brandon Dwight and Pete Webber rode amazing yesterday, there has never been a more well deserved win, Jake Wells MUST travel to Bend, Oregon with his head held high, as the big show now lies in front of him at Nationals this coming weekend, and I'll be watching my computer screen screaming like a mad man in hopes for a top 10 finish for Jake in Bend.
The interviews with these three at the end of this vij are spot on and very reflective of what went down yesterday in a fantastic battle. Thanks for a great race guys, I hope I kept it nuetral on the mic, cause it was difficult to say the least.
Vij from Brian Patrick of Onsight-Media
Photo poached fro Greg Keller's tweet
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