Micah Chitraroff: Socal Devo Racer

Seeing as this was my first ever varsity race, I was extremely nervous and apprehensive as I was preparing to begin this race. My only solace in a never-ending sea of anxiety was my trusty Harry Potter book. Without it, I would have been subjected to the ever-notorious pre race diarrhea that plagues so many racers. Starting the race, I knew that I had done all that I could to prepare for my race: I washed my bike, ate my pickles, had an unfathomable amount of garlic bread (because everybody knows that the amount of garlic bread consumed is proportional to the speed at which you race). But anyways, I was as ready as I would ever be. The first lap was a full-out sprint with everyone battling for the optimal position into the descent. I got into the descent at around twentieth place, which was not good, so I knew that I had to push my way through the masses on the sand. It was unlucky, however, that I developed a cramp going through the feed zone and I had to stick in with a group until