I made the trek across the beautiful east Texas woods and across the Sabine river into Louisiana with teammates Dustin, Fred, and g/f Colleen to get back into cross country racing. It was my first time to race this course and I was looking forward to the stage format with a short track race and time trial on Saturday and the main event Sunday. The short track was brutal. I maybe lasted 25 mins of the 45 minute race and got pulled. It was a fun little course though. The time trial went a little better. Didn’t place high, but didn’t get last, and I was happy with the effort. Some days I’ve got what it takes for these short races, but at heart I am an endurance rider. So the XC race brought a bit more redemption. Finished mid pack, had no mechanicals, and had a fun time. Ruston is definitely a course worth going to. It was Colleen’s first XC race, and she finished it! Next up is the season finale at Rocky Hill.