LGBRC and UC Berkeley racer Justin Peck achieved a result far beyond his expectations as he made it onto the podium in both the cross country and the short track this weekend in his very first trip to collegiate nationals. Purgatory, Colorado had received more than six inches of snow earlier in the week, making for a mix of deep mud at lower elevations and hardback snow up higher.
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In the XC race on Friday, he overcame a 4th row start by dismounting and running cyclocross style as the deep mud made the lower sections almost unrideable, and he jumped up to 5th place by the top of the first climb. Throughout the three laps, he made it as far up a 3rd place, before the final sprint to the line put him in 4th on the day.
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The short track race was slightly warmer on Saturday, and Justin again had a strong race to finish 5th. “I came into this weekend thinking that a top 20 result was possible, but to get onto the podium racing against seniors and grad students is just fantastic.” Although he was wearing UC Berkeley clothing for the events, he appreciates all the support from LGBRC over the years.
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Great pictures below and Velonews has additional coverage.
