Christophe Pourcel was smooth, and everyone has been talking about it. Austin Stroupe was somewhat uncharacteristically consistent, and some have been talking about that, too. And Justin Barcia, he was ragged, and on the edge of control, on his way to third, but that’s already been beaten into the ground. And his last-lap pass on Ryan Sipes for third? That made Sipes the unluckiest man in Indianapolis.
But no one is talking about Brett Metcalfe right now.
And then it happened.
The triple jump before the start straightaway on the Indianapolis track was a big one for the Lites guys. They were all hitting it wide open in second gear and doing sky-shots to get over it. Preceding that triple was a whoop section into a 180-degree turn. Brett Metcalfe (and the rest of the field) was taking the whoops in third gear, and then the turn and triple in second, but in his heat race, while battling in the top three, Metcalfe accidentally downshifted to first, and he didn’t know it until he was on the face of the triple.
He cased it – almost faced it. Somehow, he kept it together and finished fifth in the heat, qualifying for the main, and he had to be pushed back to his pit on his bike, because he couldn’t walk.
Still, the Aussie lined up for the main event, and somehow he got a good start, and then he rode a smart and consistent race, through the pain, on an ankle he couldn’t stand on. And he finished fifth.
That’s the stuff champions are made of, but in a short championship like this, he just has to hope he can heal a little bit before round two this weekend in Atlanta.
But no one is talking about Brett Metcalfe right now.
And then it happened.
The triple jump before the start straightaway on the Indianapolis track was a big one for the Lites guys. They were all hitting it wide open in second gear and doing sky-shots to get over it. Preceding that triple was a whoop section into a 180-degree turn. Brett Metcalfe (and the rest of the field) was taking the whoops in third gear, and then the turn and triple in second, but in his heat race, while battling in the top three, Metcalfe accidentally downshifted to first, and he didn’t know it until he was on the face of the triple.
He cased it – almost faced it. Somehow, he kept it together and finished fifth in the heat, qualifying for the main, and he had to be pushed back to his pit on his bike, because he couldn’t walk.
Still, the Aussie lined up for the main event, and somehow he got a good start, and then he rode a smart and consistent race, through the pain, on an ankle he couldn’t stand on. And he finished fifth.
That’s the stuff champions are made of, but in a short championship like this, he just has to hope he can heal a little bit before round two this weekend in Atlanta.
