Swizcorner: Houston
Maybe I’m on glue but the flow of the Houston track felt very similar to the Toronto track of two weeks ago. And since that Toronto track was the best track of the year, in my opinion, I find nothing wrong with the Houston layout nearly mirroring it. The dirt was even great, just like Toronto. So here we are, two rounds straight with some really good dirt and layouts that were not follow-the-leader type of racing. Nope, the track wasn’t to blame for the lack of up-front passing this week, it was the leaders themselves.
It’s unfortunate for those of us who don’t pull for particular racers but good racing in general when the leader separates themselves from the pack like RV has done over the last few weeks. Although in Toronto Davi Millsaps gave me real hope that he was back to the Davi of rounds one through seven, in Houston that dream looked to be a hallucination. Ryan Dungey is still looking faster than he ever has indoors but it’s simply not enough against the superior to all, right now, Ryan Villopoto. This 2013 season is looking more like both 2011 and 2012 as it moves along. At the onset everyone started on level ground, as the rounds clicked off some riders were faced with peaks to ascend while others lowered their heads and gained momentum on the downhills. RV actually created his own hurdles in the early rounds but he quickly righted his mistakes and, initially quietly, began chipping away at the points. That chipping away turned into a jackhammer and he has now clicked off five-straight wins in convincing fashion.
