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Hey everyone, it’s Tucker.  I wanted check in and give you an update on my mountain bike racing.  This summer I’ve been racing at Buck Hill in Burnsville, Minn.  I’ve been able to race six of the eight races so far and am having a blast.  Penn Cycle puts on the races and it’s a great opportunity for the whole family to hang out.  It’s been a nice break from racing, even though it’s still racing!

Mandi, with the help of Mellow Johnny’s (Lance Armstrong’s bike shop in Austin, Texas), hooked me up with an awesome bike for my birthday – check out the photos on my website.  I’m just getting used to it but am already noticing huge improvements.

This past week I finished 13.  It was my second best finish and my second race with my new Trek.  I haven’t made any changes to the bike but plan on switching out the suspension for Fox Racing Shox and might change the tires.  I’m learning a lot about bike set-up and how much it can make a difference.  I guess it’s just like any other type of racing.

I’m going to skip Buck Hill this week because the Spring Creek motocoss national is this weekend.  After this weekend, I have a three-week break from racing motocross so I should be able to get in more mountain biking.  My goal is to continue to improve each week and hopefully tighten the time gap between the leader and I.  It’s a new sport to me so I’m learning something new everyday.  I love it and am completely addicted.  Good thing Mandi likes riding too.  She hasn’t raced yet but is signed up for the Short and Fat at the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival in September.  It’s a 16-mile race that both Mandi and my best friend Rob are racing.  I’ll be in the 40-mile race with my buddy John.  I raced it for the first time last summer and it was the gnarliest race I’ve ever been in.  Sometimes I wonder why I signed up again!

Okay, back to work.  There’s a lot of stuff to get done for this weekend.  If you’re in the area, I hope you plan on being at Spring Creek in Millville, Minn on Saturday.  It should be a great race!

Here are a few more photos by John Hanson.   I’ll be adding new photos and wallpapers to the website shortly…

Moto 1 Start.  Three guys from MN and one from ND: #309 Dally, #69 Hibbert, #144 Martin and #737 Reidman.

Moto 1

Sorry it took so long to check in. I got cought up with packing and getting on the road. Tucker had another good start in the second moto. He ended up 19th on the first lap and by the eighth lap, he had moved up to 15th. He was riding strong and consistantly moving forward. The track was rough. Tucker said it was the roughest he’s ever seen it at Red Bud. The changed the format this year so the 250 class runs after the 450 class. On the ninth lap, Tucker got out of rythem in a sand section – his front wheel jack-knifed and he got thrown over the bars. Uninjured, he jumped up but couldn’t get his bike started. He pushed his bike off the track with the help of his buddy and Asterisk medic, Eddie. Once he got his bike started, he pulled over to the mechanic’s area for fresh goggles an gloves and jumped back in the race. He slavaged a 32nd finish for 19th overall for the day.
Tucker said he’s disappointed in his second moto results but still felt like he rode well.
Thanks for checking in and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Mandi

Tucker finished 13th in moto one, which is one of his career best finishes!  He had a great start, right around 13th and held his own the entire moto.  On the second to last lap, he clipped a hay bail that was in the middle of the track and tipped over.  He quickly got up and running again but had lost a position.  He put his head down and made the pass at the end of the last lap to finish 13th.  Tucker said he felt good and that he’s confident he can have an even better second moto.  Log on to www.allisports.com to listen to moto two live!

July 4 – Hey Everyone!  It’s Mandi checking in with a practice report.  First off, Happy 4th of July!  I hope everyone is spending some time with their family and friends and celebrating America’s birthday.

As always, the track and facility are amazing.  Red Bud is a first-class venue and anyone that hasn’t experienced it in person, should.  Tucker said he felt rusty in the first practice but by the second practice he was feeling good.  It’s not too often that he says he feels good in a moto practice so that’s encouraging news!  With the all the 250 practices combined, Tucker is sitting 22nd overall.  Typically, he finishes ten positions higher in the motos than in practice so that puts him 12th.  His goal is to finish in the top-ten and after practice, he said “it’s doable!” He has a great attitude this morning and is pumped to be back at the races.  It’s currently 69 degrees and overcast – perfect racing weather.  Tucker said the track “is awesome and has just the right amount of moisture.”  There’s a chance of showers this afternoon and by this evening it might turn into thunderstorms.  The radar shows the storm south of where we are at so hopefully it will hold off.

I’ll make sure to check in after the first moto with an update.  You can watch the first moto live on www.allisports.com.  The second moto, you can get a live audio feed.  The second 450 moto will be on NBC live with the second 250 moto airing on SPEED Tuesday, July 7.  Check out www.allisports.com and www.mxsports.com for more info.

Here are a couple photos by John Hanson from Hanson Images.  Enjoy!

Sunday, June 28 – Well, the weekend certainly didn’t go as I had planned and I’m really bummed out.  After it rained all day Friday, Friday night and Saturday, the track was a mud hole.  Rory, Mandi and I spent Friday and Saturday watching it rain and did what we could to get ready indoors.  It ended up being relaxing and a well-needed break.  By Saturday evening, I was starting to have flash backs of 2007 when I blew a motor in the first moto.  They ended up calling the race that year because the track was so wet.

Sunday morning, we woke up to a blue sky and sunshine.  It was a huge relief but I knew the track was still going to be a mess the first part of the day.  After the first practice, I made the decision to race my practice bike.  I wasn’t willing to destroy my race bike knowing I needed to race it again in only six days.  The second practice was timed and after losing my mud-packed rear fender, I logged the second fastest lap time; giving me the second gate pick for the first moto.  I picked the far inside gate and ended up with about a fourth place start.  I got shuffled back to sixth after not being aggressive enough in the first few corners.  I was hesitant and thought it was going to be muddier than it actually was.  I stayed between fifth and seventh for the first half of the race.  I was making a lot of mistakes and had a hard time finding a rhythm.  At about eighteen minutes into the moto, my engine locked up and I was done.  We think a rock busted a hole in my radiator coolant line when I slid out in a corner a few laps earlier.  I lost all my coolant and destroyed my motor.  I rushed back to the trailer and started stripping my bike to swap motors.  We only had an hour and a half before we needed to line up for the second moto.  Rory, myself, my dad, along with our friends Brian and Joel, all worked non-stop and got the bike put back together just in time.  I don’t think I sat down once.

I was feeling pretty confident knowing I had a good motor and wanted redemption.  I wanted to win for the guys that worked so hard swapping my motor and knew I could.  After DNFing the first moto, I ended up with 33rd gate pick.  I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get a good start but didn’t have much of a choice.  I put my head down and launched out of the gate.  I looked to the inside once, knowing that all the top guys would be coming in to the first corner hot.  I didn’t let off the gas and just missed getting the holeshot.  The first two laps I was in second place and was having a hard time getting comfortable with my new motor.  It made me a little nervous but by the end of the second lap, I was feeling really strong and started to close in on the leader.  Halfway through the third lap, I hit neutral on the face of a double.  I bailed off the bike, went over the handlebars and hit the ground hard.  I jumped up, got back on the bike and tried to get back into the race but my front end was too twisted.  I pulled over and kicked on my wheel and hit my handlebars, trying to straighten them out but couldn’t.  I rode over to the mechanic’s area and had Rory try kicking my front wheel but there was no hope.  With my head hanging low, I rode back to the trailer and called it a day.

I think the worst part about the weekend was not finishing the second moto.  The guys worked so hard to get my bike ready after blowing up in the first moto.  It’s certainly not the way I wanted to start my season but its racing and sometimes things go wrong. I’m trying to put the weekend behind me and focus on the next race.  Red Bud is an amazing venue and always has been one of my favorite tracks.  I’m hoping to get my career-first top-ten finish there.  I know it’s going to be tough.  The talent is deep in the 250 class but I’m confident in my bike and my fitness.  I need to ride smart and hopefully it will come to me.

I need to send out a huge “thanks” to my mechanic, Rory.  He’s been working so hard the past month getting everything ready and had a long, hard day today.  I also need to thank all of my sponsors.  They make it possible for me to do what I love to do everyday.  I feel really fortunate to be in the position that I’m in.  Even after having a rough day like today, I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Tucker.

Helmet and goggles are ready!

Saturday evening.

Moto 1.

Rory, my dad, Brian, Joel and I swapping motors.

On the third lap of moto two, while running in second, Tucker hit neutral and went over the bars. Uninjured, he quickly got back on the bike but was unable to continue. The whole front end of the bike is twisted. He nearly got the holeshot with a 33 gate pick after DNFing the first moto. He was riding really strong and was closing in on the leader. The bike had a brand new motor in it after his motor blew up in moto one. Tucker, Rory, Kirk, Joel and Brian worked down to the last minute to get the bike ready for the second moto. Tucker is really disappointed in his results but most of all is bummed out that he didn’t get the chance to put in a solid race.

A little over half way into moto one, Tucker’s motor blew up. He was running between sixth and seventh at the time. Rory, Kirk, Tucker, along with our good friends, Brian and Joel are all busy rebuilding his bike to get ready for moto two.

June 27 – The bad news is, it looks like it’s going to be another Morden mudder! It’s been raining since yesterday afternoon and it is a mess. They canceled amateur racing today. The sun has been shining off and on this afternoon. Hopefully it will help dry the track but I’m pretty confident it’s going to be a sloppy race!
The good news is, you can listen to the races live online at www.mxplive.streamcanada.com. The broadcast starts at noon EST.
Mandi is busy grilling dinner, then we’re off to a bible study with Team Faith. I’ll have Mandi post updates tomorrow. Thanks for checking in!

Friday, June 26 – We are officially on our way to visit our friendly northern neighbor – Canada! Bring on the Tim Hortons, Coffee Crisp candy bars, white pants and ketchup potato chips…what’s not to love? I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get online to update you this weekend while we’re at the races. Keep posted to www.cmrcracing.com and www.mxpmag.com.