“
Photo: Andy McGechan/bikepsortNZ
The biggest thing I’ve had to adapt to is racing with several hundred people
and having to predict not only your own line, but anticipate their lines too
PENNSYLVANIA WXC
“I started the race well, going into the
woods in third position and I knew I could
stay with the leaders. I made a pass on the
grass track section and got into second for
about half a lap, but this was short-lived
after I made a mistake and dropped back to
third again.
“I then lost sight of the front-runners and
was struggling to hunt them down. I just
tried to ride my own race and get through
the heat of the day.
“After that we were back in the woods
where there were deep ruts and slippery
tree roots everywhere. The bike was sitting
well in the ruts, but my suspension was
probably a little too harsh for the roots and
I was getting deflected a lot. It was kicking
me up into the front of the bike all the time.
It was a physical race.
“It wasn’t my greatest performance and I
had a few ups and downs throughout the
race,” she acknowledged.
40 KIWI RIDER
FOURTH INTO SUMMER BREAK
Nevertheless, Archer continues to impress
in the US and has been on the podium for
five consecutive events now.
Archer has complied a 8-5-4-4-3-3-3-2-3
score-card after nine of 13 rounds thus far
and this has positioned her fourth overall
for the championship, behind US riders
Tayla Jones and Becca Sheets and Australian
rider Mackenzie Tricker.
With temperatures rising in the US at this
time of year, the sport now takes a summer
break and Archer returns home to catch up
with friends and family.
The GNCC resumes with round 10 of
the series at Harpursville, New York, on
September 15.
“I’ll be heading back (to the US) to race the
last four GNCCs and four enduro rounds
too. When I return to the US, I will be riding
the 2020 Yamaha YZ250FX, with a new-style
chassis and motor, so I’m super excited for
that too.