Friday MTB World Championships Results

Amos and Riley Sprint For Gold In Untelevised U23 Short Track

Law schools are notorious for using the Socratic method, in which professors “teach” by asking questions. You read an assignment, go to class, and then some lucky victim is chosen to stand up and get grilled for 20 minutes about a scenario in the assignment while the rest of the class loses focus because they are just relieved it’s Steve getting grilled and not them.

For me, the best part of law school was after we had graduated and were taking bar review classes because, in those classes, they actually told you what you needed to know. They gave you actual answers. What are the prerequisites to adverse possession, you ask? Easy, the possession needs to be Open, Continuous, Adverse, Exclusive and Notorious. In fact, OCEAN is an easy acronym to help you remember. Great! In five minutes, I learned what we spent a third of a semester hashing out in property law.

I remember a few exceptions to the Socratic method, and I think these straightforward lawyering rules all came out of my criminal procedure class. The first rule was that “as a class, your clients will not be cum laude.” Second, “when you tell your client to dress up for court, it doesn’t mean put on the ‘good’ Def Leppard t-shirt, the one with sleeves.” And, third, “there is only one ‘e’ in ‘judgment.’”

Now, I know there is some argument on this last point and even Merriam-Webster acknowledges ‘judgement’ is an acceptable variant, but don’t tell that to the professors of Washington and Lee School of Law. For them, judgment has one ‘e,’ and they may withhold your diploma or not give you a glowing recommendation to Hunton & Williams if you disagree.

Fast-forward twenty years from when I graduated W&L. We’ve moved to Washington, D.C., and I’m desperate to find a gym close to my house. Planet Fitness is within walking distance, and it seems like my best option. But on entering the facility, I’m struck with a moral dilemma because plastered on the wall is the Planet Fitness motto: No Judgement Zone¹. And in my head, I hear this voice from my now-passed professor imploring me to turn around and never return.

But another voice is saying “It’s a no judgment zone. You can’t judge.” And I’m stuck. I feel like the robot in Star Trek faced with the Liar’s Paradox. I don’t know what to do. I know the spelling is wrong, but I’m being told not to judge. I can feel my brain starting to melt.

In the end, what I do is sign up for the gym and work out two to four times a week. And I accept that the spelling of words and even the proper usage of words changes over time irregardless² of what you may have been taught. No judg[e]ment.

That should be enough text filled to avoid any unwanted spoilers.

One note before we get to the results that must be mentioned: It was a big day for the U.S. in the U23 XCC race, which was untelevised and, therefore, unspoilable. Riley Amos and Bjorn Riley sprinted out for first and second. The Trek Factory Racing and Trek Future Racing boys continue to crush it this year. I can’t wait to see what they cook up for the XCO.

Below are your results for the XCC and junior XCO events at the MTB World Championships.

Women’s Elite XCC

Elite Men XCC

U23 Women XCC

U23 Men XCC

Junior Women XCO

Junior Men XCO

1. I told a version of this story on the Criterium Nation podcast. It’s a decent episode but the podcast as a whole is even better. Check it out at wideanglepodium.com.

2. I know.