Hampshire is also feeling confident, citing changing bikes as one of the things that has helped him since Nashville.
“I had a setback in Seattle. I rode well in St. Louis, but I still had a bad time. I couldn't do the same thing. Something needed to change,” Hampshire said. I explained this while waiting for my turn to wrap at the press day. “I felt like my strength went up this week and I changed something on the bike as well. People will laugh when they know what that actually is. So far it’s gelling very well. I can't tell you because it's usually open, but I'll keep this a secret: I showed up in Nashville and raced this car, and we've been driving it every day since. I'm going to race Denver. It's a different racetrack. It's a different feel, it's a different altitude, it's a different gear, it's all different, but the goal is the same.”
Obviously, both riders are here for one purpose only. When I asked him what specifically he was working on for Denver, it came as no surprise. Hampshire decided to start and “put a lot of thought and effort into it” and Kitchen worked on the speed of the sprint. But the kitchen brought small changes to the day.
“It's getting pretty hot in Florida, so I rode my bike in the morning and went fishing in the afternoon.”
Two things separate the two riders. May the best man win the next two Saturdays.
