2012 Sea Otter Classic

This year would be my first trip back to Sea Otter in two years, and my first time as a Pro.  I basically got my start in racing at Sea Otter, and it's kind of funny to look back at my XC results (and categories)...

2006 - Sport Clydesdale Class - 13th
2008 - Expert Clydesdale Class - 1st
2009 - Cat 1 25-29 - 3rd
2010 - Cat 1 25-29 - 1st

Last year I was all set to go race and had been training hard since November, but then the week of the event this happened and I made the very easy choice to skip Sea Otter and take care of Jen.  That event changed our lives, but also my whole outlook on racing.  Prior to that event, and looking back all the way to the last time I was at Sea Otter in 2010, I was way too focused on racing and was not even fun to be around the days leading up to a race or especially on race day.  Jen called it "race mode" and my friend Brian, who I stayed with in 2010, called me "the intimidator," probably because I showed no emotion.  Over the course of the last year I've worked to change my attitude, be more approachable, and make racing fun.  So Jen and I set off after work Thursday looking forward to a fun weekend with great weather and friends at this year's Otter.

We were so blessed to be staying with our friends Brian and Bri again this year who are such fantastic hosts.  Plus, they live right across the street from the track... can't ask for any better accommodations!

Friday - Short Track:

I had left myself plenty of time to get my Highball ready in the morning and the rear brake was giving me a ton of problems.  I thought I had it all worked out and turning without really dragging, but when I came back to it and rolled it over to the car it was dragging even worse and sounding horrible.  I think it changed once the temps heated up.  Brian helped me get it rolling without too much resistance but it just sounded absolutely horrible.  The sun was out and cookin' up temps in the mid 80's to 90 by the time our race was set to start at noon.  I've never really done well at Short Track, it's just not my thing.  I do better at longer races, and 20 minutes plus 3 laps of an 1/8th mile (?) course is, well, not long.  59 guys lined up and we started clean, for the first 100 ft or so.  Then we had an off camber right turn with ruts to start a climb.  I knew there would be problems here and it would be just pure luck if I got through it clean.  I didn't.  Someone washed out in front of me and then we were running.  The field got strung out immediately and I was way in the back.  I caught back up at the top of the climb and then on the traverse across the top I took an alternate line in the grass and over some rocks to make a pass and then took as many deep breaths as possible on the short downhill.

I made the hairpin turn and stood up to hammer back to the line to do it all again.  I lost a couple spots on the climb as my rear brake was making tons of racket and the shifting was even jumping around.  Just not a good day.

I was actually wishing I had ridden the Tallboy, not because of the issues the Highball was having, but because there was actually some rough pedaling where I would have been faster since we weren't actually on "trails."  Since I wasn't having a great race at all and I know I didn't have the umph to really make any passes stick I didn't push overly hard in order to save a bit for the XC the next day.  I lasted a little under 10 minutes before getting pulled, to finish 49th of 58.  And that's all I have to say about that.

After short track I set off for a pre-ride of the XC course.  Yes, in the middle of the day in the heat, the day before a race, and it would take a couple hours.  It may not have been wise, but the course had changed quite a bit since I raced here last I felt it was more important to inspect it and recover/rehydrate after than to race blind.  I made sure to keep a steady intake of Hammer HEED, Gel, and Perpetuem to not get depleted of anything.  With the warm up, short track race, and pre-ride I got in close to 3.5 hours of riding in on Friday and got some pink skin to go with it.  In the evening I finally got the brake and shifting issues all figured out and the Highball was dialed for XC.

Saturday - Cross Country:

I woke up with legs that were a little fatigued so I went for a spin first thing.  Just a half hour, but it did the trick to help loosen everything back up.  After breakfast, some stretching and final bike and fueling prep I went back up to the track and began my warmup.  It was getting really hot out on the track.  To the point where I was beginning to wonder if I'd be better off staying cool in the shade somewhere rather than riding around in the sun.  I decided to keep moving to make sure my legs were ready to go and keep chuggin' fluids.  I felt ready as the time approached and I rolled up to staging with 88 other guys.

I wasn't expecting any sort of call-up but after about 30 or so names I heard mine... but I was in the back and couldn't make my way through and then everyone just all rolled up at once while they were still calling names.  It was a little weird when that happened, but I ended up with a decent position in the center about 4 rows back and most importantly in the shade!  The start position isn't as important at Sea Otter because we start on the Laguna Seca track and it doesn't funnel down right away.  After the national anthem and with a cheering crowd the gun went off.

So now we're on the wide open race track; 89 guys on mountain bikes with wide handlebars, powerful and touchy disc brakes, knobby tires, and way too much adrenaline who don't really know how to road race.  Sound like a bad idea?  Yeah, it was pretty scary.  Even though all those knobbies on the pavement created the coolest sound.  We'd fan out wide on the straight away and then everyone would close way down in the corner trying to hit the apex, a few tires skid around me as I lean over in the turn making sure not to overlap the wheel in front of me.  I'm white knuckled and my arms are stiff trying to hold my position as the guy next to me leans on my elbow.  Ok, first corner is done.  The hairpin turn starts a little climb for us, but the leaders take the inside pavement which is narrower (the pit road exit) and some guys slide a bit on the dirt to the side but since we start to climb it slows down and mellows out.  We crest and head down the front stretch at 30mph with the group completely fanned out because nobody wants to pull.  We bunch back up in the right hand 90 degree turn and a BMC rider almost goes down up front.  That could have been really bad.  But we made it through and the road craziness is over now that we have a steady climb up to where we exit the track through a 12ft (approx.) gap in the concrete wall.  At this point is the first choke of the course and I don't know what happened up front but we stopped and everyone was running through here and it was a total cluster.  My pedal gets caught up in someone's front wheel, I was able to yank it out without any damage and remount to give chase.  Towards the back of the pack now I stand up and hammer the first short climb and pass quite a few guys by the top.  I crested the top and kept the cranks turning on the long downhill and take the rutted line on the right side.  Guys are coasting on the left and I can't figure out why, but I'm turning the pedals at 44mph and I pass at least 5 guys on that first descent.  The course stays on this ridge line fire road for about 2.5 miles with a couple pretty steep but short climbs.  The final one is really steep and of course I end up having to dismount and run up because the guys in my way can't get it done.  It's really frustrating to be able to ride something easily in my pre-ride but be forced to get off during the race because of traffic.

One more downhill and I know the singletrack is coming so I try go get by as many as possible, passing a couple more on a gravely corner before turning into the fun stuff.  As I expected, my progress is impeded on the singletrack and I just know the front is getting stretched out even more.  There's nowhere to pass so I just sit in and relax as we cruise the sandy corners and I have a little fun drifting and finding some good flow. We finish the decent and I, along with a couple others, pass the roadblock racer as we start the next switchback climb.  We pick up the pace a little bit but I feel like I could go faster.  We're on singletrack here and there are a couple places where I could force a pass, but our pace is just fast enough that I don't think I could have made a move quick enough to make it stick.  I looked for a couple places and almost washed out on the inside of a corner once as I hit a rut I didn't see trying to cut the corner a bit much.  We crest the top of that climb, about 6 miles into the race and begin another ridge line gravel road.  I have no idea what place I'm in but I just keep looking ahead and picking off as many as I can.  I get to the first "caution" spot which is a blind downhill full of ruts.  As I approach I see a cloud of dust and a course marshal waiving us to the right side.  When I crest I see a rider getting up from a crash on the left and the guy in front of me takes a line a little more to the center.  I stay loose and to the right, cross over a couple ruts, let off the brakes and make the pass.  No big deal and I set my sights on the next guy.  We get a little bit of singletrack on a gradual descent which culminates in a 50ft "sand dune" drop onto a dirt road which is pretty fun.

I hadn't quite caught up to the next two riders yet which means I have a flat dirt road section where I'm all alone.  I take on a dose of Hammer Gel and continue to drink.  This valley is pretty hot but I try not to loose any ground to the guys behind me who might be working together to catch back up.  Then comes the Trail 82 singletrack climb which is about a mile long and a fairly steep slog.  There's shade in the beginning but about 1/4 of the way up it's just a trail in the bushes with dead air and I'm cookin'.  I keep the pace but after a little bit I can feel I'm totally overheating and beginning to get chills.  I back it off a little and take on as much fluid as I can stomach.  I'm still not feeling great and begin to wonder if I'm going to be one convulsing on the side of the trail soon.  Normally I handle heat very well but this was such a drastic temperature change from what I'm use to in less than a week (after the race I heard someone say their Garmin recorded 106 degrees here).  I finally crested and turn into a slight breeze at the top so I fully unzip the jersey and keep going.  I start to feel better and then I get passed so I match the attack and stay on his wheel down to the road crossing as we catch another small group containing fellow Norcal racer Will Curtis.  I'm able to pass everyone in this group and make it stick by the top before a short decent.  There's an off camber left turn that I made with a drift and my left foot out.  I don't get clipped in before a bermed right turn which opens into a good size water bar which of course had a camera man and a crowd saying "Boost IT!!!!" I'm not fully clipped in but the cheers and cowbells made me do it anyways.  I hit the jump and tweak out the bike for show, open jersey flapping, and while in the air realize I'm going to land in a rut.  Thankfully it wasn't a deep one but my front tire landed with an objectionable "BAARRRPPP!" Thankfully I'm running WTB TCS Nano's and the bead held strong without any air loss.  Still not clipped in I drift the next left hander which set me up perfectly to pass a rider on the right side of the next rutted downhill as I let go of the brakes and hit 28mph at the bottom.

Here begins another dirt road section of a little over a mile.  I get passed back by that guy from the last downhill but I'm ok with it and sit in his draft for a bit.  We climb up to the "Three Sisters" ridge and I'm feeling pretty good as I catch up to Cody Kaiser after the second climb.  About then, Barry Wicks comes blowing by (he had been off to the side with a mechanical early on).  I tried, and so did Cody, to stay on his wheel but we couldn't.  That was humbling, but I keep on giving the best I've got.  It's a little under an hour into the race now and my hamstrings and inner thighs begin to cramp on the climbs.  Just as I finish off the rest of my bottle, I see Brian stationed perfectly for an exchange.  He hands me a nearly full bottle of water and I was SO needing it!  Some goes on my head and back and I chug down as much as I can before the next turn.  We're descending on road now as I pass Cody, Menso de Jong and another rider at the base before turning up the twisty Goat Trail climb.  Rejuvenated by having water again I'm standing on the pedals and hammering.  I also have no choice but to stand because if I try to climb seated my hammies will cramp!  I make a couple passes and catch up to a group of three or four which included Jim Hewett (winner of last weeks Napa Valley Dirt Classic).  I sit in and recover a second before seeing an opportunity to attack on a steep climb.  I go for it with a little momentum and Jim's gears slip, causing the rider behind him to check up and swerve into my path.  I check up but my wheel is overlapping the other guy's back wheel and I'm loosing my balance... "go go go GO GO!"  I holler but he doesn't go quick enough and I have to dismount... dang.  I finally get back on and the group comes back together and I take the next climb to pass them all, just before the final decent on the Goat Trail and I'm able to put in a little gap.  I'm totally spent though as I hit the false flat but try to hold my gap before hitting the road.  The final climb back has a few steep rollers but overall is a steady slog which normally I can hammer pretty hard.  Not this time though as the hammies just want to cramp.  And from my efforts on the Goat Trail when I stand up the quads didn't really like that either.  I glance over my shoulder after a corner and I see Jim coming.  I keep the power down as much as I can and pass maybe three more riders before the second to last climb when Jim goes by.  I match him up to the crest of that one but couldn't hold it up the last one.  We get a little bit of fun singletrack descent as we're almost back to the track and I try to stay smooth and recover for one final finish sprint.  I almost blow a corner and slide into a ditch but saved it with inches to spare.  Jim is about 4 seconds up as we hit the track but the gap holds and I roll across the line in 38th place.

I finished in 1:24:14 and was 9 minutes and 56 seconds back from the winner Geoff Kabush.  I'm really happy with my effort though and feel I gave it everything I had.  I was happy to be done and in one piece after a crazy first Sea Otter Pro XC.

By now you might have noticed the new jersey...  I'm very excited to now be racing for the new Santa Cruz / Fox Racing Shox team and representing a great group of sponsors.  This is a great group of extremely talented riders of "All Mountain" ability and I feel extremely privileged to be welcomed aboard.  The jersey is on loan from new teammate Aaron Bradford who unfortunately broke his collar bone in DH practice on Friday.

Best part about finishing a race!

Sunday - Fun Day:

Greeted by dense fog Sunday morning I set off with Brian for a tour of the Fort Ord fun trails that I've never had the chance to ride.  We had a blast ripping around for about 90 minutes when he had to get stationed on the course to provide a feed for Brianne who was on her way to winning her Cat 2 XC race.  I finished off my ride on the long climb back of the xc course, encouraging all the cat 2's giving it their best and cheering on the riders I knew.  That's one of the things I love about Sea Otter is that I'm surrounded by so many people I know and everyone's just stoked to be riding and racing their bikes.

A High Five for Avery Morin grabbing 3rd in the Cat 2 15-18 XC (she's 14!)

Later Jen and I went down to Cannery Row in Monterey for brunch.  Where I powered down an omelette, the rest of her crepe, and most of two HUGE mango-coconut-granola pancakes before spending some time in the Monterey Bay Aquarium where she got freaked out by the jellies and giant octopus... but cute penguins made up for it.

Perfect cap to a super fun Sea Otter weekend.

4/15/12 Napa Valley Dirt Classic Race Report

The Diesel is back...

Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA puts on this race each year, usually the Sunday before Sea Otter which makes for a great bike set-up test and final fitness gauge.  It's a super fun course, winding through the trees and steep slopes of Howell Mountain and has the two infamous features; the "whoop-de-doo's" and the painful climb out of the Pope Valley to finish off the race.

The week prior I came down with something, a cold I guess, or just a lot of fatigue.  Either way I was not able to ride Wednesday through Friday, trying to get better asap.  Conveniently that also coincided with rain storms, cold and hail.  So I didn't feel TOO bad.  Saturday morning I discovered the bottom bracket on my Highball was seized!  I hadn't ridden it in about 2 weeks and hadn't checked it.  I took it down to Folsom Bike and while they didn't have an XTR BB in stock, my buddy Eddie was able to clean and re-pack it to get it ready for Sunday.  While he was doing that, I was on the Tallboy for most of the morning coaching a new client on MTB skills which is always rejuvenating and helps give me my riding "stoke" back.  I really get encouraged to help others who are so motivated and to be able to see real progress.  I got in a couple hours of riding at my pace before and after our session, but was out for about 5 total.  Legs felt ok after that, but Sunday morning I could tell they were a little fatigued.

So a long warm-up was in order.  I mounted up on the Highball with now turning cranks (although they seemed to have a little extra resistance) and a sweet custom fender I made from a 2 liter bottle and started spinning around.  After about 45 minutes, there was still a little soreness in the hammies, and my heart rate was decent so I was as ready as I was going to be.

There's always a tough crowd that shows up for this race, and this year was no exception.  Jim Hewitt, Kevin Smallman, Cody Kaiser, Michael Hosey, and the usual current and alumni kids of the Whole Athlete development program to name a few on the Pro line.  Then there's always the Cat 1 fasties chasing us down like Brian Butler and Krishna Dole that start only a couple minutes back.  On the line, I turn to Kevin and say "I despise this start! Ugh" and his reply of, "Yeah I'm not looking forward to this... it's one of the most painful starts in Norcal" I'm in complete agreement with.  The gun goes off and we're sprinting up the pavement for about 200yds, a pretty decent incline too, before getting about 5 breathes worth of fairly level singletrack before turning up a gradual incline again.  Then after a hairpin it gets steeper until we get to the run-up which is quite slick this year after a week's worth of rain and hail.  At this point, being the absolutely horrible starter I am, I'm bringing up the rear of the pros and a lead group is about 10 seconds up I think.

The first couple miles are on some fire roads and grassy double track that have a few power sapping wet spots but overall the course is in decent shape.  I get to the "whoop-de-doos" (three gigantic rocky rollers) and charge down the hill of the first one, pedaling in and no brakes, absorbing the rocks to maintain maximum momentum up the first rocky roller.  Pre-shift, stand, aim for the rocks which is the place of historically good traction only to find they're super slick and covered in moss!  The back tire immediately slips out and I'm running.  The crowd that usually gathers there cheers me on and one guy says all the white rocks are slick.  Yeah... NOW I know!  I make it through the next two rollers, only aiming for the dirt this time and the new WTB Moto 1.9 tires dig in and hook up great.  But even after that on the next mile or so of trail the hardpack and rocks are still very slick and even just riding along straight the back tire slips and slides making me think I have a flat.  I couldn't wait to get into the singletrack!

Finally the fun stuff.  Tight, twisty, leafy and needle loam covered dirt ran beneath my tires as I caught and passed a couple riders.  I got stuck behind one guy for quite a while, much longer than I should have but I wasn't feeling super aggressive to put out the effort to force a pass.  I should have though, it's a race, but I just didn't have the fire yet.  I eventually passed him on a tight turn he couldn't navigate, and being a bit frustrated I finally got some fire and wanted to put the gap on him quickly which I did.  After one of the steep climbs I came around a corner to find Will Curtis on the side with some sort of chain problem.  Bummer.  His Whole Athlete buddy Tony was stopped to help him too.

I caught a couple more guys, the old guys of the pro class who still manage to start faster than me!  And passed them just as Tony came blowing by.  Crazy kids.  I stepped it up and was able to keep up until a short climb where he just left me... impressive.  I stayed in "Diesel mode" riding by myself just chuggin' along and enjoying riding my bike.  The descent down into the Pope Valley was not too slick thankfully but had some pretty serious ruts to navigate.  The Moto's kept great traction and I got through it all clean and began the dreaded climb back out.  The first pitch was slick and I didn't have enough momentum so I had to run it.  The second one came and I just didn't have the fire to push it and felt running would be just as fast so I dismounted about half way up.  I was frustrated because I normally ride that one.  The last and longest one came, with great traction and I cleaned it all which I'm very happy about.  It was about an hour and fifteen minutes into the race and I was just starting to feel good, and feel like I'm racing.  I get back up to the main fire roads and a course marshall says "Almost to the top! Just about 100 ft to go!" Yeah, for that climb!  Then there's more to come... about a mile or so of steady fire road that has a deceiving incline to it which you can loose a lot of time on if you don't charging.

I came around a corner and saw a glimpse of a rider that looked like fellow Folsom Bike rider Jared Kessler who's been crushing the early season road races in prep for mid season Super D's and Enduro's.  So I keep the diesel chuggin' and I'm about 5 seconds back from him when we hit the airport plateau and pass Kevin Smallman who's pedaling with just his right leg.  As I pass I see his left crank arm in his back pocket... dang.  Turns out he snapped a BB30 spindle!  Crazy.  One more small incline and I sprint to catch Jared and hit my highest HR of the year so far (181!) and then sit in behind him.  It's a gradual descent down to the track and I knew I couldn't drop him there.  I stay right on his wheel, getting roosted with mud and we finally hit the track.  One lap of pavement, against a guy who's been learning a lot of road tactics lately and I know is a great sprinter.  I have to time my move right.  Mid-way through the back stretch I have a run... I know I shouldn't go but I do.  I shift and stand up to lay down as much power as I can and we enter the final turn.  I protect the inside and glance back, he's still there but a bike length back.  He's getting a run in my draft.  I stand up again and let finish the corner out on the left of center and glance over my right shoulder expecting him to be there but he went left!  Dangit!  I'm giving it all I can as he's coming by on the left and that white chalk line finally comes... I throw the bike forward and it's over!  That was pretty rad.  Sprint finishes never happen in MTB races so I'm excited about the finish regardless of who got it.  We were racing for 5th overall and I thought he had me at the line, but the scorekeepers saw it differently and gave me the spot, finishing 4th in Pro and 5th overall (Michael Hosey was up there but racing Single Speed).

I'm a bit frustrated with my lack of motivation at the start and for the first hour.  I need to figure out how to get a fire going sooner... or just start doing 50 & 100 milers!

I am happy about my super-awesome custom fender though!  I didn't have a spec of mud on my face until I got roosted by Jared.

Now off to the 'Otter...

US Cup - Bonelli - Pro XCT #2 and Super D Race Report

A tale of two metals...

I finished up my base training last week with a pretty decent 2 hour effort at the last local race at Granite Bay.  I got second overall but was just happy with the constant output I was able to lay down for the whole time... and then still feel like riding around a bit after the race was over.  So with that it's time to find that next gear...

A light duty "rest" week and a 6 1/2 hour drive down south for the 2nd round of the Pro XCT held at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA would start my quest for that next gear.  What better way to do it than to just throw yourself into the biggest race in the country right?  I drove straight to the park and mounted up on the Santa Cruz Highball for some preriding on an absolutely gorgeous 80+ degree day.

I did 4 laps on the course and was feeling pretty good and wanted to keep going, which is exactly when I needed to stop.  The Highball was going to be a great choice for the course as most of the pedaling was done out of the saddle or wasn't very rough.

It's a very punchy "on-off" type of course and the downhill or "techy" sections aren't long enough to make me think the Tallboy would be faster overall.

Saturday rolled in with another picture perfect weather day with not even any wind... awesome.  I had a nice morning with my Brother (still nursing knee tendinitis so he isn't racing) and his family then we all rolled over to the park and I got warmed up.  I was the 46th rider called up in a field of 62, so yeah... not the greatest start position.  They had us stay "orderly" as we rolled up and behind marked lines on the ground and then I heard an official say they wanted us to be in lines 9 riders wide.  Looking at the line in front of me... 1...2... ...8! Don't mind if I do! Sweet, every little bit helps I suppose, especially since I have notoriously horrible starts!  Then the gun went of and this one was no different.  I didn't get into my left pedal right away but kept pedaling anyways.  Even if I was fully clipped in it wouldn't have mattered since there was such a mass of bars, wheels, and pedaling feet to run into.  I finally got clipped in and as we go through a little chicane and up a curb, some guys bang into each other but nobody goes down and I go around to the left with a few others and we try to keep a gap from forming with the rest of the field.  I catch back up before the first short climb on the start loop.

We wound our way back through the grass section and the start line to set off for our first full lap and I'm probably about where I started, maybe in the low 40's.  We hit the first real climb and I punch it on the first steep section and pass 4 riders, having to roll by in the weeds.  I still don't have that next gear though so I sit back down for the rest of the climb but still end up passing a couple more by the top, then we're into the first bit of singletrack.  Not much to it, just enough to take a few deep breaths during two short downhills with a rocky and loose knoll in the middle.

Then up another loose climb we go again before heading down the most fun downhill section full of rocks and an 'S' turn in the middle.

After that... you guessed it, a short steep climb.  I'm sure you're sensing a trend here.  So a couple more in that sequence with two nasty off-camber and loose turns in there before we get rolling into a gradual, but still fairly short, climb up to the top of the ridge.  The downhill off the ridge is pretty fun too, it's loose dirt with pine needle loam that you can drift and rail in the turns around the trees.  That is if you don't have some guy on the brakes in front of you (Really??? How are you racing Pro?!?!).  I finally got around that guy before the next bit of climbing and bridge back the gap he caused by being on the binders so much.  A few more fun turns in the trees and then the usual up-down sequence and we're back on the grass to the start/finish for lap #2.

So at this point I'm feeling OK as I'm past the toughest part (The start lap and lap 1) and now I can start picking people off which is what I begin to do.  The Highball is rocketing up the climbs and is enabling my quest for that next gear.  I had a bit of fun on the backside rocky downhill when there was so much dust covering the trail that I couldn't see the rock that bucked my back wheel sideways, pointing me to the right going into a left turn, but the WTB Nano's dug into the earth and got me through that turn just fine, as well as those next few nasty off-cambers.  I was probably in the low 30's at that point and as I came out of the trees and turned up the next rocky climb, I stood up to lay down some power and pass when SNAP!!! And I was instantly on the ground... on a climb.  My right leg has come off the bike but this felt different than just slipping out of my pedal and then I looked down and saw confirmation of my suspicion... I had sheared the spindle of my right pedal.  My XC day was done... 24 minutes of... pain/fun.  Maybe one of these years I'll actually have some good luck at Bonelli and finish a race, I'm 0 for 3.

So I got to walk back and eat an earlier than planned lunch while watching the rest of the race in the shade.  And after (from the comfort of a folding chair) tossing a baseball for my 5 year old nephew to hit a few times I set off for a few practice runs on the Super D course.  I had brought the Tallboy but still decided to use the Highball on this "Super XC" course which was more about pedaling ability than descending and handling ability.  I didn't even bother to change to the more aggressive WTB Bronson Tires since there was still nothing very rough or loose that needed the bigger tread.  I do love the new TCS version of the Nano's which seems to have a stronger sidewall too and really holds nicely even at just 20psi in the front.

We had a little fun with the video camera...

After my practice runs I was feeling comfortable with the course and tried to keep the legs from getting too cooled off while waiting for my start time.  At 5:40pm as dusk was setting in, I set off on my run.  A few winding turns through the bushes on top of the hill and then down "the drop," hitting about 30mph and hoping you can still see the right line in the dull evening light to catch the berm and rail the sweeping left hander.  One more turn and then to the flat pavement power section about 300 yards long and then up onto the hillside for a few turns in the trees.

After that is the first burner climb on fire road, I stand up and give it what I've got but I seem to be farther away from that next gear than I was earlier in the day.  I get to the top and my brain just doesn't want to push through the pain anymore but I take another gasp of air and keep chuggin' up the next climb and click it into the big ring again.  I stand up to hammer the next climb and as it turned steep I go to shift down a gear but accidentally click down two, and loose a little time there.  I sit down to get the shift right and keep powering up before turning down the last bit of singletrack.  At this point I feel like I'm doing poorly but I keep charging and take my 'special' line before hitting the grass.

I come to the hairpin turn, hit the apex and stand up to pedal and my left foot comes flying out of the pedal!  Ahh! I got it back in quickly by the end of the next turn and give it everything I have and finish out the course with a sprint.  The announcer says my time but I have no idea what it is in relation to anyone else.  But after darkness rolled in... I got to roll up to the podium in 5th! Yeah!!!

And so ends my tale of two metals.  One that sheared and ended a race, and one that was worn at the end of another.

2012 Racing Is Here!

It comes every year, whether I'm ready or not, that first local "tester" race in the TBF MTB Kickstart at Granite Bay.  Last Sunday was that first measuring stick for 2012.  I'm only 4 weeks into training, actually, 4 weeks into riding period after a long long time off the bike.  So to be honest I was a bit nervous, but I'm accepting of the fact that I can only work with the time that I've been given and I'm going to be happy with whatever comes of it. And if I stick with it, I just might have some even better results in the mid and late season this year when it really matters.  I just can't try to rush the training, which is hard, because I like doing well.

The first rainy weekend of 2012 had to be, of course, the weekend of this race.  But thankfully there was a Sunday morning break and since Granite Bay drains so well, conditions were just about perfect.  I didn't even need to change from my favorite hard pack tire, the WTB Nano 29, and the Santa Cruz Highball hard tail would be the perfect choice.  I pulled up to the start line next to the only other rider in the Pro/Open category, Ron Shevock, who's kind of the ying to my yang as far as strengths.  So I knew this was going to be a fun challenge, especially since there isn't any snow and the former competitive skier has been riding his bike way more than normal this time of year.  We started in the same wave as all other experts so it was a pretty big group, but I got the holeshot, which I thought was odd and wasn't exactly where I wanted to be.  I was hoping to sit in for a while and I didn't think I was fast enough right now to dictate the pace of the race.  After about a mile we broke out to the first bit of pavement and an expert rider sprinted on by.  Ron and I discussed the likelihood that we would catch him on the upcoming climb, and we were right.  Only Ron caught him about 10 seconds faster than I did and already had a gap by the top.  That ying to my yang thing means that Ron typically crushes me on those short climbs, especially since he's on a single speed so he has 100% efficient power transfer.  There was another expert that had managed to pass me on that climb, and I decided not to push the issue and pass him at the top before the downhill, but I regretted that decision.  I was stuck behind him for the next mile or so at a pace slower than I wanted and I couldn't see Ron anymore.  Finally I had the opportunity to pass on a short climb and dropped him quickly.  I made my way out to the far end of the course called "Doton's Point" where usually we flip a U-Turn at the end of the single track and head up a short road section, and that's where I saw Ron.  Only the course volunteers there were yelling at him "TURN AROUND!!!"  Instantly I knew the course must go out around the dirt and not up the road and Ron had just been a creature of habit with his head down.  By the time I got to the point Ron was rejoining the course and his lead was gone.  I rode the rest of the first lap in the lead and into the 2nd lap until the main climb again when I said "see ya" to Ron as he motored up the hill.  I was trying to keep from going beyond threshold during the race so I was going to save any effort like that for the end if needed.  And I figured if I couldn't catch back up with him on the dowhills, flats and twisties which are my strengths I wasn't going to catch him anyways.

I had a good smooth lap 2 and was having fun, and I did catch Ron by the bottom of the climb on lap 3.  We had a pretty huge gap on the rest of our start group so it was just going to be the two of us to battle it out.  Which is pretty fun since it rarely happens in MTB racing.  I decided that I was going to stick with Ron on this climb to keep that gap from forming again and then recover later.  He gave it his normal stand-up effort for the first half of the climb and I stayed with him, not completely gassed, but the legs were burning pretty good.  We had a bit of a discussion about how much this race seemed to hurt for the second half of the climb after we backed off the pace a little.  I sat up on his wheel until we reached Doton Point again and I couldn't help myself and took the lead.  But then as I rolled a small downhill with a 90 degree turn at the bottom there was a loud thud and wobble from the back of my bike.  I said to Ron "that felt like my back wheel was trying to come off!"  Everything seemed fine though and he confirmed, but he said he didn't have enough energy to really focus on it.  Yeah sure Ron.  :-).  I never believe anyone when they say "oh my legs are burning" or talk about how gassed they are during a race.  I always think they're trying to get in my head so I back off... "Lies! All lies!" I think to myself.  But what was in my head now was that I thought my bike was falling apart.  I wouldn't dare pick up my back wheel over any obstacle for the rest of the race or really go hard into a corner which messed with my flow and rhythm a bit but the bike held together.  I stayed in front of Ron and made him go my pace on the climbs so that he couldn't get a gap, and then my strategy would be to try to break away on the last flat part of the course about a half mile from the finish.  Once we got to that section though, there was of course a decent head wind that had picked up and I knew I had no chance of breaking away and he could just stick right into that massive slipstream my 6'3" frame throws out.  Since I don't have the straight TT power to just pull away right now, it was going to come down to the last few turns and a likely sprint finish, not my strength either.  I was in front which wasn't where I wanted to be when going into a sprint, and I had an idea that Ron would probably try to pass me on the gradual uphill after the last open area, and he did.  At that point I thought it was going to come down to a finish chute sprint.

4 turns left, and two short climbs.  I had to stay right with him.  Left turn, he went wide through a puddle and I picked the better line, giving me a little momentum up the short climb.  There was a lapped rider off to the left we would pass, Ron took the middle and there was room on the right leading into the right turn at the top.  I had momentum and I had to take it.  I squeezed on by and made the pass clean, but it was tight.  I used the next stretch, left turn, and short flat of singletrack after that to recover since there wasn't anywhere to pass and got ready to give it everything I had up the last short knoll and finish chute.  I stood up and laid down what power I had.  The rear wheel stayed on as I shifted through the gears and I looked back expecting to see Ron pulling out to pass as we entered the chute but he was sitting up, so I rolled across the line taking 1st and feeling pretty good about 2012's first test.  Especially since it turned out to be really fun and a back and forth "battle" with a good riding buddy.

Another thing I'm happy about is that my finish time was only 55 seconds slower than last year when I had been getting a lot more time in the saddle starting 2 months earlier.  I do need to keep an eye on those high school kids though.  They started in a different wave but their finish time was really close to ours, with their winner being only 1 second back from Ron.  Kids these days...

Thailand "base" ride and bike review

I woke up this morning at the Oriental Village Resort, near Chiang Mai, Thailand (yes I know how I got here!), with anticipation of the bike ride that was planned for the morning.  What bike would they have for me to ride... hmmm... something carbon fiber perhaps?  We are pretty close to where most of them are made (Taiwan) so they've got to be all over the place right?  Maybe a Stumpjumper, Giant XTC Composite, even my Santa Cruz Highball was made over on this side of the planet.  Nope... well a cross bike would be perfect for this area too... lots of dirt roads or uneven concrete swaths through the rice patties.  Nope.  My ride for the day was a sweet Mongoose Wing-comp "Pro".  Yeah it had both "comp" and "pro" in the name.  Rad.

I set off with this highly weathered, 30+ lb. beast with behind our guide, Koon Jon, ready to shred.  In the first few hundred yards I had used just about all 24 gears.  Not because I needed them, but because "Popper The Friendly Ghost Shifter" was riding backseat with me.  That's what I've named the nemesis of all bike racers, "Popper."  The little being who must be fiddling with your bike because "I swear I didn't hit anything!" yet your bike is making funny "popping" noises and generally not working.  But this time I really didn't hit anything... we had just started.  The chain skipped wildly about anytime I'd put the power down so I was destined to work on my non-existent cyclocross "skills" (running re-mount) and run up any hill or any time I needed to start after a photo op. 

Some of the spectators had cowbells... fittingly... though their heckling could use a little more substance ("Moo!"  - yeah I know I'm heavy... it's the off season ok!). 

It took me about half the ride to figure out what gears worked and which to avoid so I could try and analyse the features of my steed.  Here's the breakdown:

• Drivetrain: Shimano.  Only the rear derailluer had markings left and it was the Deore model.  Shifter pods had no plastic left with exposed springs and cables which were thoroughly worn.  But they were silver which matched the bike so that's bling.  
• Brakes: Unknown brand v-brakes which worked... thankfully.
• Tires: Unknown brand front, just said "boxer" and the rotation direction arrow was not pointed the right way.  Brontrager rear tire.
• Saddle: I don't care what it was... ouch!  WTB Silverado I miss you!!!
• Pedals:  Steel flats.  The kind that tear into your calf when the chain skips and your foot comes off...
• Fork: Manitou dual crown with TPC damping (which had a dial, that I couldn't adjust) and a preload adjustment dial (which was also stuck).  Oh and the bushings were shot and I don't think there was any fluid in it either.  But it still "worked." 
• Rear suspension: No-name coil shock for the rear set up on a 4-bar style rear linkage.  It had flex, to say the least, but I don't know if that was a design flaw or the improv repairs.  Bolt... bearing... same-same.

Even though the front tire was mounted backwards, I was able to rail a few corners and have a good time cruising through the northern Thai countryside. 

The popping chain kept me from hammering any climbs... good for "base" training I suppose :-) (aka- no power spikes).  Despite all its issues, including a "squeaky" noise which could only be described as an "in use" cheap motel bed (err ee err ee...) and the fact I wouldn't recommend the bike to anyone stateside... here it's just fine.  Whatever gets out out rolling across beautiful, undeveloped, luscious Earth is good enough.  And it makes me even more thankful for the kick @$$ bikes I have to race back home.

What was the most exciting aspect of the morning was that Jen was able to ride with us also.  She was on a Giant Rincon... a pretty orange reliable hard tail with working shifting (which I had tested the day before). 

But it really didn't matter what she was riding... she was smiling.  It was the first "athletic" activity she'd been able to do since April when her foot was crushed and we were both stoked that she could "shred" too.

I came to the conclusion though that most Thai bikes should be single speeds for simplicity and the ease of maintenance that they'll never receive.  Though make sure you get the right size... and don't try to pull a manual if it's too small.

At least in Thailand you can still get a good post ride "recovery" drink...

Puttin' myself out there - Coaching

I've been thinking about this for over a year now and Jen has been really encouraging me also.  I've helped out with a number of skills clinics the last couple years and I have really enjoyed it and I've received great feedback from the "students" regarding my instruction.  I love sharing my passion for cycling and fitness with others who are motivated to improve and willing to get dirty so opening myself up to more people and opportunities to coach is the next step.

Seems like I've been asked quite a bit lately for training and racing advise and if I'd be interested in coaching.  Well I certainly am so here it goes.... finally taking the plunge!

Please check out my coaching page on the site here if you're interested or know someone who might be.

Survival Training - Sierra Nevada Trail Challenge

A month or so ago I started running again so I could change the training up a bit for the coming off season (training for the off season? Did I really just say that?) and I was looking toward the Sierra Trial Half Marathon as some motivation to keep it up.  Well the running didn't happen quite as regularly as intended and I hadn't been riding very much either since most of my time has been spent painting the new house so we can move.  But, either out of stupidity or naivety, after spending Saturday coaching the TBF MTB Skills Clinic and Sunday helping at the Trojans High School MTB Team practice I felt rejuvenated and ready for a challenge.  On Tuesday I felt good on a 4 mile run and on Wednesday I was a little sore but still busted out a 5.3 mile run in 40 minutes.  I thought, "I'll just see how well I recover from that and then I'll decide if I can/should race a half marathon on Saturday."  Even though I knew I was just kidding myself and would probably give it a shot anyway!  Thursday I did an upper body workout in the gym.  First one in a while, which was stupid because it made my back sore and tight.  A 1 mile run Friday seemed to work some of that out but I was not at all "fresh" come Saturday morning.  Quads and calves were a little sore but the back wasn't tight which was the main thing.  I only know how to warm up one way... so I set up the trainer for a 20 minute spin to get going nice and easy.

It's been a while since I tried something totally new (1st Triathlon last year) and I was a little bit scared of going into "the unknown."  I had never run more than about 6 miles in my life, and that 5.3 I did last Wednesday was the farthest I'd run all year.  The gun went off and I began shuffling along with 100+ others who signed up for, if nothing else, an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful day out on the trail.  

I got into a good rhythm and thankfully had fellow Mad Cat Patrick Morin to run with.  He's a very experienced runner, having completed the Western States 100 and several other ultra trail runs.  So I paced with him and learned a lot about trail running technique while keeping up.  He really attacked and "ran" the downhills which was fun, fast, and actually easier on the joints than just coasting down.  I also learned the importance of shoe covers while trail running as I got sand in my shoes and that wasn't very fun later on.  We wound through the undulating singletrack of Granite Bay and kept a good manageable pace.  We got to the climb up to the bench hill at about mile 6 and I was feeling decent so I went on ahead.  But after that the second half of the course flattened out which to most would seem easier but not for me.  Running the climbs is more of a cycling motion that I'm used to but the flats stretch out the legs a bit more which is still foreign to my hips and they started to tighten up.  Also, that sand in my shoes started to wear on the soles of my feet and the heat generated from socks that were too thick made it feel like there were massive blisters forming.  So from about mile 8 on I was struggling.  I kept running though, and I only walked just 3 times while getting water and one other climb which I'm really happy about.  I survived and finished up the 13.1 miles and about 2k ft of climbing in 2:00:36 and was ecstatic to have actually done it.  I began the recovery and rehydration process and hopped back on the bike trainer to see if I could make my legs forget what I had just done to them because I was going to tackle the TBF 50 Miler XC race the next day.  There was a special category for those crazy enough to do both (The Sierra Nevada Trail Challenge) and a $500 Trek cruiser bike to the top guy and gal with the fastest combined time from both days.  After spinning on the trainer and walking around I headed home to a 25 minute ice bath and then went back to work painting the house.  At about 8pm my body was done and I passed out face down on the floor in the living room while Jen finished up some "painting."  :-)

After a painful and restless nights sleep on an air mattress the alarm went off at 5am... Jen got up... I lay there not wanting to move.  My hips were in so much pain.  I was only half serious with my response of "If I can get up in the morning" when asked if I was doing the MTB race after the run.  After a few more minutes contemplating movement I rolled, literally, out of bed onto the floor, pushed up to the knees then up to the feet.  I staggered the first few painful steps and Jen commented that I walked like she did with her broken foot!  The hip flexors didn't want to work and the bone/connective tissue pain in the hips was crazy!  As I stayed up about about though I seemed to move a little more freely and got the bike and gear loaded up.  At the venue one of the staff members had some Tylenol (thank you Stephanie!!).  Some coffee and my last delicious Cashew Coconut Chocolate Chip Hammer Bar started to pick me up.  I walked around for about 10 minutes and things started to feel better as I contemplated the start 3+ hour MTB race which was only a half hour away.  Then something unexpected happened, with 15 minutes to go before the start, I swung a leg over the Highball, immediately felt right at home on the familiar WTB Silverado saddle and the hip pain was gone.  Turns out I could still ride a bike!  Game on!

The fun began as I sprinted to the front for the 200 yard start stretch and zero'd in on the singletrack straight ahead.  Which would have been fine if that was where the course went too!  As I started to go straight for it the course went right and Dean Bailey (SS winner) yelled "RIGHT TURN!!" I had run the same course the day before but was still in a daze apparently.  I went around a cone into the weeds, ducked under a branch and was back on course in about 6th.  "Sorry guys!" I yelled, embarrassed of my bonehead move.  As we continued on course no thanks to me, the pace seemed to be unreasonably fast for the start of such a long race.  

We hit the first water crossing, up a grassy slope and to the first bit of deep sand on course where Dean fumbled a bit and let out a frustrating yell.  As I went by I reminded him "long race Dean" trying to calm him down a bit.  He acknowledged with a deep breath and a "Yeah..." as we continued on.  

We finally got into the good singletrack and I was in 3rd with our group already with quite a gap.  Jared Kessler was in 2nd and another guy I didn't know in 1st.  On a few of the climbs I noticed my left knee was giving me some pain right over the top of the Patella when I was push hard.  I was a bit concerned because I'd had this pain before and it had kept me off the bike in the past.  But I continued on and we stayed together until the second half of the lap where Jared and I broke away on some more technical riding.  On the fire road back I was leading and took the right turn down off the bank for the short fun single track section that was on the run course the day before.  Would have been nice if that was actually the bike course too!  Doh!  Which I discovered on the 2nd lap after actually looking at the signs which pointed straight instead of right.  

Lap 2 was pretty fun just riding with Jared.  It was nice to BS and chat while still riding fast.  He's a very skilled rider, one of those guys who seems like he spends more time in the air in a tricky section than he does on the ground.  I sat in behind him through the few techy sections as he showed me some fun lines up and over rocks that keep the flow going and the fun factor up.  With the second half of the course being flatter we worked together to keep the pace up and engines burning with gels and liquids.  I started to think I didn't drink enough water the first lap as my legs started to cringe some on the last little bit of lap 2 climbing.  I made sure to finish off one bottle of HEED and grab one of the spares I'd set out in the team area as I began lap 3.  We kept the pace up and were still having a good time until about mile 4 or 5 and I was having to work a little more to keep up, and we weren't talking as much.  Up the climb to the bench hill I said to Jared, "This is getting hard now."  "Yeah..." he responded, thankfully out of breath too.  My left knee pain, after getting worse for lap 2 seemed to have subsided a bit but I lost touch with Jared on the second half of the course as I faded going up the water tower climb.  Because of the knee pain I couldn't really stand up and power over the climbs.  

I kept fueling with Perpetuem Solids which were nice to chew on after the 2hr mark and made sure I finished lap 3 empty of water.  I grabbed my last spare bottle starting lap 4 and headed off... kind of in survival mode.  I just didn't have the energy to keep pushing.  I was caught by a 2 person relay team rider at about mile 4 on the course and he was pretty fresh.  I grabbed his wheel and paced with him for the next few miles until we hit the flats again where I squeezed out my last bit of water and put down as much power as I could.  Things started to cramp up a bit.  The normal place for me was the inner thigh but my shins and the outsides of my calves would cramp too which was new.  Probably a result of the previous days little run.  I gave Jared an "atta boy!" cheer as we passed each other on the two-way section of course with only about 2 miles left.  After I hit the turn around and rolled the fire road back I took a deep sigh after grunting up the last climb since that was the last bit of pain before the finish.  

I pushed it as fast as I could for the last mile wondering if I had put enough time on my running competitors.  I came around the last corner and the race announcer shouted out that he thought I had won the two day trail challenge.  I rolled across the line with a smile at 3:29:30, three minutes back from Jared.  

I knew there were still some pretty decent riders to come who had put some serious time gaps on me the previous day so I was not too confident of my victory.  One of my toughest competitors, teammate Joey Figone, had dnf'd with a crash but there were still a couple guys to keep track of.  Since I was no longer sweating and I would feel queezy as I continued to drink fluids, I hung out in the medic tent while waiting for more finishers.  Three water bottles later I was good to go but I couldn't walk, the hip pain was still there.  I could ride around though so I put the bike in the granny and cruised around until I found Jen getting a Thai massage (which I would later get too... awesome!).  I got my congratulatory kiss and hug (always good motivation to finish fast and hurry back to!) then it was over to the awesome BBQ and some well earned beer!

As it turns out I ended up 2nd overall for the two day Sierra Trail Challenge to Jon Hyatt with only a 2 minute gap after 5 1/2 hours of racing.  He was 10 minutes faster on the run and I was only 8 faster on the bike.  Congrats to Jon for an awesome job over two days and to Jared too for a strong performance for 50 miles!  I was pleasantly surprised to receive a packed bag of awesome schwag for my 2nd place finish too!  Thanks TBF!

I'm so stoked on how I did this weekend.  1. That I was able to do it and 2. That I podium'd!  I have some lessens to learn for running in the future (socks, shoe covers, chaffage...) and I'm really happy with how comfortable my Highball was for a 50 mile race.  I didn't get fatigued at all from continued jarring you would expect from a hardtail and it is just so fun, fast and easy to ride.

Now I'm ready for November... lots of pumpkin pie, turkey, and a trip to Thailand!  

Sierra Cup Series Finals / Sawtooth Ridge Challenge Race Report

I discovered this year it's pretty hard to make a race season last from March to October and stay in top form the whole time.  I was struggling with motivation to train, maintain a "performance based" diet, and push myself in races.  October 2nd was the final race in the Sierra Cup Series and I had committed myself to racing the whole series and I wanted to finish it out strong to put a good cap on my 2011 season.  It would effectively be my last race this year.  The 41st race.  I may still do a race here or there (maybe one while we're in Thailand!) and maybe of a different sport (running or triathlon) just for fun.

Turns out though, when you have a well laid out course on awesome trails, a "matters" race can be fun too!  This was definitely the case with the Sawtooth Ridge Challenge held at Northstar.  This race capped off a seven race northern CA and NV series where I had found myself in 2nd place overall to Gregg Stone in 1st.  I found some motivation in the couple weeks prior to the race to stay on the bike and not lose too much fitness so I was feeling pretty decent when the start gun went off at 6,300 ft.  I took the lead right away heading up a fire road climb for about 1/8 mile and I turned into the first singletrack with a little gap.  The course would be 4 laps long for me on a 6.5 mile loop comprised mainly of one big 1000 ft or so climb of varying trail type (smooth and rough singletrack, and fire road) before turning down a winding trail of gradual descent.  Before the race I was thinking about my strategy and if I would just ride with Gregg until the last lap and see what I could do or if I should just peg it from the start.  I decided on the latter, and to just race my race.  I knew that I would (should... hopefully) be stronger on the climb and Gregg would likely be faster on the descent.  So I needed to play to my strengths, especially since this is Gregg's backyard.

I pushed it up the climb at a strong steady pace and put a serious time gap on the rest of the field and couldn't see anyone behind me on the longest open stretch.  As I hammer down a fire road after what feels like the crest of the climb I see a left turn arrow and then bam there's the trail to my left... as I jam the brakes and skid about 15 feet past the turn!  Doh!  Turns out I would do the same thing on all but my last lap!  That's what climbing fatigue does to you, turning you into a reactionary rider if you're not careful. 

The downhill trail was just awesome with berms, jumps, little table top jumps, hip jumps, and a couple drops. The upper portion was pretty smooth and had a ton of flow and it got more rocky and technical as the elevation dropped.  After being spoiled for 5 minutes by fun downhill there was a sucker punch of a fire road climb though of a distance right in between that go all out sprint pace or the usual diesel chug.  Because you could see the top once you started, but you still had maybe 500 yards at a decent incline to go.  When I got to the top each lap though I would look back and still couldn't see Gregg, just wasn't enough open space.  As I mentioned the lower half was more rocky and technical and my first lap I was still learning the trail so I didn't feel too terrible when I turned for lap 2 at the bottom and saw Gregg only about 15 seconds back.  I set out to get all that time back on the 2nd lap climb.  The 2nd lap was much like the first as I put time back on the climb and missed that same turn.  But I felt a lot better on the downhill and knew I was faster.  But so was Gregg apparently because when I turned for lap 3 I saw him go over the table top jump at almost the exact same spot as when I started lap 2.  Dang it!

Lap 3... I love my Tallboy!!  It was working flawlessly and was so efficient on the rocky climbing, soaking up everything and keeping the power down.  Then when I opened up the travel on the fork it was just hammering the downhill.  I was having a ton of fun!  Yet still working pretty damn hard.  Drifting into the loose, banked turns and finding the flow and speed in the trail.  But at the bottom Gregg was even closer!  Ahhh!  As I turned into the first singletrack for the last lap climb I yelled back at Gregg, "Gregg would you slow down!?"  Trying to keep the racing light-hearted... I didn't get a response.  I was actually a bit frustrated and I guess that was the motivation I needed and I gave it everything I had on that last lap.  I gassed it everywhere I could on the climb and when I hit the downhill... stoked at not missing that turn again (the small victories) I was still hammering.  Standing up and pedaling out of the turns and letting the Tallboy fly I was ripping the downhill and "racing scared" because even though I couldn't see him when I would look back, I swore that Gregg was going to catch me on the last downhill.  I reached the bottom and crossed the finish line alone... and spent.  Six and a half minutes later Gregg rolled in and later told me "Man you crushed my soul on that last lap climb..." and he watched me ride away as his legs cramped up.  I have to admit that was a bit satisfying to hear :-)

I ended up 2nd overall for the series since there was just too much points spread to make up between us.  Congrats to Gregg.  Next year I really hope they do this series again and I will make it more of my racing focus.  The race courses are just awesome, very well run, and I really want a regional champion jersey!