Injury Report

I've been part of sports my entire life.  The long list includes football, baseball, wrestling, basketball, golf, skiing, snowboarding, XC skiing, Crossfit, and Cycling.  With such a long list you would think that injury would be a common topic in my discussions but I have been very fortunate that it has not.  I've spent 1,000's of hours playing and training.  With so many hours of activity I've been very fortunate to stay away form serious injury.  I've had my nicks and bruises but the worst I have suffered in sport is tendinitis in my foot.  It seems I have avoided the big one again and I can add another one to the list of nicks and bruises.  

This past weekend I was on a training ride doing some Ore 2 Shore recon.  During my recon I take lines that I think will be the fastest giving me the slightest advantage I can get.  On a downhill line I missed my spot by an inch or two and hit a 4-wheeler rut sending my front wheel sideways which violently crushed me against the ground dragging me for 10 feet.  My first response is always to look over my bike and besides a ripped grip all seemed to be good.  I then analysed the body in which was covered in mud and blood but the shoulder was really aching.  After some moving around I knew it wasn't broke which relieved me completely but it did not take away the pain.  Being 40 min into my 3 hour ride I wasn't about to bag the ride.  I continued on for another 2 hours bearing the discomfort.  It wasn't terrible but the pain was noticeable   

Returning home the pain grew with every hour.  The stubbornness in me ignored it but then on my way to the store I ran across my friend and sponsor Dr. Tim Palomaki from Palomaki Family Chiropractic.  DAMN NEAR PERFECT TIMING.  He invited me to the clinic and sure enough after some adjustments he diagnosed it with a minor dislocation of the shoulder.  He popped me here and popped me there and then add some tape to hold things together.  Although not pain free the adjustments relieved a lot of pressure.  I told him this before but i will say it again for everyone else.  If a cyclist (anybody in this case) must have one sponsor, one doctor, or one friend than make sure it is a Chiropractor.  Dr. Palomaki does more than straighten spines he creates a healthy bod and has helped me countless of times.

It's been 3 days since the injury and although still soar it is feeling incredibly well considering the discomfort I had the last 2 days.  I've been forced to the road bike for awhile but at least it won't affect my training all that much.  I can't really pull up with the arm so I'm going to stay off the MTB until I can.  Until then I'll rest the arm on the flats of the road bike.

           

WORS #2 Crystal Lake/Rhinelander Pictures

All pictures are courtesy of Amber Gauthier of Straight A Photography.  Thank you for the awesome action shots.  

Race recap in the post below. 

WORS #2 Crystal Lake/Rhinelander

Rhinelander feels like a home course for me.  Instead of the usual 4-6 hour drive to any other WORS event a 2 1/2 drive felt like my back yard.  The rain moved in Saturday afternoon and I was just arriving at the venue as it started.  Not wanting to get wet I figured I would wait it out at the hotel.  Finally after 2 hours and it not letting up my wife forced me to go pre-ride and I thank her for that because it was worth it.  The trail was slick and muddy but it wasn't as bad as I expected.  I played with my PSI a bit and ended up feeling comfortable on the track.  Even though I rolled in covered in mud and soaking wet I built a bit of confidence knowing I could handle the slick conditions.

The Saturday pre ride felt good and I knew I had the chance to have some good legs.  Regardless though I was going to give every ounce of effort to be in the top at the start.  The start this year really had the set up to yo yo fast.  The good thing was is after the first effort to get with the front group I was feeling good and was settled into 7th going into the single track.

A group of 8 of us strung a long through the first half of the course as Nathan Guerra set the pace up front for the group.  A small washout by Braun caused a small split but Mike Anderson did a good job keeping it close by the time we exited the first lap of single track.  3 riders including Matter, Schouten, and Guerra had a small 10 second gap  near the end of lap 1.  Going up a hill I noticed I was still feeling good even after the fast pace and felt like there was a chance I could reconnect to that group.  Sharing pulls with Ben Koenig we bridged the gap to the 3 leaders by the end of the two track on lap 2.  Riding as a 5 man lead group now I saw Matter peak back and knew something was going to explode.  Gassed by my effort to bridge I knew if things picked up it was going to get messy.  Sure enough Matter pounded the pedals and I was quickly left as the 5th man riding solo from the front group.  I rode the rest of the 2nd lap as hard as I could not to let that gap get to big but out of the corner of my eye I caught Peariso approaching and decided we were better off together especially with the two track approaching again.  We traded pulls on the two track starting lap 3 and we really started to move.  Starting the single track Peariso let his bike dominate the bumpy course.  His smooth pace was surely bringing back the 4th place rider.  With words of encouragement from Chris (Thanks Chris) and my desire to reach my first 5 step podium spot I stuck his wheel all the way until we got within 10 seconds of Ben and he upped the speed a touch more.  I had the legs to go with him but I didn't have the skill.  His effortless motion on the single track was testing every ounce of skill and it finally did me in.  I never caught Ben but Chris did and as soon as he did I knew the 2 of them could put time on me.

On the final lap I just wanted to minimize the damage to guys ahead and keep my 6th spot.  With any luck or a fast 4th lap maybe I could bring back that final podium spot.  I never did see those guys again but I continued to pound the hills and ride the single track with care not to cause any mistakes.  With a 1/4 lap to go the rain started and it didn't take long for the track to get extremely slick.  This slowed me down a bit but I concentrated on a mistake free ride until the finishing two track and put the hammer down to the finish.  I pulled in with 6th place.

This is my best career WORS result.  I've been in the top 10 several times but I have never had a chance at the 5 step podium before and yesterday I had a real chance at that step.  Things are starting to come together both mentally and physically.  I am extremely excited about my result but being so close to that step I desire to be higher.

Pictures from Amber/Straight A Photography to come.

Weekend Recap: Cable Classic & RASTA Rally

Last weekend I did the Cable Classic in Cable, WI and RASTA Rally in Rhinelander, WI.  I was coming off a rest week from my base 2 block and was using each race as a tune up to get back into the swing of things and also for the WORS Race which will be in Rhinelander this weekend.  Normally I have a great support crew that travels with me including my wife for photography and everything support, my parents for race support, and my brother to complete a loud cheering section.  This weekend the stars aligned perfectly where each of them was not able to come.  To fill the void I choose to bring along Copper.  Although a great companion he’s tough to get bottle hand ups from and doesn’t give me much feedback about my race.

Cable Classic

I felt like I was lining up at the UPCross Championships in November.  The weather was everything but nice.  It was raining/drizzling, winds at 25 mph, and just a few degrees above freezing.  With the rain the night before I knew it was going to leave the trail in a slick mess as these trails do not shed water very well.  The race started a bit harder this year with a few guys pushing the pace.  The first hill didn’t do much to split as everyone put a hard effort to match the already tough lead out.  We were led onto a two track for a short ½ mile before the single track started.  I put out an effort to get to the front and into to the single track first.  Now that I was in the single track first I had time to analyze the trail conditions and my legs at my pace.  I played it safe for the first part not wanting to make a mistake in the slick mud.  Exiting the first single track we had a handful of guys and I led them all the way to the first road section.  This is where the usual split happens and it wasn’t different this year.  Kylander-Johnson quickly came around and pushed the pace on the road followed  by a blazing speed by Chad Sova.  The speeds created quite the gap between the chase groups early in the race. 

The roads were our first taste of the water on the course.  The next 5 or so miles were muddy, slick, soggy and wet.  The puddles were hub deep.  Everyone seemed to take a small turn in the wet parts but now most of the pace setting was being done by the Trek Co-Op guys Moore, Johnson, and McFadden.  The pace slowly but surely created a 4 man group with Sova following closely.  Not wanting to miss anything off the front I moved to 2^nd wheel.  The pace through the repeated climbs in the middle of the course allowed 3 of us to start making a gap.  We started rolling quite fast on the two track when all of sudden breaks were locked up.  It was soon realized we all missed the 90 degree turn into single track and last year’s wrong turn was haunting me once again.  We quickly noticed and did a U turn but I had very little time to shift from the large two track gear I was in to a small single track climbing gear.  As soon as I started climbing I knew I either had to get off and run or do the unthinkable under pressure little ring drop.  I choose the little ring drop in desperation and my little ring decided to eat my chain instead of move my bike.  I was off the bike quickly pulling the chain out from between the bottom bracket and the little ring.  Moore passed me and then 5 or seconds later McFadden passed me (With encouragement.  Thanks Todd).  As Sova approached he encouraged me (Thanks Chad) to stay calm and I jumped back on my bike.  Now 15-20 seconds down I had to chase the leaders through the most winding single track of the day.  For the next 2-3 miles I always had them in my sights but could never bring it back in.  Thinking back I played it a bit too conservatively thinking it would come back sooner than later.  I was now approaching the finishing two track and they were out of sight.  Out of sight is a dangerous thing in racing and it settled me deeper into 4^th.  The last 2 miles of the Classic is on a straight as an arrow snowmobile trail.  You can see all the way to the finish.  As I took my look toward the finish I noticed 2 red jerseys about a minute ahead so I put my head down for a last effort bridge.  With every minute I noticed the gap was slowly coming back together.  My clock showed I had brought it down to 10 seconds but the effort was quickly slowed when the finish line appeared.  I rolled in 15 seconds or so behind the guys and finished 4^th.

I was happy with my race and did everything right except for the one shift.  That’s how MTBing goes though and I’m learning to deal with all that comes with racing.  As  you will see by the picture I was happy to get off the bike.  I’m not so much tired right here it was more a look of disgust from the poor conditions we just rode in or 2 hours. 

RASTA Rally

The RASTA start was very similar to the Classic.  It is a fast two track with a little hill, that doesn’t break much up, straight into single track.  I played the same card as the day before to get in the single track first.  This time though I found I was the one pushing the pace on the front and no one felt the need to come around.  It worked out alright though because no one contested me getting into the single track first.

Exiting the first single track the group was quickly down to 4 riders.  Just before the first technical stuff Ben Koenig jumped to the front and hammered the trail.  I stuck his wheel knowing that this would likely be the move that split and it did.  Ben and I were off the front and gapping the chasers very quickly.  It was quite uneventful for the next 20-40 minutes as I chased him around the single track.  I think we were both having fun as the RASTA trails set up perfectly with the rain and the trails were tacky and fast.  As fast as you can get for the roughest stuff we will ride in the series.  I pulled around on a small climb and started my pace.  As we approached the last single track section I noticed a small gap forming between Ben and I.  I thought he had a mechanical or flatted because he was riding to well for me to ride away from him.  Come to find out he was taking a feed as he fought his hunger for a full hearty meal.  Not worrying about it at the time though I took advantage and tried to up the pace.  I came through the first lap with a 15 second gap and there were sections where I was out of sight.  I continued to stay consistent off the front but a 1/3 way into the 2^nd lap I noticed him closing.  I continued to stay steady hoping he had to work a bit harder to bridge.  By ½ way we were back together.  I was up front and I knew we had a sizable gap on the chase group so I decided to bring the pace back in order to save all I had for the finish.  I knew I was not going to ride away from Ben as he is a very strong rider and was looking good.  But thinking back  I might have had a better chance at that than facing his Cavendish like sprint near the finish.  We chatted for the last 20 minutes both knowing what was coming, a sprint finish.  Still in the lead we came into the two track.  I upped the pace a bit so that the sprint wasn’t so abrupt and with about 500m to go he went.  He came past me like a Corvette past a Chevy Aveo.  I did everything to match it but quickly realized that it was not going to happen.  I rolled in 2^nd and very happy about it.  I rode a great race and led a lot of it and was beat by a great sprinter.      

             

WORS #1 - Iola Pictures

Here are some action shots from WORS #1 Iola.

These great pictures are courtesy of our sponsor Straight A Photography

Large field resulted in large podium.  9th Overall

Life Off The Bike

My nights can be pretty mundane.  I get home from work about 4:35, make something small to eat, get kitted up, fill my pockets with Powerbar fuel, fill my water bottles with Gatorade, and get on my Trek Superfly for a training ride.  Night after night becomes the same actions over and over.  That's what we do as cyclists, we bike, to get fast.  So what does one do when he's off the bike?  This week I found out.  I had to retrain myself to be a homeowner, a career man, an at home husband, and how to relax.  These things seem to take a back seat when the concentration is spent on biking.  This week was a mandatory rest week.  I just completed 2 phases of base and it was time to allow my body to catch up to the stress of training.  I now had to fill my nights with......life stuff.

This comes at a perfect time of the year.  The yard needs raking, the garage needs cleaning, the patio furniture needs placing, and the house needs attention.  So I have spent the last few days doing these things.  It's quite odd to come home and through on the scrubs instead of the kit but I do like it.  Working around the house makes me feel like I'm investing in my investment.  I like creating a curb appeal to my home.  Best of all I like to add some color to the outside as my wife creates the color inside both with decorations and her own beauty :).

I'm sure my staff may have noticed a small difference too.  Maybe not immediately but I do expect the next days to be better than the past few.  Work hours combined with biking hours combined with average sleep equals tired days.  My staff has learned to deal with my drooping eyes, tired look, and yes, crabby attitude.  I thank them for that, they allow me to do what I do and I have the best staff in the industry.  This week is for them too, a week of me not being so tired.

Although a week (4 days) seems long to be off the bike it goes by fast and sooner than later I'll be back at it.  Pounding the desk and then pounding the pedals.  This rest week will lead me right back to the road, on Saturday I'll be in Cable and Sunday I'll be in Rhinelander to get the legs back in motion with 2 races.  This weekend is followed by 4-5 weekends straight on the road between racing and vacationing with my wife.

Here is to life off the bike!  It feels good to live.  Biking has made me appreciate simplicity in life.  This rest period has allowed me to appreciate everyone around me as life keeps moving while I'm on the bike or off.  Thank you to my family, my staff, my friends, my sponsors, and especially my wife for allowing me to spend the time I do on my bike.  THANK YOU!          

La Fleche du Nord Race Report

In attempt to finish off a large base period I opted to head north to the inaugural La Flech du Nord, the final race of the UP Classics.  Earlier in the week I had no desire to finish base with a race but the hype built up from the brilliant marketing of Chris Schmidt and the void I was feeling from missing the Ronde, it could not be ignored.  I packed the family, the dog, and of course the bike and headed North. 

As usual on my blog I write a detailed race report.  I'm refraining from the usual this time around because I have come across a brilliant rendition of La Fleche du Nord which explains every detail of the race to near perfection.  Hold on to your handlebars for this one.

                                                                                                                                                                  

Legions of flag-waving francophones, anglophones and finnophones lined the cobbled boulevards of downtown Houghton on Saturday as they awaited the start of the inaugural running of La Flèche du Nord, a 70 mile epic over dirt, gravel and bad pavement from Houghton to the top of Brockway Mountain on Michigan's Keweenaw peninsula. 

Sunny skies, warm temperatures and clam winds were a welcome change to a spring that has been slow in coming to the northwoods and sent spirits high among the field of 30+ riders who had congregated in the scenic town square for the start. Plied with fresh baked goods and lithium by race organizers, smiles and good cheer came easy to the riders. Few knew, however, of the march of pain that awaited them on the long forgotten and rarely traveled back roads of Michigan's northernmost and least populous county. 

The Favorites
On hand were some familiar faces from the U.P. classics circuit as well as those of numerous Houghton-based riders, all eager to leave their mark on what has been one of the most challenging classics seasons to date. Tyler Gauthier (Culver's Cycling) of Ishpeming, coming off of a 9th place finish in the first Wisconsin Off Road Series event of the season in the pro class, was certainly the man to beat. Ronde van Skandia champion Derek Anderson, backed by Marquette's powerful Chocolay Ace squad, was to be a marked man as well. The local hopeful was Flyer Cycles rider Ryan Tervo of Hancock who demonstrated fine form with a second place finish in last week's Ronde. A trio of other Marquette riders, all riding for the Ace team, had been given fair odds by the bookies as well: Paul Johnston, who fueled the winning break in the Ronde; David Grant, allegedly capable of imparting femur-snapping attacks at the blink of an eye; and another hometown hopeful, Mik Kilpela, originally of Atlantic Mine, now of Marquette. 

How it Happened
As the bells in the nearby cathedral tolled ten times, riders returned their bidons to their holders and set off for the finish on Brockway Mountain, a dizzying 700 feet above Lake Superior. Chatter coursed through the field during the 15 mile neutral start, riders eager to predict victory during the precious few minutes of the race when anyone could still be crowned champion. As muscles warmed and minds focused, however, an ominous quiet, punctuated only by the staccato of clenbuterol inhalers, descended upon the field, the end of the three mile gravel climb that marked the start of the race now in sight. 

The long descent to Lake Superior on Tamarack Waterworks Road discouraged any early attacks. Lone Cross Country Sports rider Pat Szubielak of Calumet, with muscle mass on his side, made the first attempt at a break but was quickly reabsorbed by a nervous field. The day's first true test was just around the corner, and came in the form of an eye-popping, four mile, dirt climb. Tyler Gauthier wasted no time in setting tempo, leaving behind a wake of flotsam and jetsom. An initial selection was made immediately, with just 10 riders making the cut. As the grade steepened, fans lined the course, two deep in places, offering water and food to anyone able to take a hand from the bars. Ace rider Derek Anderson again pushed the pace, taking with him five other riders: Gauthier, Tervo, Grant, Johnston and Kilpela. Four others, Ace D.S. Tom Mahaney, Priority Health rider Peter Lawrence, Culver's rider Glen Lerlie, and Red Jacket Chris Schmidt, struggled to maintain contact. Quickly, however, the quartet was stranded in no-man's land, the leaders well up the road, behind them only a cloud of dirt. Further back, the field worked hard to rejoin the head of the race. The efforts of Red Jackets Tim Kostner, Mark Klein, Dave Watkins and John Gershenson , Flyer Cycles riders Paul Belknap, Bill Marlor and Mike Abbott, Chocolay Ace rider Nicole Alexander and independent riders Bob Carpenter and Tony Schwennn, among others, were untiring and well organized, but ultimately unsuccessful in bringing down the gap.

For their efforts, riders were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the Keweenaw as they negotiated the idyllic, one-lane descent from Bumbletown towards the next secteur of dirt. The long winters had left their mark on the pavement, however, and a pair of riders suffered punctures in the long, thin shadow of the Allouez radio tower: favorite in the women's division, Nicole Alexander, saw chances at victory deflated and Red Jacket rider Chris Schmidt was separated from his group of chasers. 

Following an uneventful passage through the Copper City secteur and ascent of the, mile-long Fulton climb, the race turned south for a mile before again heading north on flat, wind-prone Cliff Drive. At the front, the leading quartet had become somewhat complacent, allowing the next group to move within two minutes. Schmidt, having repaired his puncture, was given permission to bypass secteur three by race commissars and rejoin the quartet of chasers, which now included Kilepla, who had been dislodged form the group of leaders on Bumbletown hill. 

Brass Tacks and Steel Staples
Though now halfway over, the race was only just beginning. Ahead awaited three climbs, each longer and steeper than the last. Near the base of the first of the three, misfortune befell Ace rider David Grant when a rogue staple penetrated the Kevlar armor of his rear tire. Derek Anderson still had the benefit of one teammate, and Paul Johnston worked tirelessly to protect the team leader. 

With speeds in excess of 45 miles per hour, the racers breezed through Eagle River. Leaving town, was a much slower, more painful affair: a blind turn sent riders onto the Garden City secteur, which featured a 15% ramp of soft dirt followed by three more miles of gradual climbing. With standing on the pedals all but impossible, riders assumed contorted positions to gain traction and inch up the steepest parts of the climb. As the elevation increased, the road surface gradually transformed into a slurry of mud and sand. The finely tuned racing bikes sung a song of despair, gears and bearings penetrated by dirt and grime. The cacophonous line of cyclists, lungs wheezing in the pollen-filled air, made slow progress before finally turning north on the smooth tarmac of the Eagle Harbor Crosscut. 

A hide speed descent into Eagle Harbor set the stage for one of the day's toughest tests: the DelawareShortcut. This final secteur of dirt covered four, soul-sucking, miles of hell. Cavernous, man-size potholes were a constant hazard, wind-fallen trees rested on power lines, threatening all who dared to approach them, and packs of ravenous wolfs circled riders with hungry eyes as they struggled to make ground, pedal stroke by arduous pedal stroke. The road, which only days before had been impassible to all but the most rugged of vehicles was again navigable by bike, if only barely. Riders were faced with soft mud, deep snow, and flowing water as they entered the upper reaches of the climb. Sensing opportunity, it was Gauthier made a move through the snow on one of the steep ramps that dotted the col. Quickly, he opened a gap of 10m. Behind him, Tervo and Anderson opted for a different line and were nearly brought to a standstill by the tenacious mud and the lead grew by another 20m. Johnston faltered as well, and it appeared as though Gauthier may have established the lead he was looking for, but Tervo was able to recover from the mistake and bridge back up to Gauthier near the end of the secteur. Behind them Anderson fought hard to keep from losing more time. Johnston, now alone, was joined at the end of the secteur by Grant, who had missed a turn and inadvertently bypassed two secteurs. A determined Mik Kilpela pursued the leading five alone, having broken away from his compatriots on the Garden City secteur. His position seemed safe, however, the trio of Lawrence, Lerlie and Schmidt resigned to their fate. Behind them, thought was only on survival.

The narrow, tree-lined, final 10 miles of pavement leading to the base of the Brockway Mountain climb in Copper Harbor coaxed riders forward, no matter how tired. Gentle ups and downs, minimal traffic and the promise of one final descent into Copper Harbor were all it took to keep the legs turning. 

Fire on the Mountain
The reality of the final climb hit riders like a brick wall. A pair of 20% pitches in quick succession and 700 feet of climbing after the 70 miles that preceded it took every bit of energy the riders could muster. Entering Copper Harbor together at the front of the race were Tyler Gauthier and Ryan Tervo. The pair shook hands to commend each other on a job well done and to wish each other a solid ride to the finish. The duo crested the first steep section together, handelbars and cranks creaking with each pedal stroke. Gauthier made his winning move on the final switchback, opening a gap on the tiring Tervo with 1500m to go, which he held to the finish. Derek Anderson, despite his best efforts, settled for third place ahead of Paul Johnston and David Grant. 

Taking top honors in the women's division was Nicole Alexander. 

Event organizer Chris Schmidt would like to thank everyone who came out to ride and everyone who volunteered time to help make the day a success, especially Chris and Tammi Lehto, who provided unlimited limited support; Steve Webber, who made sure everyone had plenty to eat and drink; event photographer Adam Griffis; Ryan Tervo, who assisted with marking and teardown; John Gershenson, who helped with course recon; and Bob and Jan Haase for spectating. A big thanks as well to the Red Jacket Cycling Team for supplying food, The Bike Shop of Houghton, Copper Harbor Trails Club for securing use of the Copper Harbor Community Center, and Bulldog Brewing of Houghton for post-ride brews. 

For more photos from the day, head over to adamjoon.smugmug.com.

Thank you to Chris Schmidt and everyone else involved for a great day of riding and for all the efforts to make this ride feel like a true Belgium classic.  If the stars align again next year you have my word, I will be back.  


Story courtesy of Chris Schmidt www.bikethekeweenaw.com
Pictures courtesy of Adam adamjoon.smugmug.com

WORS #1 - Iola Race Report

It feels good to have the first WORS race in the books.  I had an amazing amount of excitement to get on the bike for this race, more than usual.  Not because I was feeling well or that liked my chances or even that I liked my form, but because I wanted to race my bike.  I think it’s the optimism coming out of me.  It is the thought of a new start, a new season.  I enjoy going around in circles on single track pushing my limits against the best in the Midwest and arguably some of the best in the country.  10..9..8..7..6..5……..GOOOOOOOO!

Not knowing how the call up process was going to be I got my warm up in early so I could get to the line early.  I warmed up with Mike Anderson (29er Crew.)  It was good to catch up with him.  It’s the great thing about WORS.  You can warm up with your closest competitors and not feel like you’re talking to the enemy.  There is some great camaraderie in the group and I love that about the series.  It was the same for the pre-ride when I warmed up with the Adventure 212 crew Darrin, Mike, Ryan, and Wheel and Sprocket/Vision rider Nate.  For a whole lap Ryan and I talked about bikes.  What a great way to start the season catching up with friends.  Sorry, back to the race.  Luckily I didn’t have to worry about my start because I received a call up for my 12^th overall finish last year in the series.  It was good enough for a 2^nd line call up.  I found this to be important especially in Iola where they send you up hill immediately.  The start is tight and there was quite a bit of handle bar rubbing but I crested the first climb safely and positioned myself top 10 for the first decent.  I knew the deal breaker would be the next 3 climbs.  I positioned well and climbed with the front group for the first 2.  As we descended back down into the bowl at warp speeds the line strung out and caused quite the snap on the 3^rd climb.   After going anaerobic for the first 2 climbs and entering anaerobic for the 3^rd I found myself about 3 seconds off the front group with just not enough anaerobic left to reattach.

I floated off the back watching the guys ascend the next big climb and gave all I could to get back on but they were flying off the front.  We entered the first single track and they slowly disappeared.  Determined to not let it go and seeing a few others that fell off I put out some efforts to catch back on but never could regain.  I decided to settle in and found an all day race companion Ron Stawicki.  We quickly gelled and traded sections of the trail to pull ourselves through the course.  We were joined on the 3^rd lap by Ted Hanes but only for a brief second as he shot off the front leaving it back to Ron and me.  For 3 laps we traded sections of the trails.  I let his single speed pull us up hills at a high clip and I upped the speeds on the flats and faster single track to keep the pace high.  On the 4^th lap Ron led the majority pulling us on a hot lap.  The 5^th lap and final lap Ron asked, “So when do you want to start racing?”  My response, “When my legs come back.”  A small joke between us because we knew it was us battling for the final spots in the top 10.  Once again he put strong efforts up the hills and I let myself fade ever so slightly knowing as we crested I could bring it back.  At the start of the single track I jumped to the front and decided to stay steady until he wanted the lead again but I was determined not to give it up.  We were then greeted by dozens of lapped riders and although every one of them was very respectful and moved as quick as they could it really through a wrench in our race.  Every time I passed I would ask, “Ron, you there?” I just didn’t want to win between us because of lapped traffic.  He soon replied, “Thank you, but its part of racing.”  Before entering the last sections of single track I put a small attack up a hill and found the very small gap I needed.  I never separated myself by a lot but had just enough to finish the final sections at a good speed and a 9^th place.

I’m very pleased with the first race.  It is something I look forward to as it’s the first sign of form and fitness.  Although it is not the "tell all" it can carry a lot of meaning, confirming the months of preparation leading into it.  I felt very consistent and my tempo pace was comfortable.  The higher efforts hurt, as they should, but I could not hold them as long as needed.  The good thing, the endurance I have gave me quick recovery after the hard efforts.  I have one more week of big hours on base 2 and then I will be able to concentrate on race prep a bit more.

Here is to the start of another season! 

Pictures and Video to come.