This past weekend I raced at the SRC Annual.  Saturday I raced my last race in Sport XC, and Sunday was my first race in Expert DH.

Saturday we were up with the sun and driving to Fontucky for the first time in quite a while!  It is our home venue, but there aren't many races out there during the heat of summer.  Unfortunately the heat of summer is not only unkind to the atheletes, but it also is hard on the trails.  In quite a few places the trails are breaking down with the lack of water and maintenance.

I was looking forward to the XC race because it has been quite a while since I got to race with an early season nemesis.  I got spanked in the Winter Series by Ryan and wanted to see how my fitness is coming along when measured against a good competitor.

Before the race I warmed up with a few different people and chatted some.  It is always fun to hang out before the race with everyone and talk smack!  We were called up to start with two age groups in front of us so I wasn't on the front row.  I decided before hand to shadow Ryan and try to use some strategy in the race.  Before I knew it we were off and Ryan and I were at the back of the group.  We picked off a few riders here and there before the asphalt climb and when we turned up the road Ryan turned wide.  I took it he didn't want me breathing down his neck so I took the inside line and started to spin.  Not far into the climb I noticed one of the riders in our AG was up ahead a ways and I wanted to pass more people before we hit the next single track section so I stood up and got my climb on!

The rest of the lap was pretty uneventful, I was out in the lead and passing lots of riders.  One guy crashed on a sandy descent right in front of me, but he seemed to be fine so I pedaled on.  My heart rate stayed manageable and I didn't put myself in any difficulty.  I passed Allison on the flats before the Start/Finish and told her she should not be coasting on the descents.  (at least soft pedal!)

The second lap I didn't stand on the asphalt, I opted to sit and spin.  On the first descent I managed to wash out my front wheel in a corner and crashed pretty good.  My bars got twisted up and I had to stop to straighten them (you will see this was a trend for the weekend!)  I pushed a good pace the rest of the lap and won by a decent margin.

After the race I felt really good.  This was the first XC race that I can think of that I didn't blow up at some point on the course so it is time to move up to EXPERT!  :)  I had a great year of racing in Sport XC and will miss all the guys that I raced with (except those that also move up).  Hopefully I can continue to train and improve my fitness and maybe finish mid pack in the Expert field.

After the XC race I went and practiced the DH course some.  It was a fun course with not much technical challenge.  The wall was being used which sucked because I was riding Allison's DH bike and it only has a 32T chainring on it.

Sunday morning I was back at the track practicing early and my first run was STELLAR!  I felt great on the course.  That didn't last long though as all the rest of my practice runs were pretty hurting.  In my race run I had a good start and felt fast through most of the top of the course.  Unfortunately there was a really loose and dusty left hand corner near the middle of the course that layed some smack down on me.  I washed out the front tire and managed to knock my bars out of alignment AGAIN!  I had to stop and straighten them AGAIN and saw any chances of a top finish evaporate.  The bottom of the course went well and I avoided getting passed in my first Expert DH race. 

I finished back of the pack, but I wasn't last.  I learned some things that I want to implement for the next race and can hopefully improve on my results.  I will continue to work hard and train, of course, but it will be primarily XC oriented.  I am hoping to maintain pretty decent DH speed, it is hard to be a multi-discipline rider!

So this race wrapped up my '08 racing schedule and I feel that I was very successful in my first full year of racing.  Thanks to all who helped me out, rode with me, raced with me, and laughed with me.  I am looking forward to more great racing and fun in 2009!!!

This past weekend I raced Cross Country at the Mt. SAC Fat Tire Classic.

Early Sunday morning we left home headed for the venue with blue skies overhead.  The sun was still rising and we could see ominous clouds on the horizon as we drove North.

Allison had mentioned a chance of rain in the forecast, I had opted to keep my tires light with low rolling resistance.  This meant a Kenda Karma up front and a Stan's Raven out back.  The tires that I felt would be good for a muddy course were on Allison's bike so I didn't have much of an option really.

At the venue it had rained over night and it was alternating between drizzle and light rain as we checked in and started warming up.  I rode the first half of the course during warm-up and my tires packed up horribly.  It was like riding with the brakes on.  I had lots of mud clearance, but the added weight and resistance was severe. 

Before the race start I found a nice patch of grass and did my best to scrape off the majority of the mud that had accumulated.  I also tried my best to stay warmed up which meant that I didn’t get onto the front row of the start.  I managed to squirm up to the second row just before GO, I pedaled hard and picked the inside line on the first corner putting myself in the first few people up the first climb.  I was first to the bottom of the first descent and second onto the first single track section.  My plan to not get caught in a bottle neck worked perfectly!

The first lap was going pretty well.  Unfortunately entering the tunnel that goes under the road my tires slipped out from underneath me.  The combination of slick tires, mud, water, and a painted line on concrete conspired against my desire to remain upright.  I was quick to remount but the leader had pulled a gap and continued to do so, he was out of sight by the end of the first lap.

The second lap I was feeling the effects of the hard start.  My trip up the first climb was not as fast.  I sat up and took some Hammer gel before the first single track and noticed that there wasn’t anyone on my wheel.  Riding through the single track section I picked up a branch/weed in my drive train.  As it wrapped itself around my cassette it started taking out my gears one by one.  My chain was soon skipping so badly in every gear that I was forced to stop.  It took at least a minute to break and pull out the majority of the weeds and several riders passed me.  It is quite heartbreaking to watch a hard earned lead disappear like that.

Once remounted I found myself in great company, Steven Smith is a fellow racer one AG up from mine who passed me like I was standing still in every race during the Winter Series races at Fontana, we rode together for the rest of the race.  The rest of the second lap was pretty uneventful, the rain had stopped and the course was improving quickly.

On the third lap I once again picked up a stick/weed in my rear wheel.  This time it lodged itself in between the cassette and the spokes/hub rendering my bike into a fixie!  After a quick stop to remedy the situation I remounted and found that I had not lost much time.  I powered up the next climb and caught Steven who was also extracting a hitchhiker from his drive train.   The rest of the last lap I put my head down and did my best to power through the climbs despite my calves threatening to cramp up.

I finished first for my AG and somewhere in the top 10 for Sport racers.  I had a great time racing in the rain and mud for the first time, and had a total blast cheering for the beginner racers like Troy.  Next race, Fontana XC and DH.