Friday after thanksgiving I started getting ready for the Camel TOE Classic telling myself and my friends that I was only going to have fun and take it easy and that I was NOT competing, just entering a contest to ride with other freeriders.
2 weeks ago I sprained my lower back just hitting the first jump in the big line.
I did not crash but I could barely walk afterwards. Since then Mike G made the jump much smoother.

Saturday afternoon I arrived at the TOE and set up the Atlantic pro pit, complete with a home stereo running from a generator which also powered the florescent lights, laptop and car stereo so we could watch riding DVD’s in style late into the night. Speaking of style at night, we also hooked up lights in jumpland and a bunch of us were hitting the B line.It was like jumping into a black hole on the last two jumps, but it was a blast and nobody was hurt or even went down which is incredible considering how many beers did.

On Sunday after a run to the corner store for my gallon cup of coffee we cooked eggs for breakfast and shortly there after were we getting in a little practice before the comp.
After looking at every jump from every angle to figure out the best one to try and back-flip I decided that the last one in the big line would be the one. If the jump were all by itself, no problem, but keeping your speed, rhythm, and concentration through the first two to get there is another story. Just before practice was over I tried the flip and probably should have stayed on, but I felt an easy out, so I bailed. As I walked my bike back to the Atlantic tent so Santiago could tweak it back into shape I was thinking about my timing, the rotation was good but for a distance that would clear the deck and I was going to be a little short. I made 6 or 8 more runs trying to increase my speed as much as possible and overshoot the last jump. It was difficult to find my rhythm and I kept casing the jump. So remembering that I was not going to let the crowd or comp get to me, I went back to the tent to relax.

Let the games begin! The jumping began and while I watched I stretched my back and legs. I was thinking of my run and decided that I would flow the first two jumps for speed and flip only if the conditions were perfect, and they were perfect! It was the biggest and best back flip I ever did. The second run was a glory run smooth and safe.

Tooth pullers revenge!
The comp. moved to stunt land ware we were given 2 two minute free-runs. (go any ware) I started with the teeter totter tower of terror and Rick held the small teeter up so I could ride it backwards, then I went up to the new sky bridge, into the clam shell, around the berm and over the tooth puller (dubbed from my last visit) with enough time left to go back through the skeleton, across the bridge and huck the right line. It felt great and seemed easy, one of days when it just goes your way.

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