Last week, while I was racing in Cool, Roaring Mouse team member Matt Peterson and

Third Pillar's Kristy Gough were killed during  a training ride in Cupertino, CA.



Matt recently won the Merco Downtown Grand Prix.



Kristy was the 2006 World's Toughest Half champion and

Hawaii Ironman world age group champion in 2004.



I just returned from their memorial ride and am just stunned. I've ridden that stretch of pavement countless times and never thought twice about it. With teams Roaring Mouse and Third Pillar at the head of the peloton, 2,000 plus cyclists, slowly rode to the crash site. Santa Clara County Sheriff's provided escort services.



I've read the newspaper and web reports, seen the maps and even pictures, but nothing prepared me for the real thing.

Qualify for MTB Nationals



Top 3 in NorCal XC Series



Top 5 in CCCX Series



Sea Otter Podium



MTB Nationals Podium



Keep up with the weekly local roadie hammerfest



1 hour from my house to coffee on current training ride



Win a race

All that hard work last season paid off with an invitation to 2008 Nationals. I'm planning on racing there as I'm already attending a wedding on the east coast the week before.

What a difference a week makes.



Sport 40–49, 14th place, 1:39:33, 11 min. off the leader.



I did much better than CCCX #3 the previous week. I set a goal of 45 min laps and didn't miss it by much. The start was great, I got the hole shot and maintained position until the first small climb. I then turned the HR monitor face down on my bars and focused on tempo. I cleaned the steep climb that most walked after the first creek crossing both laps and didn't dismount until the finish. The first lap was almost 52 min. but I was able to pick up the pace on the 2nd lap.



Only a few riders passed me on the 2nd lap as I my role changed from passee to passer. I traded places with a 50+ sport rider, each of us motivating the other. I punched it up the fire road before the single track descent across the grassy meadow, passing 5 riders in the process and really began to make time. After the bog, I knew I had only a few miles to go and didn't want to leave anything in the tank, so I put the hammer down. I passed a few more riders, including catching someone on the slight rise after the creek just before the finish. Mission accomplished.



I didn't win anything at the raffle, but had a great time nonetheless.



Next race, I'll push a little harder from the start as I still had more to give at the finish.

I went on a three week vacation as a substitute for my build phase. No bike time, or workouts besides walking. Even though I wasn't ready for the season opener, it was worth the memories.



My Philippines vacation was great. I visited with family I hadn't seen in 30 years. The medical mission to my mother's home province (Marinduque island) went well. Phenomenal shopping and too much delicious food combined with a dearth of vegetables was a recipe for weight gain. Luckily that didn't happen.



I got in a couple of short road rides upon my return, but backtracked a with a little too much partying two nights before the race. Unfortunately, I can't metabolize alcohol like a 21 year old anymore.



I'm only here for the training



The start was great as I kept up with the leaders for the first mile. Then they rode away into the distance. Well, this is as good a place as any to work on intervals, active recovery, bridging, etc.



Even though I knew what to expect, I wasn't prepared mentally to put the hurt on myself for the entire race.



19th place, 19 min off the lead. All I need to do is take off 5 min. per lap.



It's a good thing I had a three week vacation off the bike to blame for my poor showing. My expectations weren't as high than if I had those training weeks under my belt. Would I have been 4% slower without Boca ceramic bearings?



It was pretty good overall. No DNF or DFL. I stopped to guide traffic around a crashed rider at the beginning of my third lap who was subsequently taken to the hospital. A handful of riders passed me and I was able to reel a few of them in before the finish.



I knew what to expect speed wise, but was unable to keep the pace.