Downieville and 12hrs of Temecula...
It had been a while since we had gone on a road trip not associated with racing, so after all the stress of work/racing/training it was great to get out last weekend and go camping in Downieville! Three days of riding up there and it was really hard to come home. I can't think of a better way to spend our 5th anniversary!
I didn't compete in the 12hrs of Temecula but I have been training with Allison and I devoted myself to making sure she had the best possible race. She did awesome and I am very proud of her. I would never have expected her to finish first in solo women (she beat all solo female competitors including the pro riders).
I have decided to do my best to improve my fitness over the next few months. I will be hitting the gym two days a week to maintain upper body strength for DH racing, riding lots of road miles (commuting to work, lunch rides), and putting in as much time on the mountain bikes as I can muster. I hope to find some time and training partners for DH, but it is difficult and fuel costs don't make it easier. Most of my time will be spent on the XC bike.
I keep thinking about what my racing schedule should look like for next year. I would like to make sure that everything lines up and I can do some races that will be both enjoyable and give me a good shot at podium spots. So far I think I will shoot for Counting Coup, Keyesville, Downieville, and the local races. I may give the endurance racing thing a shot since I am training with Allison anyway. At some point I am sure that I will reach a level that I can no longer compete in so many disciplines. I will be forced to narrow my focus and I really don't know what specific area I would pick. If only there were more races like Keyesville and Downieville, all-mountain races that rewarded a well rounded athelete, then I think that would be my primary focus!