One season to another.
Winter has come to SoCal. Yes, despite no snow on the ground, no sub-zero days, no wind gusts over 20mph, and no icy conditions on the roadways...winter is here. I know this because fewer people are calling me to shuttle the downhill trails and only my hardcore friends are calling for me to go cross-country riding. Everyone else is shopping, drinking egg nog, or flying off to visit family far away. This all brings me to one conclusion...cross-training season is here!
With the NMBS race series over (I'm looking forward to its replacement) and no more big races until well after the New Year, I have been out on the water learning to surf. I'm still keeping my bodyboard around for big days when I'm scared to stand up, but I couldn’t live here any longer without trying the California pastime. I'm also running three or four times each week in preparation for the Carlsbad Half-Marathon in mid-January. Stay tuned for a full update on my result here at sponsorhouse.com. My goal is to run a 1:35:00 or better. If I succeed, then I will run the Rock and Roll marathon in June :)
In addition to these "off-season" activities, I am coordinating with my brother Bill in Missoula, MT for a summer summit attempt of 14,410’ Mount Rainer. We plan to climb via a moderately difficult route of 9,000’ vertical ascent over 10 miles to reach the peak. I am also compiling a pre-season list of races I would like to compete in. So far the standout races include: The Downieville Classic (CA), the US Open of Mountain Biking (NJ), the UCI World Cup, Angel Fire (NM), the California State Championship DH and Super-D, and the UCI Masters World Championships in France. Anyone know French?
I could not attempt this schedule without the continued support of my sponsors. In fact, my many successes in 2006 were the result of hard work, a little luck, and some very strong support.
Thanks to E.C., Mike and the whole Mongoose Tribe for a great year, we definitely showed people that Mongoose makes quality products and that the tribe concept enhances the sport of mountain biking. I look forward to being a part of this movement in the coming year. Thanks to O’Neal-Azonic for providing the protective gear and accessories that made for a safe and confident season. I was sorry to see Chris Reilly leave but glad to begin working with Chris Hannold. Jason at Utopia Optics kept me in style with the latest products and represented at almost every major event. Big props for that kind of race support! BeyondBikes.com continued to provide me with the best equipment available, provided by a group of guys that knows riding and racing. Of course I could not have kept my chains on the bikes all season long without Mateo at Gamut USA. And Scott at the Hayes Bicycle Group had me rolling smoothly on SunRingle’ and stopping at will.
2007 promises to be an exciting and successful year. I look forward to talking and riding with all of you in the coming months. I’ll be the rider covered with sunscreen from Jackie at JayBay, my newest sponsor!