NECS #7/MMBA #5 Maine Sport Run-off Race Report

3rd Overall


There is much to say about this race. But unstead of winding important things into long-winded paragraphs, I'm going to list them out.


-Mike Patrick made the trek up. He is battling brain cancer and is simply the most tenacious racer I know. We rode together for part of the 1st lap but he said he was having a moment and faded back. Apparently he made it through part of the 2nd lap but ended up having a seizure. Good people like Skip Brown came across him and helped out. He went to the hospital and I can only hope he has recovered. Nothing else really matters. Send him some positive vibes.

-Kilburn did not show up. Too bad.

-The midcoast received 4" of rain on Saturday. The course rode great 1st lap, but was super greasy for the next 3. I did a lot of running. I hate running and carrying a bike. Even in 'cross.

-I completed all my running training for 'cross season in 1 day.

-Although my placing looks great finishing behind only proper racers in the form of my Porky Gulch nemesis Pete Ostroski and former student/racer Andrew Freye, my time told the real story: just under 15 minutes off the lead, and under 10 to 2nd. I was semi-slow to say the least.

-I finished 3rd because Chris LaFlamme flatted out with less than 2 miles to go.

-I was semi-slow thanks to my left forearm and tricep seizing up solid on the last lap. I was like a walking mummy with my arm all out stiff. I had to hoof it down some of the tech descents because I couldn't steer my bike.


-Said cramping was no doubt due to the fact that I pumped up, deflated, installed Stan's, re-pumped up my mud tires the day before. Let's just say 1 tire didn't want to seat.

-How do you give your arms an ice bath?!
-Took a dip in the pond at the base of the hill. I'm thinking this trend that was started with Burns and Joos may be drawing to an end. There will be serious shrinkage come November!

-This was my last XC race of the season and the end of my 2 year Master of Mud reign. All good things must come to an end. The future remains uncertain.

OA/CycleMania Team Brief TV Spot

This VIDEO Aired on Channel 8 a while back.

I currently fit into the 4th group of rider types: hangs out at the rear of the field!

Tuesday Night Smackdown!

Holy chowder did I get punched last night! Babs had some friends to meet in Portland and I wanted to hit up the PVC Tuesday Night Ride, so we combined forces and drove down.

I dropped her off at the marina, then popped into CycleMania to pick up some tubes and Stan's (first time I've ever had to buy the goop). I kitted up and joined the relatively small (20+) but strong group of riders, several of whom were my OA/CycleMania teammates.

The pace was torrid once we left the metro area and started climbing. I was redlined and just hanging on. At one point an elite group went off the front, but I maintained their pace off the front of the 2nd group. It was a constant hard effort, right up to the long stretch back into town where we maintained a 30 mph paceline to the final sprint.

This was a phenomenal workout and a reminder I still have some training to do!

Bradbury, finally!

The elements finally cooperated and allowed the trails to dry. I brought mtb rookie Ty Conklin

down for 2.5 hours of fun, cuts, and bruises. Conditions were primo. The new bridges are fantastic. We finished without a spec of mud on the bikes. The day was capped with lunch @ Gritty's and an afternoon on the lake.

Now that's a perfect summer day!

MMBA Saddleback Challenge Race Report Part Deux

2nd Overall

Well, I'm enjoying my piece of humble pie. Apparently I got nipped when I wasn't looking on the last lap. Hard to believe, but I somehow managed to coast through the last lap and lost 2 minutes. Guess I faded more than a rug in the sun.
Congrats to Kilburn.

Performance

Funny and making its way around. Has someone been following me around with a camera?!

MMBA Saddleback Challenge 1 Race Report

1st Overall

The decision to bag Mt. Snow was logical. Babs and the boys returned from 10 days in MN on Monday.

1. I was not going to be that guy who selfishly dragged them off for 4 days of big-race tension.

2. I saved a lot of $, without using Geico.

3. My experience @ Mt. Snow 2 weeks earlier was less than memorable and I was not optimistic about the course improving.

4. The thoughts of lining up with Trebon and Wicks then hope to finish top-40 lost its allure.

Once the decision was made, a revised activity plan was hatched. I got to spend time with the fam @ the lake, do some unstructured road riding with Ty Conklin, and oh, what's this, a Maine series race? Schwing!

The upcoming event was making use of Saddleback Mountain's nordic ski trails. I have always been a fan of these types of courses, with the benchmark being Sugarloaf's Outdoor Center in my opinion. I enjoy the punchy climbs, open straightaways to recover, and wide variety of singletrack offerings. I did this race last year and had a pretty good time of it so I was very excited to have a chance to hit it up again. Once again, however, I went solo since Drake had an LLBean casting and I let Babs handle that!

It was a gorgeous, if not brisk day. I hoped to arrive early enough for a pre-ride. But per usual of late, issues arose. This time my bike wasn't shifting for shit. Perhaps I'll remind myself to be sure to pre-ride the bike the day before to shake out the cobwebs and make adjustments. After maxing out the barrel adjuster, I went ahead and added tension to the cable at the derailleur and was good to go. With the little time I had, I just rode the first 1/2 mile of singletrack plus a new section they added and had to call it good. The legs had no shock to them and I hoped I would have the chance to open them up gradually starting with the pack.

Joining me on the line was singlespeedster Rick Nelson as well as series leader Steve Kilburn. The course layout is a lollipop in that we cruise a mile down a dirt road to the 5 mile race loop. We were slated to do 4 laps plus an additional 2 seperate singletrack sections as part of our finish lap heading back to the start area. Note to race promoters: STOP CREATING NEW TRAIL SECTIONS THE DAY BEFORE A RACE!

Although the new parts have potential, they were just not race-ready. They were loamy, muddy, moose tracky, and bitchy after riding 20 miles of fairly sweet stuff. Hopefully it'll be well broken in for the next race there.
So off the start, Racin' Rick had his big ring single gear going on and led the field through a short NASCAR loop and onto the long dirt road.

Unfortunately, this is where my big ring was bigger than his and I passed dragging Kilburn at least with me. I wanted to do some heavy damage here and drop some of the competition and at least be first into the singletrack. But alas, my legs and cardiovascular system were only set at 10. I wanted them to go to 11. So not really knowing who or how many were behind me, I put my head down and set off into the singletrack to ride at my pace. At the first clearing I looked back and it was only Kilburn in my mirror. But, he was dead on my heels either trying to pressure me to bobble, or strategizing to just sit in while I took the risks out front. Either way, we had a race on our hands and I was feeling the pressure to keep up the momentum. When we emerged for a long road climb, I noticed he was off my wheel. Not by much, but perhaps it was a chink in the armor. I pressed on and had the sense he was not as close in the next section. Then we hit the muddy area and I had deja vu of last year. 2008 was a carbon copy, but I was the guy tailing Andrew Freye. When we hit the mud last year, he rode it while I ran it and he created a gap that I could never relinquish. Today, the tables were turned and I rode it and it sounded like Steve had some trouble. I pushed it hard through the next singletrack and then came out alone at the feed zone. The race was over.

I settled into a more tolerable pace the next couple of laps, trying to be as smooth and efficient as possible. I had aspirations of playing the "big ring game" made infamous by Adam Craig and as Freye did to me last year here. But the course took its toll on me. I big ringed it where I could, but not everywhere. The legs were threatening to cramp and I had to save up for the final lap extensions so I was a bit more conservative to the end.

The finish line was after a short downhill, perfect for a "Superman" finish, a fitting cap to my first win of the season. I took a cool down spin and sent my legs into shock by hopping into a genuine cool mountain stream, a perfect post-race swim, natch. Wasn't sorry I was missing the goose poop retention pond @ Mt. Snow!

The best part of the day was the familiar faces and hearing people cheer your name. It was a Cheers moment for sure. Got a couple of weeks off after 7 races in 5 weeks. What will I do with my weekends?!

Skipped Mt. Snow

Kinda had a feeling.

Root 66 Hodges Dam Race Report

Pro
10th/20


Careful planning and scheming enabled me to hit the Concord Criterium the day before on my way to my mom's on the Cape. Then day trip over here to Oxford, MA, back to the Cape, then pick up the fam @ Logan on Monday and head home. 1 more neo-pro bike racer weekend for me.
My hope was to arrive early enough to the race venue and get a recon. lap in. But, 1 thing lead to another and by the time I was kitted up and on the bike I had less than 1/2 hour. Rumor was there was some standing water around and talk of a "floating bridge" so it sounded like a pre-ride might do more damage than good. So I hopped on the bike after changing to a rear mud tire and set out to spin the legs around. I rode for like 10 minutes then started to feel the rear getting a bit too squishy. Sure enough, I was losing air in the tire. I run tubeless, but no Stan's, I'm a little crazy like that. So it was a bouncy pedal back to the truck to swop tires. Problem was, it's often a bitch seating the tire. As I was madly pumping, the announcer made the pro call-up. I wasn't panicking, but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it. Fortunately it caught and I rolled up in the 2nd row and was ready to go. If my legs weren't warmed up, my arms sure were! A Hutchinson Python was my only other option and I was hoping it wouldn't be a liability out there for me.
The gun went off and we packed it down a fire road for like 1/2 mile. I was in the top 1/3 before the first 1 lane section. We hit some puddles along the way and I got thoroughly drenched by some nasty smelling water. Fortunately, I would get a total spray down several more times on each lap! Having scoped out a pro line on my pre-ride, I avoided a slight traffic jam, and made my way into the top-10 right away. But, the faster riders like Kevin Hines quickly put me back where I belonged hovering outside the top-10 and we all settled in to singletracking. The course was a lot of fun and reminded me of Otis. Rolling hardpack trail with some roots and baby-head rocks to swerve around. However, it was not all Oz.
The land must have been around like a reservoir and the dam controlled how much overflow water remained above it. Given the amount of rain we've had, the low lying areas had a lot of water. 1 section in the trail was so deep the wooden bridge that normally spans it was actually floating. If you came up to it, it was all good because it was on the top of the water. But if you were behind someone, they would submerge it and it was tougher to negotiate. This was clearly a run! There were massive puddles in an open road section that were hub deep as well as 1 long super muddy section. But this took the cake:


I ran it each time, but guys were saying they rode it. I don't know how @ race pace.
Anyway, in terms of the race, I made a couple passes myself on lap 1, then settled into a groove and ended up playing cat and mouse with a singlespeeder for 2 laps. He was quick and smooth in the singletrack, but my gears helped me bridge any gaps in the open sections. Eventually I got by him in the last 1/4 of the penultimate lap then I dug in and hammered the first 1/4 of the final lap and made the gap stick. I rode solo in from there for a top-10.
I was really glad to be riding the mountain bike and enjoyed the course as a whole. The water issues were nothing compared to the crap we've been riding through @ Mt. Snow, Pat's Peak, etc.
Joos and I took our traditional post-ride dip. This time the water looked dirty and there was a dead fish, but it really doesn't matter when you're covered in mud.

Good times.

Quick Race Weekend Wrapup

Concord Criterium
Masters 35+
Pack finish
Why did I bother to go?!

Root 66 Hodges Dam XC
Pro 10th
This was something of a triathlon with open roads, running, and virtual swimming. But the ripping singletrack was well worth the other course elements. I had a blast!

Root 66 Mt. Snow XC Race Report

Pro

11th/30

After a restful 9 hour sleep (a record for me!) at the plush Lodge at Mt. Snow, JB and I woke to dark skies and some additional moisture that fell overnight. Sweet, more fuel to the fire that is mud at Mt. Snow. We had a country breakfast and set out to join the other suckers intent on flattening the epic climbs and finding traction in the woods.

The course was redesigned since last year's Nats. But, most everyone was flying blind today given the conditions did not allow for a pre-ride. I got in a good warm-up and a light spin with Matty-O as we swopped stories about how old we're getting and how hard damn hard this racing thing is on family life. We got to the line late and I lined up on the last row alongside Colin who was aiming for the reverse hole shot today.

The start was clean and we were a large pack heading up the fire road climb. I made some passes and was probably top-20 prior to the first singletrack section. It was here that I realized I was only going to pose as a mountain biker today. I was totally unprepared mentally and skillfully for the slippery conditions and had to dab a couple of times looking like a real ass-clown. I was quickly relegated towards the back of the pack. But in true Mt. Snow fashion, the singletrack descending was short-lived and it was back to ascending action and I regained some of the spots I lost.

The actual course map can be found here. I am having a hard time recalling the flow of the course, perhaps because it was so unmemorable except for a ton of climbing necessitating a humbling amount of granny gear use, some uphill singletrack that was unrideable (for me), some wet grassy traverses, and a white knuckle front wheel mud surfing descent.

What was memorable was the rubber-banding I was doing. I would begin the laps pulling away from the likes of Colin and TP on the climbs, only to have them rocket past me on the descents. These guys were actually biking while I was posing. It was cat and mouse for a few laps, and it eventually included Jon Rowe. But on the final lap, I put in enough distance on them and used the motivation of passing JB to get me up the climb quickly enough to not get passed back again. It was a sad sight to see Joos fixing a flat in the final 1/4 of the course on the last lap, but that was another position up for me.

In the end, I rolled in as pack fodder, but fully punched as the legs began to cramp on the final climb to the finish. The field was cut in 1/3 due to the conditions as only 21 of the 30 finished. So, a top 1/2 of the field finish for me is satisfying.

Notable finish was Kevin Hines bringing it home in 2nd. Kevin is to XC racing what Mark Martin is to NASCAR racing. You think you can beat him because he's old, but he defies that logic. I'm more like Bill Elliott. I am old, and you can beat me!

I hope for Mt. Snow's sake the trails dry out for the Pro XCT event in 2 weeks. Otherwise there will be some pretty unhappy racers around.

Next up is pulling double duty with OA/CycleMania team at the Concord Crit then some XC fun at the Root 66 Hodges Village Dam.

Root 66 Mt. Snow Cyclocross Race Report

Pro
4th

A bonus biking weekend arose after I dropped Babs and the boys off at Logan Friday afternoon for their trip to see her side of the fam. I noticed there was some added Saturday activity here at Mt. Snow so I catered my plans to attend. I spent the night in Boston Friday and leisurely drove over this morning to meet Burnsy to race and lodge for the night.
Apparently there was some additional heavy rain here last night, but today was a beauty. Our plan was to get a lap on the XC course in as a warmup to the CX race. Fortunately JB heard over the loudspeaker they were combining classes and bumping our start time up a 1/2 hour so we bagged the pre-ride and warmed up on the road. Of course, the field was tiny, but all you need is Kevin Hines in the pack and you know its going to be a race no matter what to try to keep up with him. Colin Rueter was fresh off a 2-lap warmup and got the hole shot, leading for a couple of laps. I was content to sit behind Kevin and let him dictate the pace. The course was not your standard Mt. Snow short track. Yes it had the same start/finish and it climbed up the access road and dropped you down by the pump house and a 200 degree turn to the finish straight. But added was a loop around a building onto the sidewalk and up a short steep step-up they thought would be a run-up. But we of nasty biking skills negated the need to dismount. It also climbed higher than the ST, a bit of a slap in the face and then used a giant S-turn on a ski slope to descend. So, the question was, what would win: MTB or CX bike? A 'cross bike had the advantage on the flats and the climb, but the mtb could descend better, especially since there was a bit of mud and wet grass to contend with. Colin, Kevin, a Noreast guy, and I rode CX. Burns, and a Cannondale guy rode mtb's. We were to ride 20 minutes plus 3 laps. After Colin was reeled in, the Noreast guy came around me and we continued to trail Hines. Hines' strength was on the climb. He would routinely get a 5 second gap at the very top, but then we would come together by the time we reached the base of the climb again after he fully recovered and was ready to unleash another acceleration. On consecutive laps Kevin bobbled on the step-up causing a momentum stopper, the nthe Noreast guy caught a pedal the next lap and he was gone. Kevin was now inching away as I could not match his climb pace. My slowing brought Burns and the Cannondaler into the mix and I was content to ride behind Burns. The Cannondaler attacked about 2/3 of the way in and neither John nor I responded. I rode his wheel around the base and stayed in contact on the climb, lost some on the descent, repeat, all the way to the finish coming home 4th. I was pretty sure JB had an extra gear to kick in if I came around him, so I didn't bother. I chalked it up to a solid day to prep for tomorrow's XC.
JB and I bagged the pre-ride altogether after hearing there was significant mud out there to save the bikes and the bodies.

Yarmouth Clam Fest Race Report

I took a break from the dirt (mud) and hit up the bike race associated with the Yarmouth Clam Festival put on by my road club Portland Velo. The decision was a bit impromptu as I originally planned to attend the EFTA Horror at Harding XC event. However, about ½ my road team was signed up and it was basically local, so I made the quick ride down.
Since I wasn’t putting a lot of emphasis on the event, I didn’t conserve energy and worked, rode, and played pretty hard all week. Thursday I hit up a small, but steady group ride put on by the CMCC out of Mathieu's Bike Shop. It was nice knowing there’s another option to ride with others closer to home. I also expelled some serious energy working at the lake house.
Nonetheless, I was good to go and so was the weather for once! The course was a 3+ mile circuit that was fairly flat save for one punchy climb after a 90 degree turn that lead to a LONG finishing straight. It reminded me a lot of the circuit race used in the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic. We had a neutral first lap lead by the PVC women racers to celebrate the life of a former club member who was struck and killed while riding out west recently.
Start photo courtesy of Don McEwan


From there, it was on for 9 laps! Although there was no team communication prior to the race, I figured the strategy was simple and we would dominate the race given our numbers. I assumed we would have a strong presence out front, have at least 1 rider in every break, and/or launch attacks, and block. I was wrong. The rest of the 100+ field was pretty stout and included some well known pros. Our guys were spread out everywhere, myself included and there was no organization. We did have a guy or 2 get in a couple of breaks that didn’t stick. But there was an elite group that got away late in the race which didn’t include any of us and there was no organization to bring it back.

I’d like to think I did my share of effort joining a couple of break attempts and riding at the front while a teammate was up the road. But the climb was starting to take its toll and I wasn’t maintaining my position as we crested on the latter laps.
Annoying climb photo thanks to Don


To make matters worse, I mis-read the lap cards and I emptied the tank on the actual next-to-last lap! I was wondering why it was so easy to get to the front! What an ass! Ultimately, it came down to the last lap. The pace was fast and the entire field sped into the turn at the base of the climb. After an early incident where a Keltic rider went down and 1 lap where I tried the outside line, I suspected there may be a pileup as the field swept left off the turn. Sure enough, I heard the heinous sound of metal, carbon, and road colliding. The issue was the sidewalk curb was extremely difficult to pick out of the shade and it comes up on you quickly. It killed my momentum as well as half the field so I ended up semi-coasting home to an unceremonious 62nd. I have come to the realization I really don’t like circuit races. They are mini-versions of a road course run at criterium speed. They’re dangerous and HARD!
I had a chance to chat with French Freye and Hattie after the race who volunteered for the event which was nice. I then cruised to the lake house to meet the fam and indulge in the fruits of my labor on the dock I floated this week!


Next it’s back to the dirt for some fun cyclocross and a cross country event at Mt. Snow.

Root 66 Pats Peak Race Report

Pro
12/23

After attending this race last season with Andrew Freye, we agreed it was a worthy event and worth clearing a spot on the calendar again. Unfortunately it conflicted with a pretty fun MMBA race. But I opted to go where the competition and the climbing was instead. This year, Freye opted for the double and competed in (and won!) the 6 hour solo event on Saturday, then the XC on Sunday. So I leisurely loaded up in the morning and made the trek to Henniker, NH solo.
Weather dawned perfectly for the drive. The big question was, what were the course conditions like as a big batch of rain swept through the region overnight. Having learned my poor tire choice lesson earlier in the year, I brought all options with me.
I arrived in plenty of time to register and get a lap in prior to our 2pm start. This was crucial for me to make the tire decision. Since the sports were racing, I didn't do a full lap, just the important climb to the top of the mountain for the long, winding descent where time was either going to be made or lost. There was no mud to speak of thanks to the 24 hour racers going all night plus the sports pushing things aside. Nonetheless, the roots were a bit slippery and you had to be on your toes. I talked things over with Freye and collegiate stud Brad Perley and confirmed a taller knobbie up front would help and not necessarily go with a mud tire.
I toed the line in the 2nd row where the officials took a quick poll to see whether we wanted to drop a lap and race only 4-5 mile loops with 800+ feet of climbing instead of the published 5. I was pretty opinionated and made my vote known for keeping the 5 laps. This is the pro rank, deal! We set off up the bunny hill where I had scouted out a pro line rather than get bottlenecked and set off in the top-10. I held the spot for a bit until the legit riders got their act together and set off for the front. I was riding well and felt pretty good until we got to the sections I hadn't pre-ridden. There were 2 unrideable hike-a-bike mud sections, plus a few energy and motivation-sapping mid-slope grassy/mud sections that sucked the life out of riding. I guess that was part of the reason to cut a lap as the times were going to hover around 30 minutes/lap rather than 20-25. Oh well. I was going to persevere through it no matter what.
I made it through the first lap probably top-17 or so and rode though with strongman Mike Rowell. We were together at the base of the descent on the 2nd lap when he flatted big time and I was left to my own devices which was too bad because I wanted to try to keep pace with him.
Fortunately there were some carrots that dangled ahead in the form of IF, Wheelworks, and 29er Crew riders whom I slowly reeled in over the next 3 laps. I started finding some stealth lines that I'm sure Mike Joos was roosting on his way to a solid finish! My only regret was getting passed by Kevin Hines who was racing expert that day. Granted, he's a national champ in my age group and also beat the pro field at Putney this year. But his ability is admirable and one I try to emulate. He was just killing it. Thankfully, I kept Jonny Bold at bay though!
It was a tough outing overall. But I was pleased with my effort and the body never showed specific signs of weakness. There was just a general total-body sense of fatigue. I was pretty fairly "punched" (new favorite word thanks to my buddy Sam!).
Next up is taking a break from the mtb and hitting up the Yarmouth Clam Festival circuit race that currently lists 13 of my OA/CycleMania teammates as signed up, should be a lay-up!

These Things Just Don't Go Together

The date and what I'm wearing. Nice summer, not!

Root 66 Domnarski Farm Race Report

Pro

9th/15

Creative planning allowed me to hit up this XC race on my way home from the Cape.

After a high volume and active week, I wasn't quite sure where my fitness would stack up. But I hadn't raced on my MTB since May 24th so I HAD to get one in.

The race was held on a farm in Ware, MA and we did 2-10 mile loops. Clearly there was no opportunity to pre-ride so I relied on my spider-sense and rode within my line of vision, never knowing what lay ahead.

The field was smallish, but had your typical strong young-guns. The start finish was on a unique elevated 100 yard section that quickly whittled into singletrack. I assumed my standard role of back-of-the-pack and just wanted to stay out of the major players' way. Of course, I wanted to quit after the first 15 minutes because I was redlining it and still lost the front group. But I managed to pass 2 guys plus Foley who flatted so I figured DFL was out of the question.

My real goal was to not get passed by Experts from behind. So, despite the fact that I was in no-man's land 1/3 of the way into the race, I had motivation.

The course was best described as a route I would see myself riding randomly on a weekday ride. A mix of fun singetrack, some doubletrack, some logging roads, and a powerline section. There was some solid climbing interspersed as well. I could have certainly done without the powerline section since it was in the wide open, was a climb, and finished with a run up. The logging roads were annoying as well with huge puddles that forced you to scrub speed and pick a line. There were also some serious mud pits that you had to test the depths of on the 1st lap. I confirmed that one was a wheel deep as I gracefully endoed and muddied myself for the rest of the race. 2nd lap I worked on CX moves and quickly dis-mounted and ran through them.

After riding solo for 2/3 of the way, I came across a slow and unmotivated Greg Carpenter. Although it was nice to ride with someone, I also wanted to beat him so I put in a solid effort to the finish.

It was nice to know I could still race, despite some fairly unfavorable circumstances. The day served as a confidence booster and I'm looking forward to building some momentum this month with an ambitious 4 XC races in a row.

Vacation Week

Just back from a week on Cape Cod hanging at my mom's with the fam.

We caravaned down in 2 vehicles so I could bring back some stuff my mom is getting rid of.

Here are the before/after van pics. There's even a mower and weedwacker in there!

The weather really cooperated for the most part and we got in some boat/beach days.

I skipped a rainy road ride at home before we left and was treated to sun and warmth on the Cape so I made the 25 minute road ride to my favorite trail network at Otis for a couple hours of singletrack.


Of course, I did have my run-ins with the rain and got hit with hail on my return from a MTB ride:

And got wiped out by an epic thunderstorm on a road ride that wiped me out as the expression on my face relays. You know you're riding in a majot event when your feet get submerged in puddles on the downstroke!

The week was capped off by a fantastic fireworks display viewd from the boat. Now it's back to work and a busy month of racing!

Wicked Good Weekend!

Friday:

Hosted KHS Class of 1999 at our house for Reunion Weekend.

You get the picture.

Saturday:

Attended the wedding of a co-worker's daughter outside of Camden with Babs.

You get the picture.

Spent the night in a cabin at the Point Lookout and celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary.

Sunday:

Slept late, fueled up with crusty bread and cheese and rode home from Camden.

Got home and had a great Father's Day dinner with the boys.

Perfect!

Motivation to Ride Arrives by Mail

A week ago I was prepping to compete in the EFTA Pinnacle XC race. All systems were a go until Saturday right before dinner. I had started to prep the bike for a muddy event and was attempting to mount tubeless mud tires. For the usual reasons, it was impossible to seat the bead on the rim and it would not hold air. It was at this point that I entered a tailspin of demotivating myself. I started coming up with better things to do with my time on Sunday rather than get up @ 4am, drive 4 hours, race 2 hours, drive 4 hours (actually wasn't tough to do!).

So I left the bike in its incomplete state and plotted out a nice 4 hour road ride around home instead. I ate my pre-race carbo meal and rationalize this was a good plan. Problem was, I didn't really want to ride the road for 4 hours so when Sunday came and it poured rain, I was relieved I had another excuse not to ride and bagged it.

Worse part is, I haven't ridden since! This was a tough work week putting in the ice and the riding opportunities have been nill and I sure haven't had the motivation.

Then, yesterday my new jersey arrived and I miraculously snapped out of my funk.

Training commenced immediately after, albeit for only 1 hour on the rollers! Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to getting rolling again. Thanks Kona for kicking me in the ass!

To Ride or Not To Ride

Just venting that I'm in that funk.

Work is a killer re-opening the ice rink, all I want to do is hit the couch.

Maybe I can combine the 2:

Next race is July 5th. Hope they have a couch division!