First race of '10

There's a first time for everything. Like posting to the team blog. This is my eleventh season racing 'cross always on a Soulcraft. The first official race of my season was today at Fort Ord, Monterey. CCCX always puts on stellar events and this one didn't disappoint. The course was fast and smooth with plenty of red walls of poison oak to keep you on track. Last year I started racing A's 35 plus and although I try to not get last today it couldn't be helped after a crash and a bike change. At least I didn't get lapped. Well, off to take that painful first shower ;o).

Cheers,

Bo

First race of

There's a first time for everything.

Well I’ve returned from national championships in Granby Colorado. It was a typical national event which I used to take part in so much in the past. This was the first big race I have entered in all year, let alone the first xc event as well. I’ve been racing short track at the local Wednesday night boulder races and entered in the smith Lyons out door games about a month ago. I have been feeling stronger and stronger on the bike as the summer has progressed. I won the Lyons games and have been consistently placing well against some of the fastest racers in the area at the short track races. But……short track is not cross country. I started in the last row at nationals, not something I have done in quite a while. Not only did the start position hurt my moral but the longer race proved to be difficult on my fitness. I have been training hard to prepare, but training does not simulate racing. I found myself feeling fairly strong in the race passing lots of guys on the first couple laps. The last lap I didn’t lose any positions, but could feel that my short race fitness was proving to be my downfall. I ended up in 20th place in the race. I’m not incredibly disappointed but nor impressed. I am planning on making it to a bunch of Colorado xc events that remain on the calendar and hope to post up some more impressive results. Besides the nationals my roommate, the girlfriends and I headed the long rout back to boulder and stopped off in rocky mountain national park for the night on a pretty deep back road atop a mountain where we heard there was a bunch of great rock climbing. We rolled out of our tents in the morning with beer filled guts and made the much longer than expected trek to the climbs. Once we arrived I could tell it was well worth it. There was a large alley way of quality climbs. We spent the whole day out there climbing and hiking around some beautiful Colorado backcountry. I’m feeling like I will only get stronger and stronger as the season progresses, but am not forgetting to take part in other activities that take me to new places like cycling does. Mountain biking is cooler than anything in the world if you haven’t noticed yet.

Ed McMahon-R.I.P.

Ladeez & Gentlemen,
doff your chapeau(s) in honor of America's Top Second Banana, Ed McMahon, who passed away today at age 86. That Budweiser blazer blows Stevil & mine's Budweiser sweater out of the water. HEY-OHHHHHHHHH!

Riding in the Columbia Gorge

Well, Portland is wet. Let's put it that way. But its nice in the summer...Or if you get over the Cascades to central Oregon. The Columbia Gorge, however, is worth the miserable wetness. And on this particular weekend, it was pretty darn dry. My friend, Anthony, drove us out to ride a trail called Syncline (it includes "Little Moab" AND "Little Maui." You can't beat that. Everything in one fell swoop.) Anyhow, Syncline is amazing, to put it short. The best trail I've encountered here. Looking over the glacier-formed Gorge over a 100-foot cliff (from which a Mountain Biker fell to his death last year).

The story behind this photo is sort of funny. It was actually not taken by me, but Anthony's friend (who got lost). He (Brian) was riding a bit slower than Anthony and I, and apparently he took a wrong turn. He was lost for about three hours before we met up again. He had my camera in his backpack and he knew that I wanted to take some photos. So he took the one of the meadow. Doesn't really show the trail, or the Gorge, but it's a nice field. Maybe next time I get out I'll get some shots of the trail and some riders. But for now I'm looking forward to trekking down the Oregon and California coast back home to West Marin County. I have just returned from Colorado Springs, where I was visiting Colorado College. I got to ride a couple of epic trails there (Captain Jack's and The Chutes). Unfortunately, I forgot my camera (like always). I plan on attending Colorado College next year, and the Mountain Biking is an excellent added perk. Hope to be sending sweet photos from there next fall, and until then, Happy Summer.

do you really want this guy building your frame???

Not too sure what Sean had for breakfast but it looks like it was laced with something. My breakfast on the other hand consisted of lots of bacon grease to get me through the cold Colorado weather. I'm not too sure what is up with the weather here lately, I guess it's just typical Colorado. It went from 80 a week and a half ago to a frigid snow storm. I was defiantly feeling a bit of cabin fever as the skies dumped nearly two feet of snow after a pleasant three hour mountain bike ride up in the high country at 70 degrees the day before. I was finally back on my bike with some consistency training then the weather hit. Quite disappointing, especially because I'm not a fan of staring at a wall while dripping sweat on indoor trainer. I have been filling the cold windy days with lots of indoor rock climbing and new artwork. It has been awhile since my last race. I'm looking forward to my first pro race at the mountain states cup race #1. There will be a time trial and a xc race. I'm not sure how it will fan out yet, but I expect to have some legs and endurance by the time the race goes down, that is weather permitting training. Hope all you Californians are take benefit of the weather I'm not, much luck in the season!!

Is it spring yet?

We can still ski up here in Flagstaff, but early-season racing and riding can be found a little further south of here: racing in Phoenix has been entertaining, there aren't many pro women who race these so I've been racing expert men's singlespeed. It's really fun to race against a bunch of guys that I don't know, and to not know how I'm going to finish...but it's turned out pretty well.
I've been riding a bunch in Sedona, too. Lots of new trails popping up as well as some of the old standbys; it's only 40 minutes away but 3000 feet lower so it's nice even when it's freezing in Flag. Today I rode this trail called Hangover, called such because the first half the rocks are hanging over your head, and the second half you are hanging out over the cliff. A little spooky but a really well-built trail. Cures your hangover in a hurry, thats for sure.