21 Days of Colorado

That was a good trip. 21 days away to be exact. One of the best parts was that I got to spend a lot of time with my family which was awesome. The thing with small kids is that if you don't see them often enough you miss major changes. Not only has my nephew started chatting up a storm in the last few weeks, his has also started riding a Skuut like he is destined to become a stunt man. All this before the age of 2!


My 3 week adventure of hard racing, training, and camping was capped off this weekend with a trip to Sol Vista Basin in Granby, Colorado (also known as the Sahara Desert) for the national championships. I rolled into another XC event with a ton of hard miles in my legs and was again pleasantly surprised with my body's reaction.

By race time on Saturday morning it was well into the high 80's but it felt more like 110. The 4.3 mile XC loop was almost entirely in the sun and started at about 8,500 feet. That right there is an equation for a lot of suffering and a very uncomfortable breathing environment. No big surprise of course, but a huge congrats to Georgia for her complete domination of the field. She won by almost 3 minutes! I can't (and will never be able to) tell you what happened in the front of the race. I am sure it was exciting. But, back to the mid-pack land race report...

The race started on a very steep climb. It was the kind of climb that when combined with a traditional XC start in the high heat and altitude, you could easily blow up in spectacular fashion. I was supposed to have an 11th place call up but for some reason it ended up being more like 16 or 17. Anyway, the gun goes off and so does the entire race-without me-into the singletrack. Yup, that was on purpose...sort of. What I learned at the Firecracker is that I currently lack the capacity to redline immediately at altitude and recover. I have to respect the true diesel engine that I am, so it's best to just chill at the start, warm up a little and then give it a harder go as time goes on.

That's exactly what I did. I began the race in the 20's and didn't panic. I focused on climbing strong but steady and tried to take advantage of what little descending there was to ride smooth and fast lines. That strategy enabled me to move up from almost dead last to 11th by the finish. I even managed to move up from 15th to 11th over the last 2 laps. I just started feeling better and stronger as the race progressed. Heck, if the race had been 10 laps instead of 5 maybe I could have landed on the podium ;)

I will try to be diplomatic about the course quality. Hmmm, how do I say this best? I did not like it. My lower back hated it more. It was rough. But at least the spectators loved it and it was a great format in which you could watch almost the entire race unfold. Moving on.

Sunday was the short track but once again I skipped it in favor of a 4-hr 45mile trail ride in Fraiser and Winter Park. There's nothing like a solo hammerfest on really, really nice singletrack to put a smile on your face after suffering through a XC race. I had a great, great ride and felt really good despite spending a late night doing grad work and getting up and out of the house before 8 so I could get back and watch the short track. I had never actually watched a short track. A HUGE congrats to Judy for riding like a champ and narrowly missing out on the last podium spot to Willow. My throat hurt after the event because I was cheering so loudly for my teammates who were killing it! Colin managed to ride a spectacular short track as well, ending up 7th and Andy wasn't far behind in 11th. Dang, my teammates are quick. And awesome. And are really, really nice people to spend a weekend with.

Even though I was totally worked from the weekend, I motivated and met my sister early Monday morning for a ride on the good trails at Sol Vista (they do exist!) before I drove home. I can't pass up opportunities to ride with her, ever. Even though she says she's slow and just had 2 kids, she did used to keep up with Missy Giove and Marla Streb back in her day, so I always learn a thing or two when I ride with her. Now, she is so out of her usual shape (her usual shape being she once placed second in Montezuma's Revenge-on a singlespeed!) that we have to take breaks, providing time for her to give me technique tips.

Gosh, have you ever ridden behind someone who just floats on a bicycle, as if her wheels just lightly graze the ground? That's my sister. Even when riding a 20lb steel Surly singlespeed she is smokin' fast on the DH. Now if she could only help me on the uphills....she did lend me her 1010P dirt jumper for the week so Nate can rebuild it and so I can get some much needed pump track practice before Leadville. Definitely looking forward to that.

Now, I have almost 10 days at home in a row to get some much needed rest, to catch up on work and to enjoy summer in the Tetons. There are some local hill climbs this weekend that I plan to suffer through, but more importantly there is the WYDAHO Rendezvous Mountain Bike Festival going on all weekend (I am teaching a skills clinic at the Victor bike park on Saturday morning 10-noon as part of it), Big Head Todd is playing at the Spud and my mom-in-law is in town. So much for down time.