5/19 Xterra Lory

This season I decided to skip the WTC races and try a few more Xterra races, the first one near Fort Collins CO in the horsetooth reservoir.  I came up early the morning of the race and had not pre-ridden the course at all, which proved to be a mistake.  The reservoir was beautiful with rock cliffs on either side.  It was still a small Xterra race so I was hoping for a decent result.  The swim went great and I managed to put 3 minutes into everyone else, onto the bike is where the issues started.  It was tacky single track so the conditions could not of been better, I was in the lead so I was taking some risks and cooking right along.  About 3 miles in I way over shot a right hand bend went into the wet grass and totally ate it.  Bike cartwheeling down the hill and all, I had a bunch of small scratches and a sore shoulder but appeared to be okay to keep going.  Hell I was still leading the race, I ran and got the bike back on the trail and kept riding.  Only a few miles later noticing the front rim was very badly bent (requiring a replacement), the disc was not rubbing so I kept on.  Two guys behind me caught me right as we started the 2nd lap.  They clearly were biking faster than I as I did not hold them.  The bike ended and run started right up to the top of a hill overlooking the lake and back down, the views were spectacular.  The run down was tough not to fall and crash, which a few did as the medic at the bottom of the run course attested to after the race.  I held of all but one more runner by the finish and took 3rd in the pros but 2 age groupers beat me too.  The finish line had a slip-n-slid which was pretty nice to cool off.  Some very cool ariel footage was shot from a drone at the race too.  Link below

Xterra Lory ariel footage -

CLICK HERE TO WATCH XTERRA LORY AERIAL FOOTAGE!

Late RR posts

As time this summer has got the best of me I have been delayed on race posts, but I am going to attempt to get back on track with what has been going on this season.  To start the road race season....

5/18 - Superior Morgul RR – 9th

This year went much better than last year with a crash and never catching back onto the group.  This year I stayed with the group much of the race, again supporting Andy who was feeling pretty good on this race.  We closed some gaps that came after the wall climb and kept the group together.  Andy managed to ride into the top 5, but in true domestique fashion I was drained by the last climb up the wall to the finish and took 9th.

5/4 – Koppenberg RR – 4th

This was the first time I was able to race this one and it did not disappoint, a 6 mile RR course with 2 miles of dirt and a big dirt climb each lap.  I was here to support Andy this race to pay it back from the previous weekend.  Andy managed to get into a group of 4 away the 2nd lap, before the gap was unmanageable on the 3rd lap I went away from the group right at the top of the climb.  I closed the gap but not without a great effort.  Andy and I pushed the pace of this lead group so much that we put 6 minutes on the group by the end, but we were also the ones doing much of the work.  As the sprint for the final meters came we were both toast, I took 4th and Andy right behind.

4/26 - Federal Center Circuit Race – 1st

This was one of the most fun races I can remember, and I was only able to take the win because of my team working for me.  This race is a few mile circuit for 50 minutes, on the third lap I sensed a easing up of the main group on a slight uphill.  I took the outside and rode away, expecting to be caught in a few minutes.  The group did not catch me so I began to ride TT for the rest of the race, the end was tough and I put out some of my highest sustained power numbers.  But the true reason I won was Andy and Diran broke up groups making a drive to catch me, and blocking in the final meters.  I was only away by a few bike lengths in the end.  Great team effort for which I am grateful.

4/19 - Weld County RR – 16^th

Weld County is a nice 4 lap road race, Andy and I spent way too much time out front of this one managed to split up the group the final lap but in the end sprint I did not have enough left to make much out of it.

2/22 – Carter Lake RR – DNF (mechanical)

The Carter lake RR was to be brought back this season and the course was great, but mostly though the first lap I broke my chain and was picked up by the sag wagon.  Guess it was not to be for the first race of the season.