4luvandlife

Elk River Single Track Attack! new race this year. awesome race. got called up to see no JC. others said he went up to comp. saw him after the race and the rumor is true. i had kinda suspected it was when i saw him in the woods cheering the rest of us on. saw that he still won his comp division by 3.5 minutes and got 2nd overall. it was fun trying to catch him in previous races. maybe we will be in the same category again sometime. took off on go. went down a flat, gravel road for 1/2 mile or so. felt like i was cooking pretty well and looked at the computer to see 28mph! could not believe that. was curious after the race and i had apparantly hit 29.3 at some point on that road. wish i would have known. i would have tried to hit 30 for the heck of it. started to feel like the heart was redline or worse so i backed down to 24 or 25. JS came up on my right and went into the singletrack first. went by him on the first double track. there were good passing spots for quite a while. single t...

ohhhh Red Wing. i had been looking forward to you since last year. no other course like you. the Whoop De Doos that feel like riding a half-pipe, the wild, technical ride down into the quarry that looks like a set from Lord of the Rings, the up-hill switchbacks out of the quarry, and the way you tried to kill me on Stairway to Heaven. did you think i forgot about all that?? i had a big portion of my learning curve on this course last year. some good lessons were learned and i have been looking forward to applying them to my teacher. i thought i was going to get a call up and help my shot at being first to the single track. the call up didn't happen or i didn't hear it. i was starting from pretty far back again. on go i tried to work my way up to the front. it is a pretty long way until the single track and i was able to get to the single track first. guys were right behind me and i had a good feeling at least 2 of them were on the podium with me the week before in Eau Claire (t...

like many others i love this race. this course feels like a roller coaster. much of the time you are getting enough momentum on the downhill to carry you up a good size uphill. very fun feeling. took off on the back of a big wave (B later called me out for a weak attempt to get to the front. went down a very dusty service road. the most dust i have ever seen. couldn't see more than a few guys in front of me. pushed pretty hard to try to get up front before the single track. passed quite a few and got up toward the top. went into the single track in a group with a pretty good pace. had a lot of fun in there but i wasn't real smooth. a little distracted so i couldn't see the best lines or ride them if i did see them. the B and i had a little mix up before the race about something silly and i still had it on my mind. the old marriage saying goes, "don't go to bed angry". that's good advice and i'm adding the new saying that goes, "don't go to the...