All Road Weekend

I was very close to winning the Early Bird Criterium.

On Saturday the Early Bird Road Race was pretty epic this year. The roads were very wet and very dirty, which turned all the Road bikes into filthy machines. There was rain in the beginning of the race, which made things feel extra challenging. Too bad I cam off up the long steep climb on course, or I feel my result could have been really strong. Instead I finished 9th place. Sunday was the Early Bird Criterium race. I felt a little sluggish early, but as the racing went on I felt solid. In the end I worked into a good position and had a crack at the win. I lost the sprint to one of America's best sprinters Daniel Halloway of Team Bissell. I was pleased with my ride and am wanting more....

Road & Cross Races

It was the start of the 2010 Road Race season for me today. I felt ok at the Early Bird Road Race, but came off the group up the long climb when it mattered most. I did battle back to finish 9th place, which was very hard because I had to dig super deep to catch a small group in the run up to the finish. Sunday will be one of my last Cross races of the season and it is going to be super muddy! It has rained all week and it will be the incredibly muddy and wet for this race. I always like to play in the mud, so this should be very interesting....

Racing

It was 2 very good races this past weekend for me. Saturday I came close to winning my division of the Sacramento Cyclocross Series. I made the winning breakaway during the race, and was doing all I could to get to the final lap and fight out the win. Yet I came off in a sand section with only 2 laps to go, and could not bridge back up to the 2 leaders I was with for the first 50 minutes of the 1 hour race. It was frustrating to be so close to having a crack at the race win. Yet it was a good sign my legs were coming around as I distanced many good riders during the race. I finished 2nd place on the day. Sunday was my own CCCX Series final race. I liked the course I set and even better was the fact it was windy, raining, and a stormy weather race. I felt really ready to go until during my warm up my back tightened up and then proceeded to lock up on me. Then on the first lap my back completely froze and I had big problems trying to just race with my back fully blown out. It was not great, and I could not straighten up my back as it was in a spasm state. I did the best I could to finish the race, and really surprised myself with how good I raced with my back 100% ruined. In the end I made top 5 in the CCCX Series, which was a goal I had set for this Cross season. It did leave me thinking...... what if?? Because I had good feelings in my legs and my power output felt strong. But my back ordeal ruined any chance of a good finish in the final race of the CCCX Series.

Another Double Race Weekend

Saturday will be the Sacramento Cyclocross Series final race at Granite Bay in Folsom. I like this venue and I feel ready to race. Sunday is my own CCCX Series final race. I set a really good course that I am very eager to race on. I have a lot going on with this final race as far as the promotional side of things, yet I am really excited to race. There is supposed to be some serious rain coming in for the weekend, and it should make for some epic racing for all.

Double Race Weekend

It was two Cross races this past weekend and I felt OK considering my knee was still a little sore from my deep cut. I almost won on Saturday, but a slip up sent me back and I ended up 3rd place. Then Sunday I felt really good at times, and gained valuable B.A.R. Rank points for the season long Best All-Round Rider competition. I do feel that after 25 races this winter on my Cross bike, I am becoming very comfortable hitting the turns extra hard on this machine. I am really enjoying my time racing Cross, and am hoping to finish out the season showing some improvement.

Keeping Busy

The Mt San Bruno Hill Climb race went well for the first 180 seconds. Then I blew up hard and suffered for the next 15 minutes. One day I hope to do well at that event. The Saturday morning ride went much better. I felt OK on the climb and pretty good along the ocean sections. I was not great on the climb, but not bad either. Starting at 7 a.m. is cold and not easy to get up out of my deep sleep. But you warm up quick when the riding gets going, and it is always a great workout. The CCCX DH race on Sunday was awesome. The new trail I built was kicking off great action for the DH racers. It seemed that every single DH racer liked my work. DH racers complain the most, and when I build a trail and get no complaints at all, that shows a quality course I put together.

I did 3 hours steady on the Road bike on Monday. I like doing my errands on my bike, saves gas and it is fun to ride around and get some saddle time in.

The Tuesday night ride went off on a beautiful night for riding. The Tuesday night rides are the hardest rides of all on the Monterey Peninsula. These rides are made for fast pace, attacks, and hitting climbs as hard as possible. That is why I like the night rides, because they are the hardest rides of all locally. This brings out the best in the riders who participate in these sessions. I have noticed that the strongest riders do these rides, and the ride just keeps making the strong even stronger.