Racin' at the ranch

So a certain high profile roadie out of Austin, TX puts on a mtn bike race at his Drippings Springs ranch, and a few(1000+) people show up to race and view the spectacle. I was one of the spectators, checking out all the vendor booths(SRAM, Trek, Gary Fisher,Nuun,Honey Stinger,and other local one's too), and this is what you get:

The "expo" area

As we got closer to the start of the pro race, the masses crowded around to get a glimps of Lance, Dave Weins, JHK and top local pro's who would duke it out with the big names on hand.

This was the view I had through the feed zone(I was on crew duty for Scott Henry). JHK was killing it from the start as was his wife Heather Irmiger. Pretty cool to see the two current XC and Marathon Nat'l Champs on hand.

JHK had about 5 minutes on 2nd place at this final climb of the race. He was also looking pretty comfortable.
Scott was in 3rd through heading into the final lap, but cratered shortly thereafter and held on for 6th in the stacked pro field.
Lance ended up flatting on lap 1 while in 2nd or 3rd and DNF'd.
Word has it that there may be a top level Nat'l XC race back out there in the spring......Cool!
And me? Well, I had fun just being out there. Seeing all the people and talking to alot of them.
It was weird being on that side of the fence though.

Good times

It's been 2 months since I've ridden that hard, there's been no need to......So Sat. a.m. I got to do a bit of trail riding with a bike from the shop that we've had break problems with, rode it hard for a little over an hour, and yes, we still have break problems. This wasn't the hard day though, that came on Sunday.
10 days off the bike and just doing some cross training left my knees pretty sore. So I hopped on the road bike last week, which put me on day 5 yesterday. No where near top shape. So what do I do? Show up for a Sunday morning group ride and head out with the elite group. Not very smart, but I've never been accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed.
After a decent warm up, the testosterone started slangin', the pace picked up and it was on! The group kept getting smaller, with me in it thankfully, with very few let ups. I was able to ride smart and position myself in the right places in order to keep up. Ended up just over 56 miles in about 2.5 hrs. What's better is that I felt great all day. Hope it's a sign of things to come.

I'm a little more focused now.......a little more.

Our recent cool mornings have inspired me to get out on the road bike, yes, that dreaded skinny tire contraption I pedal around quite a bit. I picked up a good tip from Steve the other day that has helped my achy knees with the cooler temps........cover those bony things up! It's amazing how the soreness stays away when joints stay warm.
Still no news on a mt. bike yet. After next weekend up at the Mellow Johnny classic hopefully I'll have more of an idea. I'll get to talk with a lot of people up there and maybe come up with something.
And for all of you that want to see what torture on a mtb is, check out these videos about this years La Ruta going on as we speak........insane!

The best(and worst) of both worlds

Day 1 of bike weekend was a work day for me. Met at the shop at 6am to load up bikes, tents, and parts to set up at the cancer awareness road ride/race. There was a good turnout, which I expected, and also some people interested in the quiver of 2010 bikes we had on display. Successful on all fronts.
Day 2, however, was a polar opposite. Brownsville got a good downpour Sat. evening, that turned the xc mtb course into a peanut buttery gooey mess. Too bad, Unlimited Sports Adventures always puts on a good event, but when mother nature flips the bird on the South Texas trails there's just not an easy way to navigate them. So it turned out to be a 1 lap hike/bike with an extra 10+ pounds of mud on every one's ride instead of a fast flowing race. I would say half of the riders dnf'd. It was a good day to be spectator(me) and not a racer.

Bike event wknd

No riding, but I plan on hitting two different bike events this weekend.
The first is for the shop. There is a breast cancer awareness ride Sat. morning in McAllen, the road variety. I'll be manning the Bicycle World booth, have some bikes on hand to drool over, some literature to peruse, and maybe even some supplements for those who come un-prepared.
The second is race #1 of the local xc mtb series put on by the folks @ Unlimited Sports Adventures down in Brownsville. Hopefully the weather cooperates and the event will go on as scheduled. No racing or working for me, just some good ol' fashioned spectating. Maybe I can find a cowbell and make things a little lively for the racers, put on some music, and overall just be a freak. You in Ed?

NEAR perfect mornings

I'm out every morning before sunrise, the eyes of my lab and chihuahua like daggers in my back, until I grab their leashes and head out the door. What usually greets me is warmth, even at that time in the morning. Lately, however, we've been greeted by cool temps. The kind of cool you can just see your breath in, turns your fingers a slight reddish and make your nose run.......I love it. I only wear my usual summer garb on purpose, to fully take in the Fall temps. that have laid down their crispy coolness. Keep it coming Mother Nature!

Simplicity

Throw on a pair of shorts, Defeet socks and good pair of shoes. Most days I like to wear a hat or visor.....and that's it. The purest form of travel, running. It's my second time in the last week, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure it's just 3-3.5 mile runs, but done at a 7:20 pace, it'll get your HR up for sure. Short one's for now, too much more and the soreness and likely hood of injury increase significantly.
Now that my mtb is gone, it seems likely that I'll be doing more of it in the future. I really despise the road bike, at least in this setting. I might even go back to my roots(pre-mtb that is). I've done my share of 30k and marathons, both organized and some just to get out and explore. Running the same routes that I have ridden take on a whole new look, you notice things more.
Besides, there are challenges on two feet that really intrigue me.....like this:http://www.ws100.com/
Check out the intro. This is also a lot of the same trail that the Tahoe-Sierra 100 mtb race was on. How cool would that be. Do it on both a mtb and on foot......maybe the first to do it, who knows.