Healing...

Well after my spill at the Spring Cup about 9 days ago my left thumb is still not feeling that great. I've been wrapping it and training soley on the road bike to keep my thumb away from the shifter and thats been feeling ok. I did not see a doctor but I feel like it is just spraine dreally bad. The discoloration is going away - still hurts under certain pressures though - but not as much. I did get some good longer road riding in last weekend though. I skipped the Buck Hill race last week because of my thumb and to get in another good day of consistent training and some testing. I'm most likely going to give it a go at Buck this Thursday to test it a little bit before MNSCS #2 at Afton this weekend.

In other big news...through an opportunity that the company has offered its employees, I'm going to Colorado for a month! Leaving June 18th and coming back after the USAC Nationals at Sol Vista in July! No work...just going to ride and train and do cool stuff in the mountains while I'm there to help prepare me for it. I can't wait! That means my racing schedule has some adjustments being made to it. After the Duluth race on the 13th, I will be racing in Crested Butte, CO on Saturday June 19th. I remember racing that course in 2006. Looking forward to going back. Hoping to keep heading west afterwards and own towards Telluride, Durango, or maybe into Utah or Arizona...we'll see what the funding is like for that. Should be awesome though.

MNSCS #1 - Eriks Spring Cup

Yesterday was the first MNSCS race of the year…Erik’s Spring Cup at Salem Hills park. This race has never been my best because it is flat and non technical. But, it was fun to be racing again! There was a HUGE turnout and all the organizers and volunteers did a tremendous job at this event. I love having the concessions, and suppliers tents set up. It really makes it feel like an event rather than just something going on that day to racers, spectators and people wandering or driving by.

This is the first year I’ve raced this in Comp, and they ran the course backward from previous years which made it better for me as it leveled out the field a bit. I had a somewhat problematic mechanical that I discovered just after registering – no middle ring. It wouldn’t hold the chain - just kept skipping on the cogs. I guess from two seasons worth of training/racing and this springs singelspeed/1x9 combinations it finally decided to give up the ghost…on opening race day…very nice.So I’m stuck with the big ring only and a road cassette gearing 11-26. The race was four laps long. The first two reminded me in every way that I had not done much over the winter – I managed to stay about mid pack or so trying to find a sustainable, but fast, rhythm. Lap 3 – water bottle hand off went perfect, I slam a GU and very slowly leading into the first singletrack sections of the lap I get passed by Bruce Klehr. I remember how smooth he was last year so decided to latch on to his rear wheel and try to keep up as best I could. This strategy worked perfect. We held a really good pace passing riders that were blowing up their legs or riding like I was the first two laps. I was feeling great going into lap 4 – still on his wheel.

Half a lap before the end he started to fall off the pace a bit and a group behind us had managed to pull within 100 yards of us. He told me to let him know when I wanted to pass and a few turns up heading into a sweeping right hand turn I yell "on your right" - he went slightly left to let me by and I tried to make it real clean by heading into the grass on the right, since I was the passing rider, except there were lots of loose rocks and a cupped inside corner. I should have waited for the straightway after the turn, but I was overzealous, and crashed…hard. I don’t know…must have been about 11 or 12 guys that passed me before I got going with my rhythm again. The chain had fallen off and gotten tangled the shifter and brake lever were pushed up and the handlebars twisted around. My right shin and forearm was bleeding, I still can’t move my left thumb today real well and I’ve got a raspberry the size of a grapefruit on my right thigh. Oh well. First big wreck of the year - racing or not, it had to happen sometime…and nothing is "broken". So smooth is fast…and patience is fast, well can be fast. That move was neither.

All in all though the day was really great! Its an awesome feeling to be racing again. One kind of cool thing...the Cannondale hauler was purchased from Transwest GMC in Commerce City Colorado...my Dad's dealership! Ha! He sent me pics of that rig just after they bought it - a few months back I believe.

Afton in two weeks and week 2 and 3 of the Buck Hill series the next two Thursdays.

Gears

I need'em. Singlespeed is really fun, but, my legs are just really NOT interested at this point though. Maybe later in the season I'll tackle the SS beast again but for now, especially with some mountain races in the making for my schedule, I'm gonna stick with 27 gears.

Rode a couple laps at Lebanon Hills tonight with Ben from the Freewheel team. They've added some sweet rocky stuff that I hadn't seen before. Pretty fun stuff! The semi-slick "Crow's" from Stan's No Tubes actually worked pretty well through that stuff. My technical skills are good...still feel like I'm waking up the legs though.

There's a local non-sanctioned race on Saturday morning at Hillside Park in Elk River - 10 bucks? I'm in! Thats a fun course and this is the first year that course will also be on the MNSCS schedule so that should be fun. Should have at least the 1x9 on my bike for that so I'll feel better about things.

Its been a very hectic week so this ride felt really awesome! I need to get out on the road and just ride. I do feel better than last year at this time - much better. I'm sooo psyched for this season!

Whats coming up...

Well here are some pictures of the nearly finished weapon for the 2009 season. I wasn't sure when I ordered them but I really like the white wheels on this bike...the colors all over the bike go good together...and they match my team kit!

Training is much more consistent since I got the official email from USA Cycling that I qualified to compete at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships a few weeks ago. Yep. I just got in touch with TJ again. I'm so pumped for this season now. Lots in order and less stress. Time to get out and log some miles! I've got the Orbea set up as a singlespeed and on certain courses (ahem...Hillside) is proving to me that maybe I need some extra workouts before I can be "fast" like that. Probably going to be racing as a 1x9 for the MNSCS season opener at Salem Hills. Two weeks!

Pre-season race at Hillside on Saturday and the Thursday night Buck Hill series starts on the 14th. The season is literally around the corner...race schedule updates now on the right margin.

\Oh...and I bought a little 1976 MG Midget to enjoy the summer...since neither of my hot rod projects will be done.