Another great write-up from the Velocross race, from the awesome gang at MountainFlyer.
Saturday I didn't race, and Jessica and I took advantage of the still-nice weather to get out on the moto. We met up with Craig and Bonnie in Golden at Grappa Bistro in Golden. It was very "meh". But it was a relatively nice day to be out on the patio eating. And Jessica and I took the extra long ride home, heading up through Ward and then along Peak-to-Peak. The weather tried to get us, but mostly held off. We did happen along a full-on traffic jam on Peak-to-Peak though, with "leaf-gawkers" pulled over to take pictures of the aspens. Ugh... it seems way too early for this nonsense.
Sunday Jessica and I were off to Brecktobercross to do some racing, and we took Jesse and Brittainy along with us, so we could all hit up Brecktoberfest after the racing. I really wanted to do the Singlespeed race, but it was at the end of the day, and Brecktoberfest would have been shutting down by the time we got there. As we headed out of Ned, the skies were looking menacing;
Going past the turn-off for WinterPark, the clouds looked way worse! And there was a steady, cold rain falling on far side of the tunnel. Luckily it was dry in Breck, but not for long.
My timing was a bit off, so I was admittedly rushed before the race, but I really didn't feel great during warm up. My stomach was unsettled, and the legs were lacking power. Unfortunatley, that carried over straight into the race. I could make efforts, but nothing had that good feeling, and I really started peetering out at the top-end. Too make things worse, it was a really tough course to pass on, so there were a few times I'd move up, but then slow as I got to traffic, or would catch guys going the other way. I tried to remind myself that the altitude and colder weather was going to make things tougher. But no way around it, I felt slow, and it was a constant struggle to keep the mind focused on the job at hand. Even more so as it started to rain off and on throughout the race, before finally starting to pour in the final two laps. Another solid reminder that racing 3 times in one weekend, usually means I will be crap the following weekend.
I usually dig the Breck course, and this year they promised to change it up a bit. But I think this was my least favorite incarnation of the course. It just didn't seem to flow all that well, and again, it was tough to really find a line where you could pass. Of course, much of the "flow" problem could have just been me riding under 140bpm the entire race. I managed to hold on for 17th though, which isn't horrendous considering how I feel, so now I just need to finish resting and get back on top of that gear.
Obviously, the pouring rain did not help out Brecktoberfest though. It was definitely cold, and still raining off and on (mostly "on"!). Sweet though, on the way to the festival a passerby that was bailing passed along 5 beer tickets they had purchased, free of charge! Thanks unknown dude! And plus, the rain meant that we didn't have to stand in a single line all day!
Between us we had plenty of delicious Paulaner beer, some brauts, home made pierogis (my fave!), schnitzel, giant pretzels, strudels and some other stuff. Even standing in the planter of some storefront under their roof, it was all still delicious!
Once we ate our food though, and we were all soaked through and frozen, we decided to call it a day and head home. Not surprisingly, it was already snowing (first official siting this year) on the way back up to the tunnel.
Overall, a pretty good, but terribly short weekend. Tomorrow night I am off to Vegas for Interbike! I'm looking forward to asking cynical questions to brand managers about their questionable and often ludicrious marketing claims. And of course to soak in the Vegas atmosphere.
Two weeks ago we went to the Kooza Cirque de Soleil where Jessica got a new mask. It was a cute little small one... and it was only a matter of time before I realized that it was perfectly sized for Clarence...
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