Catching up...

Sorry these are so late in coming...

Rode the Cool 24 course last night (Monday) and I like it. The changes are nice. The first added single track is a bit flat for my liking being on a SS, but the second bit is a fun downhill. The last addition changes the climb out of Salt Creek. Just when you hit the rocky steep double track you head off on single track. The climb itself I think is steeper, but you ride out to a lake on single track before joining back up with the top part of the old double track climb... Nice changes Jim!

Now all of the new trail junctions do not flow at all, but after 6 hrs or so nothing is flowing anyway!

Rode Auburn last Wednesday, Marja and I had a fast ride on the usual loop up Clementine to the connector, to the Foressthill Divide loop, a little visit with Ruck-a-Chucky and on back. Marja had to head down to school so I rode up Stage Coach, came down Manzanita, up to Upper Stagecoach and down and did it all over again... A good 6 hours I needed in the saddle. We did have an exciting medical emergency issue, but that a later blog...Not us...

A few days later we rode out to Granite Bay to meet up with Jenni and Joel. We did a lap with them (Sabastian too of course) and then started back toward Hazel where we started out day. Somewhere between GB and Beale's Point my rear tire explodes. I look down between my legs and really can't figure out what I see... My rim had separated for about six inches along the arc.
April 20, 2009

Life has been nutty lately, probably my own fault considering how much the kids have going on then add what I am trying to do on the bike...well its almost time to breath for a week or two, after May 2-3 of course.

The past few weeks have been fun. Lots of riding, racing, bonking and just plain good-old suffering in the saddle. Last weeks race out at Prairie City on Wednesday was fast, very fast and my 34x16 was a bit small for the course. As we came through to start our second lap they had just finished starting the sport classes and still had the beginner classes to go through...

The funniest thing happened starting that second lap (well its funny now), there was a short but steep climb, geared rider went down in front of me, I steered left of him and gave a burst of power to pop over the top of the climb and next thing I know my knee is practically smacking me in the chin. I hit the deck, pick the bike up (as 4 or 5 single speeders fly by me), and as I leap to mount my bike CX style, I notice my foot feels nice and airy... I had actually come out of my left shoe, it was spinning around still clipped into my pedal. HMMMM......lucky for me as I put my left foot on the pedal my foot slipped right in. The only problem was I couldn't spin circles in order to keep my cadence up, I could only mash down on the pedals....

I attempted to buckle my shoe several times, but PC is rocky to say the least.... Finally we got to a flatter road crossing and I had to slow and buckle my shoe....3 more SSs fly by....good news is, I felt good so I didn't panic, I caught up to the three pretty quickly and at the bottom of the climb I left them. Topped out and kept spinning my brains out to catch the 4 that passed earlier on my fall.

A few "iffy" choices on the decent later and I was on their wheels, through the parking lot and out on lap 3....passed two, sat on the Victory Velo's wheel out to the flatter part of the course where said SSers I just passed, pass us but off course. They cut the corner, a big sweeping corner we rode, they cut it and ended up in front.... I know its only PC, but I was pissed. Again, bottom of the climb, I took off and topped out in front again, through the parking lot with Victory Velo on my wheel, then he came over and the two of us made our way into a traffic jam that allowed the earlier said SSers to catch back up.... Flat part of the course on lap 4, guess who is off to our right cutting the course again....bummer.

No panic, I get close to them as we near the climb and hit the climb hard, maybe a little too hard as I let my emotions push me past the redline just a wee bit too far. No worries I know I can recover and push hard to the finish.

As we approach the parking lot I take a softer line and the three (victory velo and the other two SSers) take the better line and they sneak in under me...I blew that one, oh well.

As the Victory Velo and the others battle past the line into the chute, Victory Velo starts barking at one of them....I roll by and congratulate Victory Velo and tell him not to sweat it, that the other two cut the course lap 3 and 4. The other 2 got extremely defensive, I just told them "no worries next time just ride the course like everyone else...." The three of them kept arguing. I cruised over to Pete's tent, proceeded to eat my almond butter and jelly sandwich and get ready to ride back to Scott's house from PC. Dave and I rode a lap around the park then I headed out for the ride home. Beautiful night too! Great day of miles on the SS with a 12.5 sprint in the middle of it, total 52 miles.

Rode again on Thursday with Marja on the bike trail, just spun on the road bike for an hour and a half trying to be rested for Sea Otter.

Then comes Sea Otter. I met Scott and Marja at Laguna Seca on Saturday after Cameron's baseball game. I picked up my number and timing chip and we headed back to the hotel to go eat and relax. Great pizza at Gianni's, then just settled in at the hotel. 5:30 came, Scott made some waffles in his waffle maker! Now these were sweet, but I fear this may have been my first mistake of the day (foreshadowing, notice the word FIRST in front of the word MISTAKE). I always eat oatmeal and blueberries and/or yogurt every morning, especially race morning. I am no nutritionist, I am guessing here.

Flash forward to our arrival at Laguna Seca, 48 degrees in Monterey at 7a.m., 64 degrees at Laguna Seca already. I strip off my knee warmers, arm warmers and vest, get a good luck from Scott and Marja, then I head out to warm up. Feel like I usually do before this race, a little anxious, but relaxed wishing I could warm up more though. We stage.

Pro/Cat 1 SS are off at 8a.m. Strong field as expected at Sea Otter, and the usual fast start. Now this start on the track at Laguna Seca cracks me up on SSs....its something you have to see and listen to in order to understand....all heads bobbing up and down in sync as we spin out, then no bobbing and the sound of knobbies...then heads bobbing, and so on...again, words can't describe it...its funny. I stayed with the front group all the way around the track and on to the dirt. Ouch!

The first climb was no biggy and the crazy roller coaster section afterwards was a blast. Then the single track section that can be mayhem was fast and relatively smooth this year...the first switchback climb. Legs felt a bit heavy as expected but kept plugging away, at the top however I felt lethargic, everywhere.....no worries, just kept cranking knowing I had the "sandpit of joy" to descend with the first relentless climb just afterward....I was very upbeat looking to slap the climb around. Made my way passed two SSers in the decent through the sand (my fat 2.2 Exiwolf was heaven...they had what looked like 1.9s on the front...not good for sand) and hit the bottom of the next climb.

This climb is relentless, it keeps kicking up, false flat, kick and when you think its topped out it starts kicking again.... I went passed Zol (local racer), he didn't look too happy pushing on the lower section, I rounded the next corner, got caught in traffic and had to dismount and jogged the bike for a bit to where you can see the end of the climb up about 50 meters. Topped out and felt absolutely toasted....legs felt okay but my whole body just felt tired...

No worries, kept cranking. The rest of the lap went like this, I jogged the steep little climb near the end of the lap and was okay with it due to all the traffic on it. The long climb in was tough but I was upbeat as I always feel better the longer I race.

Saw Marja and the pooches, she handed me bottles and I could barely get the words "thank you" out of my mouth. Saw a lot of people I knew on that climb in so it lifted me a bit and I dropped into Laguna Seca to do a lap on the track and then head out on Lap #2.

Now when I dropped my bottles, they were both half full....no big deal if it was 60, big deal as it was already approaching 90 degrees.

Ate a fig newton package, took a rolaid and an S cap and felt pretty good. felt good and fast until the relentless climb....topped out and my body felt totally lethargic. Here's the funny part...I went to rest my elbows on my bars and I fell over. I jumped back up, got on and sucked down two GUs and kept pedaling, how fast, I am not really sure....I felt horrible.

As I made my way up the last climb I again saw Adam, Alex and a few others I recognized from Sac when Alex yelled, "You are looking strong Brad!"....I retorted, "You are so full of s&^%!" with a big smile on my face....

My biggest issue was at the bottom of that last climb I was freezing cold with goosebumps....I thought to myself, "uh oh..." You are taught that if its hot, really hot and you get cold, "stop what you are doing" but I realized my best bet was to finish the race. Firstly it will get me whatever it is I need and secondly, I will not get a DNF.

So my streak of mediocre races at Sea Otter continues. That's racing I guess. Looking back I think MAYBE it had something to do with what I ate, MAYBE I should have let the lead pack go at the start and ramped up from there. Then again MAYBE I should have drank more fluids... The sick thing is, I still had fun in the end, and I did not throw in the towel. You need those character building rides from time to time.

Fluid count for the ride home: 24oz water bottle, 20 oz lemonade, 24 oz Cliff recovery, 2 diet cokes, 30+oz powerade, another 20 oz diet coke on the drive to my parents...2.5 hrs later I finally had to pee. Hydration?

Quick cruise up I-5...

Just back from Ashland, Oregon, where Marja and I sat down with Mike DeSalvo to discuss Marja's CX build. Really cool to see what Mike can do with the bikes geometry, etc. in order to address the fact that we could not find a bike with a short enough top tube for her. Seems no one builds a women's specific CX frame yet, so most women who race cross end up "reaching" for the bars... The 4+ hour drive up and then down was well worth it!!
It a true test of will power NOT to get fitted for a CX build for me. Yes I had my CX bike on the truck and vowed NOT to pull it off the roof and bring it in. Then Mike wanted to measure it for comparison to some of the dimensions for Marja's bike.....UH OH!! Alas, I made it out w/o getting fitted, however, we will be driving through again at the end of May on our way to Spokane for Chris' race and I may not be so strong....

Here's an update for Chris as to where he stands, didn't know you were getting a SS Chris? We did get a chance to see his bike though....

Unfortunately, seems that Linda's bike was posing a bit of a challenge to Mike, so he may be building a whole new frame for her. Originally her 29er was built up for what tires were available at the time, which were SKINNY, so Mike was putting a new rear triangle on it for better tire clearance. Seems it was turning out to be a serious issue so he might have to build another altogether.

While up in Ashland we got to see the results from Prairie City, and I surprised myself by pulling out a 2nd. I felt good last Wednesday night, but to be honest I had absolutely no clue where I was. For me the short races are all about trying to stay with the lead group on the first lap and then just holding on for dear life with the throttle wide open. I started with a 34x16 which I feared would be too small, but with the winds we had it ended up just right. I also rode out to the race from Scott's house, so I got to warm up for about an hour on the way out there.

Sunday Marja and I headed up to Auburn to ride with Scott, and of course the one time he is dressed and ready to roll at our agreed time Marja and I were late, by 15 minutes, at least! I was too comfortable drinking coffee instead of loading the prius...ooops!

Nice ride, beautiful day. The bottom of Ruck-a-Chucky was gorgeous down on the middle fork of the American. Here's the goofy POSE shot for champion Systems and GU sports:

After taking some pics with the new team kits and started back to the bottom of the climb, seems the equestrian people want to try and tell us to stay off of the access roads now too. The Western States Trail is off limits to bikes, and Ruck-a-Chucky is where it crosses the middle fork, however the access roads down in the canyon as well as McKeon-Ponderosa (access fire road up to Foressthill) are open to bikes. Keep in mind the three of us probably make up half of all the cyclists who routinely ride down there anyway as the climb out Mckeon or up Ruck-a-Chucky to Driver's Flat are not fun...not your typical "lets go have fun on our MTBs ride" We soon forgot about them.

The rest of the ride was great. Now Chucky hurt me more than it has in a while, but I can accept that. He has to let you know who's boss every once in a while. Its a little more chewed up with the nicer weather means more vehicles head down to the river there. A lot of Western States Training runs start there, so some drive down to it from Driver's Flat.

What a day. Marja was lucky enough to see some sweet downhill guys on the confluence trail clear all the gaps on it. Jealous. I have only once seen the aftermath of someone trying the largest gap, he didn't make it. He didn't look so good, now his friends were rather enjoying it though.

We finished the climb back up Stagecoach to the car and headed down the hill. We met Jenni and Joel for dinner at Chevy's on the River...Wow, a whole other blog, what a trip on Sunday night.....Marja and I are trying to convince Joel to race Wednesday at Prairie City....hopefully we can pull it off. I have a feeling even with his downhill bike he will finish well.

Boggs IV weekend...

I was waiting for some pics, but I will go ahead and post w/o them, look back for pics soon!

Boggs IV 8hr MTB Race is put on by Carlos with Bikemonkey, and what a great experience it was. Hats off to Carlos and the Bikemonkey folks who put it on!! One cool tidbit, they ran all power needed for the race on solar power and never once had to start up a gas/diesel powered generator, that's sweet!

We arrived at the Boggs Demonstration forest near the city of Cobb around 4pm on Friday, picked a camping site away from the crowd already gathered in order to get a better night sleep. There was a lone Taco parked in our general area. Maybe 10 minutes later, after we unpacked the truck and were starting to set up the camp site, someone climbs out of the Taco. Keep in mind we are in Lake County, I will leave it at that.

Guy: "I left to get groceries and came back (pointing to where dozens of racers were already camped) and your people were there. So I came up here to get away from your people."

Marja was a bit worried, but chimed in "Oh, for the bike race this weekend?"

Guy: "Yes, your people are down there. I didn't know you'd be here."

Me: "There is going to be a lot more people before the night ends, there is a big race here tomorrow and it fills up in here. But we and the people we are camping with will be quiet."

Guy: "Oh, okay. I have some garbage buried in the fire pit over there (well away from where we were setting) DON'T TOUCH IT...its gross!"

Me: "Sure, you got it."

He went back into his Taco to go back to sleep. Now, a stream of vehicles was coming into the camp area as we were talking and it just kept filling up. A few more folks pulled in near us among them was Lou and Linda who pulled in between my Taco and the disgruntled camper who wasn't part of our "people."

He got out of his truck and confronted the people above his camp site who had kids, apparently rambling on about "kids and dogs, this just won't work!!!" He came to us again and confronted Lou. Lou assured him that if we moved, someone else would surely pull in, probably louder than us.

Guy: "I don't care if you are loud, I just have to sleep 8 hrs or else!"

Lou: "Or else what?"

Guy: "I don't know, I just need 8 hrs so we will be okay! This thing I have, I need your help so nothing happens!"

Okay, by this point I am certain this guy is off his rocker and Marja is really freaked out!

Guy: "As long as your dogs and those kids don't touch me, you'll be okay! DON'T touch any plastic I have touched, and stay away from my trash!!"

WHOA!!

A few minutes later the CDF folks role in and graciously "moved him" to another camp ground on the other side of Boggs.

After hanging out and enjoying the night with Lou, Linda, Dawn, Mike and of course Phil and Maddie with Ginger and Roxy! We turned in for a "good" night sleep. Well, I slept okay, Marja on the other had was up until about 1am listening to some campers drinking beer.

Staging for the start I noticed a lot of heavy hitters on single speeds - Yuri, Cameron, Schultze....the list went on. Race started on time, that was weird. All the Pros and the SS started together. I settled in with Roger on the first lap. We chatted for most of the first climbing sections, but I was having issues. My legs felt great, but as I looked down at my Garmin, it read 188 heart rate. Hmmmm. The majority of that first lap my heart rate was in the 180s.

Rolled through the first lap and back out with Roger. Still a good pace, but breathing hard with a seriously ridiculous heart rate. I kept my cool and backed of just a little on one of two climbs, not stressing out at all. Roger took off and caught the two in front out in front of us. I just stuck to my own race.

Start of lap 3, after I grabbed another bottle from Marja, I passed Roger at his pit and headed out on the course. I never saw Roger again...I started to settle in and just kept pushing. Marja and Mike kept me going with support from Lou drinking beer in his lounge chair on the other side of the trail! Hilarious! Thanks guys!

Lap 4, 5,6,7 were more of the same. Pushed hard over the bigger climbs and just kept pushing once over the top, trying to ride consistent laps. Going into 8 I realized I had 2hrs to complete 8 and 9 in order to be able to go out for 10 (averaging 52). Lap 7 was a bit slow at 56 (with pit) but if I held that pace, no worries. Lap 8 was 52, lap 9 about he same despite a lot of traffic on the single track with people who didn't want to go out on another (having to start your last lap by 4:30, finish by 5:30) just cruising.

I hit up Marja for some more GU2O and PB&J and headed right out on 10. Now I'd be fibbing if I said it felt great. The steeper of the climbs hurt, badly, but once over the steeper pitches I was still sitting in and cranking away...I wanted my last lap to be one of my faster laps.

The final climb was a tough one on the SS, steep single track climb with a thick layer of slippery pine needles a few inches thick...ouch! But the top never felt so sweet as I flew down the decent toward the finish.

Lap 10 was 53, kept my laps very consistent for the 8hrs and 50 minutes I was racing. The 10 laps would have won the expert class last year, this year it landed me 6th behind a strong field of pros and other strong riders on a SS. Using it as an indicator of my fitness, I am very confident!

The day found me battling my triceps and lats cramping every climb after lap 4, sort of figured that would happen as I have been riding my cx bike a lot and haven't spent enough hrs riding the DeSalvo in Auburn...legs had hints of cramps here and there too but nothing I couldn't keep cranking through - it was my first hard effort of the season. Scott's recommendation of a Gu and diet coke may have actually worked too!

Final tally from my Garmin:

-86.25 miles in 8:50:18

-12,113 feet of climbing

-11,697 calories

The Gu count will come later, they are all stuck together still!! Figure every 23 minutes the alarm went off and I was eating, usually a gu.

-

...what to do, what to do....

Its been a weird day for me. My buddy Chris who helps Marja crew for my 24hr races told me a few days ago that he might not be able to make 24hrs of Cool.... at first I thought,

"no biggee...it'll work out"

This morning I spoke with him and it really sounded like there was a good chance that he would be partying it up in Mexico at his friends wedding and not in Cool. Okay so its not that simple, and I do in fact know he would rather be crewing for me in Cool (as crazy as it may sound).... I hung up the phone and thought,

"hmmmmm."

About 3 minutes later the stress started to pile up in my gut. Marja is racing the first 8 hrs in her own solo race, and to ask her to be on top of crewing solo for the rest of my race is just not fair top her,

"hmmmmmmmm."

I see some panic sneaking in now! Its March 25 and the race is not until May 2. Normally plenty of time, but considering whats involved, there really was no other option.

I have known Chris for years, and between he and Marja, they understand my mindset in these races and the universe of food/drink/etc I like. They also know how to motivate me and keep me going. They have crewed for all of my 24hr endeavors, Chris has even raced one. Other than these two people I trust no one with my race (Scott is racing, so he is out too). In fact, to a huge extent, it is all in their hands.

I simply ride.

They feed me, clothe me, motivate me, etc....they never tell me where I am in the field, but they tell me how hard I need to ride, etc.

Lucky for me there was one hope. Pete. For those of you who know him, you are a better person for it. He has the heart of a lion and a passion for crewing for these things that no one can rival. For the last couple of years he has been crewing for Dez "The Manchild" Wilder. This year he happens to NOT be committed to Dez so I asked Marja if I should call him, and before she could really answer me I called him from work. Between races I have done with Dez, Pete crewing, and the relationship I have built with him, he's the man in Chris' absence, I just never considered it because he has always been crewing for Dez.

To my relief, Pete agreed excitedly. I have to say I am honored too! Not only will that take the pressure off Marja, but I will feel "safe" in Chris' absence. Pete's setup is so dialed in it is ridiculous. Marja may actually get to enjoy one of these (well enjoy it as much as one can staying up all night catering to a stinky blubbering idiot riding his bike all day and night...). I mean Chris and Marja have come up with an amazing "equipment list" covering everything you can imagine, but Pete has done the same and has been executing it for years. Its who we have tried to learn from in these things.

So a day that started out a little rough ended on a sweet note. My hope, Chris will be able to make it so we as a team can refine the whole process and with 3 people they can enjoy it more. The more we learn the better Marja and I can do for Chris in Spokane at the end of May.

So with that behind me, I need to focus on the race in three days, Boggs 8hr. Definitely easier than a 24hr race to pack/plan for, but no joke either. Marja and I are camping at the race site with Dawn and Mike and Linda and Lou too. Then Saturday at 8:30 its time to play for 8 hrs.... Last year was fun, good course, and a lot of pine needles which suck on a SS, but oh well... See if I cannot pull out 10 laps this year! Whats interesting is the weather...last year was arm warmers and leg warmers all day, this year its supposed to hit 80 degrees..once again,

hmmmmmmmm

ps...sorry Chris, the jet stream is traveling straight through downtown Seattle for the next month!

Whats up people?

Well, here I was ready to rail on some runners I came across yesterday while riding my CX bike home. It was along Lake Natoma...but alas, what good would it do? It would only piss off the Folsom Fire Department because I would have pointed out they were fire fighters, at least wearing matching Folsom Fire Tshirts, it would only raise my blood pressure, and frankly I would be a whiny negative person, the exact "person" I am having issues with in the first place.

So I won't get into it...

Yesterday was a windy, cool day, but beautiful! Headed out from work on the CX bike and cruised the trails on up to Lake Natoma, around the lake to Rainbow/Folsom Rodeo Grounds, rode the one extended portion of pavement up to Dyke 8 where I hopped back onto the dirt, cruised over to the Brown's Ravine trail and tried to avoid the P-oak!! WOW the poison oak was insane, the warm , then wet, now warm weather again has that stuff blooming in all its shiny/oily-rash inducing glory!! You have to see it.

The other sight you have to see is Lake Folsom....from Dyke 8 it was a 1 mile walk to the water just a little while ago. The lowest I have ever seen Lake Folsom. Yesterday, it was 30-40 feet from capacity, close to the fullest I have ever seen the lake. Amazing the water could come up so fast, but whats even more amazing is that the Fed or state gov't folks managing the releases from Folsom were smart enough to hold back water. Impressive for the government (I am allowed to say it, I am one of those gov't types).

Once I made it to the marina, I popped out on Green Valley to climb up to Francisco where again I can hop on a trail to New York Creek (across El Dorado Hills blvd, EDH for the snobs out there...yes thats you Dave :)

Now back when I lived in El Dorado Hills, no Dave thats before Serano so it wasn't EDH yet, New York creek had a trail along it that absolutely no one used. I never saw a soul on it. Yesterday as I ripped through some twisting single track I came across a relatively new sign that read "Nature Area"

I could have "interpreted" the sign in a few ways that would have benefited my riding, but I could not rationalize it. So I hopped out into the neighborhood then dropped back on the trail after it opened up into multi-use. Still got weird looks from the local trophy-wives walking in their matching pilates-outfits with their CC glasses on, but I smiled and said hello just the same. A few even smirked back.

I did discover some more dirt to ride between Serano Parkway and the 50 under crossing on Silva Valley....even found two pieces of scrap 2x6 to lay across the creek (they are doing substantial work up on 50, so a lot of scrap is piled in the trees next to the under crossing....sure hope Cal Trans or El Dorado DOT pick that up!

So from there I spin at as high rpm I can (warming up for the Sea Otter start) all the way to the EDH park-n-ride.

Its a fun little ride, 0f the 42 I pulled off 34.5 on dirt this time. It actually has 2100' of climbing too, somewhere?? Better than nada!! Today I have the road bike to ride it EZ. Boggs 8 hour is Saturday so I do not need to kill myself!

Just got off the phone with Linda "can you fix my bike please" Eckart, she is going to make a showing at Boggs and hope someone doesn't show up so she can race! I hope she gets in, she's a machine! Dawn and Mike will be down later Friday as well, should be a good day Saturday, race start should be somewhere around 40 with the high later around 74...yikes, thats hot!! Lots of fluids and S-caps!!

Its an 8hr race, a good training ride for Cool come May 2-3. We'll see how I fair this year, pulled off second last year so hopefully I am as strong if not stronger than last year! The mind is ready to go for it, seeing I missed the Cool XC race, my legs have yet to be tested this season but considering how cross season ended and the rides I have had the past month....I am confident!

8 hrs is a tough race, it certainly isn't 24 hrs and it isn't a XC race. Its a lot like the 800m in track....400 you just sprint and hang on to the finish....the 800, its a little too long for a sprint, but if you hold back you are toast....Last year I was consistent, not too fast, but very consistent until the last lap. I want to repeat that, with a little more speed and a lot more consistency to the final gun...I am going to try to have my last lap time very close to my second lap time (first doesn't count, with the mass start, testosterone, etc. the first lap is always fast). Wishful thinking, maybe!

Foreshadowing??

I was talking with my buddy Chris up in Seattle the other day...the usual, bike related I am certain. He was looking for something when he came across a light, "this is the light I lent to you back when you did your first 24hr race at Northstar..." I think it was in 2000.

Suddenly I vividly remember a conversation I had with a solo rider somewhere around 3a.m. as I had just finished talking to the black bear running next to me up the powdery single track climb (if you rode the old course you know what I am talking about...oh I was hallucinating by the way, and I was on a 4 person TEAM)...anyway, he was taller than I, had a beard and mustache, sort of straggley...as I passed him on the climb up to the "hike-a-bike" pitch, I asked him how he does it? I don't remember exactly what he said, but he spoke clear and coherently, not what I expected for having been racing for 15 hours on a tough course.

What I said next set in while retelling it to Chris..."Man I gotta give it to you, you are freaking nuts! I could never pull this off!"

Hmmmmmmm.....

That is 100% fact. Funny what sticks in your mind, and this episode popped up a few times a year thinking back to the 24hr races I have done in the past. Kind of funny looking at it now as I prepare for Boggs 8hr in 2 weeks, and 24hrs of Cool in May - solo. Who knew!?

Saturday was my little floor-monkey's meet at Sac State! So cool to watch Annika compete, she loves it. She is amazing too! The parents got to see her too which made it even more special!

She had way too much fun. She was wiped out at the end of the day when we finally got to go eat with Grandma and Pop-Pop. She was asleep before we hit the freeway to drive up the hill!
Its nice to see her have "her own thing" as she has spent her life traveling around watching Cameron do his thing...Of course it helps that Daddy lives across the street from her gymnastics gym...

Right now its baseball 2x per week for Cam, Gymnastics 2x a week for Annika and a few more indoor soccer games in the season on Sundays...I guess the best way to keep them out of trouble is to keep them busy!

Cam is excited for the Prairie City races that start for the kids in June on Wednesday nights....Annika rides 2x as much as Cam, but I think because Cam does it she "hasn't decided yet..." She is Amazing on two wheels too, a SS just like Dad! They absolutely loves riding with me while I run the hills in Cameron Park, both are now flying up the hills w/o help from me. Most of the time I can barely keep up going uphill!

Well, back to the grind!

Thanks to Pop Pop for the pics!

WARNING...explicit pictures below

Here's my contribution to Marja's CX bike being made by Mike DeSalvo... We are putting black Ceramic Mavic Open Pro hoops with DT Comp black butted spokes..... She will be running a pink King headset too! 42 tooth up front with 9 gears in the rear. I got her to get rid of one derailleur at least!

And on my DeSalvo, thanks to Chris for my birthday:

...spins a lot better than my XT BB did thats for sure!