Xterra Lake Del Val

The day started clear and cool with the sun coming up over the hills. The lake water while warmer then the bay was still comfortable with a wet suit. At the start of the bike the sun was up and it got warm Fast. The course rimmed the lake on a single track trail that was fast and loose. the 20 mile ride end with a huge up hill grind then steep drop into the transition. The 10 k run started smooth but then transitioned to running down the middle of a creek bed on the way to a 2 mile single track climb with an equal amount of descent. There was then a final climb to the finish. 1 AG 25 OA/200 It was a good day.

Vegas Baby
The Xterra west opener was this past Saturday at Lake Las Vegas out side of the city. It was a warm day that just got hotter. the mile swim in the lake was great. After that the terrain of the moon was every where on the bike. The heat didn't feel bad until the start of the six mile run which was either straight up hill or down. I won my AG and was in the top 50 out of 350. It secured my spot at the Worlds in Maui in October.

The Heat Sea Otter 1 year later

The day dawned clear and warm. the warm up was tough but by the start at 8:45 the temperature was up. The roll out started fast and up the track. I lead the pack into the dirt and wet through the first rollers very quickly. the first section of single track allow some one slow to jump in on the single track. The time it took to pass allow the lead group to gap the field.
From that point the chase was on. As the temperature increased the leaders held their gap and it was time to get in a rhythm and slug through the sand descents until the final climb.
On the climb the 2-6th was strung out in sight. The hill caused the fight to continue and places were being swapped back and forth. It was an epic battle that with some changes had been set up at the start.
The race was a good opener for me. The heat being 85 by race end I believe was one of the big factors in the race. It will get me ready for Xterra in Vegas on May Second

Sea Otter Ready to Break

So back from Hawaii I finally took the first ride on the GT hard tail. It felt good very predictable in the descents and handled very well on the climbs. As with last year I will get 2 rides on a new bike prior to the first MT bike race.
I have the Xterra Cup opener in Vegas the first weekend in May. This should be the first show down of the first multi sport Race of the season in the dirt. It will be nice and warm in the desert. I am looking to win a slot for the worlds in Maui this October.
I recently returned from Colorado Springs and USA cycling clinic and a USAT coaching clinic. It is amazing to see the the cutting edge science with the elite's.
More after the race and see how we all fared.

Gt Bikes

It is the start of the new season on the dirt and I am happy to say that I have a new Bike sponsor and good feeling about the season. Active /Gt combination has followed through with all the effort and professionalism that I could have hoped for.

The season open for me at Sea Otter in CA. Last year by a very short margin I all most won my AG in the cross country race. This year I am hoping for one better and take home the winners jersey.

I am on a build phase of my traing. I am riding about 200 miles a week RD and MT combined. There is a great mix of endurance and intensity.