Positive Thinking

I have been thinking a bit lately of how we use positive thinking in an approach to goals or problems. More to the point, I have been giving some thought to the opposite, how many people use avoidance a technique. It tends to work poorly.

What I mean by avoidance is to try and fix or avoid issues as a method of reaching a goal. I hear a lot of athletes and people talk of how they want to not do this or not have this happen in a race. I always have felt this is tantamount to using the mtn biking method of don't hit the rock. Inevitably, we hit the rock.

There is a better way to look at things. Instead of trying to avoid an pitfall, go get the other outcome. I listen to people talk about avoiding depression or avoiding mechanicals or avoiding a bonk. How about we go achieve happiness or ride smooth or eat and fuel well. By nature those things will keep us from the problems. The idea of avoiding something means that there is a possibility that it will happen. Eliminate that and move toward a successful solution.

Simple? yes. Overly so? Maybe, but the point is how we approach a solution makes all the difference in the world. For a good book on the subject of how perception changes outcome, read Stumbling Into Happiness

Not My Day

Boulder Racing Cross #4
Westminster City Park

Rode out to the race with Allen Krughoff and Brandon Dwight today and my Crux was honored to get a place among all the Ridleys. I always like riding to races with guys like that because I feel like I always learn something and I have a lot to learn. We got there a bit later than normal, signed up and headed out on the course. I had one of those weird warmups where everyone was passing me and my legs felt awful. The good news is that generally means I gonna have good legs in the race. Strange but true.

Sadly, I never got to find out. I had a good start position and lined up ready to go. The whistle blew and didn't get off the line well. Paco went flying by and I had to touch the brakes to avoid his back wheel. By then Will Iaia was leaning on me and I was leaning back and then it all went to hell. I clipped his pedal with my foot and over I went. I rolled the tubie went down hard and curled up in a ball. Several went down around me and I know that it disrupted many more than that. My apologies to the group. My friend Shawn raised an eyebrow at me later because I have had my bike handling issues, but I'm not sure today was one of them. A better bike handler may have kept it upright I will admit that, but there was little I could do. Again, sorry guys for causing a mess.

I got up and assessed. No rips in the skinsuit (thank God, I can't afford another right now. You people need to start buying more Breeze Bars or taking swim lessons) not a lot of blood. Great I thought, 5 seconds and I'm done. The I remembered that we have pit wheels for just this kind of situation. I ran the 200 yards to the pits, wrestled the wheel out and got the new one in. Off we go! I was waaaaaaay back. I mean like minutes down. The wind was howling and there was little or no protection from it. All alone. I am proud to say that I NEVER thought of dropping out. I often say to myself "this is your race today." What I mean is that things can go well or poorly but at some point, that is the race you are in that day. 1st or 4oth, that's your race, are you going to race it? I raced it. I rode back riders one by one and I turned myself inside out. I caught guys and had people I normal race with on good days in my sights and I almost got back to Josh Whitney. That dude has been working way to much, get your priorities straight man...real job, whatever!

I ended up 25th as Allen Krughoff took the win, Baker second and Dubba 3rd. Great rides today by Ariel Brown who overcame a cough and the grass for a good finish, to Boups who fought through two flats and was his own mechanic and to Zack Gould (yet another Apex/Neal Henderson product, why are you not coached by Apex?) who was 11th. Proud of you man. Great work.

We all have bad days, but I think the true test of an athlete at any level is how good were you when everything goes wrong. I was good on a really bad day today. I kept my cool and rode hard. I'll be sore tomorrow but racing is always joyful, always. I love cross and I love cross in this community. So many good thoughts and so much support. Thanks for always being there guys. I cannot wait until Sunday and States.

As a side note, good luck to Allen out at the Portland USGP this weekend. Go kill it man. Go rep Breeze Bars, Apex Coaching and Boulder Cycle Sport.

USA Swimming

I wanted to take a moment and give some thoughts on the state of USA Swimming.

Its time to be done with Phelps. The man is a great champion and a good person and I like him, but by focusing solely on Phelps we are missing out on so much. He would agree. A couple things to watch in the next 2 years.

Ryan Lotche
The single best swimmer on the planet right now. He is working harder to Phelp's seeming lack of willingness to work. He does not have a weakness and the he had, breast, he spent the last 2 years racing at every high level meet. His freestyle is world class and e is the best backstroker in the world. His fashion sense is disastrous, but we will take it.

Depth
US Swimming's depth is ridiculous right now. Just some thoughts. It would take 22.3 for a woman to be top 8 at Nationals, 19.6 for a man. That's unreal and frankly we aren't a very good sprinting nation. Take the 200 free 1:45 for a woman and 1:34 for a man?!?!?!?!?!

Rebecca Soni
Simply the fastest swimmer in the world in her events. She is untouchable in the breasts and she will break both world records by London. Everyone said the suit records would never be touched and that they were the most outrageous in the breast. they were right and Reb will still destroy them.

Missy Franklin
I could go on and on with things to watch but i want to go race cross so I will leave you with one more. Those of us in Colorado have been treated to this young lady's talents, but we have failed to recognize how good she is. Missy swept all of her events at the last grand Prix and with that kind of continued performance, she will be among the top three in several events at Nationals next week. not to mention she has not developed yet into a sound Short Course swimmer. Credit needs to be given to her coach Todd Schmidt who has metered her development brilliantly. If not for some swimmers that prematurely left his program to move out of state a few years back, I don't think any of us would have been surprised by Missy. Watch her, she will be a star.

Doping

I have to admit that I have cheated. I have cut corners at swim practice, I've horded money in Monopoly and bumped the watts up on the computrainer to help my sprint watts. I also have to admit that many times when racing Xterra and I was all alone on the run, I thought about cutting a switchback or two. It always came back to the same thing for me though, why? What's the gain? Could i even accept that gain if I was successful at my cheating?

For me the answer is no. It's always no. I could never stand the fact that my gains would be ill gotten, that a win would be soiled or that I would be labeled as a cheat. It's not worth it to me. My reputation is too important. How my swimmers and athletes see me and how my family sees me is worth far more than any win, any amount of money. My job, my integrity and the integrity of the sport are too important to me. So I would never cheat, never dope and never turn my back if I knew someone was doing it.

Dave Towle said that we need to wait before we judge people and their doping suspensions. I don't understand that statement. I like these guys and I can say that I enjoy racing them and I enjoy their company. However, I don't care if they were given it, took it by mistake, ordered it for someone else or whatever. They screwed up and put everything in jeopardy. Their teams, their families and their friends. They are guilty of something, even if it is merely bad judgment. Doesn't mean I hate these guys or that they can never be forgiven as people, but they can never be forgiven as athletes or as managers of athletes.

Results or Process Oriented?

I was having a chat with a parent of one of my swimmers the other day and we were reminiscing about our swimming as kids. The parent was wondering why their kid didn't always "go after it and race." We always did as kids they said. I think they are right and wrong, but it did get me thinking about a couple of things.

First things first. Swimming and all sports are different now, because there is so much more on the line for these kids. One of my girls was given a full ride this year, it's worth, $160,000. That's a whole other animal than the $10,000 scholarship I had. With the upped money comes upped pressure and upped expectations. Parents and coaches talk about scholarships much more now as the goal. It's real and its scary. All those scholarships depend on two things in a kids mind...where you rank in a recruiting class and what your times are. So your ability to make nearly $200,000 depends on those two things. How stressed are you now? We need to remember this when talking to our kids and athletes and ourselves.

Both of these pressures, rank and times, weigh heavy on kid's minds and most of the time they find themselves focusing on one or both of them. Here is the issue. A swimmer's time and a swimmer's rank depend solely on their ability to do one thing, swim to the best of their ability. The place where a swimmer is concerned about rank and times are meets, but the place where they become their best is at workout. In other words, most of the attention and effort goes into meet day, as does the stress. Unfortunately, this is backward. If that energy and pressure and stress went into workout, race day and subsequently times and rank would just follow along. When they go to a meet, the ONLY concern is HOW we swim our best. What's the race strategy, how do I go fast, what am I committed to doing? Swim your best and the times will follow. Period.

We all need to stop talking about results and times in swimming. We need to talk about skills and race plans. Technique and strategy. RACE has big meets coming up. Let's go be better swimmers.

A Thank You

I wanted to take a minute and write about something that has always amazed me. The cyclocross community in this town is truly, truly special. don't know of many place, sports or people who would organize a group ride that is based solely upon a mutual love for the sport. Not elitist, not separatist, just fun.

Personally, I have been inspired by the people who have decided to help and accept an old guy, with questionable bike handling skills at times into their group. I walked into the year wondering if I belonged riding in the Open class and whether I do or not I have always been treated as an equal.

I love racing with guys that when they pass you, they turn and say "c'mon let's go". i love the encouragement of people like Allen Krughoff who I have trained with a lot this year and his willingness to overlook my limited experience in the sport and my VERY questionable mechanic's skills. People like Greg Keller, who took the time to write about our bars, Breeze Bars, not because we gave him any or paid him, but because he wanted to help. Are you kidding me. The rest of the Cycle Sport guys like Ward Baker, Dubba and the Wizrad who never cease to offer encouragement or advice.

Also, to my fellow racers who have never been anything but positive, Joe Sap, Amy, Spencer, Josh, Will and Ariel Brown just to name a few. It's been a super fun year and this is why cross is growing so fast.

Cyclo-X

The second season of Without Limits Cyclo-X kicked off today at Union Reservoir in Longmont today. We woke to a 43 degree sunny morning in Boulder and we got to Union for the expo to 28, 20 mph wind and clouds. Breeze and I set up the expo for Breeze Bars and huddled down.

2 hours later we were frozen to the bone. Both shivering, I took to putting on my cycling stuff just to stay warm. That did work and the wind died down a bit, but it took its toll a bit. Racing and expos are tough to juggle and I took turns with Breeze watching the table while the other one of us warmed up or changed. We did, however, get great feedback from the 5 questions with Greg Keller on www.mudandcowbells.com last week. In the end the expo is always worth it.

It was a fun course. The boys, Tony and Lance did a great job with what they had. We saw some dirt, some grass, some highspeed turns, sand and the old BMX track. I guess I gotta work on my pumping as I lost time there every lap.

We lined up for a fast dirt road start and I got a decent one and hit the first turn in the top ten. As we settled through some fast turns I was back to 14th but happy on the tail end of the front group. On lap two someone midday in the pack pulled a Holicky and butchered the sand section splitting us off. That was fine by me as I was with the usual suspects. Harshman, Mickewicz, and Ariel Brown. Unfortunately, by lap 5 it was my turn to stumble in the sand and I waited way to long to dismount. I put in a chase, but they were gone.

Alone in the wind is a crap place to be, but I wasn't ready to drift back to the next pack because it was 10 or so guys, too big. Luckily, Ariel came up to me and we worked well for 3 laps or so. Honestly, he saved me. I needed the push. I put in a surge with 5 to go and Ariel dropped off, due more to a derailleur issue than my power and again I was alone. That chase pack splintered though and with one to go I felt safe. Will Iaia had other plans and he rolled me up in the last 4 corners. I think that was due to the fact that he dropped out yesterday and had all kinds of extra energy today, haha. Yes, i said it Will, toughen up, this ain't triathlon. He out sprinted me to the line and I walked with 15th. More Cup points and I'll always take points.

Not sure what to do next. I may shoot out to MA for the UCI race next weekend and see my family at the same time. Not thinking I can get UCI points, but could win a little money and seeing my family for T'Giving would be great.

Alpha Cross #2

Spencer Powlison was the driver today down to Alpha Cross #2 in Denver today. We managed to load up the mini van with Joe, Allen, Spencer, myself, 6 bikes and 16 wheels. It was quite the sight.

We got down to Dove Valley and pre rode a really fun course. I opted for the Grifos but I think the file treads would have worked well. It was grassy, fast and fun. The start segment was a little hairy though. I started behind Spencer and that was a great move as he won the hole shot. We were going way faster than the warmup laps though and as we entered the main part of the course I blew through some course tape. Kept it upright, but was told that it made for some chaos behind. Sorry bout that boys. I ended up on the tail end of the main pack, sitting in about 9th. The boys in front were content to let Spencer lead them out for a bit and I have to admit, it was awesome to be at the front. It was fairy short lived.

Someone at the front hit the gas and I was dropped. I settled in behind The Wizard after he was taken out, but the man was on a mission to get to the front. He did and I was left behind. I was battling with Will Iaia and Shawn Harshman for a while until I layed it down in one of the grassy corners. I stayed calm and re-aligned the bars and dug some mud out of the shifters. Got going again right behind Boups. Now, I have long said that Boups just doesn't warm up enough and at this point 20 minutes in, he was going good. I hung on his wheel and he dragged me back to the group I was leading. I went back to the front to break it up. I did pretty well and by 3 to go I was closing in on Joe Saperstein and dragging Shawn and Boups with me. There was another guy chasing Joe and when he caught on my chase was done, they took off. I sat up at bit and let Shawn and Boups back up to me so I could get a break. I sat on them until 1 to go and then punched it on the backside of the course. I dropped both of them and got fairly close to Joe, but it was too little too late.

Allen Krughoff took the win, Spencer was 6th, Joe 10th and I was 11th. Now that is a good van. Cyclo-X tomorrow for the Breeze Bar tent and the race, we'll see what's left in the legs.

A Cat 2's Delimma

I have been corrected by a couple of sources since this was written and was told that cross will remain a cat 1/2 endeavor for UCI. However, the upgrade silemma for a cat 2 trying to get to a 1 is the same.



USA Cycling delivered several new rules for next season this week. Many of them were innocuous, Skin Suits can be sleeveless and things like that, but one of them was very specific to my situation. The only riders eligible for UCI racing are now Cat 1 cyclists. For us Cat 2's, we are now facing a dilemma.

Now here is the dilemma. I am a Cat 2 racer that races Open Men's races in ACA races. ACA races are 95% percent of the races I do, but it is not terribly likely that I am going to be rolling top 7 in this state. The competition is just so deep. As a 35+ racer I have the option of racing that group and possibly get points for an upgrade, but that forces me out of the Opens. To make matters more complicated, USA Cycling-ACA's reciprocity agreement does not even guarantee that Cat 1 status will be transferred. The only certain chance to move up is to race UCI Cat 2 races and we only see 2-4 of those a year in Colorado.

So what to do? Race Open's for the Colorado Cup points and be able to get good call ups next year and maybe get points. Do I turn all my focus to upgrading and race 35+'s and single speeds? Or do I just enjoy the last month of my UCI license and go race in MA for a small race and maybe even get some points, can they deny me a UCI license if I have points? Or is all of this just silly for a 38 year old who only really cares about Masters worlds in 2013 and in all honesty hasn't finished higher than 33rd in a UCI race.

Who's got a suggestion?


http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/11/news/usa-cycling-no-ban-on-helmet-cams-or-juniors-use-of-carbon-wheels-or-tubulars_150330

Cyclo-X

It's coming this Sunday.

It's a busy weekend in cross this week with alpha cross on Sat and Cyclo-X on Sunday and they are both Cup races. I spoke with Lance of Without Limits, the promoters of Cyclo-X, today and they have quite the event planned. They are going to use Union Res in Longmont to its fullest. For us Boulder types this is right around the corner. It's pretty much hometown cross. Add to that a great course (they are incorporating the pump track!) great prizes and a free t shirt for pre reg, you cannot beat it.

I will be there Sunday as part of the race, but also with Breeze Bars as we will be giving away samples all day. Breeze Bars is only one of the sponsors that will be on site as pat of the expo, so come on and enjoy a great day of cross. We'll see you there.

All for Dane

The boys on the team got together on Thursday to make a show of support for their teammate Dane Fogdall who is fighting cancer. Dane started his second round of Chemo on Friday. You can see his story here www.danefogdall.wordpress.com

Dane's a tough kid but his hair finally started to fall out last week and that is hard. So the boys decided to show some solidarity. It is moments like these that make it for me as a coach.

We love you Dane. Keep fighting.

Day 3

Of a busy racing weekend went like this...

I was a little frustrated with some of the kids as warmup started and they kept rolling in late. I think it is interesting that they underestimate how important it is in the scheme of things. That is how you get your body ready to go. Triathletes ignore it as well. Alas, they do and 10 or so of our kids missed some piece of warmup.

Rin had posted a 1:58 IM in the morning up in MN so the day had a good start to it. At Loveland the day just got better. Jennifer continued a great meet by going best times in the fly and the IM qualifying for sectionals in the IM in 2:12.54. The girls breast was sound as always for us with Amanda at 2:27, Hannah at 2:25 and Kourt leading the way in 2:23. Topher was a best time in the boys race at 2:22 and Andrew Bollinger recorded his first Sectional time in the 100 back.

By far Anna had the swims of the day however. With the college stress off her back for the first time in a year, she blazed all three of her swims. 1:52.2 200 free and a 2:09.2 200 IM were great swims but the back took the cake. She went out in 27 and back in 29 for a 56.6 and a new Junior National cut. Congrats Anna.

I had left the last meet feeling like we didn't care. Although I feel like the masses have some work to do, I think we were better. There is a thin line between good and great and it is way easier to do good. We still get lauded and we still get some rewards. The effort for great is much more and the rewards in public do not always match up, but inside they are worth it.

Day 2

Day 2 of a big race weekend.

Got a text from Rin today. He went 2;05.1 this morning at the Minnesota Grand Prix and made it back 5th. Great swim! Christine even made it back in the 50 free, not bad for a 10k girl. Rin struggled a bit at night, but 5th at a Grand Prix, that's solid. Meanwhile big props to Missy Franklin, Todd Schmidt and the STARS team. Missy has swum 4 events and won 4 events. She may be the finest woman swimmer in the country right now.

Christiana had a great effort at Clearwater 70.3 worlds today. Despite a flat tubular, a dropped chain and a drafting penalty, she was still 5:07 and managed 18th in her age group. Great job Christiana.

At the Loveland meet, RACE was solid. Best times all over the place and wins for Anna, Kourt, Caroline, Alex, Willy and others. Geoffrey went 2:01 in the 200 fly and qualified for his second sectional cut of the weekend. Anna went 52.7 and Kourt was 1:06 100 breast. All great swims.

Meanwhile the mud up at the USGP, made me fairly content that I sat that one out.

Day 1

So day one of the MN Grand Prix and the Loveland Fall Open are in the books.

We had a good day at both meets. Rin and Christine both made it back at Grand Prix. CJ went almost the same tonight as this morning and ended up 15th. Solid swim for her. Rin moved up a spot to 21st in the 100 br with a 58.55 in finals. Great effort for both of them, especially Rin who posted 3 best times today and completed over a second drop in the Breast.

At Loveland we all swam the 500 tonight. It went well for some and iffy for others, but the good outweighed the iffy. Anna and Heather were right on their best times and I was proud of the first timers tonight. Siobhan, Kourt and Caroline swam the 500for the first time ever. Caroline and Melissa even did it backstroke and we very impressive. The boys were solid too. Especially Max (4;57) and Geoffrey (4:52) who both went best times by a chunk. Goeffrey's 4:52 was his first sectional cut as well. Willy also rolled the 500 back and was 5;33. That's holding 1;06 100's backstroke. It was fun to watch.

More tomorrow.

Here we go...

So the racing weekend started today. Rin and Christine headed up to Minnesota yesterday and started some racing today. CJ got on the blocks for the 200 free and ripped one. 1:49.63 a great short course swim for her and she is back 14th. Rin dropped over a second in the 100 breast and went 58.67 to qualify for the bonus final in 22nd. Great swim Rin!!! Let's keep it going guys!!!!

There are some other big races this weekend. My and Apex Coaching athlete Christiana Glenn in down in Clearwater at 70.3 worlds. She's ready to go and despite battling a migraine today I think she's going to have a rock star day.

It is also a huge cross weekend. Dubba and the boys kicked it off in style last night at Boulder Cycle Sport with a Belgium party. They gave away sweet raffle items and we had some beer and the proceeds went to the Clif Development team. It was good to see Jimmy, Dubba, Merlin the Wizard, Boups, Keller and all the guys. They look ready to race and tear it up. Special shout out to my man and training partner Allen Krughoff who scored some solid points last weekend and moved into the top 200 in the world. Oh Yeah.

Breeze Bars will be up in FoCo on Sunday handing out bars at the Free Wheel Coffee tent.

We'll keep you posted on the weekend.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, i shaved my head. More on that tomorrow.

Big Racing Weekend

We are heading to the Loveland fall Classic tomorrow. I think that RallySport Aquatics is ready for a big meet. It has been a struggle this fall to keep the guys and girls focused, but it has been a good couple of weeks leading in. Nearly the entire team is swimming the 500 tomorrow night and then mostly their best events for the weekend. We took a little rest and I think some of the guys are going to throw on some fast suits and see what we've got.

Rin is on his way to the Grand Prix in Minnesota with Christine to race some of the big boys. I am interested to see how the meet on his own goes. Follow our results for the weekend on Twitter at @RACEswimming

As for me, I took the last 3 days off of training. i was in a huge hole during and after the LA UCI race. The break was great mentally and physically. Although I am still pretty happy to be missing the USGP races in Ft Collins this weekend, I am excited for the rest of the season and even have been checking flights to far off UCI destinations. Not likely I'll go but you never know.

I will leave you with this that Allen Gardner sent me. I laughed really hard. http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7561945/?ref=nf

Time for a Break

Day 2 of the LA UCI Cross at the Greek seemed like it would work for me. I didn't have to go a full day on Saturday due to the mechanical and I was getting one more night of good sleep. Alas, I was wrong. There were some slight modifications to the course on Sunday, but nothing dramatic and the gist of it remained the same. Technical, tight and not my cup of tea. The lap was even shorter on Sunday. Adam Craig was rolling them in under 5 minutes. In other words, if there were 3 technical sections I was struggling with, I had to do them many times in quick succession.

I got a good start and found myself at the top of the hill on Allen's wheel. On the fast downhill right hander I lost it and got swallowed. I just didn't have the guts to ride it fast. no excuses, my skills are not there. I got on the gas again and the real issues of the day began. There was no gas. Every time I stood to go the legs said no. I wasn't suffering, they weren't cramping, they were just sore and had little or nothing. Guys were flying by me on the one straight where I would normally have an advantage. I got lapped early and pulled. 34th. Argh.

Allen had another good one. After starting 3rd to last this time, I was staged 5th to last, he moved through the field and was closing on Todd Wells and a Rapha guy. One more lap and he may have had Wells. 7th for Allen.

I spoke with Neal and Allen after the race frustrated and depressed. I felt like I was just a pretender and that I had no business in the field. You see, I just want to race Elite and have fun and not be in the way. i know I am not going to win nor will I likely get UCI points, but I like traveling to race and if I am going to race I want to race the best. period. I would like to race masters in 2013 as a 40 year old, but should I even be trying now? Neal and Allen talked me down a bit. Too much traveling the last 2 weeks and no rest. The body cracked. Three days off this week and we will try to get back at it.

A Great Day Out

It was not my best day out today on the cross course. However, my athlete Jeff Leidy had a great day out at Ironman Florida. Jeff and I began working together about two months ago and at the time he was in a boot for a stress fracture in his heel. Two week later and he was out of the booth and started some easy, easy running.

With such little time to train, we managed only one small sprint race before the big day. Despite the short prep, that sprint went well and we were encouraged with the heel's progress.

Jeff was hoping to see under 13 hours on that big finish clock, but after the less than ideal prep he had his doubts.

The day started well with a 57 min swim and then onto the bike. At the halfway point he was averaging a raging 19 mph and was on it. He slowed a bit on the back half, but rolled off the bike and onto the run around the 7 hour mark. Jeff consistently clicked off the miles and came across the line in 11 hours and 52 minutes.

Great job Jeff, I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with you these last few months.

UCI LA at the Greek

Day 1 in the books out here in LA. It didn't quite go the way I had hoped, but I will get to that.

Last night was an uneventful trip, for me at least. Allen had a bit more stress. traffic and a late arrival almost delayed the Ridley's their Westbound trip, but in the end all was well and he arrived at the La Qunita a few hours ahead of me. I arrived at Frontier baggage to no bike. 45 minutes, still no bike. They had put it with the cargo, it was found, but it took an hour and a half longer than it should have. Despite a bit of a delay, I was in bed by 12:30.

Up this morning and ready to race, Allen and I headed out to find the place. Griffith Park is huge and after a bit of unintentional sightseeing we found the venue and registered.

The course was interesting. Without much room to work with, the course designers managed a twisting, dry, at times very rough course that was between 5:30 and 6 min long. We staged in a random lottery, me in the middle of the field and Allen in the last row with the 4th from last call up. Luckily, there was a substantial straight uphill section for us to move up. By the first turn I was in 15th or so and by the
3rd or 4th turn Allen was by me and racing to the front. He chopped me a bit in the process and we had a nice little mid race chat. Apologetic and polite as always he moved towards the front. After the first set of barriers I was still in the top 20 and some of the people in front of me were going to be in trouble soon, but on the next fast downhill I hit a rut, hard. I heard a snap and the bike stopped. The hoods had both let go and the cable pulled the brakes closed. I stopped and tried to pull them back up, but it was very hard to release the brakes. Minutes later, yes minutes, I was back at it, but way off the back.

Now this is not luck, this is poor riding. Too rough and not enough finesse is the story of my cycling life, but I know it and I have been getting better, unfortunately not today. I cranked it up and avoided being lapped for 3 or 4 laps. I even rolled up on a few guys. Unfortunately I got pulled on a day when I normally could have avoided it and ended up 37th. My highest UCI finish ever, but I am hoping for more tomorrow.

Allen was on it though. He moved through the field well and by the time I was pulled he was up to 8th. He picked off two more in the next 2 laps and was hovering :20 seconds from 3rd, 4th and 5th. It was too bad for the last row call up as he was riding well, but the gap was sealed and Allen finished a strong 6th. Adam Craig and his serious technical skills took the win ahead of Trebon. Craig was skidding those loose turns like a man possessed and had a sizable gap by the finish.

Another day tomorrow. We will see what the day and the course hold.

Mix 1

Thanks to Mix 1 for sponsoring both RACE and Apex Coaching for the 2011 year. Mix 1 has been a intricate part of RACE's success and my own over the last 2 season's. The ability to recover quickly and have convenient protein filled snacks on the go is key in what we do.

All of RallySport Aquatics and the new Breeze Bars/BCSM Triathlon Team are very grateful for the support.

Thanks to Amy, Tommy and everyone at Mix 1.

Boulder Cup

Check out the grass on this shot of Boulder Cup. It was like an ice rink. This shot by Jim Heuck must have been taken after my first lap troubles seeing as how I am completely alone.