Almost 3 months...

What can happen in three months? Enough to change your life. The last quarter of a year has been, to say the least, a whirlwind of activity. The following is a lengthy recap. Thank you for your patience in waiting for an update and for reading such a verbose post.

Santa Cruz
My last post I was off to Santa Cruz, California for my training camp with Coach Thomas and some of his other athletes from the Native Planet team. Our base camp for the week, the Pelican Point Inn, was only a block or two from the beach.







We got in some solid training in the mountains around Santa Cruz. The weather was unseasonably warm the entire 5 days, which was a welcome change from the absolutely miserable winter I had been enduring in my beloved Pacific NW. We worked in an afternoon of climbing on Mount Hamilton east of San Jose. A great 20-mile climb with a perfect gradual 6%ish gradient that finishes at an observatory.





Las Vegas
Up until this year, I have been lucky enough to never experience a tragedy up close. This March that changed. My Dad was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer in July 2006. The tumor was not found early and it spread to his heart and lungs by the time he began treatment. He bravely chose an aggressive course of treatment, undergoing multiple surgeries and dozens and dozens of radiation treatments. In January, he was improving and his doctors were optimistic he might just beat the odds. In the middle of February, he called me to say he was going in to the doctor to have his porto-cath removed because he was not going to need chemo. We chatted like we usually do about work, training, SLR, our house. He assured me he'd be in and out and there was nothing to worry about because it was a routine procedure. This was the last conversation I had with him. Within a few weeks, he would lose his battle, but he was a true warrior, fighting until the very end.

Bicycles were a very important part of my relationship with my Dad. We often rode together when I was a kid. Almost every evening in the summer we would spin around the block after he got home from work. From my early bmx bikes, to restoring an old ten speed, to my first mountain bike in 9th grade, he always supported my connection to bicycles. I started racing in high school and he gave up his weekends to drive me to the most rural corners of Ohio to race in some farmer's field. My graduation present from high school was a gleaming Ventana Marble Peak hardtail. One of our fondest memories together was going to Mount Snow, Vermont for my first Norba National. There are so many stories we tell about that trip that it is legend in the family: the Butt Naked Criterium; Real Maple Syrup; Outdoor Showers; Tread the Dog; Camping in the Green Mountains. Fittingly, the last time I spent with him before I knew he was sick was a road trip to the Brian Head Norba National last year. We drove from Vegas and were surrounded by Utah's stunning red-rock landscapes. He beamed with pride when I made the podium in the Short Track XC. I know my love of bicycles will always remind me of my Dad.

I received an unforeseen benefit from traveling to Vegas to be with my Mom and Dad. I was able to train on the mountain bike in the warm and dry desert for almost a solid month. SLR and my Mom made sure I got out on the bike nearly every day to distract myself from the stress I was under. I frequently visited the pain cave trying for a brief moment to forget, only to have memories rush back when I eased off the pace. These desert hammer fests resulted in me developing the best fitness I have had in my entire life. This season is in honor of the #1 Dudster:



Arizona NMBS - March 30 to April 1
I have done well at the AZ National in the past so I had high expectations coming into the event. Plus, it was my first race of the year so I was excited to get between the tape. I competed in the stage race which included a TT on Friday, Super D on Saturday, and XC on Sunday. Cumulative time for the three events would determine the stage race placings. In the TT, my 20+ minute effort over the course of about 5 miles was good enough for 3rd place. My first podium of the season. The Super D caught me by surprise, because there was not much D and a whole lot of pedaling. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped finishing in the low 20's. The big show for the weekend was the XC. It was quickly apparent as we entered the singletrack at the start of the race that I had good legs. I was able to ride with the leaders in relative comfort. I put in some attacks and was soon in a head to head battle with one other guy. He ended up getting a gap on me in some lapped traffic that I was not able to close down. I finished a solid second just under a minute back on the winner. My solid XC race vaulted me to first place overall in the stage race general classification. Three podiums for the weekend including the overall winner:



Sea Otter - April 12 to April 15
Sea Otter was also a multiple event race weekend. I would compete in the short 1.5 mile TT and Short Track XC on Friday. Recover on Saturday. Then race the extra-long 38 mile XC on Saturday.

The TT went well and I was feeling strong from the start through the descent into the finish.




I finished 3rd in the open men 30+ behind a couple of semi-pros (there was no category break down for this race). Another podium for the season.



I also had a strong short track XC. I was in a tight battle for fifth place, but ultimately couldn't hold the spot and finished just off the podium in sixth. I was given'er full gas chasing the leaders.



Good thing Saturday was a recovery day, because it was raining hard all day. SLR and I managed to get out and visit the Old Fisherman's Wharf for lunch.



My XC race on Sunday was disappointing given my strong results to that point. I was expecting a podium. The second 19-mile lap was a challenge with a lot of lapped traffic from the slower Sport categories that started an hour after the Experts. I lost my rhythm and that was enough to cost me several places. I ended up finishing 13th out of a strong national-caliber field of 30+ racers.

After the race, SLR and I took a drive to see Pebble Beach. It was windy and the waves were crashing. Beauty.





Santa Barbara NMBS - April 28 to April 29
Another trip down to CA. This time through LAX. The race venue was actually at the Firestone Vineyard near a small town called Buellton (north of Santa Barbara) . The Firestone Vineyard may be familiar to Bachelor fans. The hills were steep and green.



I had a very strong start to the race and was riding with the leaders for the first three quarters of the race. I was climbing and descending really well.



The problem was I got caught up in the racing and forgot to pay attention to how high my heart rate (200bpm) and core temperature was. It hit 95 degrees during the race. Not accustomed to such warm temps, I overheated and had to pedal like a small child for a good portion of the last lap. Rider after rider streamed by as I was unable to put power to the pedals. I came through the feed zone and Coach Thomas saw I was in trouble and doused me with two full bottles of ice water. My core temp came down to a reasonable level and I was able to finish the last few miles fairly strong and not lose any more positions. I ended up in 11th. Not bad considering the implosion I suffered.

After the race, SLR and I drove back to LA down the Coast Highway through Malibu. I can see why the hills around Malibu are so coveted. It's a dramatically scenic coastline.



Needless to say, the last three months have been spent racking up frequent flier miles and filled with success, defeat, joy, sadness, and everything in between. Stay tuned for yet another CA race report from the Fontana NMBS race last weekend. Cico De Mayo in LA! I brought home some more hardware and accomplished my first objective of the season.

Blue Star