6.02.2008

Hugo RR & City Park Crit.

Another intense weekend of racing and man did I leave it all on the road...literally. Saturday Michael and I made the epic 2 hour drive east of Denver to a town called Hugo. Why would you ever know the town of Hugo? 2 possibilities the first being you are a bike racer and you come once a year to race or for some crazy reason you exited I-70 in hopes for a shortcut to Texas. The road race was a 78 mile course and man was it a beautiful day to race. 80 degrees, sunny and a slight breeze to keep you cool. Unfortunately my brother's race ended around the 25 mile mark after suffering 3 flats. With only 4 teammates in our race we decided to play our first card by putting Ian in a break and see if it could last to the finish. I ended up covering moves for the next 30+ miles trying to make sure the break with Ian in it stayed away. There was a wreck that caused a split in the group and we ended up chasing a group of 10 in front of us but never caught them. They eventually caught the lead break. We end up with 5th, 8th, 10th and 11th so not bad but it wasn't a win. I ended up 8th and this would be my last Cat. 3 race.

Yesterday was the City Park Crit. which was also my first race of this season and my first Cat. 3 win. I decided this race would also be my first Pro 1/2 race. It was a pretty cool feeling lining up with pro guys from Team Type 1, Slipstream, Jelly Belly and also the top elite teams in Colorado. I had a ton of cheers with family, friends and co-workers out supporting me so it was a blast. The race itself was intense and there were only a few times I felt really comfortable. The rest of my time was spent focusing on holding the wheel in front of me. My legs felt heavy and a little sore from the Hugo RR so I hope to be aggressive in the next few crits. I lasted in the main group but then got dropped with 5 laps to go and it was a good feeling to look back and find 15+ guys still chasing behind me. One lap to go and I take the tightest corner pretty fast only to find out my front tire is flat as I skipped across the pavement. Yeah I don't recommend body surfing on pavement. So that was my first crash of the season and I'm lust glad it was only a little road rash. I'll be back and I'll be back to win.

Finally I must say I'm on the best team. I mean what team moons you while cheering your name during the pro race? I laughed my ass off and so did the entire pro field. We have fun racing, maybe too much fun. Ghnoooo!!

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