Oops. I guess I should just hang on to that win at Diablo from the first series race 'cause this timed run ain't the one to remember.

My weekend started on Thursday at 6:30 am with a cup of coffee and two u-turns to pick up this little guy who I saw bouncing up the Northbound lane on Rt. 22:
Don't ask me why or how I've been on this stuffed animal finding spree. Random stuff just happens to me. Anyway, he proved entertaining.

















And gave some much-needed post-practice anxiety release:


Anyway, this particular race was multi-purpose. I needed to kill some demons from my '04 US Open experience, which I did. I felt GREAT in the rock gardens, I could take the lines I wanted in the off-camber slabs, I cleared the step-up and nailed the step-down at the end. I was feeling pretty darned good! Much better than my rear shock was feeling. After my qualifying run I checked it out and basically my rear shock was done. Toast. Thankfully I had brought my spare 5th Element which hadn't been ridden in nearly five years.

The tech support at Shimano this year was wonderful. They were so helpful!!! (It's making me reconsider their company) They helped me get my shock back in working order and tuned up then sent me out to test it. It worked perfectly. So perfectly, in fact that I kept riding...and riding...and riding... On that note, the group from Michigan who I used to ride with was there and since I never get to ride with these guys any more, I decided (much to the detriment of my race) to do some freeriding with them.

Sunday rolled around and practice went really well. The course was still tacky with a bit of a blown out berm, but otherwise perfect. Puffy white clouds dotted the otherwise clear blue sky and thunderstorms were predicted later in the day, but surly the race would be done by then.

The women gathered at the top of the course for our 3:05pm start. At exactly 3:00 a clap of thunder boomed and a lightening bolt split the sky. The lift shut down and we were sent down to wait out the deluge, not to race for nearly another 2 hours.

By 5pm on a race day I need to be done riding, out of my gear and sipping something cold and frosty from a glass bottle. Instead, I was at the top of a muddy, unknown course, tired, hungry, cranky, having to pee and my race run made all of that evident.

I was not a happy camper when I felt my front tire slide out and nearly send me off into the weeds on the second corner out of the gate. When I slammed into a sapling on the side of the course at the entrance of the rock garden I was even less amused. By the time I dragged my mud covered carcass and bike off of the course and out of Stephanie's way I just wanted it all to be over.


Well, there's always next year and more races to come this year. I will focus on those and having a great time on my bike...which is why I do this in the first place. :-)