This was one of the first races I ever competed in. Way back in 1995 I raced the ‘Slinger at age 18. It was muddy that day, too. I remember my Bullseye “sealed” derailleur pulley quit turning that day. 12 years later the venue has moved on but the vibe is the same. Mud, climb, gravel, muck, climb, roots, gravel, bog, climb… I got the holeshot and stayed out front for more than a lap. Erik Tonkin (Kona) again put in some real hard riding to bridge and then open a 30 second gap. As we descended toward the finish, I was able to cut the margin and finally make contact in the last singletrack. I let Erik pull the last two miles on the road (it only seemed fair for the defending champ to do the work) before slipping by at the finish. My first ever Mudslinger victory! I am stoked and to have raced hard to the end with one of the best all around riders the race has ever known was icing on top!

Our wedding anniversary–seven years and I was racing today… Thanks Caroll! After torrential rain storms on Saturday the sun was out and the wind was rippin’. For whatever reason, the officials called me up around ~90th out of 112 starters. What’s up with that? Anyway, it was the usual start with a complete standstill leaving Laguna Seca. Then of course there was the realization that the leaders were now minutes ahead with miles of singletrack to NOT catch up on. I was feeling great for this time of year and moving up quickly when my usual Sea Otter luck began. First, it was my water bottle bouncing away on a rough descent before I had a single drink. Then, about 20 minutes in my chain bounced off. 30 seconds later I was riding again but now I was behind everyone I had just passed and in the tightest sections of single track. A half lap later I was finally back to my position pre-chain drop. If I sound negative or like I am whining–sorry. I was really riding well and it was just a little bitter to have some bad luck. Anyway, I battled all day and ended up 29th, finally achieving my three year goal of finishing in the top 30. Mission accomplished, but I am left wondering what might have been…

A new race on the Oregon calendar, so I couldn’t resist throwing my hat in the ring! Horning’s Hideout is just outside Portland and offers visitors a variety of outdoor activities. This was their first MTB race and maybe the last after they look at the course devastation. Anyway, it is March in the Willamette Valley and of course it rained most of the week. I set up my Scott Scale single-speed for this one because I knew it would be a short up/down race with lots of mud. I was a little ambitious with the gearing and chose 38-17. Unfortunately, I think my highest cadence was about 50 and the course just got muddier and stickier as the day went on. I jumped to an early lead but was passed about halfway around the first lap as I struggled up one of the many steep climbs. Fortunately, I got my legs back and settled into a somewhat manageable pace. Soon, I was in the lead and things were looking pretty good. Then the sun came out (rare indeed) and the mud got thicker and thicker. My 38-17 now felt like a 42-17 as we began to lap the field. My old buddy Erik Tonkin took the advantage and caught up and eventually passed me with one lap to go. He allegedly had gears on his bicycle (I couldn’t really see them, though) and was able to make up little bits of time whenever we slowed down for a rider or a corner. We came in only seconds apart, but alas second place for me…