Oregon XC Series Finals…

After a week of visiting chiropracters and massage therapists I seem to be feeling–ABOUT THE SAME! This is not cool at all. I have never been in a situation where my body has no real apparent damage yet I am being compromised by different ailments one after another.

First the knee. Then the hip. After than my chest–now my back. Like someone is picking the strings of my being one at a time…

Despite it all, my teammate Mark and I headed for Central Oregon and the first ever Crook County Crush. I was super glad we did because first of all we found a rad little Asian restaurant in Redmond for a super pre-race meal. Then we stayed the night with Mark’s folks and they were totally nice and it felt almost like home!

After a great sleep we drove out to what ended up being the best race course in Oregon this year. Just before the start my old pal and teammate, Bear Perrin, did a little rib adjustment on me and while I still didn’t do so hot in the race, by the time we got back I was starting to feel better.

The race started with a long climb first on pavement then singletrack. I maintained contact with Chris Sheppard (Santa Cruz) and Ben Thompson (Cannondale) at the front for awhile but once in the singletrack my body just couldn’t manage the changes in torque and body english required to navigate the rocks, roots and switchbacks.

The course was awesome with super technical trails and beautiful vistas. I was able to hang on to 3rd place for the day and finish the Oregon XC Series as overall Champion–again!