I slept better last night and felt decent at the start of today’s short stage. However, the injury to my back has now manifest itself into my upper chest or maybe it is the other way around. Anyway, seems that along with my hip and knee, there is also a problem with some ribs…

Definitely put the damper on my breathing as well as the downhills today. The Pennsylvaia Stage included parts of the second and third loops of Breck 100 as well as pars of the Firecracker. So much for all new Breck singletrack!

I was able to ride in the group until this massive bottleneck from pavement to trail. At that point I allowed a bunch of dudes to go in front and they proceeded to dilly dally down the trail like they were still half-asleep. By then end of the first downhill section the leaders were long gone so I simply settled into my training pace for the remainder of the day. You can check out the file here:

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=8594098

Now I have just returned from my daily massage. A definite “shout out” for Inanna Hall here in Breckenridge. If you need some body work done next time you are in town look her up and tell her some silly mountain bike racer sent you!

Inanna Hall
www.harmonyhealthmassage.com
970-485-3344

The big queen stage is all set for tomorrow. Circumnavigate Mt. Guyot. My plan remains the same: ride sensibly and continue to recover. Tune in to see where that gets me!

Thanks for reading.

Colder in the moho than outside when I woke up after a restless sleep. Beautiful day in the mountains, though.

Todays stage was basically the second loop of the Breck 100 so nothing new for me. However, the flat tire I suffered on the first descent was. Seems that my ultra tough Double Defense tires can even fall victim to Breckenridge. Nice gash right through the tread.

I was already losing time so I simply pedaled to the aid station and borrowed a pump to fix it. Wasted 10 minutes but it didn’t really matter. I rode easy at a level I know I can reocver from the rest of the day. Here it is:

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8590122

Bishop and Brown are the frontrunners but I old pal Ben Thompson cracked the top three today–nice job, man!

My leg is a lot better today so now I hope someone can safely remove the dagger that is sticking out of the middle of my back! I will have another massage and see what tomorrow brings…

Over.

Uphill TT today. Was supposed to be rather long but the afternoon storms have set into the mountains and the race was shortened.

Probably good for me because I cannot bend my left knee much past 90 degrees and my back is a mess. I still got off to a decent start until about halfway when my front tire went flat. How does that happen in an uphill TT?

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8590120

Well, I am wondering the same thing… but it seems that the core in my presta valve loosened itself up. Lesson learned–check everything, I mean EVERYTHING!

Now I have lost seven and a half minutes and feel like garbage. Breck Epic has just been relegated to Breck Training Camp. Now to the massage table for a miracle.

Stay tuned!

It bores me to have to write this entry but alas I must report on the mediocrity that the 2009 Marathon Nationals ended up being for me.

After my near miss last year (3rd place), I had targeted this event as one to revisit. Unfortunately the wheels started to come off a bit in mid-June and my confidence was not super hot going in.

However, I made it to Breckenridge and my day started well as we climbed Boreas Pass. I was just behind the large front group and riding sensibly and feeling well. It was looking like a top five kind of day–with some luck, maybe better.

Unfortunately luck (if there is such a thing) was not on my side. Less than five miles in some joker cut over in front of me then promptly stacked it–going uphill on a dirt road! I had nowhere to turn with the edge on my right and riders on my left so I t-boned him and went over the bars. Big yardsale and as soon as I got up I wasn’t feeling right. My left side seemed somewhat paralyzed as I had strained muscles in my back, hip, and leg.

For the remainder of the race in tried to fight on but could never fully pedal or even descend as standing caused the spasms to intensify. The damage:

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8590121

In the end, I could only manage 12th, well off the pace. My unfortunate is what this will mean for my chances at Breck Epic Stage race the rest of the week…

Thanks for reading and all your support. Hopefully I will get another chance to show my colors!

Ciao,

VP