I tried to get well and was actually feeling a little better in time to start the Masters 30-34 race on Saturday. I didn’t have a horrid start position and while I got swarmed a bit at the start I was able to methodically move into the top ten. While I expected the course to be typical of Bend—lame, it turned out to be quite challenging and fun albeit a little short and lacking any open power sections which are more to my advantage. Needing only a couple more laps to crack the top five I had to settle for 8th on the day.

Saturday night was stricken with a terrible fever. Staying with a friend, I became so cold that I couldn’t stand it. I got up in the wee hours and crawled into a hot bath that couldn’t touch the chill. I ended up passing out in the tub and only succeeded in waking up my gracious hosts. I literally stumbled back to bed hacking pink froth from my lungs. I piled every blanket and piece of clothing I could on top of myself only to pass out again. This time I awoke completely saturated in sweat but still chilled to the bone. This went on for most of the next three days until I summoned the strength to visit the urgent care and get some heavy duty antibiotics to combat the double pneumonia that had taken over my lungs.

Needless to say I wasn’t able to contest the Elite race on Sunday and thus concluded my season. It was the physical low ebb to what has been the most tumultuous year of my life and a disappointingly up and down ride! I stayed indoors the last couple weeks of the year and felt like a caged animal—ravenous to prove it all wrong but totally unable to do so… Thanks for all your support this year. Hopefully the new decade will bring hope and success to us all!

After the Hawaii Pro-Am MTB Stage Race folded and walked off with $2500 of my money and the Baja Epic was postponed due to the promoter’s unplanned medical emergency, my fall plans were pretty much shot. Oh, well, the northwest is a cyclocross hotbed these days so I supplemented my some epic mountain bike rides with a weekend cross race. It proved to be a great combination and I was able to win three of our smaller local races!

Unfortunately, the kidlets started bringing home bugs from their preschool friends and the wheels came off just before Thanksgiving just in time for me to have a dismal performance at our state championship race. I felt like I had kicked the crud but had a lingering cough for the next few weeks leading up to USGP races in Portland. As usual my start position was just about dead last and I did my best to pass as many of he slow pokes as possible for a mid pack finish the first day. The second day I hoped to start closer to the front but they forgot to call me up at all so I did get to start in last place. Makes me wonder why I even go. Anyway, my performance was less than stellar and I lapped out with a few to go.