REALL season begins in Echo

Echo Red to Red was a good time and a great way to start the seeason. I chose to “ride” this race in an effort to jumpstart the MTB bug in me, and it worked! I have good fitness going into the season, but a laundry list of excuses kept me off the bike for the last two weeks. I wish I could say I was just really fresh, but instead I was really flat. If I was able to get the heart rate up, it took forever to come back down. So I just tried to be nicest guy you ever passed at a race!

The course ran backwards from previous year which was a great idea! The last few miles were a slight downhill where you could run out of gears to push. And what wind? Perfect conditions this time! My one-size-too-big arm warmers removed themselves after the first few bumps and I could not have been happier. Guess I have MEDIUM bike racer arms afterall!

The REALL carbon 29er hard tail made it possible to stay in my SDG saddle most of the ride allowing me to push a gear, keeping the heart rate low, and my legs burning. I did not get a chance to ride the new bike off-road or test out the Manitou Tower fork prior to the race, but EP knows how to make a machine run, and that it did. What a stellar mix of perfection!

All I have to do is prepare for Mud Slinger in April. One month is all I need. To quote a famous bike racer: “Just do the homework and you will ace the test”–game on!

Julia and Ian also kicked off their seasons in Echo. Julia had her best result ever placing 3rd and Ian was riding well in the top ten until some of the local goat heads ended his day. The kid learned to refresh his tire sealant after a few months off the hard way!

Thanks for reading, Luke D.