I needed to take a business trip to Wisconsin in May, so I scheduled it around attending this event in Minnesota. What a great venue and super cool folks! Maplelag is an XC ski resort several hours northwest of the twin cities. Jay Richards and his family took it upon themselves to provide key UCI points for local racers--super expensive but so generous! The trails are super tight, technical singletrack that definitely left no time for rest. Unfortunately, I was a little tired from all my racing and travels, so even the first ride on my Scott Spark didn't help me go much faster.

Part of the Oregon Series and also the OBRA State Championship. This race has been going on for many years (as long as I have been racing) and always basically the same course. This year, the promoters changed things up and we raced the opposite direction. This allowed a much longer singletrack finish which did not disappoint. With many miles of climbing to start, I chose my full rigid 69er Scale. This bike is superfly, sports a 1x9 drivetrain and weighs just 17lbs.

Second race of the Oregon Series near Mt Hood. Great course and super tech so I rode the Ransom here. Ben Thompson (Bend Elite) and Erik Tonkin (Kona) put the smack down at the start and I struggled to hold their wheels. Got dropped so just rode it it to finish 3rd on the day. Figured out the next day that my cleats were not in my shoes properly which could have been the cause for slow riding. Guess thats what I get for changing shoes/pedals the day before a race...

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.

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.

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.

I just got back home about midnight from Mas O Menos, but I couldn't resist getting up the next morning to race with the TEAM (www.capitolsubarucycling.com) at Cherry Pie. The CP is one of Oregon's early road races and this year the course was right in my back yard. Running on caffeine and "what might have been" we rolled out into a cold but amazingly dry February afternoon. I race CAT 3 on the road and we had three other riders in the group. Unfortunately, about five minutes into the race a breakaway formed and while we worked hard, we could never bring it back. For me, it was a tough race.

Skibowl is the best course in Oregon. Always well run races by Petr Kakes and nice mix of technical trails, ridiculous climbing, and beautiful scenery. Erik Tonkin (Kona) and I showed up with our big bikes and faced off here like so many other times. Luckily for me, Erik had just come off his best result ever at a NORBA national in Park City the day before. I wasn't going that well and a flat tire for Mr T on the second lap was the break I needed. Riding my 6+ inches of Ransom plushness, I cruised to another win in the cold mist, high on Mt Hood.

The Mas O Menos 100k in Texas was the first “national” endurance race of the year for me. The event was going well and I sat at the back of the lead group for most of the first lap. As we went through the mid-lap feed, I went to the front for a pull and to make sure I didn’t miss my handup. A couple minutes later I noticed that no one was with me and I looked back to see a sizeable gap to a chasing Travis Brown. I was in a comfortable pace with 40 miles to go as we hit the major climb. The gap continued to open to over 2 minutes by the halfway mark of the race.