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

I just got back from the Return on the Jedi. Another stop on the Oregon XC Series with just two races to go and the points chase was still tight. I knew it was time to seal the deal, so I packed up the MoHo and headed south.

Jedi is a rad race. Total old school–it starts pretty much in the middle of the southern Oregon wilderness. The only cell coverage involves driving up a hill a couple miles, getting out of the car, and standing on a mound of dirt! Oh, yeah–good bye civiiization!

The first race Saturday was the short track. My teammate Steve Carwile punched it early, but then dropped off the pace after a few laps. So I drove hard for about half of the 11 lap race, then eased off the gas and cruised to victory numero uno.

After some tasty lunch courtesy of the Blazing Saddles Cafe, I jumped aboard my Scott Ransom and peddled uphill for an hour to the top of the Super D course. This track was a mix of rough double track, smoother fireroad, and some singletrack velvety-smoothness.

While the Ransom was probably too much bike, it still was kickin’ and delivered me to the finish well ahead of the the next closest rider in any category. Win Dos!

I woke up sometime in the middle of the night with my left nostril, eyeball, and ear feeling like they were about to explode–I knew I should have been wearing a dust-mask while sanding Bondo the other day… I covered my head with my down comforter and passed out until an hour before racetime.

The XC is a super grueling big loop with two massive climbs and a load of singletrack. Some of it is off-the-back rocky steepness while the Jedi trail caps off the race with a swooping, buffed out shreadfest.

I was suffering even after getting the early lead on the first section of climbing trail. My teammates Matt Russell and Steve caught up but then we were delayed by some horses for a minute or two. This probably allowed Jon Myers (S&M) to catch us catch us on the long climb to the top of Onion Mounntain.

I gave Jon some leash but then reeled him in just before the upper singletrack climb. Once the knarly descent began, I was in my element and while Myers was dropped, Matt suffered a flat tire. All alone at the front, I twisted the throttle and opened a sizeable advantage prior to winning easily for the third time of the weekend.

The wins gave me a commanding lead in the XC series which is all but sewn up now!

Thanks again for your support,

VP

The latest stop on the Oregon XC Series was Test of Endurance in Blogett, Oregon. While the weather has improved since the Mudslinger utilized some of these trails, we woke up to drizzle and 50 degree temps–again.

Three years ago I came a close second while I got it all right in 2007 when I won this event by a large margin. Last year I was out of town chasing NUE events so it was great to be able to ride a marathon an hour from home.

I wasn’t highly motivated by the conditions and my body seemed to be in a negative biorythm, too. In fact, as soon as we got out of the chute, I thought I might be spending my first Father’s Day in the ICU or even on the slab. My heartrate went sky-high and stayed there for most of the 4 hour race. It was so high that I didn’t believe my Garmin for awhile.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=8520614

Anyway, I quickly fell off the pace set by Adam Craig (Giant) and Barry Wicks (Kona). While I was definitely stressed, I managed the situation well and was able to claw my way back up through the field on the second 25 mile loop.

In the end, I managed “best of the rest” in 3rd place overall. Under the circumstances and considering the alternatives, this makes me really happy!

The new trails were awesome so thanks again to Mike Ripley and the Mudslinger Events crew.

Ciao,

VP