Colorado So Far!!

As most of you know I have gone out to Durango Colorado for a month of training with my coach Drew Edsall to not only do the National race in Utah on July 27th- 28th but also to go back east and try and get some good finishes in New York on July 11th- 12th and Hopefully the next weekend in Vermont for the National Championship on July 16th - 20th!!

So far I have rode every day but one to recover since the training is so hard here. It is almost impossible to find somewhere here without a minute climb that you cant help but here your head throb only half way up! Well anyways the training is killer. The trails are just amazing and the best I have ever rode, the only problem is saving some energy for the next day. I have logged in around 13 hours already in the first week being here. The biggest problem I still have is my breathing. I need a little more time to aclamate because riding at 0-130 feet above sea level back home to riding at 6500-9000 feet above sea level out here is a little harder.

However tomorrow I am going to try a practice short track the Durango Devo is putting on and see where my fitness stands against the locals out here. Then to follow that I have some more hard training to finish out the second week here.

Soon I hope to have some pictures up so I can share the beauty of this place with you all. For now though I will just keep riding and enjoying.

Bump & Grind

And CRAMP!! AAAHHH

Well we started our trip out to colorado and did the Bump and Grind national calendar race on the way out. The race took place in Pelham, AL right below Birmingham. The race is what I would say the biggest race in the southeast with the most talent around lined up on one line for a 17 mile course with a grueling climb about 1/2 way through. I went into the rce feeling pretty good and ready to post a solid finish. I started on the second row and still got a decent start. I was up in the top 10 for the beginnig with no intention of moving up until later if possible. As we can out to the climb on the first lap I simply sat up and rode my own race. Of course a few riders instantly shot out about 20 feet and just sat there. As the climb went on I felt okay. I simply reeled the other riders in at the top when they hurt the most. Coming through the first lap I was probably in around 16th or 17th which was mid pack, however I knew I put out a good lap time and just hoped I could do it again.

Beginning the second lap about 3-4 miles into my legs where really still feeling strong but starting to quiver so I knew I would have probably later. I was however still moving up in my class. So as I crested the climb for the last time I felt good and was in a solid 10th place however right before you shoot into blood rock the most technical part of the trail my friend michael viertel blew by me telling me to stay strong. Well this got me a little fired up so I paced myself an d caught up to him slowly. I was plannong on seeing how the last climb went then trying to pick up the pace however on that climb my legs started to lock up and I had to warch mike walk away from me just so i could finish the lap. I continued to ride my best through the cramps and finished a solid 11th place overall and 5th place out of the semi pro's.

Congratulations for the top spot going to RYAN WOODALL once again as he was out the blazing the course once again and won the pro field for the second time in a row. Also good job to my coach Drew Edsall for placing 6th overall and 1st out of the semi pro's. Jamie Knight was also in the house taking the win in the Junior Expert class with a fast time. And as always Regan Woodall was there to liven things up, but was unable to race so he can start up training for the East Coast nationals!! Thanks for all the help this year from everyone at this race and look for me on that podium next year with no cramps.

California National

So lets start this off by saying this was one of the best trips ever. Not only did I get to travel to California, Race a national, hang out for a few days with some of my best friends, and get a wicked sun tan from a california heat wave..haha..Oh yeah and I didnt even mention the course yet!! Lets just say an 11 mile course with climbs so grueling they make pro racers look really human..

So the flight out was pretty good and I got to fly all day with Ryan and Drew. As we arrived at the airport in Santa Babara finally my day got even better as my friend Mike had come prepared for the trip sporting this super funny haircut and shirts..Finally we all got our luggage and rental car and headed to the hotel to build bikes. Well except Drew cause they did him a huge favor and didnt get his luggage until the next day. Once all was said and done we headed to the course to look at the venue, and I took off for a real long easy lap..

The next day we headed to the course so everyone could get in a ride and check out the course. We meet up with the knights there and our crew was complete. As everyone finished up there day we went to dinner to get in some good ole pasta and sleep.

So saturday was upon us and I was feeling good for cross country. I got to line up on the front row and had a decent start with no intentions but to pace myself and finsih strong. COming throught the first lap I was in mid pack and still felt strong. I waited until the end of the second lap to start making a few moves and move up a little. I ended up getting a little screwed over at the end and not able to get two riders I could of easily beat, but at least finished strong. After checking the results I ended up in 28th place out of like 50 riders. This got me a little down but I was happy with my performance in the 106 degree weather..

Well sunday was here and we had short track, but dont let the name fool you. This is a 20 minute race where you are seeing stars the whole time or hitting a wall on a tricycle. Well lets just say I got another good start and tried to pace myself off the leaders. I was in the top 10 the first say 6-7 minutes then I absolutely crashed. I finished the race barely able to move. I was hurting worst than ever but I knew I had to finish because I never drop out and that does nothing good for you but make it easier to quit next time.

So that was all for the trip. The race was awesome and I learned a lot about big races. As I headed back to florida I could not get the good times out of my head, and knew the trip was well worth it.