2011 Season. So far...

Still early into 2011, it has already been a kick ass season.

I spent a bit of time training throughout the winter, mostly doing outdoor things like backcountry skiing. I knew I wanted to ramp up my game for the season to come and racing my bike even more this year was definately a given. There was handfull of times that I tried to get on the bike trainer, it's just too boring.

I always just imagined being sponsored by a company and getting to ride my bike all over the world. That came a bit more into reality when we searched for a sponsor this past winter. Due to a couple of awesome people (you know who you are) I got hooked up with a sponsorship from Opus Bicycles. http://www.opusbike.com/ . This was pretty insane. This only happened to far luckier and talented people then me right? It took a while to get my bike, but that was okay cause there was snow on the ground still anyway.
So, when the snow finally started to melt this season I did feel a bit groggy because of the lack of training, but that was cured by getting on my bike, a lot.

Moab riding

Before the snow melted in Cranbrook, a bunch of us planned a trip down to Moab, where the snow was long melted. The trip was crazy good! I have never been that far south and just too see the landscape and meet the locals was great. The biking was unbelieveable as well. We did all the local favorites (Porcupine Rim, Slickrock, etc.) and I was stoked to be riding my bike in such a foreign place and getting a head start on the riding season.

Then came the first race.

This year I put together a race schedule and on the top of the list was the Herron Park XC down in Kalispell, Montana. The day called for rain, and lots of it. About a half hour before the race began, the clouds cleared and the light broke through. I knew this was going to be a good day.

The course was smooth and not a lot of elevation gain, not at all like what I am used to in B.C. It was fast and a lot of double track. Many good riders. I found myself in a pace that I was not used to right off the start gun. I guess this was a result of it being the first race of the season and wanting to show Opus what I can do. There was a longer climb right off the bat, not too steep. Somewhere near the top I found my pace and settled into a groove after giving up a couple places. There was a longer descent right after that eventually breaking into a shorter uphill back to the start line. I did feel a lot better on the second and third laps after finding my pace and hauling ass as much as I could. As a result I finished 8th out of a field of 27 riders in Cat 2. Not knowing what to expect in a race such as this, I was pretty happy with the result.

Herron Park XC - Kalispell Montana - May 22nd 2011

It was a great weekend not only in that I was biking which might be my one true love, but that a bunch of good friends came out to support and also race. Results are posted here: http://www.usacycling.org/results/?permit=2011-1740

Herron Park XC - Kalispell Montana - May 22nd 2011

Then came the second race of the season.

With a bunch of training leading up to this next race, it is always easy to say that I did not train enough or hard enough. But it was a go none the less. This one was in Spokane, and again I found myself doing a race that I have not done before, a 24 hour race. We had a great team, all of us were mainly out for the fun which soon turned into a small competition between us.

Spokane 24hrs Round and Round - May 28th 2011

Again, the course was smooth and fast. Laps were 23km long and got completed in about 55 minutes. It sure was a different thing to be riding my bike at 2:30 in the morning with all sorts of lights attatched to my bike and helmet. But it was sure worth it. Our team "Dusty Bottoms" ranked 4th out of 16 teams in our category which was 5 person CO-ED. But what was even more awesome was that I pulled through with the fastest times on our team. OH YEAH! Here is a list of the results, look under 5 person Co-Ed: http://www.cadencesportsonline.com/pdf/371_overall.pdf

Now it is time to prepare for the next task on June 19th. The North Face 6 Hour Enduro in Kamloops, B.C. I have done a couple of enduros in the past and they are different for sure. Not really about speed, more about endurance. 6 hours can be a really long time if I give it all right away. Whatever the case I am stoked for it. Here is a video to stoke you!