Sea Slaughter
Well, Sea Otter has come and gone…and if I forget it soon, I won’t miss it. This was my first big weekend with Pedro’s and also my first big race of the year. The last 3 weeks have been really hard on my training. I’ve been traveling more than any time in my life and most of it has been driving long days. I think the biggest thing is that, since I got my new job, I’ve been on other people’s schedule. Go to Florida at this time, to follow this guy’s schedule for shop visits, then fly to Mass and get stranded for 2 days at the hotel, spend time in the office, then drive straight across the country only to head to Cali 2 days later. All in really crappy weather too! Oh, and now I’m back to Mass for a few days before heading home. It’s been a lot. I’m tired, my legs are weak and I’m home sick. A couple of weeks at home will be really nice. Spend time with my friends and animals…ride my bike again, plan for my trips (finally on my schedule) and take care of Gf (see below).
The weekend with Pedro’s was pretty good. I met a lot of industry people that everyone else already knows. I started making contacts (huge props to Ralph and the Michelin crew) and interacting with our customers and mechanics. It was a long 5 days, but a valuable experience and people seem to be embracing our philosophies. It is funny how customers expect you to give them better deals on items that you’re selling. It’s like they feel entitled to an even better discount (our stuff was already marked down an average of 25%). Those people were actually few and far between, but they stand out. I wonder if I was like that… Most loved our deals and products available. I felt like I had little down time at the event, so I didn’t get a chance to check out many booths or comps, but that’s ok. I felt a little bad because I didn’t feel like I could cruise around w/GF. She was bored a lot of the time and I felt bad about it. Props again to the guys at Michelin, Crank Bros and Camelback! They all got me going for the weekend’s events.
Oh racing…racing, racing… Just never had it going this weekend. Weak legs=bad races. I was excited for the short track because I like them and usually do well. Got on my bike with plenty of time to warm up well. Something I don’t usually do. Got warm, checked out the course, practiced some lines and did a few efforts. The excitement was building and I was feeling good. I can usually fake my way through the semi pro stcx even if I’m not feeling great. During the warm up, it started raining. Raining really hard. I couldn’t see, it was windy and the rain was causing pain as it was pelting me through my spandex! I finished my warm up in a torrential downpour, headed to the van and got some dry clothes and gloves, then headed to the start. They ended up announcing a delay in our start, but then moved us to 3 hours later, so they wouldn’t screw up the pro’s start times. Made sense, but was lame. After that it was back to the van for food and a warm up session (warming my core that is). Finding the motivation to get ready again was pretty hard, but I managed, albeit with a much worse warm up this time. The race was now a mud fest (dry when we started warming up), but with my sweet new Michelin wild grippers (1.75 and green!), I didn’t have a problem finding traction and the good line. Early on I watched Country Jimmy blow the field up. He got up to like a 15 second gap on second place, but couldn’t hold it. He still finished a personal best 2nd! Nice work Jimmy! I felt good early and started working my way up to 2nd riding my way around the fools w/bad tires and skills. It didn’t last long though, because they had faster legs. My little bit of skill was no mach for their speed and a few late mistakes landed me in 8th. Not too bad, but disappointing.
The XC was next on the schedule. Now, for those who don’t know, the Otter xc is long. For the Semi-pro field last year I think the winning time was 2:50. That’s long for an xc. I knew I was in for a long one, so I was trying to mentally prepare, all the while working the booth and waiting for GF to finish her first ever expert race. We cut it short in the morning and she didn’t get much warm up time, uh, any, but I still figured she would finish around top 5, so when they started coming in, I was getting worried. I had hoped that she didn’t flat, or totally bonk as the minutes went by. Then I saw her…limping over on crutches. One of the many steep, fast descents ended up taking her out, just as she was in the top 5. The hill sides there drain really well, but it leaves these eroded trenches that can catch you off guard. One of those trenches along with brand new cleats meant a super bad sprained (but not broken) ankle. She’s tough though and hopped her way out until a ride was to be had. Just one more hiccup in a bad Friday the 13th weekend for her. My race didn’t go much different. Lack of warm up after helping GF and dead legs = almost dead last. I just never had it. No power on the many steep ups, but I had fun ripping the downs! The small victory is that I didn’t cramp! Used the Camelback and a bottle to accomplish that feat. Hmm, seems like it’s back to the drawing bored for training. I should be faster than this, but I understand the weeks and days leading into the event. Not ideal. After a few days in Mass again, it’s home for at least 10 days of rest, relaxation and quality rides. Can’t wait! Sorry, no pics from the Otter this year. Hope ya’lls r doing well.
The weekend with Pedro’s was pretty good. I met a lot of industry people that everyone else already knows. I started making contacts (huge props to Ralph and the Michelin crew) and interacting with our customers and mechanics. It was a long 5 days, but a valuable experience and people seem to be embracing our philosophies. It is funny how customers expect you to give them better deals on items that you’re selling. It’s like they feel entitled to an even better discount (our stuff was already marked down an average of 25%). Those people were actually few and far between, but they stand out. I wonder if I was like that… Most loved our deals and products available. I felt like I had little down time at the event, so I didn’t get a chance to check out many booths or comps, but that’s ok. I felt a little bad because I didn’t feel like I could cruise around w/GF. She was bored a lot of the time and I felt bad about it. Props again to the guys at Michelin, Crank Bros and Camelback! They all got me going for the weekend’s events.
Oh racing…racing, racing… Just never had it going this weekend. Weak legs=bad races. I was excited for the short track because I like them and usually do well. Got on my bike with plenty of time to warm up well. Something I don’t usually do. Got warm, checked out the course, practiced some lines and did a few efforts. The excitement was building and I was feeling good. I can usually fake my way through the semi pro stcx even if I’m not feeling great. During the warm up, it started raining. Raining really hard. I couldn’t see, it was windy and the rain was causing pain as it was pelting me through my spandex! I finished my warm up in a torrential downpour, headed to the van and got some dry clothes and gloves, then headed to the start. They ended up announcing a delay in our start, but then moved us to 3 hours later, so they wouldn’t screw up the pro’s start times. Made sense, but was lame. After that it was back to the van for food and a warm up session (warming my core that is). Finding the motivation to get ready again was pretty hard, but I managed, albeit with a much worse warm up this time. The race was now a mud fest (dry when we started warming up), but with my sweet new Michelin wild grippers (1.75 and green!), I didn’t have a problem finding traction and the good line. Early on I watched Country Jimmy blow the field up. He got up to like a 15 second gap on second place, but couldn’t hold it. He still finished a personal best 2nd! Nice work Jimmy! I felt good early and started working my way up to 2nd riding my way around the fools w/bad tires and skills. It didn’t last long though, because they had faster legs. My little bit of skill was no mach for their speed and a few late mistakes landed me in 8th. Not too bad, but disappointing.
The XC was next on the schedule. Now, for those who don’t know, the Otter xc is long. For the Semi-pro field last year I think the winning time was 2:50. That’s long for an xc. I knew I was in for a long one, so I was trying to mentally prepare, all the while working the booth and waiting for GF to finish her first ever expert race. We cut it short in the morning and she didn’t get much warm up time, uh, any, but I still figured she would finish around top 5, so when they started coming in, I was getting worried. I had hoped that she didn’t flat, or totally bonk as the minutes went by. Then I saw her…limping over on crutches. One of the many steep, fast descents ended up taking her out, just as she was in the top 5. The hill sides there drain really well, but it leaves these eroded trenches that can catch you off guard. One of those trenches along with brand new cleats meant a super bad sprained (but not broken) ankle. She’s tough though and hopped her way out until a ride was to be had. Just one more hiccup in a bad Friday the 13th weekend for her. My race didn’t go much different. Lack of warm up after helping GF and dead legs = almost dead last. I just never had it. No power on the many steep ups, but I had fun ripping the downs! The small victory is that I didn’t cramp! Used the Camelback and a bottle to accomplish that feat. Hmm, seems like it’s back to the drawing bored for training. I should be faster than this, but I understand the weeks and days leading into the event. Not ideal. After a few days in Mass again, it’s home for at least 10 days of rest, relaxation and quality rides. Can’t wait! Sorry, no pics from the Otter this year. Hope ya’lls r doing well.
