So Far This Year....

I'm entering my third year of racing. Each year, I line up at the starting line of the season-opening mountain bike race wondering where I stack up after everyone's off-season. I was a bit intimidated this year as it would be my first year racing in the expert class. So far, things are going well. Race reports below:


Desert Classic Duathlon (2/24/08)

The morning greeted us with a beautiful sunrise. Today would be my first race on a road bike. Got a killer Velovie from Bicycle showcase. If you know me well enough, you know that the only reason I know its a great bike is because other people who know about bikes told me it is. The first run was solid for me, not great, but solid. I think my pace worked out to be 5:51 per mile for 3.5 miles. I thought, based on MTB races, that once I got on the bike, I'd excel. Not the case today. I was served a nice pice of humble pie, and I ate every last bite. The second run, a 2.7 mile jaunt, was traversed at a 6:28/mile pace. Again, good, but not great. Final result - 3rd in the 30-34 age-group. More work to do before the season starts! Positives on the day, Brian Barrett and Stephen Stromberg - good friends of mine - both looked strong. Stephen qualified for Duathlon worlds in Italy and Brian showed everyone that he's ready to kick some a** this year. We were all podium finishers and as such are all now proud owners of a Phx Tri Club cowbell.



24 Hours of Old Pueblo (2/16-2/17/08)

Myself and Trevor Glavin, James Walsh , and Brian Barrett - three Xterra triathletes - good ones, too - all decided to do this race together. This was one of those things where we signed up back in October or November or something before we remembered that it could get pretty cold and nasty down in Tucson in February. Have you ever had to speak to a group and you know you should sit down and organize your thoughts, but instead you just say - ah, I'll just say whatever comes to mind at the moment? That's about the level of preparedness we exhibited as we rolled up to camp in 38 degree weather with nothing but tents and sleeping bags. I don't think James and I got out of the car for more than 10 minutes at a shot. Within the first twenty minutes, it was snowing. It didn't take long for us to retreat to the nearest form of lodging. We sought out the most luxurious of accommodations in San Manuel, AZ and dined in style at the town's mexican restaurant. On race-day, my eager teammates made two decisions - 1) we were going to run for an hour just before the race started and 2) I was going to pull the first leg of the race. The le-mans start was different - I probably was 40th on the bike and within the first minute on the bike - 5th or 6th and feeling good that I could keep up with the lead pack. Unbeknownst to me was that my front tire was leaking air and within 5-10 minutes, I took a digger (see picture at the top of the page). I felt like crap - we had to pull out of the race as I was in need of some stitching up. I offered to go and get stitched up and return to ride, but my teammates felt bad about me going to the hospital on my own. I think we were all secretly relieved to have a solid excuse not to ride through a 30-some degree night with no form of heat at all. I was more than fine bailing on this one.


White Tanks Whirlwind (2/9/08)

The second MBAA race was at White Tanks. I couldn't believe how green the desert was. We've been getting a ton of rain (by Arizona standards) and there's green grass growing in the desert. In any case, my first goal in this race was to make it to the starting line on time and actually start at the front of the pack. I made it to the front and had a good race. Once the gun went off, five to six of us shot out and held a pretty good pace for the first lap. Race strategy for me was to have a hard first lap, settle into a solid pace second and third lap while staying with the lead pack, and then to ride hard for the last lap. It worked and I ended up winning the 19-39 expert class. I even had enough energy to go for a 2.5 mile run immediately following the race. I wasn't setting any records - 7:45-8:00 miles, but it was a victory for me because I was able to ride hard and run fairly well afterwards. I'll miss the next MTB race due to some traveling, but will be back to the starting line for the 3/15 race in Sonoita.


McDowell Meltdown (1/19/08)

I nearly missed the start of the first race at McDowell Mountain Park and ended up lining up at the back of the pack. Climbed and clawed my way back to third - missed first place by something like 46 seconds. The riders in the MBAA series are a strong group and it definitely helps me to push my riding up to their level. Final result - 3rd place - Expert Men 19-39

The off-season...

This off-season has been hectic. I was given the opportunity to buy a business at the end of last year and it was too good of a match to pass it up. The unfortunate timing of things was that this opportunity came right before Nationals and Worlds. It's been busy, but even with the stresses and pressures of running a business, I've managed to get a good amount of training in during the off-season (Thanks to a great staff of employees and an extremely understanding wife).

On a promising note, I've been given the opportunity to represent the Phoenix Triathlon Club as a supported team member. They're a great group of people with a mission statement that I feel I can stand behind. There aren't many fat-tires in the group, but I'll convert a couple before the year is done! I've also been selected to Team Aquaphor and will do my best to represent them well.

I'm looking forward to another good year for me and all of my fellow competitors (I just hope mine's a little better).