Welcome to the 2010 King of Burligame!

Let me start out by pointing out that I finished the 2009 race season w/ a double flat,  a cracked rim, and a pretty DNF (admittedly in a pretty good season overall though) .

2010 ain't looking so pretty right now.

Started out training like a maniac.  3 hours x 3 a week on the trainer + 1 1/2 hour recovery rides in between.  15 hours a week on the trainer some weeks.  That a long ass time on the trainer in a week.  Was motived as all hell.  Finally racing Cat 1 and knew I would be lining up against Johny B and Kevin H.  Never had any aspirations to beat them, but did want to try to stay w/ them at least the first lap.  Next year, maybe two laps, etc...  But then at the end of Jan, my knee gave out. Since then have maybe been lucky to get 3 hours a week on the bike. All those months on the trainer,  FUCKING GONE!!!  Maybe...just maybe i hoped I would have some of that left in me.  Maybe....

So nervous about how much fitness I had lost, I barely slept the night before the race.  Got there somewhat late of course and only had about 15 minutes to warm up. Nate and I had pre ridden the course the day before and knew what to expect.  Had chosen my lines pretty successfully during the pre ride and was able to ride everything w/out too much difficulty.   It had some deep water sections and mud sections but the technical sections were mostly dry. It was all very rideable.

Anyways the race went something like this:

It sucked!  It fucking sucked large dirty monkey ass! I flatted 3 miles in, struggled to change the flat since I and the tire were covered in mud.  Also my first air cartridge leaked most of its air before I got it on the tire.   Finally got back on the bike, rode for 2 miles before realizing that when I put my wheel back on, I had put it in crooked and the brake was rubbing like crazy, which also explained the incomprehensible level of energy I was exhorting to barely be moving forwards.  My hr was like 200 + and I was barely doing 5 mph!  In my changing of the tire haste I had also put on the skewer on way too tight, so it took three minutes, lots of swearing and me standing on my rear tire w/ both hands on the skewer to get the %$@! thing to release.  I then proceeded to hit every single %&*^ rock, tree and mud hole there was not only on the course but off the course as well.  Finally finished to DFL my first Cat 1 race of 2010.  Good start of the season, and hopefully not a sign of things to come!