Bonelli and Fontana US Cups

The racing season is well underway after the first few US Cups. Bonelli Park and Fontana were the last two consecutive weekends, hosting world class fields with both races having over 100 racers. With this being my first full season as a Pro I started near the back of the field both weekends, but am excited to be working my way closer to the front each time I race.

Bonelli park is one of my favorite national series courses. Lots of steep climbs and descents, along with man made A-Lines that keep it interesting. Feels as close to a European race course as we get in the US. After a solid preride on Friday I knew I had good legs and was feeling fast on the course. I was excited to go out and race hard after some problems in the first round in Texas. My start position wasn't great, lining up on one of the last rows in the field of over 110 pros. Although it can be intimidating to be looking forward at a sea of riders before I even start it also can be inspiring, a challenge to see how far I can work my way through the pack.

The start was pretty crazy, as to be expected, but I avoided most of the problems and I was able to maintain my position to the first climb where I started to make moves. Although there were a couple wide sections of the trail, there was a significant amount of singletrack. This made passing a little challenging, definitely had to plan to take advantage of every wide spot possible. The 85 degree heat along with the endless climbing really made for a tough race but I seemed to be feeling better every lap, continually passing riders.

This was the first race I have competed on my new FRM Factory Racing Anakin 29er. By far the best hardtail I have ridden. Super light and snappy but also has incredible vertical compliance to create a smooth ride. The Anakin begs to be ridden fast which is a great feeling when you are hurting in a race. Everyone needs to try one of these bikes, FRM has set a new standard for hardtail mountain bikes,  an absolutely exceptional ride.

In the end I moved up about 40 spots to 52nd position. Not a result that I wanted, but part of the process of working my way up towards the front of the field. Going into Fontana next weekend Ill be closer to where I want to be in the start, so mission accomplished. Before we headed back to Flag, I still had the short track to go. Short tracks are crazy fun and I was excited to race hard and work my way up again in the field. Unfortunately one negative of such a short and intense race is that if you have a problem there isn't much of chance to get back in the race. On the first lap I was taken down by a guy trying to make a sketchy pass putting me in second to last position in the field of over 70 riders. I worked my way up for as long as I could but there just wasn't enough time to work as far up the field as I wanted to. I left the short track frustrated with a lot of fire that I really wanted to take out next weekend at Fontana.

I've never been a huge fan of Fontana's cross country courses but I was inspired from last weekend to put down a good result. Again on Friday I got out to preride the course. Definitely different than what I was expecting. Only one big climb every lap, much different than last weekend with lots of ups and down. The style of Bonelli was more of what I was expecting but the benefit of having one big climb is that you also get a big descent. Almost the entire back side of the course was a rad, flowing descent on the side of the mountain. There were also some techy rock sections to keep it interesting.

On Saturday my start position wasn't great again, but it was a bit better than last weekend. To my surprise the field was even bigger than Bonelli with more than 120 guys. The start was hectic but there was a lot more room to pass in the first few minutes this weekend. I attacked hard off the start, knowing that I had to get up through the field fast. After the first lap I had moved up into 32nd position and was feeling solid. Unfortunately I think I had gone for it a little to hard and  going into the third lap I could feel that my legs were really started to fade. I kept the calories coming in and tried to keep it going as well as I could.

Over the next few laps I ended up fading back some. Every once in a while the legs would come around but as I crossed the line I wasn't happy with my performance. I had pushed it way too hard at the start but I was at least able to finish the entirety of the race where nearly half the field got pulled.

Like Bonelli, the Fontana Short Track was the next day. During my warm up I took a few laps and was really happy with the course. Had a couple tight corners, a short climb, and a really fun descent, perfect course in my opinion. Started towards the back of the field again, but off the start I pushed hard and started working up fast through the field. Nearing the end of the race I reached a group with a few fast U23 guys in it. I kept the pace high in the group and on the last lap I attacked hard up the climb. I got a gap on the other U23s and then had a close sprint finish with one of the other guys in the group. I rolled across the line satisfied. Felt good to have worked my way up to where I want to be, finishing in the 20s.

Short track is where you can really test a bike capabilities. The racing is so intense and you are constantly stressing your bike, whether it be sprinting up climbs or railing the tight corners. Again my FRM Factory Racing Anakin 29er impressed me. Never thought a hardtail could be this fun.

Overall a couple successful weekends of racing in California. I really am determined to keep moving forward in the cross country races and will work hard in preparation for my next race, the Sea Otter Classic. Thanks for everyone's support, feels great to always have the best equipment, support crew, and cheers out on the course!

Havasu MBBA

With a rad new bike and a fresh course, I rolled into the third round of the MBAA State Championship Series excited to race. I was surprised by the quality of the course in Havasu, after hearing many mixed reviews at the earlier races of the state series. It was one of my favorite race courses ever, full of rippin, perfectly bench cut, single track, in the mountains overlooking Lake Havasu.

Saturday morning I rolled up to the line focused and ready. Although my legs were feeling a bit tired from the hard training block that I had just completed for the US Cup the next weekend, I knew if I battled hard I could be fast on this course. Seeing TJ Woodruff on the line always makes me nervous though, knowing how strong and consistent he is race after race.

It was finally go time and when the whistle blew my FRM Anakin Full 29" rocketed off the line. I've never ridden a bike so responsive and stiff, no power is wasted into frame flex. I got the whole shot and decided to lead it out for awhile. I kept the pace high and within a couple miles it was down to only TJ and I. As soon as we were alone we started trading pulls, every moment was full gas. TJ was attacking every hill and I was pushing it on the fast single track sections. I knew by the conclusion of our first of 3, 10 mile loops we had gained a significant gap on the rest of the pro field.

Over the next couple laps the pace didn't lessen at all. I would work hard on the climbs to try and stay on TJ's wheel while trying to use my strengths on the descents to recover and keep the pace high.

In the end I was able to pull out the win. I rolled across the line totally smoked. The course and my competition had pushed me to the limit. Perfect preparation for the first US Cup the next weekend.

I would like to thank FRM Factory Racing for making sure I have the best equipment to achieve my goals this year. Havasu was my first race on my new FRM Anakin Full and I couldn't have been happier. It pedals amazingly well with an impressive suspension design that keeps things light while virtually eliminating pedal bob. When its gets rough the suspension opens up and creates one of the best descending cross country bikes I have ridden. Coming in at a weight similar to most hard tails, the FRM Anakin Full is as good as it gets.

Valley of The Sun Stage Race

Time to mix it up a bit. I have really been enjoying the road riding that Tucson has been offering up and I wanted to jump in a race to see how it would go. VOS is a really fun race that super close to home so it seemed perfect. It consists of three stages; TT, Road Race, and Crit.

Stage one was an individual time trial, which is definitely my favorite event. For the first year I had a proper time trial bike and helmet. Still working on getting a disc rear wheel, but big improvement from last year. I was stoked, now with proper equipment, to put in a big effort. As it turned out I had a planned recovery week before the race so I was able to go into the race well rested and mentally ready to go, which is important for an all out effort like a TT. I got to the venue a couple hours early to get all the registration stuff done and make sure everything was ready to go. The TT is really important in VOS as it is pretty hard to gain much time in the other stages. I knew my legs were feeling good so I knew I had go as hard as I could. As I rolled down the start ramp I got up to speed quickly and got into a rhythm. It is about a 1 percent climb on the way out so it makes it easy to really push hard. While warming up, I noticed a slight headwind heading North, meaning the usually fast way back would be a bit slower than usual so I conserved a bit on the climb out, knowing that it would be harder than usual. At the 7 mile marker you turn around get a 3 second break as you make the turn. Then its time to lay it down!! I was hurting but felt like I had paced the first half well and had enough left to make it back to the finish strong. I was happy with my race, I improved by over a minute and a half from last year, even with the wind which was awesome! At the end of the day I ended up in fourth with Michael Dessau in 3rd, Ian Moore in 2nd and Greg Daniel in 1st; at 9,15, and 40 seconds.

Day two was the road race. The course consisted of 4 loops of a 16 mile course with one couple mile long hill. My legs didn't feel bad after yesterday so I was ready to go, hopefully make up some time on the guys ahead of me and conserve the gap to 5th. Again I got in a good warm and up and got to the start line about 10 minutes before the start. A couple of minutes before the start we were informed that the Pro/1 field had a major collision with a car and our start would be delayed. Usually a start is delayed 5, maybe 10 minutes but this took nearly 75 minutes. I just tried to stay hydrated and out of the sun and wait. When the road and the riders were safe our race finally got started, but with a shortened race. It was pretty fast right from the get-go. The Garmin Cervelo guys controlled the group well and kept the pace pretty consistent. On the first lap at the top of the climb, which was also the finish, there was a KOM which offered a time bonus. I needed anything I could get so I went for it. I ended up third over the line but only got one second. I was hoping to get in a break but with the shortened race it didn't happen. I sat in the group for the remaining laps, making sure no one got away. On the final time up the hill I felt good and was ready to battle it out. I was positioned well but with about a mile to the finish got a pedal in my rear wheel. I didn't take me down but I found myself now at the back of the pack. I worked my way back up but had to settle with a pack finish.

The third and final day is the criterium in Downtown Phoenix. I didn't really have too much of a plan for the criterium, I was just going to race hard and see what happened. Like yesterday the race started fast and the group split very quickly. I ended up in a lead group of about 20 riders and felt pretty comfortable. I moved up as the laps clicked down and was positioned well. When it came down to the sprint I just didn't feel the kick and again had to settle for a pack finish. I was satisfied though, I stayed safe and preserved my 4th place GC position.

I was very happy with my performance over the three days. I put in a good race and got to ride with a new bunch of guys who I don't usually see. I also got to meet up with some new teammates on my road team, Flagstaff Cycling. We have some seriously strong riders and I look forward to working with them this year. Next is the Mellow Johnny's Pro XCT in Dripping Springs, Texas. I look forward to the next couple weeks hard training in preparation. I am feeling stronger than ever and am excited to kick of the national season with some good form!

MBAA McDowell State Race

So the first race of the season is done. Its a great way to start off the year with one of my favorite courses. McDowell Regional park is amazing, not only are the competitive tracks top notch, but there is hundreds of miles of great trail all over the park.

The race started early, which I really like. I would rather just get it done with, even if it was 46 degrees outside. The race was just over thirty miles, consisting of three ten mile laps which blended the sport, tech, and long competitive tracks together. Even though the race was pretty long I got in a solid warm up because I knew it would start fast. This year they combined the Pro and Cat 1, 45 and under starts so I started with 45 other guys, I got to the line early and was stoked to get on the front line. Its good to practice starting with a bunch of other guys to prepare for the bigger races. The start was fast and I rolled into the single track in 4th. TJ went to the front and started drilling the pace early. In a matter of ten minutes it was down to 5 guys; TJ, Mimo, Zach, Ty and I. Everyone was riding pretty well and we worked well as a group. After the 1st lap it was down to 4 guys, unfortunately Ty flatter towards the end of lap 1. Lap two went really smooth as well. Everyone stayed together and was riding really fast. Our second lap ended up being a couple of minutes faster then our first.

Coming through the feed zone, going into our third lap, the men's beginner field started. Seeing this the four of us sprinted to the entrance of the lap. Unfortunately we didn't make it in time and ended up behind 40 beginner riders. The first ten minutes of that lap was the most hectic racing I have ever experienced, even more hectic than a World Cup! We were passing a couple of guys at a time but it seemed like we never made any progress because one of us would get caught up in a crash every couple of minutes. Unfortunately two guys went down in front of me and I was forced to get off my bike and run around them. At this point a gap had formed between myself and the other guys. I was able to close it down, but at the expense of a lot of energy. As I got on the tail end of the group we hit another group of beginners and I fell off the back. I still finished off the lap strong and ended up about 1 minute behind the Pro Winner TJ Woodruff. I would have liked to battle it out with the other guys but the strongest guy definitely won. TJ was killing it in our group all day. He was at the front drilling it every lap.

The race was perfect to get back in the swing of riding fast. I felt good for this time of the year and look forward to building on where I am at. I finished off the weekend with an epic shred with Chris Grove on Sunday. We went over Windgate pass, dropping us into Scottsdale and then climbed back up to Tom's Thumb. Chris displayed his amazing skills on the way back up the mountain. He rode some sections that straight up amazed me. 25+ years of riding experience on full display! The ride was also the first time I really could enjoy my new bike. I picked up my 2012 Trek Superfly Pro on Friday before the race. I did some quick adjustments before the race but didn't really have time to dial in the new SID 29 fork or my position. I loved last years bike but they found a way to make this one even better. Super stoked to be racing on a Superfly again for 2012!

AZ Devo Training Camp

After enjoying another beautiful week in Tucson it was time for the AZ Devo Training Camp. The plan was to do some indoor testing Saturday morning followed by a mountain bike ride that afternoon. Sunday we would hit the AZ trail south of town for a couple of hours.

Friday everybody started assembling in Tucson, my parents arrived and we did a nice easy spin with the Glyssons on some trails in Dove mountain. Trail was awesome, twisty and fast with no real elevation gain, perfect for a recovery day. After our spin my parents and I headed up to the Ritz where they would be staying for the weekend, my dad gets crazy cheap rates because of his work so we though we would take advantage of them! We arrived at the front doors and were amazed at the beauty of the Ritz, they really went all out. The staff treated us like royalty, felt pretty cool to be in such a fancy place. So after enjoying some time at the Ritz we went back to the real world and met the Glyssons again for dinner to do some eating to prepare us for the next day.

Woke up bright and early Saturday morning, ate some breakfast, and hopped in the car to meet at the CTS facility. After meeting with some new team members it was time to get to business. We got set up on the Computrainers and started the testing. We did some short peak power efforts followed by a one minute and eight minute all out effort, each inducing large amounts of pain. Those kind of efforts hurt out on the road but on the trainer they find a way to suck even more! I had a pretty good test and was just glad to have them done with. I did a little spin, watched some others complete the testing, and then headed over to a nearby by park where my Dad was grilling a variety of beef burgers, turkey burgers, and veggie burgers. I put down a couple veggie burgers and then it was time to get serious again. It was Bike Polo time!

I had never played polo before but had always wanted to try so I was pretty stoked. We teamed up, went over a couple of basic rules, then let it rip. The first couple of minutes were pretty sad, it is much harder than it looks! But eventually everyone got the hang of it and a battle ensued. It came down to a final, tie-breaking point which would decide the game. My team ended up on top which really didn't mean much considering we were just out there to have some fun. After the polo game rapped up we headed out on the mountain bikes towards Redington Road. I took the opportunity to get in a bit of a workout and sat up at the front and put down a good tempo effort. As we reached the bottom of the actual climb the pace got a little spirited and TJ, Ty, Travis and I booked it up the climb. After getting a bit of a workout it was time to have some fun heading back down. Travis is a pro dirt road descender and led the way, drifting every corner and tucking down every straight away. We all traded turns at the front, getting sketchy in the corners and going way faster than we should have. Got keep it fast to have fun going down dirt roads!

After cruising back into town we all said goodbye and returned home for some well needed showers. That night Justin, the Copleas, and the Glyssons met up with us at Cayton's. Travis' mom works at the Ritz which owns Cayton's so we got to sit in a rad private room. The food was amazing; I guess you get what you pay for. It was pretty expensive but totally worth keeping it cheap for the next couple of days to compensate. With full stomachs everyone parted ways, my parents and I headed right to bed after a long day.

Sunday was another early morning, it was about an hour drive out to our starting point. I had ridden this trail a couple of weeks ago during the CTS training camp and was looking forward to revisiting it. To add to the excitment Sam Schultz, TJ Woodruff, and Frosty were joining us on the ride. The pace was really chill and we all just cruised along, enjoying the awesome trail and scenery. The first few miles of the route is really smooth but as you get further and farther in, it gets more and more technical. Other than the thorn bushes, I would have a hard time imagining a more fun trail. Steep climbs with loose, tech descents. Real Mountain Biking! The cruise back was just as fun as the way in. Cal Skilsky and I shredded back in and my parents and I left pretty quick so my mom could enjoy her las day at the Ritz. After eating some good food we were presently surprised as a host at the Ritz presented us with some free passes to the Spa. No free massages or anything but we got to use the steam rooms, private pools, and relaxation rooms. It was amazing, really enjoyed that afternoon! So after the spa my parents and I chilled out by one of the many outdoor fireplaces before calling it a night.

The next morning, to finish off or luxurious stay, we went down to the breakfast buffets. I usually stay away from buffets because I will always eat more than I should but I wasn't going to pass this up. This took fine dining to a whole new level. I don't even know where to start, the freshly made crepes, waffles, croissants, cheeses, fruits, omelets, and more made for one heck of a feast. I walked out of the buffet, five pounds heavier, but extremely stoked. Totally worth all the riding I will have to do to burn all the calories off. I was sad to see the the stay at the Ritz and my parents go but was stoked to get home and focus in on some school and training for the rest of the week.

Looking forward to the first MBAA state race next weekend at McDowell where I should pick up my new Trek Superfly Pro!

Bug Springs and Molino

Amazing ride today with Jeff Frost. Been spending a lot of time on the road bike and was really craving some dirt. I have been talking to some locals and I heard of the Bug Springs loop, start off the day with some good climbing and then rip almost all the way down the mountain. Sounded good to me. To start the day we headed up the Catalina Highway, we settled in and cruised up Mount Lemmon for about an hour and ten minutes. It was cool to see how many people were on the road. Saw a group of 20 riders all cruising and talking as the made their way up the mountain along with at least 10 other individual cyclists. Tucson really is a "cycling community"! So after our climb to the Little Bear pull off we hopped on dirt for a hike-a-bike section of stairs before we started descending. To my surprise, the trail was dry, I had heard that it was probably still snowy. We hit a couple of snowy patches but overall the trail was super tacky. As soon as the trail headed down I got a little carried away and started rippin. That changed a bit as I hit the first droppy, technical section. I realized I should probably take it a little more chill since all of the technical bits seemed to be after blind corners or after cresting a hill. The technical sections were amazing!! Like I said, they were filled with fun stair-step drops but also had big slabs of granite and little man made rock rollers. As Frosty and I reached the pavement at the bottom of Bug Springs I reflected on how awesome the descent was, definitely my new all around favorite. We still had a bit of descending down the Molino Basin trail though so we cruised over to the trail head. Molino was a bit different than Bug Springs. It was much rougher and didn't quite have as much flow but was still really fun. You had to be a bit more "on it", to carry speed than Bug, where you could just flow and pump down the descent. After shredding down Molino we cruised down the rest of Lemmon on the road. Glad to have found such a good mountain loop to accompany the amazing road riding in Tucson. Definitely hitting up Bug and Molino next week!

Living the Dream!!

Not a lot of new things to report on riding wise. Have been in putting in some long miles on the road bike with some interval sets to keep it interesting. I even managed to get in a mountain bike ride today, which is much harder to come by down here compared to Flagstaff. Biggest change is that I have been working a lot more on some mental training. Training, on the bike, is a huge part to success but I have to start taking the mental side of riding much more seriously. I have been doing some exercises and reading sports psychology books to help improve that aspect of my racing. I really feel that investing in this as well as working my butt of on the bike will lead to good things this year.So, I guess, everything is going really well. I am feeling the strongest, mentally and physically, that I have ever have. I am still really enjoying riding my bike and am super motivated about training and racing in 2012. One thing that I have been missing though, other than my family, is shredding some dirt. Luckily tomorrow I am meeting up with Jeff Frost, aka Frosty, to ride Bug Springs Trail on Lemmon. Should be tons of fun, really stoked! I will post some pictures and report on the ride soon.

Merry Christmas!

This week was full of good things. Got in some great riding in Tuscon then headed up to Flagstaff to visit my family and get in a shred in Sedona.

I started up the week by changing the training a little bit. I transitioned from doing long moderate intensity rides with strength training to some more structured efforts. It felt good to really push it hard again and I even had some descent power. These intervals also doubled as a kind of test. I did a couple of back to back interval days, the second day as part of a longer ride. This was to see how responsive my body was to hard work after a pretty extended period of moderate intensity. The first day went well, didn't quite maintain my cadence requirements but got the power up. The second day went even better, hit my intervals really well, maintaining the power and cadence, and then followed that up by heading over to Lemon where I ran into Chloe Forsman and cruised with her for a while. As soon as I got home from my ride I drank some Hammer Recoverite and hopped in my car. It was already getting pretty late and I wanted to get to Flagstaff at a reasonable time.

After driving for four hours up to Flag I arrived home to some pretty stoked parents. We hung out for a little while before I headed to bed with some really sore legs that were not helped by going from bike to car in 15 minutes back in Tuscon. I awoke after 11 hours of well needed sleep to snow in Flag. It just wouldn't have felt right spending Christmas in the desert, needed some snow. Was pretty lazy overall while in Flag, but did fit in a longer ride on Christmas Eve in Sedona. Went on a road ride with Chuck, Ken, and my neighbor Jay down Page Springs road, up to Jerome, and then back up the highway into Sedona. Had to burn off some serious calories to justify the eating which was going to take place the next day.

After opening up some great presents and hanging out with parents all day we got ready for Christmas Dinner. Our buddy Dave and his daughters joined us for the feast. My mom prepared some beautiful prime rib, potatoes, asparagus, and rolls. After chowing down the amazing food we followed it up with a game of Taboo. Had a great time, tons of laughs and some good competition.

The trip seemed to have flown by as I packed up the car Monday morning with my Dad. We said our goodbyes and then I headed for my grandparents' houses in Phoenix. I visited my Grandma that I hadn't seen in a while and then headed for my other grandparents house. After hanging out there for a while I fit in a ride on Beeline Highway and through Fountain Hills before another great dinner that my Grandma prepared. With a full stomach I finally finished off the trip and drove the remaining distance back to Tuscon.

Had a great week, looking forward to next. A South African mountain biker is moving in with Justin and I and I am going to hit up some of the local group rides! Stay tuned!

Week One Down!

So the first week in Tucson is done! A pretty rad one to say the least. If every week is half as fun as this one, I am going to have one great stay down in the Old Pueblo.

As I mentioned in the previous post I would be partaking in a training camp headed by my coach Justin Peschka this week. A couple of my friends including Shane Skelton, the top ranked Cat 1 15-16 in the country and all around shredder, Chuck Bruni, Ken Koch, and Shane's dad Scotty would be joining in on the camp. With all of the riders showing up Wednesday morning we decided to get right to work and do some fitness testing on Mount Lemon. The test consisted of one, all out effort on the first 3 miles of Mount Lemon road. I had an awesome performance, which I was really stoked about considering I hadn't done an effort that hard in a couple of months. It is awesome to have that test done so I can compare numbers as it gets closer to the season. After everyone finished their test, we cruised up the road for another 45 minutes at a tempo effort just to loosen up the legs a bit from the effort. After pace lining it down the mountain we headed for the showers before eating at El Taco Tote.

The plan for day two was just to get in a long ride at a consistent endurance effort. As we headed out of the Carmichael Training Systems parking lot we realized this might not be a possibility. Huge gusts of wind blew from every direction with a more steady gale right in our faces. The first ten miles we averaged about 9 mph on pavement, we were on mountain bikes but to go 9 mph was a near all out effort. I felt good though, so I took the horrific wind as an opportunity to push it a little bit. I sat at the front for the first 45 minutes or so before we got into a little more sheltered environment. As we hit the dirt on Redington Road we started climbing. This climb was an awesome, perfect climb, with no cars and great views. Shane, Ken and I took off and held a good pace to the top of the climb where we waited for the rest of the group. All back together now, we headed onto some more treacherous terrain. We headed down an unnamed canyon with plenty of rock drops, berms, and steep climbs. This lifted our spirits which had been broken down a bit by the unrelenting wind earlier in our ride. After climbing up another canyon road we made our way back to Redington Road to start our descent back into town. The once headwind, turned into an amazing tailwind. We made it back to town in a third of the time it took us to get out. Although we were riding our burly, knobby tires it felt like we were riding road bikes, cruising through town at 25 miles per hour with nearly no effort at all. After making it back to CTS we all headed our separate ways to shower and take some well deserved naps before heading to dinner. We met up at one of my favorite restaurants, Trattoria Pina. We had a great dinner, followed by some great conversation and dessert. I am really lucky to have such rad friends!

Day three was climbing day. We started out the day with a 45 minute car drive to the base of Mount Hopkins. I was told this was a must do for anyone in the Tucson area so I was pretty stoked. As the group headed out, Shane and I took off to cruise up the hill at a little faster pace than the rest. We soon found ourselves high in the mountains. I was astounded by the climb, living in Flagstaff I always thought we had some good climbs, we had nothing compared to this. After 10 kilometers we were already well above six thousand feet. As we continued to climb the weather got worse and worse. We went from riding in tacky, 50 degree conditions to snowy, 40 degree conditions until we neared the summit and ended our climb with a 100 meter long stretch of 35 degree incline into 30 degree temperatures and nearly a foot of snow. We hurried to put on our jackets an eat a bar, before heading down the hill. We descended quickly back to better conditions where we passed and encouraged the others as they continued to make it up the hill. Once we could finally feel our fingers well enough to shred we hopped off the main path and took a steep, rocky road that would also take us back down to the cars. I had a ton of fun watching Shane shred and drift up the trail ahead of me as I did the same. I was bummed as we hit the parking because the shred had ended but stoked to turn on the truck and blast the heat. While warming up we checked out the Garmin file of the climb, we climbed 4500 ft in just over 20 kilometers, taking us above 9000 ft. Quite the climb! We ended the day by indulging at In and Out and watching some movies at Justin's house.

Day four was promised to be an all single track day so I was pretty stoked. Even though the Skeltons and Ken had to start on their way home Chuck, Justin and I were ready to go bright and early. We drove south, out of Tucson to meet up with the AZ trail. With rain clouds threatening, we kept the pace brisk ensuring we would finish before getting dumped on. The trail was amazing. Narrow, tight, and twisty single track through the cacti with some fun climbs and descents thrown in. At about mile 12 we decided to start heading back, a bit tired from the days before. The way out was mostly climbing so we flew on the way back. Dipping and diving through the corners with amazingly tacky dirt, doesn't get any better! All of us, completely stoked, arrived back at the car satisfied with a good four days of training and a ton of fun. We headed to Subway to take advantage of their awesome December Deals before going home. Chuck headed back to Flagstaff and the camp was officially over.

Although I was bummed to see my buddies leave I was stoked at all of the riding possibilities that I had had explored over the last four days. I know there is much, much more and I look forward to exploring next week before I head back home for Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone!

Arrived in Tucson!

Made It! I was greeted with beautiful weather, just what I was looking for! I have been dreaming of escaping the cold and snow of Flagstaff for many winters now and it is extremely exciting to finally do it. I am going to be staying at my coach's house for the next couple of months in preparation for the racing season, which seems to start earlier and earlier every year. I am in an awesome location, right downtown with plenty of riding in every direction. After unpacking and settling into my new room there was nothing left to do but go ride. Headed east towards Star Pass where I had been told there was awesome trails. Took about 40 minutes on pavement to get to the trail head, something I am not accustomed to. From my garage in Flagstaff it takes about 1 minute to hit trail, I guess I have been a little spoiled! I knew that living in Tucson would mean a lot more road riding, which is fine with me. So back to the ride. First thing I noticed as I hit dirt was how rocky the trails were. In Flag we have some seriously technical trails, but these were tech in a different way. All the rocks were super sharp and jagged and half the trails were sandy washes. Something I will have to get used to I guess. Although the trails were different I had a ton of fun, putting down an an hour and a half of solid riding on dirt. Its always cool to mix it up a bit and work on some different skills that I don't get to work on that often. The Trek Superfly 100 is amazing at soaking up all of the new challenges I am facing out there. Really happy with the decision I made to bring it down here. After the shredding, another 40 minute commute through town to get home. I actually didn't mind riding the mountain bike through the streets though, I just hopped curbs and found street obstacles to mess around on. Got to keep it interesting! That's the name of the game for the next few months; work hard and have some fun in a new environment. I know this is a critical move, especially with the big races starting in March. This upcoming week I jump right into it with a training camp put on by my coach Justin Peschka at Carmichael Training Systems. Stay tuned for a report on the training camp and my other adventures in Tucson.