The week came to an end with another couple long endurance rides. I also got in my first mtb race. Tim, a local cyclist, convinced me that I had to do this Desert Dash 5 mile mountain bike race. “Sure” I said, but only one problem, I don’t have a mountain bike… He did some looking around and found a Raleigh M-60 for me to race.
No joke. The frame fit ok, but the seatpost was about three inches too short. We’ll, I’ll just go out of the saddle for the 20 minute climb I thought to myself. This tactic would have won the race for me, but Craig Kidd from Idaho was also here, and he was very strong. After the midway point he pulled around me and I never was able to match the effort. Riding out of the saddle like that isn’t so efficient! Lesson learned. A good time had by all, and Craig was a pretty cool guy. It turns out he’s ridden with some other pros and noted that he watched the Shrivers go through the ranks. What a small world, we cyclists live in…
With a rest week now in full force I’ll be exercising my mind instead of my legs. I’ve got a couple new books to read this week, along with some new Gazetteers to flip through in search of California rides to do. I figured it would be good to familiarize myself with the roads before I actually move there in a couple of weeks.
The weather sounds as cold as ever back home. I’m glad that I’m missing out! Watching the men’s 4×10km relay I did get some goose bumps and wish for some snow to shred. Those Italians were untouchable. Perhaps I’ll be able to pull off two sports sometime in my career, but for now I want to figure out this cycling thing… Keep it real, TJ
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