Grand Junction Race Report
This weekend we traveled to Grand Junction for the last race before Regional Championships, and two weeks before National Championships. We arrived to our host housing at about 8 pm on Friday night. Waiting for us was potato soup and bread...it was unbelievable to eat good home cooked food. It rained all night, and when we arrived at the short track location, it was too muddy to race, so the race was moved to the college campus. I sat out this race, but had a great time watching. Fort Lewis swept the podium as usual...our best rider was Steve who finished around 10th probably. Phil was having a good race but flatted on a stair set, and Gordon would not let me take the wheel off his bike to give to Phil...what a jerk. For the most part it was a pretty uneventful day, but I had fun watching the action.
The XC was what I was waiting for. I knew I had fresh legs and I also knew that it was going to be a little sloppy...perfect conditions for me. I was super aggressive from the start, trying to make my way up to the FLC train. I think I ended up somewhere around 12-13th after the first lap. I ended up just powering down and riding the race so well, working my way up to 8th for my best finish of the year. I beat some good people, like Yuki Saeto, Blake, and Trevor, so I was really happy with how I raced. I got 8th last weekend, but FLC didn't have any riders, so it was good to get that same result with all the fast guys there. Hagman won, I think I was a little over 10 minutes off his pace. The best part about this race is that it really wasn't my type of course. I'm really looking forward to the XC next weekend because my form is coming along really nicely. I have no idea what our team for nationals is looking like right now, but I know Andy has a lot of confidence in me so hopefully that means I'll get to race once or twice in New Mexico. I guess I'll just have to throw down next weekend and see what happens...
After a somewhat scary experience on Thursday, I decided to get some new brakes for my cross bike. I was descending Rist Canyon, and near the top this is this right hand switchback that you come into pretty hot. My brakes weren't really slowing me down too well and I ended up in the wrong lane, and almost in the guard rail. I was lucky another car wasn't coming. I'm gonna get the Empella Froglegs, I hear they are pretty sweet brakes. I still haven't decided whether or not I'm going to run a single on my cross bike or not. If I want to do it the good way, I will have to order a 40 tooth chainring, some Cane Creek hoods, and a 3rd eye chain watcher. If I want to do it the ghetto way I can take the 39 tooth off my road bike, use the same brake hood/lever, and still buy a 3rd eye. Option one will cost probably cost me about $70, whereas option two will only cost me about $8. I just ran the numbers, and the Cane Creek hood is only 37 grams lighter than what I have now...I guess I'll go for option two. I'll end up saving the weight from the cable/housing of the front derailleur, the front derailleur, and the teeth that I'm going to grind off my 48 tooth. I could also bring the lever to the bike shop and ask them to take out all the shifting mechanisms and see what they can do...
The XC was what I was waiting for. I knew I had fresh legs and I also knew that it was going to be a little sloppy...perfect conditions for me. I was super aggressive from the start, trying to make my way up to the FLC train. I think I ended up somewhere around 12-13th after the first lap. I ended up just powering down and riding the race so well, working my way up to 8th for my best finish of the year. I beat some good people, like Yuki Saeto, Blake, and Trevor, so I was really happy with how I raced. I got 8th last weekend, but FLC didn't have any riders, so it was good to get that same result with all the fast guys there. Hagman won, I think I was a little over 10 minutes off his pace. The best part about this race is that it really wasn't my type of course. I'm really looking forward to the XC next weekend because my form is coming along really nicely. I have no idea what our team for nationals is looking like right now, but I know Andy has a lot of confidence in me so hopefully that means I'll get to race once or twice in New Mexico. I guess I'll just have to throw down next weekend and see what happens...
After a somewhat scary experience on Thursday, I decided to get some new brakes for my cross bike. I was descending Rist Canyon, and near the top this is this right hand switchback that you come into pretty hot. My brakes weren't really slowing me down too well and I ended up in the wrong lane, and almost in the guard rail. I was lucky another car wasn't coming. I'm gonna get the Empella Froglegs, I hear they are pretty sweet brakes. I still haven't decided whether or not I'm going to run a single on my cross bike or not. If I want to do it the good way, I will have to order a 40 tooth chainring, some Cane Creek hoods, and a 3rd eye chain watcher. If I want to do it the ghetto way I can take the 39 tooth off my road bike, use the same brake hood/lever, and still buy a 3rd eye. Option one will cost probably cost me about $70, whereas option two will only cost me about $8. I just ran the numbers, and the Cane Creek hood is only 37 grams lighter than what I have now...I guess I'll go for option two. I'll end up saving the weight from the cable/housing of the front derailleur, the front derailleur, and the teeth that I'm going to grind off my 48 tooth. I could also bring the lever to the bike shop and ask them to take out all the shifting mechanisms and see what they can do...
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