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Tour De Tykes 2008.....

This race always brings back "grueling" memories and this year added to it, but this time with a very positive spin...a First Place win on no less my Single Speed...

My first year at Danville was actually only my 4th Mountain Bike Race ever and I did the XC on Saturday, just placing outside the podium...thought I'd give the DH a try on Sunday...had the "body" armour and full face, just NO SKILLS...sure sounded fun though...just go down hill fast NO uphill...I can do that...yep... until I wiped out and broke my collar bone...

Last year, I was not feeling myself...had been having chest pains...so as Dr. Tony recently told me..."I heard foot steps"...so I took it easy and finished in 9th...all together different story on the short track...I was drafting Ted Cam the entire race and I had someone hooked on my back wheel as well...just as we came out of the woods into the home stretch...the guy behind me bolted to the right of Ted...Ted looked right, yelled out... "oh sh#* Ed he's taking off on..." just then Ted looked left and I had bolted too...getting the jump on the guy that had been following me...it was a sprint to the finish...and poor Ted who had carried us all the way came in third...I nailed the 1st slot.

For this year as you all know I had been in Cali since January doing ALOT of riding and racing...so the expectations were sure high...and most of you were certainly letting me know it...so the pressure was on...the Short track was on Saturday and as usual they have us "Old Farts" racing against the young bucks...ie...GUNNAR BERGEY! My man...15 years old..SO much taller and stronger this year, what a great surprise...the young man is going to be smoking over the next 10+ years in this sport...well he easily had 1st...I was on my new Gary Fisher Superfly...first real ride on it...and first race on gears in months...no excuses, but needless to say I literally RAN the last lap..the rear wheel kept coming off, so not wanting to risk a new bike I decided to RUN...10 minutes later crossed the finish line in 3rd...

The Hill climb was next and I tried that on my Single Speed...I'm sure gears might have been easier, I have just gotten more comfortable on the SS...I have no idea how I finished there, thought I did okay though...it was a real heart pounder, but aren't all hill climbs...this was at least very short lived, nothing like Marysville...

Then the big event on Sunday...13+ miles at 3500' elevation..this is where everyone has been expecting me to stomp after all the riding in Cali with ALL the climbing out there...but as I told a few on the first climb out of the start, when asked "how was Cali"...I explained if I was there racing today it would probably be in the high 60's to low 70's with a slight costal breeze, early morning late afternoon marine layer...geez not that way here...man did that humidity zap the (blah, blah, blah) out of me...90 plus degrees and humidity at least 50+%...again no excuses, but whew, was it hot...I was SO proud of myself to make that first climb out of the start ALL the way...the previous 2 years I couldn't do it all...that has been a new experience for me this year...I learned SO much humility out in Cali getting my butt handed to me in most all the races, that I learned to make little goals for just me in each race, having nothing to do with competition...such as "make it up this hill with out getting off"...do it again...pedal more on this down hill...IF I have to hike it...don't stop to catch breath or drink...keep moving...concentrate on reeling in one at a time...keep pedaling...pedal faster...

The heat was so "choking"..I think I poured more of my water on me than in me...for every drink I also squirted it over my head...that would help, but only for a minute or two...early in the race there was a guy with a S-SS on his calf..so I stuck behind him, he had a good pace...so I figured I'd hang for a while see how he lasted...I knew at the start that I was lined up ahead of most of the SSer's....this was my first encounter...well his pace was slowing and he finally told me to go by...I really didn't see any other SSer's for along time...not till right near the last couple miles..I passed up 2 of them going up hill they were hiking it...then shockingly after the last water stop one of them caught back up to me....and just as I was catching up to another SSer...which turned out at the time to be the lead SSer...well the last hill had us all zapped...I just have learned since Cali...that I can hike and run alot faster up hill than most...plus I HAD TO DO IT!!! If I didn't come in that way you all would never let me hear the end of it...but at the time I really didn't know where I stood..just that I was still picking off SSer's...then after coming in having someone interput the standings that I finished 1st, was truly surprising...Now I have to live up to it...

So off to the Stoopid 50 Marathon this coming weekend...going to give the new Superfly a try, should be a great break in for it...

More to come...