As the trees outside my window start to change color, and the summer CB Devo program comes to an end, once again I am in awe at how fast the summer has gone by. Between racing both the BME and Enduro cup series, coaching CB Devo, racing two EWS races and squeezing in a few epic trail rides, this summer has been one for the books!
Lets start with the Enduro World Series races or EWS. Going into the Aspen EWS I had high expectations after finishing 9th last year and being the top American. The race was full of highs and lows. After suffering multiple crashes on day 1, I knew I needed to make up some time on day 2. I didn't feel like myself on my bike and was having a hard time overcoming that mentally. But, I pushed through and finished just inside the top 20 making up 5 spots on the second day.
Just a short week and a half later we were loading up the car and bikes and headed to Denver to catch our flight for the Whistler EWS. Phil and I struggled in the days leading up to leaving questioning if we should make the trip or not. The wildfires in BC were raging, causing Whistler to be covered in a blanket of smoke. Was it worth going? Were we going to get sick from the smoke? The race committee was supposed to make a call Tuesday night but never sent an update so against the feeling in our guts we got on the plane Wednesday morning and headed for Whistler. When we landed in Seattle my heart sunk. The smoke was worse than I thought it would be. As we drove closer and closer to Whistler it only got worse. Thursday we rode the bike park and checked out some super fun trails taking breaks inside away from the smoke. Friday was the first official day of practice and the smoke had cleared a bit but not nearly as much as they anticipated. We headed out for a long grueling day of back country riding in the 90 degree temps. The tracks were steep and gnarly. Pushing my limits and brake pads. We completed practice around 6 and headed back to the village tired and hungry.
That night I woke up with an incredibly sore throat and was nervous for the next day. Sure enough the next morning I was full on sick. Fever, chills, no energy, and body aches kept me in bed for almost the entire day. I was disappointed, sad, and angry that I had traveled all this way for a race and was feeling so awful. I kept my mind open to the possibility of racing stage 1 blind but when I woke up Sunday feeling just as bad I knew I wasn't going to be racing. You only get one body, and there will always be other races. I was so so so disappointed but made the right decision. We packed up the car and headed for Seattle, and the next morning back to Colorado.
The entire next week before the CB BME I battled low energy, and a cough that would not go away. Luckily, most of the courses I had ridden before and would not need to pre ride and could rest instead. Friday I headed out to test the body before starting the race on Saturday. Feeling ok, I decided to race! The two day race was filled with FAST and FUN high alpine stages and brutally long transfers. It was a beautiful weekend and was fun to hangout with all my racing friends! I ended up taking second for the weekend and second overall for the series!
We kept the race train moving to Deer Valley, UT for the final race of the Scott Enduro Cup Series. Unlike the other races in the series this one was more downhill oriented and almost all lift access. The courses were dusty, LOOSE and physical. Practice went really well and I was having a blast pushing the limits of my bike and body. Race day 1 started and it was pretty obvious from the first stage that this was going to be a tight race. Sure enough by the end of day 1 the times were close and it was still anyones race.
Day 2 started off a little rough with 2 silly crashes on the first stage of the day costing me precious time that in the end would separate first and second place. The second stage of the day was the gnarliest stage of the weekend, NCS. NCS was full of rock gardens, dry off camber sections and hecklers. It was rowdy and awesome. The times were still tight, and it was still anyones race. The next 2 stages went well for me, winning both by a few seconds, but in the end was not enough to catch 1st place. 15 seconds separated us and it was hard knowing that the 2 crashes in stage 5 easily cost me that much time but, thats racing I guess! Note to self: don't crash.
Stoked to be back in CB for the fall! Stay tuned for a Labor Day Weekend adventure weekend post!
Day 2 started off a little rough with 2 silly crashes on the first stage of the day costing me precious time that in the end would separate first and second place. The second stage of the day was the gnarliest stage of the weekend, NCS. NCS was full of rock gardens, dry off camber sections and hecklers. It was rowdy and awesome. The times were still tight, and it was still anyones race. The next 2 stages went well for me, winning both by a few seconds, but in the end was not enough to catch 1st place. 15 seconds separated us and it was hard knowing that the 2 crashes in stage 5 easily cost me that much time but, thats racing I guess! Note to self: don't crash.
Stoked to be back in CB for the fall! Stay tuned for a Labor Day Weekend adventure weekend post!