KATO

Like kato (Bruce lee)from the show the green hornet.
Mt.Kato is a course that is fast and if your not ready the down hills can give you a kick in the face fast. With some caution I started the race with a slower start knowing this is going to speed up, I needed to be ready for it. with the first lap over and in 13/14th spot (I think), feeling really good and climbing well I started passing a rider or 2 part way in to lap 2 I was in 10th, closing in on fisher and Eric. I closed the gap on lap 3 first hill and sat on there wheels for a lap knowing there is no mans land in front of them so I went there pace for a lap. Lap 4 first hill Fisher fell back and Eric and I held the pace. Eric was riding well but on the tops of the hills he slowed a bit so I was thinking.... Lap 5 First hill we climbed well but at the top I passed Eric and pushed hard off the top and went full on for the rest of the lap, I formed a gap and finished 8th overall and made the $.

A new Race

It was a hot and humid Thursday afternoon with a long drive in front of me. Today is a new race I will race (something new is good and part of my plans for the year, "keeping it fresh" ) There was only one real thought on the way there and It was to ride behind someone for the first lap no matter what place I'm in, I will have no time to preride. I get to the race in river falls and start to get ready, there is hardly time for even a little warm up (not what I prefer but o well ). The race official said "do 3 laps, do the jeep hill on your first lap not on lap 2 & 3" ( I talked to berry about this again to understand better, start area not the same and no coming out of the woods at the bottom of the hill like we do at the border battle). We line up and Go, I wait for berry to go out front for the start and I push others aside to stay with berry! I road with berry for 1.5 laps but you could tell the rigid S.S was getting to him. So on the 2nd field I had gears and I used them, so I went and passed berry witch was a nice pace but now I went full on for 1.5 laps( buck hill style fast). I raced as hard as I could for the last 1.5 laps and there was no one in sight! I raced and finished in the # 1 spot. 1st place ...cool, It felt good . I packed my stuff and went home, great night the weather cooled and the drive was nice I went though Prescott and drove country roads home. Dana had fajitas waiting for me, That was nice. Great day!

Superball

The shake down was if I have a good finish I will get 2nd overall for the series at buck. I was thinking, get a good start and ride fast but nothing crazy and I will be fine. So at the start line there was a joke as every week(not so funny of one this week) 50 seconds 20 seconds 3 2 1, so I went for about 20 feet and there is a pull on my bike and I slowed, heaths bar is pushed in my seat some way from someone pushing him in to me( never my fault by the way, ever). He is now falling so he unclips and puts his foot in my wheel,and I fall to the ground.I am now in mid to 3/4 back of pack I stand up run with bike and get hit and fall again. I go to stand up and I get ran over, (You are thinking did he say ran over, yes I got ran over I have the cut up the back of my leg to prove it) I am back of pack. I jump on my bike seat it is at a 45 degree angle( you are thinking that's funny, no it was not funny at all it hurt all 4 laps). So now my race starts Heath yells "this will be really good training"I have to say at the time I was thinking what type of training is Heath doing? I worked really hard to pass for 2 laps the 3rd lap made up time 4th lap got to berry and he said so your taking your spot back, I did not understand at first. I finished the 4 lap so fast my bike had more traction then ever I was hitting corners full on just to see if I would spin out, lap 4 ended fast, I came in someone called out 4th place as I went through, LOL my fifth 4 place and 2nd overall for the series. I am sore again, bike needs work, racing Rock!

Bucken dusty

Buck hill was sandy and dusty, sand and loose dirt skills R on a rise! 4th place for the 3 time, I would hate to change my placing. I had a good start, half way in the first lap I think I passed Tri and at the end of lap 1 I passed tom, I worked myself a ok gap not making any ground on SAM so 4th lap I was just keeping my 4th spot safe and road it home. I won a shirt drank a beer, MTB Racing at its best!

The ups & downs of Afton

When planning on going fast it helps to go slow. This was my first year at Afton racing Cat 1/pro so the plan was to not ever overdo it. Racing at buck or shorter races trains you to GO GO GO till you cant. So before Afton happened I had to keep telling myself start slow, climb at a speed I can keep climbing all day at, Ride the rest of the trail fast. The start of the race was fun I got a call up, starting in the front is nice. The start was OK, not to crazy fast. We got to the first climb and I was going to stick to the plan so I climb slow per the plan, there was no one going past? Shady lane no one passed went to the switchbacks the same. There was heath and others there but no pressure from anyone. This was good! I hit a rock and heath passed, I road with him till the the short cut/DLA he did not know of the short cut yet. The next lap and a half was just me trying not to over do it. There was some racers behind me but at the time I did not know who was back there. I got up to 7th place when I got past Eric o. Then the 4th lap came up, I was trying to keep it together with no one with in 60 sec or so, about half way through the shock twinges started in the legs. My 1x9 was going to hurt on the manhandler, so I hammered it to finish the day. Almost to the top I passed a green # plate I looked again in shock, I was like o I get to race hard to the finish. So I Dug deep to get to the top and the fastest down hill of the day( for me). Finish 6th place overall, It was a great day