Sagbrush safari and some general catching up

So a week or so ago I had to man up and do the Sagebrush 50miler Pro UET in order to help team mate, Eric Bostrom, to get a good result and hopefully stay in contention for the overall title. The task seemed daunting. Two laps of a really tough 25mile loop which would end up totaling code on 8000feet.

Sunday came around, and to our surprise race favorite, Tinker Jaurez (Cannondale Factory) was not on the start line. Unfortunately he had suffered from a crash the day before an had broken a rib. Although the news wasn't good, it presented the perfect opportunity to get Eric the win and put some points between the other riders in the hunt for the number one plate.  

By the time we rolled off the start line, the temperature had started rise. This played perfectly into our tactics as we eased our way into the first climb of the day, a steep two mile pavement climb into the first single track. I did a couple of hard surges to split up the field, as well as force Eric's main rivals into the red zone early on in the race. The plan worked perfectly. Eric sat in and waited for the pace to ease up, the other riders followed my wheel and soon fell off the pace, once that happened I eased up just enough to allow Eric back onto my wheel. From there on I paced Eric for the rest of the race, making sure that he felt good and protecting him from mechanics at all times. On the final lap Eric started to lock up a little with cramp, but he soldiered through like a true champion, and some how we managed to keep opening up a gap over the chase group. We ended up crossing the line together, giving Eric the win and the overall lead in the Pro UET Series. With me finishing 2nd, it put some points between himself and the other riders in the chase for the title. So all in all it was a PERFECT weekend. A huge thanks to the team, and to Ty as well as John for all the help over the weekend.

After the race down in Sand Diego, Ty sent me up to Big Bear to stay with my "USA Family" the Williams' to get in some altitude training. The stay here so far has been nothing short of awesome. I've had perfect weather to train in, apart from two days of snow, but other than that its been awesome. This weekend is the 3rd round of the Pro UET series up here in Big Bear, so hopefully we can keep the ball rolling after the awesome success of the last race.

Other than that not much else has happened. Colorado Pro XCT is just around the corner, and preparation is going extremely well, so needless to say, Im excited.

Stay tuned for updates over the coming weeks.

Regards

B

Full Speed Ahead

Hey guys,

Just a quick update to let you all know that Im back on the bike, and have been training  since mid-last week. My knee is holding up really good so far, and it doesn't seem to be causing me any pain. I'd like to thank Dr. Terry Weyman of CSI (Chiropractic Sports Institute) For the rehab done to my knee as well as the frequent readjustments to my body. He has a tip-top facility with a highly impressive Hyperbaric chamber... an injured athletes best friend.  If you're ever in the LA area, head up to Thousand Oaks and have a check up, its worth it, trust me.

Onto racing....This weekend will be my first weekend back racing. I'll be a wingman for Eric Bostrom at the Sage Brush Pro UET 50miler. He is currently fighting it out for the top spot in the series, so I'll be there to help him through the day and to try help him get the very best result possible.

Then I'll head up to Big Bear for some altitude training before my next major race, Ute Valley Pro XCT, Colorado. This will be the major deciding race whether I will be racing in Montana and Wisconsin for the final rounds of the Pro XCT series before flying home on the 22nd August.

There will be some smaller "Conditioning" races, along with some Marathons, to help keep the racing edge in-between the Pro XCT's.  I will also be going to Sun Valley, Idaho. To have some team bonding at the US National Championships, as well as race the Fat-Tyre Crit in downtown Sun Valley. Ive got a score to settle with that race.

Other than that there isn't much news. I'll keep you all updated on how things are going. Keep an eye out for the race report on Sage Brush. Its gonna be tough, my first marathon, should be interesting.

Until next time,
B