NMBS #2 STXC - Fountain Hills, AZ

Went out to breakfast this morning and ran into Brian F. and Melissa Buhl. Ate breakfast with them. Man....the pancakes were expensive!


So yeah, things were going good at this point.

Then off to the land of the free where things got even better because if you know me at all you know I live for Trader Joes (there are none in Ut).


Then everything changed when the Short Track race started. The calm before the storm.

##$%&**+@ Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!

I created my own (not so good) luck and got involved with the biggest cluster known to man kind at the very first corner that was .......oh 50 feet or so into the race (see me on far right heading for the big ole weed). No one hit the deck as far as I know but I had to do some dabbing and basically had to restart the race about 4 times after getting surrounded and past by everyone that was behind me. I tell you!!!!

Got started again and back into passing mode as we descended the back side turned the corner, ran up a hill (it wasn't ridable at the back do to the yo yo affect), cx'ed onto my bike no problem, got going and in a groove again for a brief second before someone decided to lay out their bike in front of me and create a human wall of which was being swarmed around by everyone that I had just passed on the dh before. Good gravy. OK, process starts all over again. Dab, then off the bike, back on the bike, make a few passes, check out who I am with, watch the lead group do "nanny nanny poo poos" at all the carnage that was EVERYWHERE as they settle into a sweet fast pace and gap us big time.

And that was it. The front got a nice gap and we were stuck in these little groups that had a race within each one. To pull or not to pull to attack or not attack. To sit in and try not to bridge or to bridge. Alright you get the idea. Let just say that with everything that went down I was dang lucky I came in 13th today. Lucky because at one point I think I was mid pack. What a day!

And the good news? Well yeah there is some believe or not. And that news is that my fitness is so there and I this is all doable right now and oh yeah I can redeem myself tomorrow. That my friends is the beauty of bike racing. There is always a race right around the corner!

Saw Dara Marks Marino after the race. She was there watching the carnage cluster...oh I mean short track. It was so great to see her and great to see that she is doing so well. Good on her. We miss her fast pace out on the Pro circuit but hey, she is incubating now as she puts it!

Chris's version of taking dogs for a walk:


Good night!