Dog at the Helm

It's mid-week in my rest week now and I'm finally starting to feel relaxed. After 3 weeks of traveling, racing, and training I realized I hadn't taken a full rest week in a while. I packed my bag and headed to the mountains for a little relaxation. Before heading up, I got an amazing 2hr massage to help work some of the kinks out of my weary body. I still feel like putty......sweet!

The Cowbell US Cup race did not go quite as planned. After two tough races with crashes and cramps, I hoped I could still squeak out a solid result before hitting the rest week. Such was not in the stars. After a lackluster start I made my move and put on a solid pace up to 7th position going into the final lap (this according to the announcer, I had no idea where I really was). Then the fireworks started.....in my head. I hit the wall and fell back to 17th, all in the final lap. The heat of the day was the deciding factor for me, and even though I drank as much as I could, I just couldn't keep my core temperature down low enough to keep the engine running smooth. As I limped in, all I could think about was a cold shower. So fresh and so clean-clean!

Pic of the one real technical section on course, which was a blast to ride through! Multiple lines and fans cheering.

Harlan before our race flexing for the ladies.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with BG for a long fun ride. The weather is finally decent in the Mid-Atlantic and we plan on taking full advantage!

Toodles!

Joe Knows........

Meet Joe. Joe knows bikes. Joe is owner of Breakaway Bikes and Fitness (click HERE for their website). Need bikes? Need fitness? In Philly? See Joe. He looks a little crazy.....ok, he is a little crazy, but it's a good crazy. Tell him Jordan summoned you.

Heading to North Carolina via D.C. with Harlan and Gurtie. The Cowbell Summer Solstice is another classic race which was included on the US Cup Schedule this year. Looking forward to it!

Ta-ta.......

Scenes from Williams Lake

Mulling over a tough race up in NY today. The course was sloppy, with multiple short, steep hills that required dismounting and running. Coming off last weekend's crash, I felt good but was an unknown quantity. Turns out I really only had half a race in me as the second half was marred by another crash and lots of cramping due to the run-ups. In the end, I got 5th out of about 12 Pros. I'll take it for now, but need to continue to improve so that when I show up to these small races I'm winning them hands down. That's going to take some consistency, which I can feel is coming now.

Aside from the race, the venue was beautiful. Enjoy some pictures from the venue below. Race pics to follow hopefully.

Next race on tap is stop #4 of the US Cup East in North Carolina, the Cowbell Summer Solstice XC. Still have to finalize travel plans, but if that falls through I'll be at the Mid-Atlantic Super Series stop at Neshaminy High School. It's actually only 30 minutes away, but I'm hooked on racing the US Cups, so go figure!

Until next time, Ciao!

The way Jim Thorpe liked it.

Yesterday I partook in a sweet ride with Harlan, Rick, and Tim through the Northeastern PA region, starting in Jim Thorpe, and following dirt and paved roads for 60 miles. Despite some difficulties with the Google Maps route we used, we still managed to have a blast. There's something about road biking on roads normally meant for mountain bikes, or better yet Jeeps, that adds an extra 'epic' factor to a ride. Now I have to remember to grab some fresh brake pads from the shop next time, probably has something to do with my riding my brakes down that steep fire road for 1 or 2 miles. Awesome.

After the ride, we hit JT's for some burgers and fries, the way Jim Thorpe like it. Hip is feeling good again, very happy!