This weekend I’ll be doing the NMBS series finals, hosted at Snowmass, CO. The race is set at 1.5 laps setting us up for nearly 20 miles comprised of 7000 feet of vertical ascent. This is some serious climbing and it’s sure to make for some brutal high altitude racing. As the last chance on the circuit I’m really gunning to dig deep and make it count. Breathing will be important.

Life was somewhat chaotic with the east coast races and the extensive amounts of driving across the country. For a couple weeks it was hard to find any sort of a rhythm, on the bike or otherwise. I’ve been in Boulder for a week now, so it’s been nice to have a chance to collect myself and get some needed rest. The races at Mount Snow and Sugar Mountain took their tolls on me, physically for sure, but perhaps even more so mentally. If you show up anything less than 100% ready to race at one of these events, it’s a swift kick to the back of the field. That’s a hard pill to swallow. As much as I hated it, that’s where I found myself at the Sugar Mountain xc about 10 days ago. I found a bit of redemption in the short track the following day, but there is surely unfinished business left for this weekend.

Bike racing is a pretty cool thing to do so I’ll continue to enjoy the endless dynamics that make racing all that it is. Though trying at times, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Keep it real, -TJ