July

Ellie's birthday helmet from Grandma

This month has been great. It's been hot and the sun has been shining. I like it like that when I get up in the morning and the sun is full blast, it's so much better than overcast like the last couple of months and it is refreshing.
After a good break from the bike before the last race in Eau Claire, getting back into the groove of training the last two weeks things have been feeling good on the bike. I was surprised I rode good at Eau Claire, and my workouts since then have gone great too. Sometimes after a little downtime I don't feel so good for a while when I come back but this year it has been good. I got in some great workouts both on the road and mtn bike the last two weeks and now that my Edict is dialed in, it makes the trails in the Kettles a lot easier to ride than my hardtail so I have been out trail riding a little more than normal.
The lakes around here are really warm right now too so we have incorporated lunch at the beach into the busy day once a week. I leave on my ride and meet Jamie and Ellie around noon at Long Lake, get in an hour of swimming and then head home for work. It's fun to finish a ride at a lake and go for swim and Ellie loves the water. A couple of my sisters met up with us last week with their kids and all the cousins play together.

I was quite surprised to win WORS #6 this weekend at the Alterra Coffee Bean Classic. I was a little bummed not to win any Alterra Coffee but was really happy with the win. I'll have to dig up a picture, but I think I got 3rd at this race behind Spiro and Blazer in 1999 or 2000. It was one of my breakthrough races and I remember it was blazing hot that day too. My dad dumped a cooler of water over my head every time up the climb and I wished he was there doing it Sunday again too.

Mike Phillips and Nathan Guerra really put me to the test mentally and physically to stay in this one to the end. I knew both would be tough here and the singeltrack would be the deciding factor since the growth is so dense you cannot see which way the trails go or how fast you can take a corner. Twice in the race I was chasing for my life to keep them within eye sight and both times when I came back to them in the open one of them popped. Nathan really went all out on the last lap and I thought he had me but I just didn't quit and somehow managed to keep the gap he created in the singletrack just within distance that when we came out I was back to him right away. After that it was a slight attack on the backside hill to get my own gap which I held to the finish. It was a really tough battle and I was glad I was there mentally to be dropped off the back a couple times but battle back where I new my strengths were. Having the Felt Edict really made a huge difference too since I had such better control and pedaling with the suspension. Last time I was here on a hardtail and you just can't ride them the same but the full suspension was definitely what kept me within site of those guys and able to come back this time.
My water girls on the hot day.