Today was the second stop on my comeback tour, a CCCX race this time at Toro Cyn Park, which is right across Hwy 68 from the Sea Otter course. Again, 5 laps, but this time is was a pure mountain bike course, up 800 feet, then down a tricky single track decent. Good times. Same class as last time, single speed pro/expert class. Smaller field, but the fast guys from the last race lined up with me at the start.
After putting in my first real 2 week training block in a couple years, I was curious how I’d do. My legs felt dead at the start, but I hung with a group of experts and semipros up the first climb. Climb 2 things started to feel better, and I started to reel in riders, including the SS racer who had been in 3rd. By the bottom of lap three I could see the two leading SS racers just up the trail. On the climb I caught and passed the 2nd place guy, and closed down to about 20 seconds on the leader… Just where I thought I wanted him coming into the final lap… one problem… he was younger, stronger, and better… Dang… So halfway up the climb, he sees me closing, and just like that, he was gone…
I ended up about 30 seconds down on him for second place. The good news, two weeks ago that same guy beat me by around 4:30, so either the form is coming, I got lucky, or the course was a lot better for me.
US CUP#2/ Cal State Series #2, Fontana, CA March 28-29th
