Round 2

Just got done racing the Stazio Criterium in Boulder... The race was well populated (I would guess there were about 40 riders) and the corners were a bit congested. My goal for this race was to sit in, not do anything too stupid and see what kind of gas I had at the end. My legs felt a bit chunky today after a couple of hard rides last week, including a brief ride with some pro guys (CSC, Slipstream/Chipotle, BMC, etc.) that caught up with my team north of town. There's this "crazy" group ride that leaves Boulder on Saturdays called the "cycle - logic race" and has everything from pro riders to beginners. We were cooking along at a pretty good tempo, but I was racing today and didn't want to push my luck.

Back to the race...the pace was comfortable for most of the race and I was able to sit in without too much difficulty. The Stazio course has a decent sized hill just after the start/finish corridor so you really need to conserve and get up over the hill in a good spot. The best part about racing up the hill is racing down on the back side of the course, which really gives you an opportunity to "recover," for the next lap.

The finish was a bunch sprint (again) and my version of contesting the sprint consisted of sitting on a Vitamin Cottage rider's wheel, dropping some gears down and pedaling my legs out while remaining seated. I'm going to leave those crazy bar-bending sprints for later in the season.

Next up is a crazy week at work where I'll have to stay focused on training while not actually being able to get too much quality time on the bike. This is followed by a 12 day sojourn to Britain with my two younger brothers. If I can get through the next couple of weeks and not lose too much form I'll be damned happy. Next race is an early season TT in Denver, early April.

Coming back to racing and having the epic RAAM journey to look forward too is really all a guy like me could ask for. I'm on a great team, both for road/mtn racing and for the RAAM adventure. It's a priviledge and an honor to be living/working in Boulder and returning to the greatest sport on earth.

Keep the rubber side down...