Hot Steamy time @ the Ruby XC

Going into this race I thought the river crossings were going to be a pain. One the race was underway though they were a saving grace. Seriously everything I was wearing was soaked through but it was probably a 50/50 mix of river water and sweat. Course conditions were surprisingly good considering the monsoon that swept across the state the day before. Almost everything was rideable except the steepest climb. After the first lap we were running up if for the next 4. However giving the slickness of the mud it made for some real slow going racing along with some of the worst riding I've seen in a long time. Mike S., Jorel H., and myself were all just riding like a bunch of noobs. I was actually laughing a few times when I would just blow past a corner and trail blase through the woods trying to get back on track. Mike set a pretty good pace with super harsh efforts put forth on the climbs in hopes that he would drop Jorel and myself. He and Jorel kept taking turns at the front while I hung in third and watched the show. Unfortunately the uphills don't balance the rest of the course out and Mike started paying for his efforts on the hills by the last lap. I caught him at the top of a climb and managed to finish second behind Jorel. It was a good race but super frustrating as the pace was kept so slow to keep from blowing all the turns. It was defiantly a race of patience over speed.

-Justin