Snowshoe Wrap
What a weekend of racing! There were quite a few highs and lows for all. To begin with, Justin and I were treated to some brutal conditions for the semi-pro XC on friday. The trail was already a mess when we pre-rode the day before and we weren't looking forward to the conditions after a constant downpour the night and morning of the race. It was going to make for some epic conditions. True to form, the course was a mess. Every type of slick snotty mud you could imagine covered everything and was hiding all sorts of goodies underneath. The sun decided to peak it's little head out at the start. We were however not too enthusiastic since the mud has a good amount of clay content. What that means, it has a tendancy to become thick goopy peanut butter. It just cakes on your bike and makes it weigh a ton. Well, a bike race turned into a biking/running race. For me, it was a biking/(slow)hiking race. I suck at running. Mid-way through the race, I started drifting back like a lead anchor as all the hiking began to take its toll. I made a decision to gut it out and just finish. That I did, and shortly afterwards crawled into bed, rolled into the fetal position, and felt like I was thrown in a sack and beaten with many sticks. Wow, was I sore and man did my lower back hate me!! We had one day to recover before we hit the short track. For our recovery day, we decided to watch the pros do it right. They had much better conditions than we faced the day before, but that race was an epic trudgefest as well.
On to the short track... Justin and I jumped onto the course just prior to the kid's race to scope it out. All of a sudden, we hear over the loudspeakers the announcers asking whether the Kona Midwest guys could lead the Shimano kid's race around the ST course. We were more than happy to volunteer. It was to be a Kona Midwest lead-out for the next generation of young aspiring racers. What an enthusiastic bunch they were! It was such a great vibe and experience to be there and get wrapped up in all the excitement at the start. Justin went off to lead the pack around the course as I played sweeper in the back to make sure everyone made it around OK. They were a determined bunch hammering around the course. As we rounded the course, all the cheering and encouragement was contageous. It was fantastic to see these young competitors (7-10 years of age) tackling the challenging terrain and pushing with determination up the hills. The highlight of my weekend came right afterwards as one of the racers came up to me and asked for my autograph. How cool is that!! I was more than happy to oblige. I was so glad to see how hard she worked and how much fun she had on her bike. It made my day and was a very memorable experience.
Well, we're off to Mt. Snow next week. I hope I have my legs for the Short Track race there as this past one was pretty forgettable for me after toasting my legs and back during the XC. I give huge congratulations to Justin for hammering out a 4th place in that very hard event! Way to go man, drop that hammer!!
Talk to you all soon.
-Pete
On to the short track... Justin and I jumped onto the course just prior to the kid's race to scope it out. All of a sudden, we hear over the loudspeakers the announcers asking whether the Kona Midwest guys could lead the Shimano kid's race around the ST course. We were more than happy to volunteer. It was to be a Kona Midwest lead-out for the next generation of young aspiring racers. What an enthusiastic bunch they were! It was such a great vibe and experience to be there and get wrapped up in all the excitement at the start. Justin went off to lead the pack around the course as I played sweeper in the back to make sure everyone made it around OK. They were a determined bunch hammering around the course. As we rounded the course, all the cheering and encouragement was contageous. It was fantastic to see these young competitors (7-10 years of age) tackling the challenging terrain and pushing with determination up the hills. The highlight of my weekend came right afterwards as one of the racers came up to me and asked for my autograph. How cool is that!! I was more than happy to oblige. I was so glad to see how hard she worked and how much fun she had on her bike. It made my day and was a very memorable experience.
Well, we're off to Mt. Snow next week. I hope I have my legs for the Short Track race there as this past one was pretty forgettable for me after toasting my legs and back during the XC. I give huge congratulations to Justin for hammering out a 4th place in that very hard event! Way to go man, drop that hammer!!
Talk to you all soon.
-Pete
posted by Anonymous at 9:40 AM
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