Just what I needed

I had a great training day yesterday, but let's go back one more day to Friday. The show opened to great reviews. It was a relief to finally have it up and running. The kids did a great job and I couldn't be happier with our student designer.

We got back from the show around 10:15 Friday night and I tried to get to bed as fast as I could. We ended up hitting the hay around 11:30. The plan was to get up early Saturday morning and start riding down to Temecula for the season opening race to the 12 Hours of Temecula series. Mary would pick me up along the way. I got up a little before 4:00, ate, drank some coffee, did some packing and headed out the door.

I've lived on this mountain for 10 years and I'm always still impressed with how very different the weather can be just a half mile from where you are at any given point. I leave the house and it's almost misting, by the time I reach the edge on town it's raining. So I turn back and get some rain pants and water proof gloves and head back out. From the edge of town through mountain center and up to Keen summit it was coming down pretty good and since I don't have fenders it was coming up pretty good as well. The rest of the ride down was nice. Here is a shot as the sun was coming up and working to break through the clouds just south of Anza.

I got in just over 40 miles before Mary picked me up. Now some of you might be thinking 'Todd how are you going to be competitive if you spend 2.5 hours of your bike before a 12 hour race'. As you know we opened a show the night before which means we have another show the night of the race. I knew I needed to head out by 4:00, only giving me an opportunity to race for 7 of the 12 hours. I figured I get get some miles in early knowing full well I could secure last place with no trouble, especially since I was placed in the Pro category, racing a single speed.

The race was a blast. Jason the race director mixed it up a bit this this and didn't put in some trails that are signature, but I think this loop was my favorite in the three years it's been going on. Over all I was happy with the day. I wanted to get in 7 laps and I did so in just over 6 hours. I got to ride a bit with Mary who was just rocking it out there. Early in the race I was able to hang with a strong single speeder I met from Durango, who I believe either won the single speed category or took second. As I was pitting for myself, I lost him after I need to stop and mix up some bottles. Like I said I got to ride a bit with Mary. On my last laps I waited a bit and for her to come into the pits and refuel and then we were off. I got a couple of nice shots of the race course along the way.

A+ day. Good riding, good friends, nice course, great weather, once I got through the rain, and a near prefect run of the show last night.

Ride on!