I waited and it came. Like the Christmas present you dreamed of Santa bringing you and it actually happens. Maybe I am easy to please but I only asked for the perfect weather conditions, technical challenges and  good legs and Santa brought me a gift. Boulder Racing’s season finale in Lyons CO was simply awesome with all the ingredients I lust in a proper ‘cross…

This was the last race before our State Championships so everyone wants to be firing well. The pre-ride proved to me that it was going to be a highly technical affair. The complete opposite of a pure pedaling course. Steep, ice covered run-ups, dodgy snow and mud-filled corners that would give way if you were driving poorly and tight, muddy,180deg chicanes that forced you to stay off the brakes, flow through, recover and then violently accelerate again to ensure you held your gaps or could attack the guys riding these sections poorly.

After my mid season ‘lull’, my last few races have seen me get super hungry again. The weather, the last few courses and good training had seen me start to climb back up to where I should be in our series and I was able to get a front row call up again.

From the gun I absolutely knew I needed to be out front to control the speed and stay out of trouble. Winning the hole shot wasn’t a risk of blowing watts (as I could make the tempo I wanted) it was about the fear of other riders not riding what I knew I could ride and I didn’t want to get taken out!

Michael, Cariveau, Timmy and I got off to a great start trading time at the front, riding smoothly and generally figuring out the course as it was changing due to rising temperatures. The advantages would come for us at the technical spots. Like these treacherous descents which were ride-able if you stayed smooth…

…or would be a disastrous bottle neck if you got caught behind the mêlées…

My race went as best as it possibly could go. I rode it as technically perfect as I could yet had some issues with frost and mud build up in my shoes which was really hard for me to re-enter on certain spots like after this particular run up…

In the last 3 laps the sun warmed up the soil to create the perfect sauce of frozen mud. I’d eventually get gapped by a hard charging Ryan McFarling and Ariel Brown, both riding really well and smooth (Ariel in this shot)…

I ended the day in 6th place so zero complaints. Michael digging deep to take yet another win from my teammate Tim Faia with Jon rounding out the podium. I rode it as completely clean as I could have and n ot having a punch to get back after sorting late lap pedal issues was the main deal. By two 2 go, I brought my tempo down enough to stay completely safe. I could see Jeff Cospolich charging hard but I wanted no crashes and knew I wasn’t going to make it to the front…so I rode conservative and came across the line clean and unbroken.

This Saturday is the big show for the Master A crew: Colorado State Championship. I am so pumped and hungry to race it and I know my boys in our crew are too. It should be epic at the venue in Castle Rock with warm yet still snow/mud covered conditions and technical features like fly-overs. A games will be brought.

Hup hup hup. That’s three for me to get amped.