TwoWheeledWorld

Saturday:
Valley Point-to-Point cross country

24 miles

Time: 1:42:02

Saturday's cross country would bring a Pro field of 60 racers to the start line; and almost 700 racers overall. Pretty sizeable competition. Seems more than a few pros were looking for one more chance to tune things up before next weekend's U.S. National Championships.

My instruments of precision; designed to deliver a heightened sense of each luxurious difference...

This course seemed to have everything; hard climbs, fast descents, technical singletrack, and the perfect tree root for me to flip over the handlebars on.

But a hard-fought 11th place would be the result of my suffering for the day; after crashing midway through the battlefield and fighting my way back to pick up precious lost placings.

Sunday:

Super-D

5.3 miles

1620 ft vertical drop

Time: 18:49

For those who don't know what a Super-D is, it's what some might call "downhill-lite." It's a downhill race by all accounts, but enough climbing to keep the true downhillers honest and still enough speed and danger to make your loved ones cringe. That's a lie - enough speed and danger to make ME cringe.

At the start line my legs were waving the white flag loud and clear. I'd dug plenty deep the day before and when it came time to sprint up the courses' initial 200 yards prior to the first singletrack, I just couldn't hang.

I did hang on the descents well enough for 10th place, though, with all my skin and bones in-tact. Talk about funny - after almost 2 hours battling for 11th place the day before, I actually rose one placing in a less-than-20-minute race on Sunday.

....I thought I'd better show this to you now, while it lasts. It's gonna take a lot more than consistency to be in this position at the end of August...