I raced the Dakota Five-O a few weeks ago and I brought a few people with me...
What started out looking like an all-out Battle Royale with Josh B and I,
turned into a 20 mile run for Josh and a 2 mile hike for me. Unfortunately, we had some mechanical issues that took us out of contention for the win, but one of the best poeple I've met this last year took top honors - and it was well deserved. Congrats Dave O!
I had such great form coming into this race as the week before I was fortunate enough to win the King of the Rockies in Winter Park. I had a good battle going with Scott Tietzel - strong pro road racer - but I managed to edge him out. (He may have been a little tired from his stage race the week before) I was truly bummed to hear that the next day he broke his fibula and tibia in a road race near Boulder. Wishing you a quick recovery Scott.
Next up was the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival in Wisconsin. The venue is around 3 hours from Minneapolis so I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to visit my Uncle Pat, Aunt Sandy and cousin (and crazy soccer star) Carly - who graciously gave up her room so her cousin could get his pre-race rest.
They took great care of me and when 3:45AM rolled around the morning of the race, I was delighted to see that Pat was ready to hit the road with me. What an Uncle! He pretty much did all the driving and we had a great time catching up on the drive to and from the race. Speaking of, the race went well, but was very hard! I never have - and never will - underestimate the strength of the midwestern rider. These guys and girls know how to keep the momentum up rolling hills, AKA punches, and it wore me down! I lost contact with the lead group, but still had a good time. This event is huge. Here's what 1,700 racers looks like...
Finally, this last weekend was the Crested Butte Classic 100 mile race. This is one of my favorite events because being in CB during the Fall is an absolute treat!
The race pretty much whittled down to 3 of us: Local legend Jeff Irwin, Josh B and myself. We rode the first two laps together and then a little miscommunication resulted in Josh losing contact with Jeff and I. This race is unmarked so you either need to have the knowledge from riding these trails, or follow the local legend... Josh didn't see Jeff and I take a turn and it cost him a few minutes. (again, sorry Josh...)
Jeff and I started the 3rd and final loop and I felt really great. At this point, Jeff was giving me instructions so I wouldn't get lost and I took off up Kebler pass. Well, I ran into some questionable trail options and decided I would wait to get Jeff's direction. After getting a little oxygen in my brain and thinking about the situation, I used my better judgement and decided the right thing to do would be to wait since he is the only reason I didn't end up riding to Aspen. In the end, we had a gentlemen's agreement for the finish. We crossed the line together and split the victory.
Josh came in a little after us and I'm bummed for him because he was riding so well and could have been there with us at the end.
Well, I'm gearing up for Moab now. One more hurrah for the season and then it's time to rest for a while.
Thanks for reading.
[ CB PHOTOS www.xavierfane.com ]
