Challenger

I started out cycling on the mountain bike.  Despite my late in life start, lack of talent, my determination, and quick healing, immunity to pain, drove me on, to meet a goal. Cat 1.
I did it, and like things sometimes, you get there and that makes you quit.

I returned to racing the mountain bike today.
and had a Blast.
I rolled the start, good, I felt I wanted a 5th place finish, a top 5 was my goal.
I was balled up in thoughts, and I carved them down to, approaching the race, to think, that, as if the race was just a good  fast group ride.

this race goes on the short list of to do's, Monkey Hill, Riverton, Challenger,...


I am still breaking in a new camera, the Olympus tg-5, and am pretty happy with it.

                         My CX Bro, Featherman, rocking the Mtbike racing.

I don't think I ever want to have a goal again, then when I reach it, that, it's done.



I napped hard.  97% of the pictures I took today were under whelming.

I like the camera.  I like that it slips in a jersey pocket.  It reminds me of tri-x film.


I came in 8th,  most of the race, I was 6th, but got tired by the end, and lost them two spots.
I'm happy with that.

Race, Ride, Recover, and Challenge yourself.....

Cheers! dlowe

a little Rash

Riverton Criterion

you ether make it,  or are like the majority, barely hanging on, or not surviving at all.

I came into corner 3, on the outside, calm, 2 deep, feeling good.
I was riding the race in Hockey Shifts.  Going hard, in the shortest time burst I could manage, gliding up and into the corners conserving pedaling, keeping the rest level higher than the going hard levels.

In the apex, the tires let loose, just may of been a little rough road, coming into the corner too hot, or just a poor line over-confident choice.   and I slid across the ground,  to gawking spectator faces, looking at me.

Riverton is a good hometown race, of the highest quality, and to finish, to win, its a statement.

I should of headed to the pit, and jumped back in.   My mind said, check yourself out, your lucky you did not take anyone else out, and that  it looks like all you got, was a bit of road rash.

Its a hard way to leave a race, Is there an easy way?

I stayed and had a couple of beers, chatted with friends, and wore my badges of dis-honor, my medic wrapped arm, and leg,...  not proudly, but truthfully.

                                                          American Crit Racing 

       photo: Ron Short Photography.


See you next year Riverton.    Cheers! dlowe

Ride, rock,rinse, repeat.

I've been having so much fun, enjoyable, spunky good times on the the bike, that I forgot, how to race a crit.

Tour De Fish
I came in last in the field sprint, after going for the 3 laps to go prime, when I rejoined the field, I was in poor positioning, and weak legged status.  All the chasing in the woods and town line sprints, made for fun times on the bike.   but my mind, forgot, that when Old Men kit up, that it's serious business out there. HA!  and being in the right place, just doesn't happen, you gotta go after it.
I've become soft and truthfully a bit un-confident, of reading the other riders, and holding my place or moving up in the field.  
I had a blast, and the legs felt awfully good, the soul, a bit crushed, but hell, someone has to be last.

It's been mostly highs around here, great rides with friends, feeling groovy and a bit nippy faster on the mtbike.  
Polished up the cx bikes, and chomping to get going on the training and skills.
and despite my lackluster finish, enjoying the road riding an awful lot too.

                                  Photo: A. Hennessy    post rock "Lorenzo's"!

           Thursday Mtbiking fun.  P2P notarace

                         mtbike openers at the Plateau

                              crit tent time, beers and lots of snearky small talk, getting ready for CX!

                                                     photo: d. Finkelstein



damn, I love riding the bikes,  all of them!

cheers pals,  dlowe