Chillin early morn with Dubs.

photo Tommy Maddox

What a weekend. 

I found this an interesting perspective from Steve Tilford this morning on his blog...

"I paid $205 to race this race. I would have had to finish top 4 to win my entry fee back. The entry was $165, plus $40 more for 4 days of an ACA license. It seemed really a lot too high. I couldn’t afford to race in Colorado if this is a common entry. I think I used to know why Colorado quit USAC, but it seems kind of a hassle now. The are lots of problems with USAC, but having a bunch of individual groups running races is not good for the sport. Plus, I hate it that USADA isn’t ever going to do any drug testing on riders from the ACA. And I presume that the ACA doesn’t have any ability to test their own riders."  

Besides that, the Rocky Mountain Endurance Series wrapped up in Elbert at the Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch, which is simply an amazing piece of property. 3300 acres of the most divers mountain biking terrain I've ever seen, and the course was a monster, and it was really fun. Colin Cares was able to separate from Brady Kappius on the final of three 22 mile laps and take the victory while Taylor Sheldon came back strong from a mechanical to finish third. This place is the bomb, and thanks to the staff there for the accommodation and the great time. This is a venue that could some day rivel the 24 in the Sage with cool campsites, showers and bathrooms. The night before the race, Thane Wright put together a pot luck dinner for the staff and camping racers, it was a great vibe and killer fun, especially the Dale's Pale Ale fueled night ride and session down at "Silver Lake", where the carp fishing was off the charts earlier in the eve. 

The next two days were spent battling a pretty wicked head cold and two long days on the mic, winding up at the Steamboat Stage Race. The guys and gals in Steamboat are always so welcoming, and the racing was top notch which included one of the strangest finishes I've seen in a 1-2 Crit in my day. The break of seven was free and clear and held out until the finish, with Keith Harper winning the sprint to the line, but throwing his victory celebration about 10m to early and having Colby Pearce roll right through his early celebration at the line to take the win. Jake Wells was third by a hair and had a great ride and weekend in the Boat. Scott Moniger won the weekend overall. Special props to Nathan Wilson of Cal Giant Strawb/Specialized for taking matters into his own hands late with a monster charge for many laps to hold his second place overall.

So now it's time to recover from this nasty head cold and rest up a day or two in Eagle, it's raining as I type which means the singletrack will be championship caliber shortly. Then I'll figure out the rest of the story.