TransRockies day 1

If people don't love today, they don't love real mountain biking!

Rainy last night and today.  Massive climb at start up "hyperventilate" and the mud gave me chain suck so it's a mix of middle ring and running for me, which is fine other than some sore hip aductors or whatever ones pull your legs up.  Great singletrack all day.  It's slick - like winter riding - so much of it is either brake or steer, pick one, due to low traction.  Again a bunch more is just zero rider input and coast due to low traction.  Hope and pray for a little traction and pray your yin and yang are in harmonious balance!  I suspect a lot of walking and/or crashes on the downhills for people.  It was sooooo fun, plus hurt so good.  Geoff Clarke was 2:25 and I was around 2:35, I know nothing else for now.  All I know is that means a few hours of fun, rain makes it that mud and washing of mother earth baptism... so good.  I bet the range on the day will be 2 to 4.5 hours.
 
Came back to hotel caked in mud head to toe.  Couldn't have possibly had more on me.  Walked right into 40 min shower with all my gear on and got it all "clean" by the end.  Barely even messed the room up.

Despite a few suboptimal parts, today was awesome, reminded me why I love this.  Late dinner last night and 1am bed time, late breakfast leaving restaurant 20mins before I'm supposed to be starting the TT.  But hey, that doesn't even seem new to me anymore... I'm just a walking mess.  Bald Racing Ralphs made the descending fun (skiing!), chain suck and no granny made the climbing fun, and glasses I continually licked mud off vs. going no glasses kept the day's ability to see somewhere between jack shit and fuck all. 

So many deadgoats out, glad to see them all.  So many other bike friends out.  The Belgians.  The FirstEnergy crew makes it awesome, not many people can ride with both their boss and el presidente, man that says something about why I've loved that place for a decade, not to mention our international analyst here too.  The whole stage race entourage.  Awesome!

Love it all, love the riding, love the mud.  Perhaps mildly suboptimal on a few timing and riding details, but no shortage of fun and bike family times.