Coulee Cruiser

I was looking forward to the Coulee Cruiser all last week. Not quite with the anxiety Tori was, but more for the symbolic kick off to another season of mountain bike racing. I can't stress enough that I'm drawn to this by pure love - I love mountains, I love bikes, and I love racing. Sounds like a holy trinity to me.

Weather was a concern leading up to the race, but the surprise was all to the upside. Acceptable warmth (or lack of frigidity) and a dry course limited the suffering to just the self induced type. The course was typical Lethbridge Coulee - steep. It's always a tough one for me.

It's always interesting to see how the field sorts itself out from the last reference point at the end of the prior year. Some are faster, some are slower, and some are the same old. It's just great to see the gang all in one spot for a few hours.

If anyone is looking for training tips, I can at least provide some insight into what doesn't work well. Sitting at a desk 80 hours a week, eating expensed meals that aren't really "athletes food", and generally being stressed out and worn down, are things to avoid. With those in mind I can console myself a little. My inner self contemplates the tradeoff between time spent doing work and the inevitable utter lack of commitment to anything it will one day help me achieve.

Having said that, I'm not sure I really had much more in the tank. I only would have felt better about the whole experience. Looking at who left me in the dust, there's no surprises. I rode portions of the race with Chris, Pat, McKee and Devin, and had a hard time hanging on... go figure. More sustainable power and less weight in each of them.

And even though she didn't recognize me on the course even though I said "hi", I'm happy that I saw Tori out there in the midst of the action, within a few minutes of the end of her race. No wipeouts, broken parts, blood or tears. Good experience!

Results.