Summer Racing in the High Country

With summer in full swing there is nothing better than trips to the mountains to take on the endless trails. But with an 8 month pregnant wife, those trips are few and far between. A few weeks ago we hit Beaver Creek for our 10 year anniversary. We were married at Allie's Cabin on the mountain and hiked up the short trail to have lunch on the deck. It was a great way to spend the day.

For the 4th we drove up to Breckenridge so I could race the Firecracker 50, a 50 mile MTB race on some of the best trails in Breck. Courtney wasn't really supposed to be at that altitude, apparently 10,000 ft. can induce labor, but she took that risk. Breck is one of my favorite towns in all of Co. and I take any opportunity to get back there, even if it means a brutally hard race.

To be racing on a Thursday, on a national holiday is pretty awesome. What's better is that the race starts on Main St. and is the start of the town parade. Each wave of riders has a pace rider for the neutral mile through downtown, and the first wave was seen off with the mayor riding in front. That's what mountain towns are all about.

Starting Lap 2 

As for my race it was hard, fun, tough and a blast all at once. I suffered, I smiled and overall I had a pretty good day. Having not raced an MTB race in a few years, throwing myself into a 50 miler seemed  like as good a place to start as any. The trails for this race are a great mix of twisty singletrack, technical sections and fast descents. Unfortunately I'm better on the uphill than the down, my descending skills are still pretty bad. I think I have a very strong self-preservation instinct and at 36 years old there's not much I can do about that. Thankfully I didn't suffer any mechanicals (after two weekends in a row with flats and a busted chain this was a relief) and I finished in 6th place out of 20 or so, only 10 minutes back.

The post race beer was not going down well, but watermelon and water was. After a few quick bites we had to high tail it back home. Courtney was wearing down (understandably) and we were going to grill out with our neighbors for dinner. A big plate of meat, some fruit and finally a beer that went down well was a nice way to end the day.

I was thinking of racing the Breck 100 this weekend, but that's probably out now. Too many signs point to eminent labor and I'm not missing the birth of my first child for any race. Still, there's a lot on the horizon for me in all facets of life and I'm looking forward to all of it- even if it means I won't sleep.

What will this week bring?