State Championships!

Headed up with Fellow team mates to have a go at the State XC Mountain Bike Championships.

The course was killer- Long fire road climbs...Sandy, Soft Fire road descents, and one or two technical little single track and double track runs mixed in.

They unleashed the enitre sport class all together and I let it rip right from the gate out of agonizing fear that if I put any less then five minutes into the field they would catch me on the downhill fo sho fo sho... I descend like a complete FRED... I get spoked (It's something I have to work on- and I know that with more experience and skill will come confidence so Its just like anything else- practice, practice, practice)
I quickly gained a huge gap and overtook all the women fields and the Older Expert riders... The up hill was no prob bob I was hauling ass compared to my fellow sport brethen- But its like a cat and mouse game really because they ALL go SOOO much faster then me down hill... After the first real long down hill fire road run a fellow Platinum rider, chase over took me and offered up words of encouragement "Keep doing what your doing... hammer the Uphill and ride within your limits on the down, they are a ways back." I Stayed neck and neck with Chase, he would put time on the descents and then I would gain it back as soon as the grade pitched up... that was until I looked down and noticed a FLAT FRONT TIRE... DOH!

Like a true PRO I had no spare tube, no CO2... Because of my strategy, I just couldn't spare the 2.1 grams that a fix a flat kit would cost me... I mean that would have been a .0002% watt reduction, and over the course of an hour of climbing that would really add it... REALLY.

I keep riding on the downhill, thinking- "We'll Maybe, if I try really hard and think really positive it will go away?"
It didn't. I almost crashed. Enough said.
I shouldered the bike and started running- A couple minutes went by and I started watching in agony as riders started passing me. "Fix a flat?" I began to yell at each rider as they passed. I got a couple of chuckles and a couple of "Nah Bros"

Then, as The lactate acid started to build in my legs from running up hill faster than THIS GUY with a ~25lb bike... and image popped into my head of Brandon's Dad handing him a C02 fix a flat dealy before the race...
I started seeing guys pass I didn't want to see pass... Guys I recognized from the start of my race... I continued to run... and continued to call for aid.
Then I see him- Like a knight in shining platinum kit riding a trusty Steed... BRANDON!
I ran with renewed vigor. Brandon noticed me and said "Ah dude that sucks"
I screamed, "Brandon, throw your thingy"
"Huh?" as he continued upward past me
"FiX A FLAT, THROUGH YOUR FIX A FLAT!!!?!"
"OHHHhhhh"
He fumbled through his back pocket and tossed the can, that was beginning to look less and less like a can of fix a flat and more and more like an oasis in the middle of the Mojave dessert.

I had never used one of these before and must admit that more of the slime got over my hands and the outside of the bike then in the tube- But it did work and I now had at least some air in my front tire-
I remounted my bike and thought - "What would Gary Do?"
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAP

I riped the next 20 minutes for all I had and was uncharacteristically careless on the downhill sections... I began to over take riders I saw pass me, but it was a good solid 12 minutes before I passed Brandon, I noticed the number 18 scribbled on the calf of the cat riding just behind Brandon...
Class 18? I am in class 18, this guy is the ENEMY...
I rode for everything I had up those last few climbs and put as much time as I could in between me and my foe- I was doing OK on the downhill, but I got spooked on one section and had to dismount - "Damn I though, I can ride this" I got back on let go of the brakes... I was doing good, I was passing people.

Then a couple of guys zip by me on the single track and I hear a third say, "when you can..." I glanced back and it was my nemesis, on my ass...
"Damn..."
I tried my best, but it wasn't good enough- He took a sketch ball line on one section and tore past me... I caught him and was on his wheel... I started seeing spectators... "The end must me near" I thought... "Great, I will blow by him when the course opens up for the finishing straight"...
But of the mountain bike gods had other plans...
The course took a sharp right turn and then I noticed cyclist just stopped, chit chatting... I started to panic... "Where is the finish line?"
"Uhh, Right back there bro..."
Damn... he beat me by 3 seconds...
Second, in the XC California State Championships...
One thing is for sure though... "I'll BE BACK!"

I guess thats what you get for being unprepared...
Brandon, Thank you dude... You are my freaking hero, thats part of what a team is all about!
Big ups to the rest of the Platinum Boys on their killer Results. Be sure to check the team site for Photographs and complete results coming soon I'm Sure.
Best quote of road trip home with Todd Both, Gary Douville, and Steve Bertrand came form Platinum Head Honcho Todd Both:
"If your racing, like really racing, you should be in a LOT of pain"