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San Diego Part II |
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Written by Andrew Freye
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Thursday, 29 March 2007 |
 On the 25th of March I had my first race of the year! I don’t think I have ever done a cross country mountain bike race this early in the year. Being from Maine and having trained all winter in Maine I was at somewhat of a disadvantage compared to the rest of the pro-semi pro field who were all from So Cal. Fellow Bikeman.com teammate Matt Hersey told me about this race and the two of us headed up to San Demas Cal, about 90 minutes north of San Diego.
The weather was hot! It was like 75 degrees out and sunny! This was a big change from my normal training weather of 25 degrees without the wind chill. The course was mostly double track and some dirt roads. Fast and not very technical, and some decent climbing made for an alright course. The past couple of days I had done some hard work outs, so I wasn’t expecting too much from my legs on race day. I just wanted to get my body out and working hard in the heat before I go to the first NMBS in Phoenix, Arizona. Turns out I had great legs! Only problem was when I needed my legs (like on the long climbs) my body was over heating due to being in the direct sun and it being so hot outside. Thankfully some of the LA area guys from Bikeman.com were at the race. Russ was not racing so he volunteered to hand me water bottles. This was a big help in keeping me hydrated. Thanks Russ! I finished the race about 12 minutes down from the leader, which I don’t think is to bad for it being my first race of the year and my first time taking the mountain bike out on dirt since October! I will say this though. I was very upset with Team Big Bear who put on the race. The entry fee was $50 and they were not offering any prize purse for the pros. To me this is a crime in cycling. No organizer should be able to get away with this.
The past couple of days I have been chilling with my older brother at his place. Justin has classes in the morning that go until early afternoon which works out great for me. When Justin goes to class I go out for a ride and explore So Cal on the bike. In the afternoon we have been going out to Balboa Park and into the city etc…Its been great to see my brother and spend time with him since we don’t get to see each other that often. Tomorrow I fly out to Phoenix Arizona for round one of the NORBA NCS series. From what I hear of the race course is that it is super fast and narrow. There doesn’t sound like there will be much room for passing, so the start will be critical. It also sounds like thorns and flat tires will be an issue for everyone. I am feeling good ready to race. It is still March, so my fitness is far from the top, but I feel I am further along in training this year than I have in any previous year. I am feeling good about this race. My goal is top 20 for the event, something I have yet to do, but know I am capable of doing. Thank you for reading and wish me luck!
A
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