6 Hours of OC Race Report

Well all didn't go as planned at the 6 hours of OC. Unfortunately I had some crazy mental collapse early in the race and all went down hill from there...except the course,,,that was all up hill! It was the first time I went into a mountain bike race with a plan and for some reason I didn't stick to it. I found out that the mental strength I thrive on to motivate me through days and days of adventure racing can just as easily work against me when reversed. Coach Lynda says sometimes you need a complete failure so you can learn from it, revise your plan, and make the necessary adjustments. So here it was - a terrible performance that taught me some valuable lessons.

Somehow I still managed to make it to the podium along with most of my Sho-Air teammates including Mario, Manny, Lou, George, Terry, Scott, Jason, Josh, Fuzzy, Craig, and Eric. But the best part of the day was sharing my gigantic "Motherlode" birthday cake with my best friend Miss Gilly, my great friend Eron, my Sho-Air teammates and all the rest of the racers.

I must thank Gilly and Caroline for feeding and watering me. And thanks also to Chris, Sherry, Tim, Suzanne, Jason and all the volunteers for organizing the race. And of course thanks to my Sho-Air family for the support, encouragement, and friendship.