Late season update: Kenda Cup Bear Creek

Welp fan, it is August and people are already talking cross. I am not, as I am still struggling to find my mountain and road form but it is a sign that things are already winding down as I am hoping to finally wind it up for the remainder of this MTB season. During those important months of spring when big miles lead to big results in the 100s I found my training cut down by close to 50% of normal because of my non-bike responsibilities as a do-gooder-mind-molder which has resulted 50% less race readiness and that has been compounded by that knee injury from last years 24hrs race that has left me limping many days out of this season. I have had a few podiums though and most importantly I am still having fun so life is good.

Last weekend was the Wilderness 101 and about six days before I pulled the plug. The knee and a strained quad made me easily decide that riding 8+ hours on a SS would not be much fun or smart. So instead I headed to Amish country for the Kenda Cup at Bear Creek. Holy smokes was this a tough event. Bear Creek is a ski resort so I was expecting your typical dumb USAC ski resort course, where you climb up the mountain for 30 minutes on a fire road and than blast down in 10 minutes through the woods, rinse, gargle and repeat. Nop, the organizers but together a dozy of a course, instead of climbing straight up the mountain we went up in three stages through the woods. Wait, three mean gnarly rock filled stages through the woods. The climb was mad technical and the descent was even more so and boy did it knock you silly. Some of the rock sections both ascending and descending where down right scary but a whole lot fun so long as you cleared them. I normally like the longer races but as we went through the start/finish for our third and final lap I was pretty satisfied and would have been happy to be finished with two. And man oh man, did that third lap hurt. My arms where rubber and my hands where sore as bounced my way through that last lap. I was more afraid of the fatigue in my arms letting loose and causing me to crash instead of the rocks. By days end I was 5^th in class and 9thish within the group I started with, not stellar but not that bad either which is how this season is going. I had a hoot though and if I can I’ll go back as should you.

The remainder of August is filled with exciting racn’ action for ya’ll entertainment fan. The Shogren’s, as I write, are headed to Lou-Ville for road Natz and I am sure they’ll have some tales from the road. This weekend I have my choice of MTB racn’, either the Big Bear Ultra or a MASS race in Yozelland. Stay tuned for my report from where ever I end up. Then we got the ABRA RR race but I’ll be in NY visiting my family and doing mall laps with Grandma Rosie so I’ll miss that but I will be hitting a 6 Hour MTB race while there in the Finger Lakes. Oh then what, oh yeh, Coopers Rock and the SM100 maybe and then, wow, it might be over. Then the bikes will change but not the life with Charm City cross. It is a simple life but a good one.

As always "May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face" and may your wheels always find it safely back to the ground.

PEACE Chrissy