2013 is shaping up to be a year of “firsts”. At the end of January, Linda and I went to Louisville, KY to watch the cyclocross World Championships. This was the first time I have been to the CX Worlds and it was the first time in 64 years that the US has hosted the event. The US pulled it off in grand fashion. What an amazing event to be a part of and we had a great time catching up with friends and exploring Louisville.

Sam & Charlie Brown=SuperFans @CX Worlds

The following weekend the Winter Mountain Games were held here in Vail. This year, in addition to the Snow Bike Crit, there was a Cross Country style Mtn Bike race held at the Vail Nordic Center. Turns out that this was dubbed the first ever Winter XC Mtn Bike National Championships. The guys at Twenty2 Cycles were kind enough to lend me a beautiful Ti Bully to use for the weekend. This bike was fresh off an extended review from the fellas at Mountain Flyer, and is an absolute art piece.

WInter XC Mtn Bike photo credit: Andrijan Smaic

There was a descent turnout for the Friday afternoon race. After separating ourselves from the group Colin Cares and I settled in to a descent pace around the 2k loop just west of the Nordic Center. With about three laps to go I got a small gap on Colin and was able to hold on for the win. The following day a similar scenario played out in the Snow Bike Crit. except this time it was Tim Allen and I that were off the front. Again, about mid way thru the 40 min effort I had a small gap and was able to capitalize on a couple of bobbles and extend the lead over the last couple of laps.

#winning photo credit: Tatum Wells

Two wins in two days in 20 degree weather on the snow and I am the first ever Winter XC Mtn Bike National Champion. Stoked!

Full race report from Mary Topping @butterflywriter  here and here.

Back in early January, I received a text message from Dax Massey informing me that Zeke Hersh had effectively “wrecked himself” while snowboarding on Christmas Day and would be out of commission for a while. Merry Christmas Zeke. Dax was now frantically seeking a replacement for the 5 person co-ed Light-n-Motion team at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. I had never ridden in Tucson and this is a race that has been on the “hope to do someday” list for a while, so I agreed.

24HOP photo credit: Dave McElwaine

I decided to fly down to Tucson one day early and meet up with a group of friends that were finishing up a week at the Cycling House. On Friday we woke up and road Mt Lemmon, another first for me. What a beautiful climb.

On Saturday morning I caught a ride out to 24 Hour Town and got settled in with the team. I love how much of a reunion it is to go to cycling events, and with so many folks you just pick up right where you left off, whether it’s been one week or one year since you’ve last seen them.

Camp NoTubes Thru the Flames @24HOP

I drew the short straw and was elected to ride the first leg of the race. Which means I had to run the Le Mans style start. It was a long, fast, downhill run to the bikes. Pretty impressive. I was probably 3rd of 4th to the bike and once we got rolling I settled into a group with TJ Woodruff, Jason Donald, Kenny Wehn and a couple of others. As the course wound it’s way thru the desert and twisted in and out of

A huge NoTubes contingent at 24HOP photo credit: Dave McElwain

cacti, TJ and I had a small gap on Jason and the other chasers. The fact that I had not pre-ridden the course made it a definite advantage to follow TJ’s wheel. He knows the trails really well and has some great early season fitness going. Once we got on the false flat climb on the back side of the course TJ put in a good strong dig and I rolled in about one minute behind him. After 5 laps and some good quality racing thru the night we won the 5 person Co-Ed category…and were 3rd overall. Again, thanks to Todd Robison from Twenty2 cycles for letting me demo his Ti 29er (this maybe the start of something here).This was my first time to ride a Ti Mtn bike. I have always heard the ride quality of Ti is “supple”, but what I noticed most was how responsive the bike was. The acceleration was very impressive. So, far I’m having a blast this season. Doing some new and interesting events and riding some new and interesting bikes.

Next up. I headed to South Carolina for Team Camp, with the NoTubes p/b Proferrin road team…another “first”.

As the US race calendar quickly comes to an end it has been a mad scramble to better my starting position for Nationals by grabbing as many UCI points as possible. I’ve been able to get in some quality training here in the Colorado high country as November was full of dry roads and mild temps.

NCGPcx photo credit Pete Hyman

The last three weeks have been a bit of a whirl wind to say the least. A lot of airport time and time on the road with not much time at home. But as the saying goes “this is when the rubber meets the road”

Here is a brief breakdown of how the last couple of weeks have played out:

Saturday December 1st;

11:00 am, flight from DEN to LAX.

8:30 pm, race (Cross After Dark final) Finish 14th

Sunday December 2nd;

1pm, race (Socal Cross CXLA) Finish 10th

4pm, watch team mate, Mical Dyck, win the Single Speed World Championships

7pm, catch a flight from LAX to DEN

Friday December 7th;

7:00 pm, catch a flight from DEN to Bend, OR

Saturday December 8th;

3:30 pm, race (USGP Day 1) Finish 24th

Sunday December 9th;

3:30 pm, race (USGP Day 2) Finish 30th

Monday December 10th;

9:30 am, breakfast at CHOW

2:00 pm, catch a flight from Bend to DEN

Thursday December 13th;

12:30 pm, flight from DEN to Greenville, SC

Friday December 14th;

Ride Mtn Bike trails on Paris Mtn

Saturday December 15th;

1:45 pm, race (NCGP) Finish 10th

Sunday December 16th;

1:45 pm, race (NCGP) Finish 3rd

Monday December 17th;

7:00 am, flight from Greenville to DEN

Surprisingly both of the races in L.A. were muddy and slick. The field was solid and the racing was pretty intense. Luckily I had a great pit crew and the ideal setup for the weekend. I was happy to finish in the top 15 both days. I even squeaked into the top 10 on Sunday and grabbed another UCI point.

Bend was the final stop for the USGP for the season, and for a lot of folks it was their last race of 2012/13. The Bend course is a blast to race, but the first half of the course is pretty tight and technical so it is really difficult to pass. Both days I got off to a ‘less than ideal start’ but was able to keep fighting and ended up in the top 30 both days. One of the best parts about racing a national series is the friends you get to see and catch up with throughout the season. Not to mention that Bend is a pretty cool little town.

I traveled back to the South East this year of the North Carolina Grand Prix. This is a great little UCI race in the mountains about 30 min South East of Asheville. I love going to this race. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Arkansas, but I really like the people in the area. The race is at Jackson Park which provides a good venue and is put on by a great staff.  I finished on the podium here in the rain a couple of years ago. So, after being a little too impatient on the first day and getting worked over on the last lap, I was psyched to find myself with good legs and in a great position after the first couple of laps. The Ridley XFire Disc and the IronCross/Kwicker tubeless setup was definitely the difference maker on the greasy off camber sections. I was able to fend off a late race charge from Dan Timmerman and ended up 3rd and on the podium.

Now that I’m back home and getting back into the swing of things, I’ve got a couple more weeks to train and eek out that last couple of watts. Then it’s off to Nationals on January 13th in Madison, WI.

Post Race interview with Cycling Dirt is here NCGP Post Race Interview and the highlights for both days are here NCGP highlights Day 1 and here NCGP Highlights Day 2

In staying with a new approach to the CX season I am trying to get in multiple 10 day blocks of training, strategically throughout the season. What I have experienced in previous years is that coming into the season with a good solid base from Mtn/Road season is not enough to get you through the entire cross season. Once the racing begins it is super important to try and recover from weekend to weekend in order to be fresh for the next race. Throw in travel days on Friday and Monday and that doesn’t leave much time for training. This wasn’t such a problem when the race calendar spanned 2 1/2 months, but now the races start in early September and continue into January, nearly doubling the length of the season. Fortunately, we have had fantastic weather in the high country this Fall, making the training sessions a little more enjoyable. But the timing of the latest 10 day block didn’t set me up to be going well last weekend in Boulder. We are lucky to have two UCI race weekends in Colorado. However, the fact that they both take place in November and are exactly two weeks apart, make for a difficult situation.

I was going good at Ft. Collins and had a descent result. After getting in a high volume week of training with some work behind the scooter I knew I was going to be a little flat for the Boulder Cup weekend. Like many of us ‘cross racers here in Colorado, I consider Chris Grielish’s Boulder Cup a hometown race. Due to calendar conflicts with the World Cup in Europe, this years Boulder Cup was downgraded to a UCI Cat2 event. So, with a slightly more shallow talent pool, I was hoping to be able to get a good result. We kicked off the weekend of racing at the Colorado Cyclocross Classic. The course is on a peninsula at the Boulder Rez. A classic course with a couple of good power sections, mixed with some technical sections and some sand riding on the beach. After getting involved with a course tape

Boulder Reservoir photo credit: Dejan Smaic

snafu on the first lap, I realized that didn’t have the legs I was hoping for. I pulled off a top 25, but didn’t really feel like there was much fight in the dog. On Sunday, we raced at Valmont Bike Park in Boulder. The legs had opened up and come around, but taking the wrong line through one of the sand pits early on, put me into a deficit. I was feeling better with every lap, but ran out of real-estate and came through in 20th. All though the result wasn’t that much better than the day before, I at least had a couple of glimpses of brilliance that I was looking for. I am headed back to the East coast this weekend to race the Cycle Smart International. This is a race that I’ve wanted to do for years, and I am psyched that it works with my schedule this season.

I am also looking to gain a little motivation from the book I just started, Behind the Stare. It’s written by the US National Team coach and EuroCross Camp Director, Geoff Proctor. Check it out!

Three years ago the US Grand Prix of cyclocross moved venue locations from New Jersey to Fort Collins, Colorado. Hosting the Grand Prix not only brought the best talent in the country to Colorado, but it also doubled the amount of UCI races in the state. Once the, cyclocross crazed, front range of Colorado sunk in their claws, an event of this magnitude had no chance of escape. The three other stops on the GP circuit are not much higher than sea level, and the fact that Ft.Collins’ elevation is an even 5,000 ft adds another unique dynamic to this weekend of racing. Needless to say I look forward to this race every season.

I have had my share of bad luck at this race in years past. I’ve come down with the flu after day 1 and had to watch the race from bed. By this time last season I had the fitness but the freshness factor was long gone. This year I was hoping to put together a clean race and pull out a descent result. Coming off of a top 10 at a muddy Providence I had some good confidence for the weekend.

Kenny Wehn and I turned a couple of dusty laps on the course on Friday afternoon. There were some slight changes in the course from years past. I think they did a great job with what there was to work with…which was basically a field. The course had a nice flow to it, and you could carry some good speed through most sections. With rain in the forecast I was really hoping for some slick muddy conditions on Saturday.

The rain came, but as quickly as it rolled in it rolled right out. By the time the Elite Women raced the course was tacky and faster than ever. After a 3rd row call up and a good solid start, I somehow got my bars tangled up with another rider’s bars. We had to come to a complete stop to get them unhooked. This was right before the run up on the first lap, so a at least 30 or so riders passed by. As I remounted at the top, another rider came over in front of me and took out a spoke on my front Iron Cross wheel. After a flawless exchange in the pits I was on a fresh bike and back in the game, but well towards the back of the field. Working my way up to 27th I was happy to salvage the day but I couldn’t help but feel like I had squandered another good start.

Post Race Interview Day 2

After Saturday’s effort, along with some good food and sleep I came into Day 2 calm but determined. The course had dried to a mix between Adobe and concrete. A descent start and a clean first lap put me around 30th. I was able to hook up with fellow Colorado crosser, Alan Krughoff, and Brad White. With 2 laps to go we had worked our way up to 13th. So close to top ten (points), and it seamed like we still had some steam rollin’. There was a late attack from Alex Candelario that strung out the group and I just couldn’t react. I must have done too much work early on. It would have been a good opportunity to use more road tactics and less mtn bike tactics.

The NoTubes/Kenda combo was rippin’ and the disc brakes continue to blow my mind. So Smooth! Finished the day in sixteenth and we got to break in a new team member, Chris George. I wouldn’t say I put a stamp on the Ft.Co GP, but I do feel like I got a small monkey off my back. Thanks to the NoTubes crew for a flawless weekend, and all the hometown fans that came out and supported.

After a restless night in an airport hotel I caught an early fight back to Colorado. We landed in Denver around 10:30 AM. As usual I checked in with Linda, to let her know I had landed and about what time I would be home. She mentioned that she had an opening in her massage schedule, and if I wanted to come straight to her office I could get the racing and travel worked out of my legs (and yes, I do know how lucky I am). I proceeded to pass out on the table, exhausted from the travel and lack of sleep. Much needed.

I knew it was going to be a pretty short week between Providence and the US Grand Prix in Fort Collins. The goal for the week was to go into the weekend as rested as possible, which meant for a pretty light training week. That worked out perfectly because I had a lot to get caught up on at home and at the gym, and most importantly I needed to get caught up on some sleep.

I’ve been using a sleep app on my phone that monitors your movement patterns while you sleep. It’s called Sleep Cycle. Initially I downloaded it because I was wanting a gentle alarm to wake up to. Something that wasn’t so abrupt. So the way this thing works is it uses the accelerometer in the iPhone to sense your movement while you sleep. You set the alarm for when you have to be awake then you set a range, say 30 min. It tries to wake you when you are in your lightest sleep state with in that range. It also tracks your sleep patterns so you can look back and see the quality of sleep you are getting. Some pretty interesting info, and an area of training that I feel is often times over looked.

Because I immediately packed bikes after Sunday’s race in Providence, I needed to get them unpacked and race ready. At the time I thought they were pretty clean but, it’s funny how relative “clean” is. After racing for an hour in the mud it doesn’t take much for bikes to look “clean”. I always go thru the bikes thoroughly after I get home. I wash them again and inspect them to make sure bearings are good and all parts are in good working order. Getting bikes ready, shoes/helmet cleaned and laundry done is usually a full day, at least.

Since recovery was the name of the game this week I was mostly getting in some easy rides. I had a good quality day on the bike on Thursday with a little bit of threshold work and some sprints thrown in. After working with a couple of clients in the gym Friday morning, I loaded up the Grumpy Bus & drove down to FtCo. The forecast was calling for some rain on Saturday for the Front Range, and afterdriving through a down pour on Vail Pass, it looked like it was on it’s way. As I drove down I70 the skies became more and more clear. I got to the venue in FtCo in time to get in a ride and do a little course recon. The track was very similar to years past, and it was dusty and loose. The anticipated moisture would be very welcome. Bring on the Mud!!!

The recently announced American Cyclingdirt Classics p/b Stan’s NoTubes allowed me the opportunity to head back east and do a little cross racing. I’ve previously raced in North Carolina at the NCGP but that is pretty much the extent of my east coast experience. I was definitely excited to check out the New England scene that I have heard so much about…and if were lucky we would even get some mud.

Richie Rich was going to pick me up from the airport, so I checked out flights. Looking at the map it made sense for Richie to pick me up at LaGuardia on his way through from State College. In hindsight, that wasn’t the most efficient plan. I landed at 5 pm and it was pretty much bumper to bumper traffic until we were well into Connecticut. The traffic may have been due to the holiday weekend or maybe that’s just how it is trying to get out of New York City on a Friday at 5:00. Lesson learned.

I decided to ride from the hotel to the venue on Saturday, and as I rolled into Roger Williams Park I became even more excited about the weekend of racing. The course was a beautiful layout with some short punchy climbs, some tight technical turns and some all out power sections. The rain that was promised had not show up yet, so the ground was dry and dusty in spots but the traction looked good for the Kenda Kommando’s. After doing some course recon and going through my normal warmup routine, I was feeling good and ready to race. Based on last season’s points I was on the fourth row. I lined up on the left side and got a great start. I was probably in the top 15 coming through the pits on the first lap. I knew right away though, that my legs weren’t very responsive. I kept thinking I could ride myself into the race, but as the laps slowly ticket by I consistently went backward through the pack. I was actually surprised to finish in the top 30. Video from day 1

After the race there was a lot of analyzing going on, mostly on my part. Was I really that far off of form? Was it the travel, or all the racing from last weekend? Frustrating to say the least. Ultimately, I had no excuses, but after a few words of encouragement from Richie and Yogi I went into Sunday’s race with a renewed sense of confidence. Also, the rain was on it’s way. Bonus!

As the women began staging the rain started coming down. Not a down pour, just a nice consistent shower. The course was changing by the second. The lines through the corners were now wherever there was grass, and the off camber sections became as slick and greasy. Again I lined up on the left side and again had a good start, probably top 20 coming through the Fi’zi:k offcamber section. I could immediately tell two things. One, my legs showed up today, and two, the Kenda Kwicker’s were 2 levels above anything the other guys were running. Areas where guys were sliding or spinning out, I was hooking up. I got in with Yanick and Tristan and was riding with them for the first half of the race. Jaime Driscoll made contact with about 2 1/2 laps to go. I ended up finishing 9th. Psyched! To be in New England and pull off a top 10 with that field was very confidence inspiring. The disc brakes were impressive to say the least. Combined with the superb traction of the Kwicker’s it was a good recipe for success. Video from day 2.

Providence Post Race interview

The gem of the weekend was as we were headed back to the airport on Sunday night, we decided to stop off in New Haven, CT for dinner. Richie and I were both looking for some seafood. Thanks to the trusty iPhone we found a place that looked promising. As we were walking in, they informed us that they were closed for the night. We stumbled across the street to another Italian place that was still serving, Tony & lucille’s Little Italy Restaurant. It’s a family owned place and even though they were about to close too, they cooked up an huge seafood pasta dish that was amazing. So, if you ever find yourself on 95 crusing through New Haven stop in and check it out. You’ll be glad you did. Thanks to Richie Rich and the NoTubes crew for all the help all weekend long. Bucket washing in the pits, and I had a fresh bike every 1/2 lap if I needed it. You guys killed it!

With the Tour of Vail this weekend I decided to stick around here, sleep in my own bed, and get in some good quality racing in the high country. The  Tour of Vail is part of The Great American Cycling Series, p/b Stan’t NoTubes. It consisted of a short 5.5 miles Time Trial on Friday, a Grand Fondo on Saturday from Copper back to Copper via the Leadville Loop, and a day of crit racing on Sunday, which was the USA Crits finals for the season.

Initially I hadn’t planned on racing the TT on Friday, but I had a last minute cancelation at Dogma, so I decided to give it a go. I covered the course in 13:25 which was twenty-six seconds behind the Taylor Sheldon, who took the win. The good thing was that I was good and opened up for the CX race in Golden the next day.

A couple of weeks ago I got a Facebook message from Michael Welker inviting me to come down and race the Primalpalooza, a cyclocross race put on by the Primal Racing team in Golden. He promised a solid field a fun course and good money payout. I was psyched to see that I was going to be in town and could make it down because he delivered, on all fronts. With the local Boulder talent coming out in force, (ie, Danny Summerhill, & Alan Krughoff) I knew it was going to be a good day of racing to tack on to yesterday’s TimeTrial. With Danny 30 seconds off the front I was locked in a battle with Alan and Brandon Dwight. We traded off pulls and tried to string it out, but windy conditions and course design made it pretty difficult to get away. It came down to a sprint for 2nd between Alan and myself. He got me with the bike throw. A quick reminder how fun the cyclocross racing is here in Colorado.

Sunday was the big day on the weekend for me, hosting the USA Crits finals in my own back yard, not to mention the opportunity to race through the cobbled streets of Vail Village. The NoTubes/AXA team were bringing in a couple of riders to join me. Needless to say I was excited to race in front of the hometown crowd with Ryan, Brian and Jacob. I was able to ride comfortably near the front and be aggressive. After a few attempts I got in a small break with Colby Pierce, one of the GingerTwins from Exergy, Robin Eckman, and a couple of other strong riders. I thought this break really had a chance of staying away but with teams like Mtn Khakis and Optimum controlling the pace we got brought back after a few laps. They were really wanting it to come down to a field sprint. The rest of the race for me was like a MotoPacing session. We were averaging around 30 mph and I was able to sit in and match the accelerations. As we came into the final stretch Luke Keogh from Mtn Khakis came around for the win and clinched the overall title for the series. I was happy to stay safe and near the front. I finished 21st, and since the payout went 20 deep it would have been sweet to be one spot up. Just out of the money.

In all it was a great weekend of racing/training and a great weekend for the sponsors. From the sound of it the promoter of the Tour of Vail was happy with the race and so was the town of Vail. I’m hoping that it comes back next year and the local cycling/racing population continues to grow.

After stopping by the show in Vegas, early Thursday morning, we said good by to Jimmy D and the NoTubes Crew and caught a flight to Madison, Wisconsin for the first USGrandPrix of Cyclocross.

One of the big changes this year is making the jump to disc brakes with the Ridley XFire Disc and the Stan’s NoTubes Iron Cross. I have to admit that even though we raced on the new bikes in vegas I didn’t really notice the disc brakes at all. A lot of that had to do with the course, which is predominately flat with wide, grassy turns. So, not really a lot of braking going on. Wisconsin on the other hand has more elevation change and is a bit more technical in spots. I had a good result there last year on day 2 riding in the mud, so I was definitely hoping for some weather. Additionally, I was wanting the opportunity to really test out the new braking system in their natural element.

Although, mother nature was trying to help out, with moisture in the forecast and even a thunder storm that blew through on Saturday night, it turned out to be warm and breezy, and the course was dry all weekend in Madison. However, I was surprised with how noticeable the braking with the disc brakes were, even in the dry conditions. I felt like I could carry more speed into the corners by braking later, and the braking was more predictable. The TRP CX9’s that we used last season (and I still have on my training bike) work great, and are plenty strong, but the modulation of the disc brakes are so much smoother. The feel is less grabby and I think that transfers to the ground via more predictable traction at the tire.

I ended up 25th on Saturday after stacking it up, and loosing some valuable positions ,in one of the corners late in the race. On Sunday it seamed that my legs came around and I was able to pass more easily. I was able to hook up with midwest shredder, Mitchell Kersting and consistently move up into the top 20. Overall, I’m Happy with the weekend and ready to spend a little time at home. A big thanks to Jon H for allowing us to take over his house…again. See you in January, Jon.

The NoTubes Elite Cyclocross Team kicked off the season in true fashion by meeting in the Nevada Desert at interbike for CrossVegas where we received our new Ridley XFire frames. This is a new disc specific frame from Ridley only available here in the US. Other than the obvious disc tabs and cable routing, the geometry and the super responsive ride are unchanged from last season’s XFire.

Additionally, we will be showcasing a new wheel from Stan’s No Tubes this season. The Iron Cross Disc wheels differ slightly from the Alpha 340’s by having a slightly higher rim bed that is specifically designed for running CX clincher tires at low pressure. The rim profile is also slightly taller, in order to help with shedding sand, mud and snow, and a hair wider internally making for a larger contact patch.

I also got to meet the newest member of the NoTubes family, Canadian babe, Mical Dyck. Our paths crossed last season a couple of times, but I had never go the chance to meet her. She is going to be a great addition to the crew and she brings some BC humor with her.

With CrossVegas being the first real test of the season I was extremely happy. I ended up 28th in a very strong field, even after getting tangled up in the barriers on the second lap. A huge thanks to all of the sponsors for getting everything together in time to kick off the season. Also thanks to Kenny & Shannon for getting the bikes built up and Jimmy D for all the support.

It’s gonna be a great season!

Morning View from my bunk

Everyone was grouped up fairly tight as we prepared for the first climb of the day. There was a large bridge just before the right hand turn at the bottom of the climb. As I went to turn right off the bridge both wheels went out from under me as if I was on a freshly Zambonied ice rink. I hit the ground but at fairly slow speed and only suffered a dropped chain. As I fumbled with getting the chain back on I felt like the entire race was passing me by. But most importantly my teammate was riding away from me, having no idea that I had hit the deck. Dax and I had made an agreement that we would try to stay with in sight of each other just in case something happened, so I knew that once he realized that I wasn’t in the group he would be waiting for me. Just as we started to summit the first climb I could see him soft pedaling over the top. We grouped up and ripped the descent together. As we popped out on to the pavement we could see the main group just up the road. We buried it to make contact before it was too late. Once we were safely into the group we had about a 2 min reprieve before we hit the single track.

After gingerly pedaling over a couple of small bridges, we began climbing up a trail called NoName.

Dax getting his game face on

It was a trail that consisted entirely of bread loaf sized rocks that were covered in moss. Any part of the rock that was exposed was as slick as ice. Trying to maintain a consistent tension on the pedals was a must. There were many short sections where I was off the bike and walking after slipping out. This proved to be an abrupt lesson on how to ride, or not to ride, the slick wet rocks here in Penn. I decided to yell out to Dax, “I bet this stuff is gnarly when it’s wet!’ and that got a good chuckle from most riders around me. These trails are a little tough to swallow at first but once you got the hang of it, it definitely helped later on down the trail. School of hard knock, right?

TSE duo-pro podium

After having to stop for a couple of minor mechanicals, we were able to get into a groove and started ticking off the miles. We were able to finish the stage about 40 minutes off the overall winner, Barry Wicks’ time. In the duo category we finished about 10 minutes ahead of the next team. Tomorrow’s stage we will be riding more jeep road than single track, but it is the longest day of the week. I’m really looking forward to the the rest of this week.