Pro XC Tour Kick Off

We are finally home after a busy weekend of driving and racing. We were planning to leave early on Saturday, however Koko broke a canine tooth Friday night when he got snagged on the seam of my cargo shorts. We had to wait until the vet's office opened to call. Vet told us we should bring him in soon but not necessarily that day, so we continued with the plan. Made it to Fontana just before 4 PM after having the worst dining experience at a Mexican restaurant outside of Indio.

After taking care of registration I went to pre-ride the course. I knew the course was different but I was really surprised with how steep and difficult the initial climb was. I loved it, because I knew I could do better than many people on that section. The technical descend was also fun. After two laps we went back to the hotel and got changed, met Norma's cousing Eddy and his wife for dinner then it was time to bed.

With a 2:15 PM start I had plenty of time for breakfast. Denny's was just around the corner, so we had some "serious" meal and went back to the hotel to chill.

We made it to the venue around 12:30 so I could start my warm-up. The vibe in the venue was really cool. Scott Tedro and everyone else helping to put this series together have done a great job. The stunt motorcycle show was going in while I was sitting on the trainer which made it difficult to ignore but at the same time it got my mind away from the race ahead.

Not sure what my call-up would be I headed to the staging area as soon as they called up the first rider. Quickly the starting line got fuller and fuller with riders lined up 9-wide.

Still waiting to be called up

Ten full rows had been filled and my name hadn't been called, eventually there was a little over a handful of us left in the staging area when I heard my name. I only had to move forward a few yard to take my spot, then the annuncer says there was 1-minute to the start. I looked back and there was only one row of guys behind me and about 11 in front.

I got a little nervous thinking about the upcoming chaos of funneling 114 riders into the course while navigating around three tight turns.

Then at 2:15 PM, off we went. How was the start? This video should give you a good idea. Watch for my red and black Adrenaline jersey going by on the inside about 9 seconds into it.

I made it through the first two turns without a hitch and moved a few spots then I got boxed in on the third one and had to get off my bike just to keep moving forward. I quickly remounted and moved up a few more spots before having to dismount again on the first short, steep, loose climb. Passed a few more people while running and remounted. I settled behind the next group of guys in hopes of recovering before the really steep climb then 6 guys went by us. I then realized how hard you have to race at this level.

The rest of the first lap continued like that. I rode as hard as I could, yet anytime I let off the gas, even for just a moment, one or two riders went by. I went down twice on this lap trying not to run over other guys that had crashed in front of me. Lap two went about the same, however riders were spread out a little more and I kept moving forward. Todd Wells passed me after his mechanical. We both were running with our bikes at the top of the climb. I tried staying with him but lost him on the downhill.

Marty was out on the course as usual, providing some needed encouragement.

I started to enjoy the race on lap three and felt a lot stronger. I also got more comfortable on the descends. As I started my 4th lap I must have crossed into what I called the "mediocrety threshold." All the big names were ahead yet I couldn't see anyone behind me. On this lap I only passed three guys. On the last lap, I was just focusing on keeping a steady pace and make it to the finish without any incidents. I managed to pass one other rider, but aside from him I rode mostly by myself the whole lap, which I thought was unusual. For a second I thought I was the last rider not getting pulled, but a few seconds after crossing the line I saw a few more riders come in.

After a quick spin to cool off, I went back to the car to change and pack. On the way out we discovered the car had a flat tire. Thankfully there was an Auto Zone across the street. We bought a can of Fix-a-Flat and a Large Pizza at the restaurant next door and went back to the hotel.
We drove back to Phoenix on Monday. Except for some strong winds, the drive was uneventfull. Then in the afternoon I took Koko to the vet. I looks like he'll need to have the rest of the broken tooth removed as well as two others. Who would have thought! What's next...braces!!!

We may also do put him through "another" procedure at the same time but don't tell him. I don't think he'll like the idea.

Thanks to all for your e-mails and text messages. It was nice to know that I had people rooting for me.

Jeff