Dropped, droppers, & TR3

So its been a while.

Post-Banff stage race, I decided the time was nigh for some rest. Lessons learned from the past and some general life reasons dictated that resting now would be good for later. There were lots of distractions such as stampede, work, and little things. Observe photo exhibit #2

It didn't last long. Made a cold-turkey attempt at racing MTB Provincials, which went so poorly that I decided two more weeks would do well. See above for a photographic depiction of my post-race mindset in exhibit 1.

So I tried to dial it back further, but it didn't feel any better. Then enough time had passed that I hopped back on bike out of desperation. It quickly hit me that rest is good, but not riding can wear on the mind and body just as much. The feeling of being back on it was great, and I knew just enough absence had passed to grow a fond heart again.

So I started to dig myself out of the fitness hole that had accumulated. 3-day TransRockies was looming right around the corner.

Today was day 1 of TR3. On a big day with 2x the "hyperventilation" climb I knew over exertion would get me nowhere, so as the pack blasted off on the tails of blatantly stronger pro riders, I settled in to a conservative pace.

Now on a 2000ft climb, there is lots of settling time, and I found that by the crux of the summit I had worked into the top 10.

I descended like a dump truck (full of garbage), and my primary concern became the two dropper post-equiped FS riders that were in sight behind me at the summit. I will reserve true opinions on dropper posts for another time, but let's just suffice to say there was quite a bit of manhood at risk if these two blitzed me on the DH.

I managed to hold one off until near the bottom, then very happy to continue riding with him to near the end and an 11th overall finish. It was amazing what enjoyment there was from not exploding retaining composure through the day.

Finnished back at the Condo for a solid lunch and post-stage beer/bs session with Devin & Erik. When you've got friends, clean racing, and a beer called Switchback IPA (photo exhibit 3), its a winning day for everyone.