Ron's Sea Otter XC Recap

The weather was perfect this year. It was mid to high sixties on Friday and Sunday. The course was loose and sandy in spots, but very, very fast.

I had a good lap (1) coming across in 1 hr, 25 minutes. On lap (2) I went "kersplat" at about the two hour mark. Despite injesting a whole flask of Gu gel, my blood sugar was completely depleted. I also crashed twice (hard) and had some problems with my chain (in my spokes) that cost me about 3 minutes and 2 or 3 places in the standings. I also ejected one of my water bottles on the first lap, so, I was more prudent with my hydration than I would have liked. This may have effected my energy level. The 40-44 field was one of the strongest Expert fields at this years event. All of the riders in front of me finished under 3 hours.

On Friday, I managed to squeak 8th place out of the 40+ Short Track. Only 9 riders finished in the lead lap and the other 15 or so riders got waved off the course. I was just happy to finish with the big boys. The course was hard, fast and bumpy.

Perry Roper represented Washington State well winning the Expert 45-49 X - country race and 40+ Short Track. In both races, he beat former national champions. He was absolutely dominant. I spoke to several local California boys and he definatly got in their heads.