What a difference cooler temps can make!

We just had Cal State #4 in Santa Barbara at Ellings Park. It was a good day for just about everyone (except for Mandy and her broken chain). The weather was MUCH better than last year. I would say at least 20 degrees cooler. This makes a huge difference. So much so, that I managed to take nearly 18 minutes off my time from last year! Last year I was on the verge of a heat stroke (delirious, nauseous, disconnected, etc) but still managed to finsih (behind just about every other rider!).

Joy, Matt and I drove up together in Matt's Mazda. It was a comfortable ride and we had a bathroom stop at probably the nicest McDonald's I have ever seen (somewhere near Camarillo Factory Outlets I think). It even had a conference room that business-folk could reserve. it also had a *lounge* with leather couches (well maybe they were Pleather) and funky chairs and coffee table! On top of that had probably the nicest fast food joint bathrooms ever.

We arrived at the venue with plenty of time in advance and scored a sweet parking spot. Unfortunately the spot was next to a sage bush with hundreds of bees swarming near it. SO I had to set up my trainer on the other side :).

Marius did an excellent job feeding us again! James and Roger also poured water on me during the laps which was a big help! I could hear Shelli cheering for us every lap!

The race was pretty much non-stop the whole time. The laps were short, ending up around 27 min per lap (we did 4). One false move and you could lose your position. Ankie (from Team Helen's), Mandy and I worked together great (toggling back and forth for position). On lap 3 I managed to fall going UPHILL around a switchback. My saddle twisted out of place, so I had to use brute force to get it back. It managed to stay in place the rest of the day thankfully. I had a couple cuts and bruises but was able to get right back on. Had to play catch up to Mandy and Ankie, which required some extra work. Mandy's chain broke on the downhill switchbacks, which left Ankie and myself to push eachother hopefully closer to Chrissy (we could still see her ahead of us until the 4th lap). We could also see super strong Joy creeping up behind us which also lit a fire!

Ankie and I continued to push forward staying together, toggling back and forth a few more times. I was feeling ready to try to see if I could pull away to seal 2nd place on the 4th and final lap (backside climb), but I got cramps in my quads (a new experience for me) . I shouted out like some of the guys I have seen suffer from cramps. Darn that hurts! I didn't know what to do, could barely pedal! Ankie moved ahead of me at this point and I was worried about my fate. I moved into an easier gear and took a gu and some water. Not sure why that would end up helping so fast, but all of a suddden I felt better enough to push hard again. I tried to catch up to Ankie, and did OK, managing to get into the final switchback descending section just a few seconds after her.

The race was not quite over as we entered the final paved climb. I gained on her, but couldn't quite pull it off. Once we got to the final grass section to the finish, I didn't have much sprint in me, but managed to finish just 2 seconds behind her to take 3rd. We chatted alot after the race and felt it was a good day for both of us. Working together and pushing like that was excellent!

It was the kind of day I needed! A good strong day. Thanks to everyone for the support. It was fun once again hanging out with everyone after the race. Thanks to Roger for some of these great pix!!!!!!!

On the way home, Matt, Joy and I feasted at In-N-Out Burger! YUM! Got home around 9pm just in time to see a classic movie: Bladerunner in HD!

In other news: On Sunday Joy, Shelli, Heidi (Joy's old time friend from boarding schoo) and I did a chill 2 hour road ride to shake the legs out. As seem to happen quite often, we had to come to the rescue of a living being! A CUTE black dog was shaking and hurt on the side of E Street in Yucapia. Joy fed him some water and we asked the people across the street to call the animal rescue. If I had a basket on my bike, that dog would have been coming home with me.

Next race stop: Deer Valley Utah!