TR3 Day #1

I was going thru my phone photos last night and was having a blast remembering all the good stuff since last year. I have been training on a pretty dedicated program for over 6 years now. It was time for a break. I just wasn't excited about any races or events.
The same season for 3 years in a row brought on stagnation. It was time to shake things up. No BCBR, Salty Dog as a team, Deadgoat Giver 8tor as a team...... oh now that's a good one.

 i paired with My old buddy Paul Robertson after days of hard negotiation that the 8 is too long. I was to do the first 4 hours and he the last. Simple. Alana was away so I had to take care of myself, not good. Beers Friday. Lazy Saturday, sleep in for start of race Sunday, WTF. Yep!! woke up 30 mins before the start of the race. Phone calls, texts, mad driving, screeech to stop, Ted Anderson valet parks car, drop jeans, saddle bike, GO!!!! Fun to see everyone, lots of taunts from crowd. ( don't worry I know who you are and I will be the one with the Mic at Beans and Barley). Paul arrives and has a good laugh, throws down some seriously good lap and leaves one lap on the table so he can drink a beer with me. you dont's have to start early or stay late to have a good time.

 That's the kind of season I was looking for and have just gone with it. I have labeled it the Summer of Fun, Jon Firth the says " the summer of Jeff". i may not be as strong but i feel fresh.

Gluten free beer that tastes like beer!!

TR3 Day 1-the 40min uphill TT

 I would like to dis spell a inbred cycling myth. The TransRockies is just long road riding on your MTB. WRONG!! The TR has morphed, changed, evolved, while still being the TR.

When I saw last years course layout I was giddy. Tons of quality single track, cow shit bypasses, epic Bragg Creek single track and of course 3 days in Fernie!!!But how to explain that to others. I tried and will try again.

 I like the idea of the Day 1 TT right up to about 28 minutes into it. Don't get me wrong the course is great, it's just...well 28 minutes into any TT sucks. It also coincides with where Ian Auld passed me, within 30 meters of where he passed my in the F3. i think he has magical powers and is able to quantum flux the space-time continuum.

 i won't make you sit thru the course profile but it goes up for a while, down for a while and then across. Some pleasant surprises: the dry trials, the great fans and volunteers, the weather, and Coal Discovery-East to West. Single track climb to ST descent, to great cross country, to road, yes road.

Let's pause and talk about this. Come on, what's your first reaction to my use of the word "road" in a MTB race?? ah geez, come on, really???
 Here's the thing, you don't think you want it but secretly you do, like that powder blue terry cloth leisure suit you have been eying up at Value village. If you did 32km of non-stop ST you would be a bag of shit. Where would you eat, where would you drink, where could you take a break, phyicaly and mentally???? 2 hours of ST would be like 2 hours of championship timed puzzle making. you would be fired. So remember that and think about it's placement in the race.
Today it was perfect. about 2/3 of the way you got 3-4 km of road. I ate, I drank, I stretched out the lower back that was killing me. and just as I got my poop in a group. BAM!!! back down Coal Discovery Trial(East to West) the way it should be ridden. Lovely Day 1 TR, simply Lovely.
 if you are too lazy to go to the Site-. The fast guys were fast, and us old boys were relatively fast.

Random Pictures: Where I get the good stuff before the race:

Really Aaron, you haven't hit them up for sponsorship??? Gels make good tire boots in a jam:

Nipika XC skiing I was going to drop into this tight chute but didn't think the skis would hold up to it.