1.21 Gigawatts!?

The Firecracker is always a trip to the past for me. Tj, John and I tore up the trials before there were trials. The Archer Park/Otter Creek assult was the premier ride. This years race brought much of the same excitement as I rolled around for a pre-ride on Saturday. I was greeted with the usual course challenges and some new zero-g rollers! The creek trails certainly test the skills of a rider. Everyone is struggling for that little boost of speed as short power climbs keep a tight pack. GOOOO! Not really. I came to an abrupt stop just seconds from the line after a dirt slinging race winning rider unclipped in my path. Unfortunately, I lack the power to pass at full speed, leaving me track standing at the first section of single track. Pedal, Pedal, Pain, Pedal, Pain and I was back in the top 15 riders. As the saying goes, "if you aint rubbing you aint racing," held true. For the first time since returning to the race scene I felt like I was racing. Going into the last lap I was attempting to control our small group of four riders, taking the lead on long single track sections and responding to small attacks. Conveniently, Muraski was also in our four man group. He launched several valiant attacts throughout the last lap leaving my legs cooked. I went into the last section of single track in fourth wheel, hoping to slingshot for the best of the rest as we exited the rock garden. One bobble and in the rocks and the rest is history.
A big thanks to all the race directors and trail makers! The Eau Claire race is a great one!