Wrapping up 2009..
But first, there's no better way to end the year than with Team Seagals CXmas non-race! This was an absolute blast! Over 120 riders turned out. Some wanted to "race". Others, like myself, just wanted to get a good ride in an enjoy the festivities. There's nowhere else in the world where you can ride 20+ miles on a kick-ass course, drink PBR, chug egg nog, eat bacon, and do shots of Jamison all in a 2-hour period while riding alongside Santa and a dude in a bunny suit!!
The highlight of my race was definitely the thought of winning the unofficial egg-nog chugging contest! Actually, it was so unofficial I don' t think the guys planning on having a contest until some of decided to make it one in the middle of the race!
After a big group of us got lost out on the course - and of course laughed it off - we rolled into the egg-nog checkpoint. The first nog was so good I had to have another! The second was twice as good, so I asked what the most nogs consumed so far. When I heard Drew Black had done 3, I of course had to man-up for 4! I was a little worried these 4 drinks of pure holiday cheer would be making a quick exit from my body on the next hill - especially with the shot of Jamison whiskey we all had to consume about 5 miles before!
However, my hopes and dreams of being the egg-nog champion were dashed by one guy that did 5, then by a highly competitive egg-nog'er named Bob who chose to not only beat 5 but smash it with such force that noone would even think about matching him. He did 15 egg-nogs! My hat, and gut, are off to him!
But what an amazing event it was and I'm now even more looking forward to more non-races next year!
On to 2010....
2010 looks to be an awesome year of racing. The newly formed United Federation of Dirt recently announced the following fantastic news:
"For 2010, we are promoting 17 traditional cross country mountain bike races divided into two leagues. The Eastern League is comprised of 8 races and the Western League will be hosting 9 races. The Endurance League brings together 4 races focused on long distance and the ability for the human spirit to suffer. The events will take place on some the best singletrack that the region has to offer, including the ever popular Castlewood State Park, Spanish Lake, Wilson Lake, KS and newly minted Swope Park. "
Plus, Karen and I are planning on doing more 12/24 hour endurance races. Karen is going to be racing for the Gary Fisher 29'er crew in 2010 so we're very jaz'ed about that!
I've also started running again. So thinking about doing some long trail races (Berryman Marathon), the Berryman Duathlon, as well as maybe even puttign another Adventure Race on my calendar. Unfortunately, the calf issues that stopped me from running and Adv. Racing are flaring up again. Going to the Dr. on 1/7 to hopefully get some answers.
Happy Holidays everyone!
