Another season is in the books; Sun Valley was a great week of racing and there were some really good markers of success. I qualified 11th in the CL sprint, again demonstrating I can sprint among the top in the country. We had an unfortunate hiccup in our waxing for the heats and Dakota and I didn’t move on to the semis, but that’s ski racing. The hill climb was an interesting effort; because I had opted out of the 15km classic that week I had to start at the back of the pack in the hill climb (behind the pursuit starters); after fighting my way through juniors for 3km I finally got to the base of the alpine hill and starting throwing down. The result wasn’t phenomenal, but for a big boy skiing up a wicked hill at altitude, I was psyched.
Scott and I did a recap of last year a few days ago and the consensus was that we did a great job. Given the various circumstances and obstacles in our path we still managed a great US Nationals result and several other key points which illustrate that I’m continuing to progress well and that all my best racing is still ahead of me. My training for this coming season will be much the same as last, and I’m excited to keep the MOD train rolling!
But on to spring. I really look forward to the few weeks of the year in April where I don’t have to focus entirely on training, and can spend my time instead on projects and friends. After Sun Valley, Alison and I traveled to Bend where I cheered her on to a great 5th place finish in the Peterson Ridge Rumble 20mile trail race. She’s been on a great progression this year and is in good form as she prepares for the Cascade Crest 100 miler in August.
Upon returning to the valley I excitedly looked to my new “projects”. The first one was really the completion of a bookcase I had promised Alison this winter. Before leaving for Sun Valley I had cut all the necessary pieces and done a pre-stain on the wood. Last Wednesday I was finally able to finish sand and stain the pieces, and assemble it.
Finishing the bookcase in Jerry’s woodshop, next door to our cabin
Might not be Bob Villa-quality, but it holds books and isn’t cockeyed!
Because Torin had already purchased many of the aftermarket parts for the 750 that I was also looking to buy, I have plenty of work to do. The first order of business has been cleaning the damn thing. There are a few oil leaks on the engine; it looks like one is in the tach cable drive shaft, where a seal was misplaced. The other is at the oil pressure release. Not only am I trying to plug those buggers, but I’ve been scrubbing and degreasing the underside of the engine trying to chip away the accumulated grease and dirt. Not the most glamorous part of the job. Below is a photo of the bike right now; below that is an example of what the bike might become.
What it looks like now…
What it could be…
