Mellow Classic Report

After race with the PitCrew. Thankfully Katie was there to give me bottles, ice, and whatever else I was needing.

Finishing 2 hours in 95 plus temperature.

The cyclingnews.com pic. Cool.

We headed for Austin on Thursday for the Mellow Johnnys Classic at Lance Armstrong's Rancho Juan Pelota. The next round of the USA Cycling PRO XCT. Did some preriding on Friday and could tell that the heat was going to be a major issue. The course was a blast with lots of short climbs, rocks, and fun descents. A couple of laps was all I wanted as we headed back to Austin for some Italian.

The race plan was pretty simple...Get a good start, ride steady for the next 2 hours, drink as much as possible. After Sea Otter I knew I needed to focus on trying to move up all race rather than sit on peoples wheels. My callup wasnt great, being in the 5th of 7 rows. Halfway through the start loop I was sitting in a decent position, mid twenties, right in front of Kent McNeil. Then two riders in front of me start battling for position going into the singletrack, one goes over the bars to the left, the other off the trail to the right and I sneak right through. Kent was not so lucky as I hear bikes colliding behind me. So now the plan was to take it easy on the descents, push hard on the climbs, and try and stay cool. After a lap I was in the twenties still and feeling good as I came through in a small group. Lap two ended and I was just inside the top 20. Lap 3 and Im getting reports of being just outside the top 15, wow. I start pushing a little harder, as a top 15 would be awesome. I start catching some guys who are blown from starting to fast in the heat... when I see Adam Craig up ahead I start getting pretty excited and get past him on a small climb. As the final lap starts I hear im inside the top 15. I decide to take it easy and make sure not to get a flat. Then I see a Kona/S&M rider who I think I can catch. As I get close, he pulls off the side with some bike issue, 14th. Shortly after that I see the Australian Sid Taberly of Sho-Air and catch him, wow, I must be getting way up there,13th. With only a few K's to go I start to run out of gas. I push as hard as I can on the climbs, but feel like im barely moving on the flats. The Kona/S&M rider is catching back up and I cant hold his wheel as he goes by.. I pop out of the singletrack and thankfully nobody is in sight behind me so I can cruise to the finish... 14th.

The rest of the weekend was spent trying to stay cool and enjoy all that Austin has to offer. Did some bike riding, kayaking, and taking in the Austin hotspots. Recovery riding was tough as my legs were more sore than they have been in a long time.