By Dejay Birtch
You need to be in Boulder on Thursday! A once in a life time opportunity awaits,(more to come on that later) GET YOUR ASS HERE!!! These are the words I hear from the other side of the phone as I walk into my house after being on the road for 2 weeks. I guess you need to trust your friends right..?
The last two week had me in Flagstaff, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo and Prescott. A ton of great riding was had and 2 races. Not my best performances at the races, but they are easily drowned out by the reoccurring thoughts of 4 plus hour days and an endless amount of climbing leading up to the events. This is not an excuse in anyway. I lay-ed down the wood at the races, but it was just whittled to a toothpick for the most part. OH well, it is about the riding, not the racing....RIGHT.
The Whiskey 50 this year brought a very humbling experience for most, myself included. The mixture of heat and altitude brought on all kinds of cramps, up set stomachs and many unbalanced riders. These conditions had riders going from being up towards the front to falling way back or even abandoning the race. A tuff day for sure.
I found myself coming unglued like a first graders macaroni sculpture shortly after the turn around in skull valley. Yup, this is gonna be a long day, continued to repeat in my head for the next 2 hours. I was able to summon some energy for the down hills, that changed my grimace to a smile at least for a little bit. But it was really the words of a buddy that kept me going “it doesn't matter when you finish, as long as you look good when you do”--Jerry Hutchinson. Thanks for the inspiration.
Truth be told, I was able to get the extensive laundry list of things done before heading of to Boulder, but some how forgot to do the laundry itself. Well I believe this trip is set up for dirtiness anyway.
Bottoms Up....
About Dejay - For the past 15 years Dejay has lived a bit of the vagabond life style working/racing for several companies, which has led him to hunting and gathering trail experiences as far as a bicycle can take him. This seems to be the fuel to further his quest into whatever the next adventure may be. He finds himself a little stationary in the winter months working at a bike shop in Tucson, AZ, but more importantly where the mountains call to him on a daily basis. He has recently found a home working with Ride for Reading to bring awareness to their mission. This will have him still wandering about, spreading the good words and inspiring children to have an active, healthy life.
