5 Mile Pass

At first I couldn't believe how the weather turned out. Driving to the race it was pouring rain. I thought this race was going to be like the last years, 5 miles of mud. I was pretty upset. I wanted to do the full course. When I made it to the course the sun was shining and not a spot of rain. The course was dry with a coating of dust. I was more excited than ever and had a feeling that this was going to be a good race. At the starting line everyone was dressed for cold weather. I felt good and my legs felt pretty good as well. I ate a Powerbar then we all headed off. I had a good start but not the best, since this course has plenty of room to pass it didn’t matter. I passed a few racers and had a blast doing all the climbs and down-hills. This was a relatively rolling course, we were all a rockin' it! I was so happy to be racing! When I got to "the wall", I had to get off and hike like. After the brutal hike, it was good to be on the bike again. Seven Mile Wash was great fun! The rest of the climbs were steep, I cleaned them all. I finished 6th place in the Beginner 30-39 age group. I thought I did better than most other races in the past year and left with a smile on my face.

-- Dan Barlow