Just returned from a three-race series near Fruita, CO where the rocky canyons are blood red and the roads are just bloody. This was a hazardous weekend.
Note to self: when the race flyer says “Extremely technical and fast .9 mile loop,” maybe you should exercise some caution (instead of causing a big crash, shredding your clothing, destroying a shoe, and knocking two other people out of the race). This weekend’s criterium was staged on a go-kart track lined by hay bales, and eventually, bodies. I crashed on the fifth of twenty laps while leading the race. I managed to get back on my bike and finish the race in 17th position (out of 28), but not before three other guys wrecked so badly that they could not continue.
I fared much better in the uphill time trial (my specialty). I took fourth place, and if not for a few guys sandbagging the race, I would have had a place on the podium. The course was gorgeous! It was a steep climb through the Colorado National Monument outside Fruita. The course shot through two tunnels and about twenty switchbacks before finishing into a stunning view of the Grand Valley mesas and surrounding red desert.
In the third race, a twisty, sandy, 58 mile road race full of cattle guards, I got a flat tire about 1/3 of the way through the race and had to pull out. I felt unlucky until I rode up to the scene of a crash where a racer’s wheel had become lodged in a cattle guard during a high speed decent. It looked like a Great White Shark had taken a bite out of the wheel (and the man).
Thrills and spills. All-in-all it was a pretty good weekend. I maintain that the western canyon lands and deserts are the best part of the country – scenic, wide open, largely untouched, and definitely unique.
More to come soon. Next stop, Tour De Depot in Utah.
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