We made it to Monterey early this afternoon and after a quick lunch hopped on the trails. I think it’s pretty much official that Donna will not be racing – not because of the course but simply because we’re realizing how much Donna needs to just chill out and enjoy a few days of relaxation.
The rest of the trip will be especially relaxing for me, given that I broke two spokes on my back wheel during today’s ride, which means no more riding for a few days. All is well through – we had a great ride today, we’ll be walking all over creation Friday and Saturday, and Sunday we’ll be out on a big hike.
Much to our surprise, we discovered the race route is considerably different from last year’s route. There were ample technical sections and the climbs seemed endless – not because of their distance but because of their quantity.
The forecast is looking pretty good for the Sea Otter Classic and today was absolutely perfect.
The two biggest differences between riding here and home… there’s little or no poison oak around here and lots of sand. As much fun as I had on the trails today, I much prefer the riding closer to home.
We ran across a snake that was just flirting with disaster. Despite the numerous mountain bikers who were out pre-riding the race course, he decided to stretch out almost the whole way across the trail (gravel road) to soak up the afternoon sun.
Ok… One last snapshot from today’s ride around the race course.
