1. Team WELD-NRB South has a heck of a trail system in their backyard.

2. Darrell and Scott gave Team WELD-NRB North some great insight to the lines at the technical spots. Thanks guys!

3. Even the rocks and the trees were rooting for Darrell on race day.

4. Haynes and Jess are climbing WVMBA point totals. Also Haynes no longer needs a new shock. (He-He)

5. Philip only races in wet conditions and always makes the podium. 1st place this week.

6. George is well suited for the technical stuff and if the race had been under three miles, he might have won it all.  Slow down one speed!

7. Rumors of sandbaggers are starting to circulate.

8. The trails at Little Beaver can handle the rain. During a gully-washer the night before, I was riding in 3 inches of water rolling downhill and the trail was as hard as can be.

9. Pat is fast. So is Darrell.

10. Scott got robbed. (Slashed tire)

11. Chris has a future in natural terrain graffiti art.

12. I still know how to break a chain at the most inopportune moments and I have no future with a NASCAR pit crew. (How do those guys work that fast?)

13. Andy needs to get out of the shop and come race with us.

My Valley Falls race is in the books but barely. 

When I started racing this season I had 3 distinct goals for each race- #1 Don't get hurt. #2 Finish the race. #3 Avoid any mechanical issues with the bike.  This race I was all about goals #1 and #2.  I'm hoping I've taken care of #3 for the rest of the season because after my chain broke three times yesterday I really feel I've paid my dues on this one.

I was psyched to hear that everyone from Team WELD-NRB did so well at the Spencer race.  I wanted to be a part of it but work came calling.  Fortunately, work allowed for a nice road trip this week with the mountain bikes.

Monday, George and I road the 16 mile expert race course at Big Bear Lake.  It was fun to be out there so soon after the WVMBA race.  The trails had dried out quite a bit. I got to ride the extended part of the expert course for the first time which is a blast. It has a fast downhill and a nice climb that takes you right back to the Pine Trees. I think our pace, at least for the first half, was faster than my race day pace.  It's amazing how much more efficient you can be when you're not adjusting for other riders.

Tuesday, we stopped off in Harrisonburg, VA and went looking for new trails.  The guys at Shenandoah Bicycle Co. gave us the scoop and we headed out to George Washington National Forest. 

Well the skies opened up enough yesterday to finally get a good solo ride.  This racing business has got my priorities all out of whack. In years past, I would have been perfectly content with ten days of rain and great water levels on the river. Now I'm feeling guilty when I go a day or two without riding.

It was a perfect day to test my new Maxxis Ignitors.  I believe I have found the perfect West Virginia tire.  That's not a knock on the S-Works tire that came with the bike.  They're going to be great on hard pack days, but I was blown away with the cornering of the Ignitors in some very soft conditions.  The climbing felt pretty good too.  I was having so much fun, I ended up doubling the length of my ride.