Sea Otter

Had a great time this past weekend at Sea Otter in Monterey, Calif with Sam and his CU friend Peter. This event is touted as the largest bike racing festival in the country. The races (road, mountain, gravity) were impressive and the Laguna Seca racetrack was amazing (300 to 400 feet of vertical / lap with exhilirating, twisting descents). Driving a car or moto here would be awesome.

The Expo was much larger than I expected with hundreds of bike industry suppliers displaying their goods in booths. Got lots of comments (mostly positive) on my 17 year old Serotta Colorado CR road bike. It was a bit of an oddity among all of newer super light carbon fiber & Ti bikes. I even ended up being chased down by a photographer/reporter from a bike magazine for pictures and a mini-interview (look for the white Serotta and the hairy legs in an upcoming issue !).

I stuck to the road (both literally and figuratively) with a Mens Masters 45+ CAT5 road race on Friday (40 miles) where I finished 22nd out of a field of 36. Unfortunately, I got caught off the back of the pack when the race whistle blew (after a 4 mile neutral moto out to the course). The pack went out with sprinting pace which was faster than I wanted at the start. I then spent the rest of the race off the back picking off the riders that cracked from the groups pace. On the positive side, I did have the chance to work with some of the 25+ and 35+ riders as we chased.

Saturday's Gran Fondo 100 mile ride was very cool. Great terrain with a 2,200 ft climb up Cahoon Summit at mile 70 gave some breathtaking views. Total climbing for the day was 6,500 feet and my riding time was just under 6.5 hours. The reward was at the end where we enjoyed complimentary showers, pasta buffet, Sierra Nevada beer and a massage (yes !). Highly recommended.