Race Weekend, Trail Updates, and Rain.

Hey everybody - just wanted to throw out an update.

Meghan and I are headed to Colorado Springs this weekend for the National Pro XCT Circuit race.  We leave tomorrow early for a quick spin on the course and openers before spectating the Professional Short Track race in the evening.  We both elected not to race the STXC in order to save legs for the Cross Country on Saturday.  Meghan starts at 8:00 a.m. for three laps of the 5 mile course.  She will be racing in the Junior Expert Women category.  I start in the Pro/Elite Men Category at 2:00.  We both wish we could be racing the Trash, but these bigger races are more important on the resumes.  Hope everyone has a great race!  

As for the course...  I rode it today with my group of young superstars, and it is in very good shape.  It's tacky and fast this year - no dust! - but there are one or two extremely muddy sections that have never been a problem since I've raced at the dump.  The first is on the back stretch -- it's hard to miss, since the section has been so appropriately destroyed by our motorized cousins.  Picking a good line through this section may not be important for the time through the section, but later in the race, that fast line through the mud may hold some consequences on the bike.  My advice is to break trail and hit up the right grassy section.  The second section is at the bottom of the notorious Switchbacks... just a short section of wetness, nothing to complain about.  Other than that, as I said, the course is in spectacular shape.  

Trail Updates:

West Ridge - Dry to Red's Trail cutoff, Red's Trail probably still wet.

Colorado Tr. in general - wet sections throughout.

Flume Trails Breck - bone dry

Gold Run course - dry except for some sections in Toxic Forest and the bottom of Heinous.

French Gulch Singletracks (X10U8, Minnie Mine, etc.) - Mostly Dry.

Various roads in the Golden Triangle - ranging from very dry to VERY wet, depending on N. or S. Slope and runoff areas.

F. Peninsula - dry.

Oro Grande - As dry as usual.

Straight Creek - Dry to the junior course finish of a couple years ago's race (before the water crossing).

... and last but not least... what the hell is up with this rain?

-KKane.