2009, what a year!

It is hard to believe that 2009 is coming to a close. That old saying is definately true, "the older you get, the faster the years go by." Here is a quick look back at just afew of the 2009 highlights.

The year began with a couple of group trips down to Oklahoma. The first trip took us to Roman Nose and the other to Lake Murray. Both of these trails are really sweet rides but Roman Nose is the real deal and has become a real favorite of mine. The race season kicked off in March with the "Hills of Hell" at Lawton, OK. That is always an enjoyable trip but it was abit dissapointing this year because the course had been shortened to about 8 miles. Fortunately is sounds like they will have this back to a 15 mile layout for 2010 and we are already gearing up for that ride. I competed in several of the "Tour De Dirt" Series races. Even though I only raced in 4 of these events, I was still able to accumulate enough points to finish 5th overall. In these four events, I took 2nd at "Roman Nose", 2nd at "Tour De Lizard", 1st and "Red Dirt" and 4th at "Lake McMurtry". Congrats to Marty Desmarteau for winning the class. I plan on making it to 7 or 8 of the 10 races in this series in 2010. The month of May had us cranking in the always tough "Wilson Fat Tire Race". This is an exciting 15 1/2 mile layout and brings out a big crowd which includes most of the top riders in Kansas. I was able to shave almost an hour off my time when compared to 2008. I have logged many miles on this loop in 2009 and find my self craving this trail almost weekly. Bob Nicholson does a fantastic job maintaining this trail and now has added even more singletrack and has increased this to a 17 mile loop. Rode the "Cramp Alexander" race in Emporia in July and took first in that great event. Linda and I teamed up to race "Cruise the Blues" in late August and we brought home first place. I was able to race in my first 24 hour event in October and was it ever a blast. Teamed up with Brandon Kuhn and did the "24 Hours of Moab". In addition to the race we were able to ride the ultimate trail, "Slickrock". That was a great experience and one that really gets your competative juices flowing. The "Chamber of Horrors" ride on November 1st on the Arkansas River here at Great Bend is a ride, not a race. But, it is 40 tough miles with some great riders and is a must event each year. The year ended with the always tough "Coronado's Challenge" at Lindsborg just before Thanksgiving. This gruling 4 hour race is a good benchmark to tell just how much I have progressed throughout the year. In 2008, I finished 3rd in my class and this year I was able to bring home a first place while completing 5 laps.

Those are the highlights of 2009 and yes indeed it was a great year. We are currently putting the finishing touches on the 2010 race schedule and I will post the details on that in the next week or so. It is shaping up to be an unbelievable list of challenging events and it definately helps to keep me focused and training hard.

Until next time, stay "Clipped In and Crankin".