Fall and the season's changing

I want this blog to be funnier, but as it turns out, humor is a really difficult thing to write. I actually own a book on how to write humor. I mean - I haven't actually read it, but I've owned it for at least five years. I guess I just assumed that owning it would make some subtle difference.

Well, as the title of this blog entry hints, things have changed lately. I took a job at a new shop over on the east side of town; it's called Cycleast. It's as popular as it is young, and thus far, it has operated out of a tiny warehouse space. The owner of the shop, Russell, has planned for a while to move into larger digs, and when he heard I was leaving Orange Seal, he asked me to come and talk about my plans (which meant I had to pretend I had plans, when at best, I have a rough outline). We decided that our hopes and dreams were fairly similar, so I'm working there with a loosely defined role while we get situated into a new space.

I decided to skip all but one of the fall cross country mountain bike races - that one being Huntsville. It's a fast race, and I won it as a Cat 2 last year. When I decided to do Huntsville, I had a little over a month to try and get back into race shape - not super easy while trying to start a new job. I'm trying to avoid some mistakes of the past, so I'm getting in a little yoga, along with mountain and road riding.

...which brings us to the next change. I went to a Cycleast weekly shop road ride, called the Heavy Breather. I used to do it every week (until they canceled a couple times because of weather and I got grumpy about it). There was a guy on the ride that had come into the shop and asked a couple of us if we are going to race with them in the spring. The "them" he was referring to is a new ametuer road team getting started in conjunction with Cycleast called Phenom. My response to the question was, "I only race mountain," but after I put the hurt on during the road ride, he said, "don't bullshit me. What's it going to take to get you to race with us?"

I was still really on the fence. I'm not all that interested in racing road, but I know that's what got me fast in the first place. I decided to really give it some consideration. I really like racing for my buddy, AJ, but it's going to be hard to work at one shop and race for another (and to be honest, once the Peddler team expanded beyond the three or four of us original members, I stopped feeling like I fit in). I went to a Phenom team meeting, and they have a list of sponsors - the main sponsor (Analysys Labs) actually provides moneys for registration fees and compensating for travel expenses. It's nothing huge, but it's a better deal than I've ever gotten on a team before. I guess I'm 90% leaning toward joining.

wheelies at the Dirt Debry

Dirt Derby and UrboCross have both started up again. Three weeks into both and so far at Dirt Derby I've gotten 2nd, 1st, and 2nd in the open mtn race. The first UrboCross, I wasn't going to race, so I showed up on my road bike. But then, I tried anyway. It went kind of okay, but I quit to get out of everyone's way. The second and third weeks I got 2nd and 1st respectively, so weeknight, unsanctioned racing has gone well.

This weekend, I'm going to do my first official cyclo cross race, and I'm borrowing a friend's CX bike. I'm doing the 3/4 race. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to handle it. The USA Cycling rules say that my new pro XC license translates to a CX Cat 1, but since I've never done a USAC sanctioned cyclo cross race... ? I'll see how Saturday goes.

Next weekend is Huntsville. Hopefully all the racing helps, though it's guaranteed to be two hours long, and I haven't done a solid two hour effort in weeks. I'm sure it's going to hurt.


P.S. I've gotten a few good naps in on the new sofa. It's seriously the best thing I own.

"Hey bro, congrats on the pro license!"

So many plans for the summer...

...but they all got put on hold because of life stuff. I've now skipped the state time trial, two six hour races, the entirety of the Hell-X series, Hotter N' Hell, and I'm missing one of my favorite races on the Texas calendar as I type this. Wow - I didn't realize how many races I've skipped until I listed it. Now, I just feel like a lazy bastard.

My roommate up-and-moved to Alaska, so I had to find a new place to live. My friend that came to visit around the time of the Abilene race, Elizabeth, decided to move to Austin, and we decided to get a place together. This is great, but it turns out there's a lot of logistics involved in find and renting an apartment for two people when one of them lives somewhere else. I also decided to leave my job with Orange Seal, which at the moment seems to have been poorly executed on my part (only because I've transitioned to being way underemployed, but that could change at anytime).

So, no money and no time means no racing. It's lame; I know. At least, I haven't been training at all, so I'm sure everything will work out fine (Have I mentioned that I'm a master of sarcasm? I am).

Great stuff about new apartments and new special friends to share them with...

1. She bakes me cookies.

2. I get to practice make giant omelettes for two.

3. We found the most awesome sofa ever - I mean, that thing's good.

Believe it or not, there's actually a point to this post.

A few weeks ago, my mind got to wondering, as it tends to do, and I decided to email the fine people at USA Cycling to ask if I was understanding the rules for upgrading to Pro from Cat 1 correctly.

Hi,

I'm curious if, per USA Cycling rules, I'm eligible for a pro upgrade in XC based on my results from this season.

Thanks,

Adam

The answer that I received was:

Adam,

When you're ready to submit your upg request please use your “my USA Cycling” account.

Thanks

George

Which is to say that the answer I received was not an answer as much as it was a statement that the good people at USA Cycling do not have time to pay attention to what is being asked of them, and if they did, they would only assume that I haven't already read, in detail, the rules for upgrades (which I have) - not realizing that perhaps I'm not ready to upgrade, but I'm simply weighing my options and trying to decide when it might best suit me to submit for an upgrade, if I were to do it at all after I manage to wrap up this run-on sentence.

I mean, seriously. "...use your 'my USA Cycling' account?" Where does he think I got his email address?

I should say that I understand they probably get a lot of stupid questions, and perhaps, many of those question deserve stupid answers (after all, what are we paying them for?). But, I was looking for clarification for questions to which I'd found vague answers... but, whatever.

Weeks go by, and I'm still wondering about my unanswered question. Then a few days ago, I was having a hard time sitting still, as often happens, and I submitted for my Pro upgrade. I was 85% certain that it wouldn't go through. I suspected that I had to race more Pro/Cat 1 races, and my Cat 1 results weren't enough. Hopefully though, when it would be declined, I would have a more detailed answer to my question.

Then this happened.

The important part is the last line, and then the third line, in that order. I'll just let that sink in for a second. 

...

I know, right? I've had a few close friends ask me what that means now. Each time, I've answer with "Well, I have to train more and race faster guys," which is my way of avoiding having to say "I have no idea; I didn't really think this through."

It would be cool if I could line up a couple of product sponsors and brainstorm a way to fund a kit order and registration and travel fees for a handful of races next season. There's just so many concerns that I'm not sure where to start. And, I've got a couple friends trying to get me to take up gravel racing (I do not own a gravel bike), which is an entire other thing that I'm totally interested in otherwise I could just ignore my friends.

Don't get me wrong. It's exciting, and I'm excited. I just don't know a ton of people to ask what my next steps should be.

Series End

The Texas Mountain Bike Cross Country State Championship Series has come to an end. Since my last entry, things went well. I continued doing the Cat 1 races and managed to pull off top five results at every race.

Abilene

I got a special treat for the Bent Wheel Bash in Abilene: my dear friend from college, Elizabeth, was in town and came with the team to the race.

She had as much fun watching as I had racing... uh, scratch that. She had more fun watching than I had racing. I love the course at Abilene, but I learned this year that I like it slightly less than three laps. I wasn't prepared for the fast, loose, flowy stuff, so the guy that won, Dale, just rode away from me. Later on lap two, I had a crash - a hard crash. I laid on the ground for a moment and yelled at myself to get up at least three times before my body actually responded. With the low attendance, I ended up second despite riding so poorly, so I shouldn't complain.

Dallas

Next was the Dallas race at Prayer Mountain. I'd never ridden the course there before one of the girls from the team and I pre-rode the day before. I really, really liked the course. It's mostly fast and flowy, but not loose. There's a couple of climbs, and one of them is so hard that it's a fun challenge more than a nuisance.

My start wasn't super fast, but it was sufficient. I was probably only eight deep when we hit the single track, but I had a bad shift that made me think I threw my chain. Rather than try to fix it while riding, I stopped and got out of the way of the guys behind me only to realize that I had not thrown my chain, and I was more like twelve deep by the time I got back on the bike. Time to play catch up! I passed and passed and passed. I blew a corner and got passed, then passed and passed again. A teammate from the age group ahead of us flipped off a bridge into a small ravine, so we all had to stop. Mostly everything got better every lap though - until the third time I had to do that tough climb.

The first two times I climbed it, someone in front of me slowed me down and forced me to dismount. The third time I got to the based of the climb, no one was in my way, and the next guy to pass was 2/3 the way up. I tore into the climb - spin, spin, spin... It's so steep that, for the first half of the climb, they put paverstones in so you can keep traction. When the stones are gone, you have to work more to keep your rear tire from spinning. Right when I got to the top, I caught the guy ahead of me. He looked back, saw me, and said "Man! You're a beast!" Maybe he was right, but I was a beast that had burned his last match. He hoped on his bike and road off while I struggled to turn my cranks. By the time I got to the next corner, he was no where in site. I pulled it together to finish, but it was the only race of the season where I looked at the finish line and wondered if I'd make it the final 30 feet or simply fall over. I ended up fifth.

Coldsprings

The Big Ring Challenge at Coldsprings was less disappointing. I drove out with my buddy, Paul, and camped with Mafia Racing. Last year, Coldsprings was the first Cat 2 race that I'd ever done. It was fast, and I was underprepared. I was worried about what the pace would look like in Cat 1 if the pace had been so fast in Cat 2, and the sprint at the start did nothing to quell my fears. I've learned now (partially from this race) that there are people that are plenty fast enough to sprint ahead of you at the start, but can't hang after 30 minutes or 60 minutes or the two hours that most of our races last. Every single one of those guys sprinted ahead of me at the start. Again, I was probably eight deep when we hit the single track, and again, I passed and passed. I got around two or three guys when we got to the best thing about Coldsprings: jeep roads. I immediately passed three more guys and closed the space between me and my buddy, Paul. I complained to him immediately, "I've got to work on my starts so I don't have to play catch up the first half of every race!" He was in with three other guys, and they weren't pushing the pace too much. I started to worry that the lead group was getting away from us. We hit another jeep road and I passed Paul. It was shortly after this that I realized I was in the lead group. Dale had a pedal strike and came off the bike, but he easily caught us on the next jeep road.

We all whipped around the course at a good pace. It was fast, flowy, and loose, but this time I was prepared. With zero rocks and no drops, I ran about 16 psi, so my tires grabbed corners like a cat on a screen door. We yo-yoed a bit, and I started to see how it was going to go down. Dale and the guy ahead of him were going to fight it out for 1st place. The guy in front of me and I were going to fight for 3rd. And then, I had a pedal strike.

I've never fallen as a result of a pedal strike, and this was no exception. I was, however, having trouble clipping my left foot back in. I glanced down to see only half my pedal still attached to the bike. The lead group immediately pulled away.

I swatted at what remained of my pedal for the last eight miles of the course. It was a game of patience. Calming myself down every time my foot slipped off into space. I managed to keep fifth place from catching me, but third was long gone.

After the race I licked my wounds while I lapped up about a half dozen pints donated by Karbach Brewery.

Warda

Nothing was left but the Warda Race, but I wanted to really be ready to pull my season together with some good results at the final race. The weekend between races I trained hard. I put in 140 miles on the road, and found myself completely mentally exhausted. I'd planned on racing the Cat 1 race on Saturday and the Pro race on Sunday, but after overtraining the weekend before, I had trouble talking myself into going at all.

I showed up and registered, but I wasn't excited. I really didn't know how it would play out. If you aren't 100% into it, when your body says, "I'm tired," it's hard to tell it to push on.

The start was fast... for like less than a minute. The great thing about start at Warda is that it's really long. All the a-holes who try to sprint ahead at the start, peter out after 20 seconds. I got cautious, because I worried I'd run out of steam, but I maneuvered around a couple guys. I realized I had way more than what we were doing and started to think about attacking. While I was thinking about attacking, Don Sutton attacked. Dale, one other guy, and I went after him. When we hit the single track, the other guy got in front of Dale and I, and he really slowed us down. At one point I considered joking with him that Don had paid him off. It opened up and we went around him.

For the rest of the race, Dale and I rode together. We never saw Don again. I got tired on the second lap, but rallied for the third. Toward the end, Dale and I were talking a lot. He said he was saving his legs for the pro race the next day, and he wasn't going to sprint me at the end - in essence, he said "I'm cool with third if you want second." I felt like I was running out of steam the last five minutes, but Dale egged me on (that guy is so freaking nice). I finished second with Dale right behind me.

It was a good day - much better than I could've expect going into it. In the above photo, I have the second place trophy from the day's race, a sixty dollar payout, a top ten finisher t-shirt for the series, a second place plaque for the series, and a Texas State Championship silver medal.

Gratitude

I really feel like I accomplished so much this past year, and I owe so much to my friends for making it happen. AJ from the Peddler Bike Shop talked me into racing mountain bikes, and then sponsored me to do so. Orange Seal helped me with a couple of reg fees when I was starting out. My teammates and some of the guys from Mafia Racing encouraged me and offered so much advice. I couldn't have done any of it without these guys and gals. Thank you so much!

I'm looking at doing the state time trial championships next month, the triple threat at Hotter'n Hell this summer, and a few of the state cup races in the fall - after a couple weeks of rest!

Comfort

A few weekends ago was the STORM Hill Country Challenge in Comfort, TX. It was an exciting race for me because last year it was my first mountain bike race that I'd ever done. I got first place, but I hadn't returned since.

This year it was going to be a lot different. Last year as a Cat 3, we only did the lower loop. It was a great course, but I didn't get to see all of the trail.

I showed up the day before this years race with no real knowledge of the course. Most of what I remembered from last year had to do with the experience of it all. I didn't have much to compare it to, so I just didn't remember much about the course. I needed a pre-ride. Normally before a race, I'll go out and do a lap so that I'm familiar with everything. The Cat 1 course at Comfort is a lower loop and an upper loop with some "extra credit." To do a pre-ride, I couldn't just do one lap, i.e. 1/3 the distance of the race. I had to ride all 27 miles of the race course - not ideal for the day before a race. I like having relatively fresh legs, but there wasn't much to be done about it.

I went out and tried to start my pre-ride. The course markings were a bit confusing. Rather than being marked by distance or categories, they were marked A, B, and C. I figured out that the A course was for the Pro/Cat 1 race and the Cat 1 19-39 races, and off I went. I rode along and I found most of it to be pretty manageable - until I got to a short, technical, rocky descent called Jimmy's Joy. Most people probably don't know its name because they ride through without seeing the sign; I know that it's called Jimmy's Joy because I stood there staring at it for five minutes.

You see... last year, when I'd only been riding mountain bikes for about five and a half seconds, I went to the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest for the first time. It was an amazing week, but on the second day, I got to a short, technical, rocky descent called Remember Where You Are. To make a long story short, I ate it pretty bad, and in the process I slice my shin down to the bone. Seeing your own bone has a certain effect on you, and it's fair to say it took the better part of a year to get over that experience. I thought I was totally okay with riding down gnarly stuff, but as I stood there looking at Jimmy's Joy, the feeling in the pit of my stomach said something different.

I walked the bike back about 20 feet and rode as if I was going to do it about five times. On the fifth time, I finally just went for it. I took the sketchy (they're all sketchy) right line that requires you to thread between two trees at the bottom. If you watched the video that I linked to above, it's between the trees that he's filming through when his buddy first starts out. I made it down, nice and smooth - no worries at all (except that I was terrified of it).

I finished out the pre-ride right before nightfall, and went back to the campsite where my teammates were hanging out. We got changed and drove out to discover that everything in the town of Comfort, TX closes or stops serving food at 9pm. We had to go to a small supermarket and put together something to eat.

The next morning was uneventful. I decided to carry with me my bottle of energy drink rather than have it handed to me halfway through the race (I'd rather it later). We had a decently sized field of 18. It was a dusty start, but it was cool in that we hit another stretch of jeep road after the initial bottleneck into the singletrack. That's nice for someone like me, who doesn't always have a super fast start. I passed a few guys there. I also jumped on the wheel of my friend Eric, but unfortunately, that didn't last long. A guy in front of him hopped a ledge super slow, which cause him to take it slow, which caused me to fall off my bike and hold up at least three guys behind me.

We all recovered and got going again, but I didn't see Eric again until he was on the top step of the podium after the race. I overtook a few guys. I clipped one of the trees at Jimmy's Joy and almost ate it. I blew a corner trying to take a sip of water and almost permanently lost a place. And of course, there's the most documented drop in all of the TMBRA series:

Hospital Hill

By the time it was all said and done, I was pretty sure I'd made the top ten, but probably not top five. I was guessing I was about seventh. They posted the preliminary results, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

3rd Place!

My first time on the podium in Cat 1! I was beside myself. I really just couldn't believe it. I was all smiles; I hugged people. The payout was sweet - 57 bucks! It covered my registration and my share of the gas. It just couldn't get any better!

Pace Bend Race Fest

What a great race I had last week!

Like I said in my previous entry, I decided to stop doing the pro race and go back to the Cat 1 race - well, I don't know if "back" is the right word, since I tried skipping from Cat 2 to pro, but whatever. As the race approached I was feeling pretty worn out. Maybe I'd over trained; I'm not sure. I hadn't rode the course at Pace Bend since last years race, so I really wanted to pre-ride. The weather stopped me the previous weekend, and with my legs feeling like they did, I decided I was better off resting rather than pre-riding the day before.

I caught a ride with my buddy, Ben, the morning of the race. He also races for the Peddler. He was doing the single-speed open race, so his start time was just before mine.

It's cool doing the Cat 1 race now. As we lined up, everyone I'm friends with from Cat 2 last year was there. It's a funny balance being friends with half the guys you're competing against. You want everyone to have a great race and feel strong, but... well, you also want to win, right?

There's a major difference with the Cat 1 race, and that's the third lap. Last year, we sprinted out two laps like it was nothing, and now, we have to consider energy levels and pace for one and a half times what we were used to. Everyone's pace starts out, of course, at 9 or 10 (out of 10). Once we hit the single track, I'd say everyone dropped to 8, with maybe the exception of the guys that ended up winning. From there, though, everyone fluctuated wildly. Some guys slowly drop in pace for the rest of the race. Several of us got stuck behind a guy that dropped to like 5 by halfway through the first lap. I caught a friend late in the race that I think was a steady 7 the entire time - a consistency that I envy.

To continue my completely fabricated 1-10 pace scale, I'd say that I struggled to hold 7 for the first few miles, got stuck behind Mr. 5 for the middle of lap one, and after we got around him, I was able to gradually ramp it up to 8 for the rest of the race. With well rested legs and a good plan for maintaining my energy levels, the extra lap meant I had time to make up for the mistakes that I still make technically (I was off the bike at least twice a lap). I whittled away at the guys ahead of me and slowly increase the gap between me and the guys behind me. Pace Bend is a really rocky course. Last year, I threw my chain, shouldered a couple trees, and got kicked off the bike a few times. It really broke my spirits, and my pace suffered from that. This year, I threw my chain, shouldered a tree, and got kicked off my bike several times, but I didn't care. I'd run my ass off until I could jump back on the bike, and then, I'd go right back to hammering the pedals.

I placed fourth...

... and I actually won my registration fee back.

I've got another race this weekend out at Comfort. I can't expect to get the same results. I don't know the course hardly at all (I've only ridden a small section of it once), and I have no idea who will show up. But, I did a lot of training the last few days, and I think I've figured out my nutrition during the race. I feel confident, at the very least, that I'll be putting my best foot forward.

2014 Mellow Johnny's Classic

This past weekend was the Mellow Johnny's Classic. It's a part of the US Cup Pro XC Tour. The pro race was on Saturday and the TMBRA race was on Sunday.

Let's start by saying that it was a blast watching the pro race on Saturday. There was a handful of guys I knew competing in it, so it was exciting seeing and cheering for people I knew.

It was also hot. I mean it was dripping sweat hot. It was probably brutal for the racers because it was uncomfortable just sitting there, but it's Texas. After the race was over, my friend that I rode with and I headed back to Austin because we'd come out the weekend before and did a fair amount of pre-riding (four laps).

The next morning he picked me up again, and it was about 70 degrees. He commented in the car that the outside temperature was dropping. I hadn't really brought anything for cold weather, so I was starting to worry. By the time we got to the venue, it was in the high 30s and raining off and on. After the heat the day before, all I had brought was a summer kit. I managed to borrow arm warmers from a co-worker who was there, and then, a cycling cap from a friend on the Mafia race team. It was not enough to stay warm, and at least a dozen of us huddled under a tent talking about how bad of an idea it was to go out, underdressed, and race in those conditions.

The moment came to stage and we all rolled out and lined up to race. I did the pro/cat 1 race again (which I won't be doing again this season - I'll explain why soon). I ended up standing next to another guy named Adam while we waited for the start, and we talked about how terrible the weather was. They finally blew the whistle and off we went. In the start loop I got mud in my eye. I blinked through it and kept pedaling. I slipped and slid around, and finally, I just thought "These conditions suck. It's dangerous. I'm not going to be all that competitive in this class anyway." So, I decided to hang back and do the first lap and then pull out. Then, the strangest thing happened: I started having fun.

Notice the dumb smile on my face - despite the conditions.

I think it was because there was zero pressure at that point. I wasn't worried about my position or my results; I just thought I should finish and enjoy the ride. Some juniors caught up with me, so I pulled over and let them by. I got a huge glob of mud in my right eye, and I had to stop and flush it with Cliff sports mix that was in my bottle. Eventually, people from my age group caught up, and I let them by. I caught back up with some people, and lost other people again. My pace was probably really inconsistent. There were as many DNFs as there were finishers in the pro/cat 1 race, but I was one of the ones that finished.

Right after this, an amazing, generous, beautiful woman wrapped me in a blanket. I was very thankful.

Thus brings us to the subject of which race I'll be doing the rest of the spring series. Generally, I have a pretty good race mentality. I'm always willing to turn my guts inside-out to push the pace. It's a good quality to have, I think. It helps you make up for little mistakes. Did you crash? That's okay. Just push yourself so hard you almost go blind for a few minutes, and you'll make up for it. But as I said above, when something goes wrong in the pro/cat 1 race, I chill out. If I'm going to finish toward the back anyway, why push hard?

Therefore, starting next week with the Pace Bend race, I'm racing Cat 1. I think I can be much more competitive with those guys. I might not be on the podium, but I can push for a top ten finish and maybe even top five by the end of the season. Here's hoping!

Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest

Last week, I spent 3 amazing days mountain biking in and around Big Bend at the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest - a stones throw from the Mexican border. It's really some of the most beautiful landscape I've had the privilege of riding through. I forget how much I love the desert. The never ending sky changes the light, and everything seems that much more crisp and alive.

Riding there is amazing. The terrain is diverse. One moment you're on hardpack; the next it's momentum eating sand. You might climb steep, loose gravel with a 15% grade, and then descend through a bone-shaking rock garden at 35 miles an hour. I was excited to get as much riding in as possible, because I can't imagine a better week of training.

It was my second year going out there. Last year, Orange Seal sent me out for work, but this year I was free to my own devices. I drove out with some friends I know through the Peddler, and we stayed at Rancho Topanga, a small but nice campsite about seven miles down the road from the main festivities.

On day one, we hit the Airport Trails and then the Dome Loop. There's a new trail there called Fresno Divide. It starts off with a pretty tough climb and then a long, rough descent. It's pretty fun.

On day two, we did the Rincon Loop. An old tire puncture that I'd plugged busted loose, and I had to nurse it a bit. It sealed back up, and we tore through the rest of the loop pretty fast. We took the new trail, and managed to cut off to the road. It deposited us on 170 where I took this.

That's the Rio Grande over to the right, and behind me is AJ from the Peddler and Paul and James from Mafia Racing.

On Saturday, I did my first IMBA Epic. It was actually epic, and AJ and I rode it together. One of his tires was losing air right from the start. Luckily, Richardson Bike Mart was out there wrenching, and they topped off his sealant for him. After that, we didn't have any more problems. A few miles later, we got to a sign that described two different routes. One was seven miles, but included a loose, 3/4 of a mile climb; the other was eleven miles without the climb. We decided to take the climb, and with that, we made up some time and caught the lead group on the ride. There were so many brutal climbs and gnarly descents, but I managed to keep the bike rubber side down (as opposed to last year when I cut my left shin to the bone). On the way out, we added the Dome Loop to make up for some of the miles we'd missed, and then we biked back to camp.

That final night, we went to Starlight Theatre for dinner. It's the central hangout spot for all the locals and during the Desert Fest, it sees lots of traffic. My buddy Paul and I split the Diego Burger. It's easily more epic than the epic route. With all the snacking we'd done at the campsite beforehand, it was still difficult to get through just half. Next year, I'll make sure I'm half starved before attempting to eat it.

Yes, it is as big as his head; that's not a trick of the camera.

Boo-yah.

And with that, we ended the trip. Another year at the Desert Fest an amazing success, though this year, it really went by too quickly. Hopefully, those miles did my legs some good, because next week is the Mellow Johnny's Classic.