last training ride

i completed my last training ride before the season opening race. what better way to do it than hit up the poto for some climbing fun! after stopping at the jolly pumpkin brewery to pick up some brew for the team, i headed up to the poto. i had a very good ride out there. i rode it clean except for this one sandy downhill which swallowed my front tire. it must've been amusing because i unclipped my left foot and was riding the top tube with my right thigh all while rolling on just the front wheel! i went about 10 feet like this before regaining control. i was so sure i was going over the bars. i don't know how i avoided it. i guess i just know the fango really well. like an old friend. i'll be sad to see her go but i'm sure the custom 29er will fill the void. i'm not sure if it's easier/faster with the new reroutes because i rode it non-stop at about 85-90% and finished quite a bit faster than last year. it's still 18 miles lot to lot. my stomach was a little crampy out there tonight and my calves were also twitching a little. that's the first time this season that my muscles even considered cramping up on me. not sure what triggered it. all the hills? regardless, it's a great trail that i should ride once a week...great training and it may even make me fast!

i have to make sure i warm up properly on sunday. i didn't really feel comfortable until i was about 45 minutes in. at that point i could just flat out hammer. so, i'm thinking at least 30 minutes on the trainer before the race. i need to go out and hammer from the time the gun goes off. the race is too short to try and warm up on the course. three more days!