Louisville CX at Boulder Rez

No pictures today folks. All the batteries froze. I froze too.

The day started bright and early at 9 AM with the Jrs. heading out on a freshly taped course. A bit of rain came through the area earlier and laid down a nice coat of ice everywhere. It even closed the Boulder Turnpike. Two of the race officials got in a wreck on the way to the venue as well, I hope they are OK. The race went on as planned.

After all this, Ben Hogan headed out with the Jrs. He dug deep into the pain locker for a great 30 minute race. The course was similar to some of the courses used in the past, but had a couple of special features that included a triple barrier run up, lots of sand by the Rez and a frozen dock crossing. Ben had a couple of crashes, but ended up in the top 5 in his group.

The next race was the Men's 45+. Chipotle Titus cleaned house with a 1-2 finish from Bob Bieterman and Gary Thacker. I did not see the race, but apparently the two decimated the field with only one rider able to hang on. After this rider was dispatched, it was all Chipotle Titus through the finish and on to the podium. Way to go Bob and Gary! This race may be a prelude to things to come with both Bob and Gary heading to Kansas City for the CX Nationals. Both will definitely be in contention for a national podium. After the race, both riders were seen drinking Dale's Pale Ale in the beer garden.

Next up was the Mens 35+. Once again Jamie Kilcoyne proudly carried the Chiptole Titus flag. He ended up in 4th for his best finish of the year. For the second week in a row, Jamie continues to climb up the podium at the perfect time of year. Next up for Jamie is the CO state championships and the national championships in KC over the next two weeks. Jamie spent some time in the Dale's Pale Ale Beer Garden after the race to warm down and to refuel. This sort of training and recovery regimen has been effective for this all around talent. It also seems to be effective for many other members of the team.

The last race of the day I witnessed was the Women's Open race. Karen Hogan was our lone representative. After a poor start, Karen clawed her way into the top 5 on the first lap in a very competitive field. After the second lap, Karen cleaned a sand section that most of the girls were running to catch the lead women, then overtake her. Karen was blazing fast in the sand sections. She ran 23.5 lbs. in the rear and 28 lbs. in the front giving her a set up that was far superior to the others. After taking the lead she never looked back. She continued to cushion her lead all the way to the finish. Announcer Dave Towle said, "This one looks like it is in the bag for Chipotle Titus rider Karen Hogan. She has enough of a gap to stop for a cup of coffee before she has to hit the finish straightaway." Congratulations Karen!