Foye Trout in the Semi Pro XC race
We are back in action! The Chipotle-Titus Cycling team departed the snow in Boulder for a training camp/marathon race in fountain Hills Arizona. This is the peak of the season for the Arizona crew, while most of us have just hung up the skis are are getting bike legs back. The Fountain Hills/NOVA race is the second stop on the national NMBS calendar. They hosted a marathon this year & that seemed just right for getting some miles back in our legs. We decided to race & then stay an extra 4 days to put in some long miles. Our Arizona team - Foye Trout from Titus joined us there.
The course pre-ride was awesome. Thomas Dooley, Mike Hogan, Jamie Kilkoyn & Drew Geer set off at a bit faster pace than we liked; simply because the riding was so fun. It was smooth, twisty, fast single track through the desert. Thomas led us down some ripping fast downhills. A Japanese Olympian, Kenji, hooked on to us because Thomas was so fun to follow. T could drop him on the DH but Kenji tore T up on any climb.
A view of the course
Race day was a nice 70 degrees at 9am. The whole field started together so the pros set a very fast start pace. Jamie Kilkoyn rode a very smart race, riding the second 27 mile lap just as fast as the first to win his first race in the 30 - 39 field. Nice work Jamie. Thomas & Mike hung in with the pro field for the first 10 miles with Drew taking a sensible back seat. Things were "hotting up " by the second lap & feeds were critical. Mike pushed the lead of the 40+field but lost the bike throw at the finish to come in second. Thomas faded lap 2, being underfed but hung in for 4th. Drew rode steady until the last 10 miles when the heat & lack on training caught him & he ultimately finished in 8th. The final tally: 1st, 2nd, 4th 8th - not too bad for a season start.
The course was extremely fun. The longest "big climb" was 17 seconds long. There was a 6 mile "uphill" but this was only 3 - 4% grade. We rode the Kenda Smallblock 8 with Stans sealant at 28 psi. That setup was fast. We floated through the sand pits while other riders struggled. The Carbon X was extremely smooth & fast on the downhills! It is pure pleasure to coast up on the rider in front of you - effortless speed!
The colors were the best they have had in years - & yes, those are sharpFoye was up the next day with the semipro shot track. He as been racing single speed all last season, but opted to put some gears on this year. He ended up 49th in a blistering fast field. Sunday he lined up for the XC & pulled out a 39th place.
The next 3 days we were were joined by guests Dave Zink & Jim Reuter & put in some long road miles - 70 to 100 miles a day. Mike & Drew headed back to the marathon course on Tuesday to put in another 65 miles of single track in the heat. The days were perfect training - breakfast, 6 hours in the saddle, early afternoon beers & an early dinner; in bed by 8 & ready for another day. After the camp we had about 25 hours in our legs. Drew packed the bikes in van , loaded the rest of the crew on the plane & we returned to snow in Boulder.
Riding the Titus Oseo through the Arizona desert - long easy miles
A dozen Titus (Titi?) living on our porch in Fountain Hills - a tight fitUpcoming events: Sea Otter, Gila & Chalk Creek
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