Old Caz Wrap Up
That was a whirlwind of a weekend. I knew Old Caz would have a bigger draw than last year but…34o…over the top! Was thrilling to see folks and hear stories for two hours as riders came ripping, and some limping, to the top of Willow Creek. It was a family affair and had HUGE help from Tera, Cathy, Fritz, Les, Sandra and Rita. Special shout out to Fritz for bringing some order to the start; I’m all over this for Chileno Valley! and we’ll be splitting up the start to keep things safe. 
The day started crisply at 8:00 with Phil from CyclesFanatic setting up along with Cafe Costa Rica. Kitsbow set up camp and was pulling some killer CCR espresso shots but unfortunately I was already to0 wired and had to pass. Lisa and Ben showed up and our hydration sponsors Osmo did what they do best. Jim Keene from NorCal/Bike Peddler talked shop and packed his truck to the brim for the feed on the top of Old Caz and Chuck Ibis rolled up on his Hakaalugi cross bike ready to throw down. We had over 40 raffle winners for the day and even finisher #275 got a free lunch from Fork Catering. Don’t forget that we will be raffling off an Ibis cross frame and Enve fork and a Volagi frame and fork at the end of the series. TateLabs/BarFly will also be donating a Garmin and we have two sets of cranks from the Hive. GU was present in force with Yu-boat in the house and a pocketful of Blocks got me though the day.
Training for Old Caz: Family Style
I’d like to say I was just out to ride and have a good time; no expectations, but my friends know me too well. Teaching full time leaves little time to ride. Not to mention time with my family, organizing and coaching the El Molino Mtb team and other endeavors, but I squeeze it in when I can. Truth is, it’s the “glue that keeps it all together”. If you’re a seasoned Hopperer you know what I mean. It’s just too fun to ride; and it’s extra fun when you’re fit. Dario from Whole Athlete helped me with a two week training plan over Winter Break and everything was on track until…well…I went back to work. No excuses. I had a great day. The highlight was ripping down Willow Creek w/ Glenn Fant and passing 15-20 people on our way to catching Hosey, Shane and Pete Stetina on the last couple of corners. Stacking on the ice at the flats of Willow Creek was not the highlight. Making a bad choice and not bridging up on the climb out of Austin Creek was a bummer but that’s racing….uh…I mean riding. Fell from 7th or 8th to 18th over the last hour but all things considered not bad. Cool to see the Lamperti boys out as well as other past, presents and future NorCal stars.
As always, it’s an honor to host an event for my brothers and sister of the church of bike. Pura Vida, Mig