tetonrider

i was pretty sure that was you but not 100% -- there were more than a few DDA guys. one had a low number and seemed to be about your height/build, too. thanks for the encouragement. i was thinking "there is a chance" at that point.

no regrets. i wondered if i realized the chase was coming just a bit sooner, could i have taken another minute or two of rest/easy pedaling that enabled me to hang on over the top? probably not. i was happy i raced aggressively.

i know you had a teammate in my race, but i didn't see you at all. you also might have seen a teammate of mine who was racing in another field; we get confused pretty often.

Boise was actually amazing. you have more experience with this than i do; it was my first time going to a big, standalone (NCC) crit.

the course was a bit different this year than past years due to a little construction (i'm told it was actually the "old" course), and it was a simple rectangle. it's in the center of town right near the state capitol. they get a huge crowd for the p1 race, but the crowds start showing up for the earlier events, too.

speeds were high and riding was smooth. road conditions were generally great, and you could pedal all corners.

i raced the first race (masters) aggressively. i bet that a break would win this one, and i was right -- except that the winning move went on a counter to one of mine.

in my 2nd race (1/2/3) speeds were a little higher and i'd say the riding was even smoother. my gut told me that this was going to be won on a late move or a field sprint, so my plan was to chill until the last 10' or so and look to make a move then. we got to about 48' into the hour and i was literally just thinking about how smooth/safe the riding was when 2 guys bumped and went down in front of me in turn 1. my bunny hopping skills were not enough to jump a rider, and i went down pretty quick. it happened right near the pit so i was able to get a restart and finish up. the adrenaline was pumping and it wasn't hard to get back in -- but i couldn't do anything other than ride with the pack.

crash aside, my power for the 45' masters crit was nearly 50w higher than for the 1/2/3 crit. different racing strategies, obviously.

the p/1 crit was a super fun scene....really large crowd, lots of food/beer vendors, solid racing. there was one big pile-up in turn 1.

overall i'd say the course was very safe and the event very well run. i would definitely return--and that's saying a bunch from this non-crit-guy!

worst part for me: i drove 5h in the morning, started warming up at 2, raced twice through 6:45....got medical attention.....then cheered on friends in the p1 field....wound up going to the clif bar team party (COOKIES!!!)...then my hosts for the night wanted to hang out later.... when i finally crawled into bed it was 1:50am. i realized i hadn't sat down for about 12h.

couldn't sleep though...body felt like it was on fire from the road rash.

side note that's kind of a big deal: they announced at the starting line that USADA was there and would be testing in every field. it was very clear to check with officials immediately after one's race. the winner of the masters field (who initiated the break, drove it the distance and won the sprint) decided to skip the test, skip the podium and DNS the 1/2/3 race for which he'd registered. he also didn't show for the state crit the next day.

pretty pathetic.

in hindsight, he's the type of guy who wins all the local p12/masters stuff but then doesn't do the relatively short drive to nationals in the 5 years it's nearby (5h to bend or 5h to ogden).

sad in terms of the doubt cast on the team, masters riding, and the sport in general.

USADA tested multiple riders in EVERY field.

rockin'!