Box Time Colorado Style..

Maybe it was the new sticker job on the lid done on the two hour trip over to Nathrop this morning but it has been a hell good day. Actually the whole trip down I was feeling like piss over the 9000ft passes in the RV and trying to read the latest Velonews alongside checkin' out the mountains here. Real mountains. So we fronted up to the small CO town of Nathrop, for the first round of the Mountain States Cup Series, the premier state series of America according to Miller. So it was kinda like a NORBA setup with a few teams and tents everywhere, and I must admit I felt a little nostalgic with a massive Yeti presence of local and pro teams..oh yeah..they own the whole race series too. Rolling out for a 7mile lap with little expectation from the general word around the streets I was pleasantly surprised..it was pretty darn cool. Once again another friggin dusty course with little shade about and was predominately fireroad or rocky singletrack. One of the best bits was this dead straight fenceline fireroad...for 2kms.

There were also a coupla new factors for this clown to deal with too...first one a shiteload of cacti lining sections of the singletrack in parts. Okay I brushed one with my ankle walking on the way to the feedzone and these bad boys were in like Beckham at a hens night. Luckily I put on my bravest tough-man face and went a-pluckin. Factor two..hello altitude..goodbye oxygen content in the air. 7000ft is pretty reasonable (can't wait for Angelfire around the 9000 mark)...anyway felt like i was stuck in 3rd gear...

So despite the big, big hitters being absent here, the field was still pretty damn quality with Troy Wells, N Martin, Jungle Jay Henry etc...hmm come to think of it any guy who is acclimatised was a threat..damn. Off the start the pace was hot, not NORBA hot, but combined with the altitude I was in the hurtbox early and not looking too flash. By the end of the lap I'd latched onto the back off Wells coming outta the feedzone and then just watched the guy drop a few down the block and just motor along Kaiser style..impressive..and a little too tough for me to hang on to. But with two laps to go anything could happen..and it did. Somehow lap three things clicked, and I moved up from seventh to fifth and feeling pretty darn good. With one lap to go the big carrot was fellow Aussie Miller-time in 3rd place and in sight. The chase was on and got me up into fourth...and thats where I stayed..hello box.

Miller and I are in 'sticker wars' at the moment...I was pretty proud with this effort...but without a careful check before the race my SID would have displayed a little blue tail..tmw's another day and I'm loaded.

Well I gotta admit i'm pretty stoked sitting here right now from my first US box action complete with a fat US check to go with..hell yeah. Anything from here on in is a bonus. Ohh and to cap it off I won the raffle..hello $100 voucher for some shoes, coffee beans and a tee...it doesn't get Eddie Vedder than this...okat im out cause I'm shagged to the max..stxc tmw...lator cw.