Matt's Sea Otter Wrap Up

Hello,

Great race reports everyone! I always enjoy reading those. I have to say that this years Sea Otter will go down on record as the funnest one yet. I think we had over 50 people from Santa Barbara either camping with us, or stopping by to say hi, or warm-up on trainers, or just hang out. The only problem is that there are so many different races and events happening at the same time it's hard to pick one to watch. I got to watch Susie and Kimberly's Circuit race and I also saw Gabe and Mitch's Circuit race. My kids had a blast and are already talking about next year! How many bike races can you say that about? They have pump tracks and obstacle courses and jumps set up for kids of all ages and they're all free. Plus the kids love just cruisin' around and getting free stickers and swag from all the vendors. Actually, so do some of the adults! Congrats to all the people who performed well. I know we had a few Chickens on the podium. I know Susie got a 4th in the Cat 3 Road Race and Gabe got a 4th in the Cat 4 Circuit Race and I managed a 2nd in the Cat 3 Circuit race. If I'm forgetting anyone I apologize.



I'll give a quick run down of the two Cat 3 races I did. It's funny, last weekend in I.V. and Ojai I felt like I had great legs and yet I made poor tactical decisions and never gave myself a shot at winning. At Sea Otter I felt like I had crappy legs but I rode smart and gave myself a chance at the end. In the Circuit race I had a really good chance, but I didn't have the legs to close the deal and got pimped at the line and ended up 2nd........again! I feel like I have a 400lb. 2nd place gorilla on my back! I've tried asking him to leave politely but it's not working. I think I'm gonna have to try drastic measures.......like training smarter! In the Road Race I was with the lead group to the base of the final climb but quickly realized you can't hide bad form on an uphill finish. I got spit out the back and ended up 29th. But then I rode back to our campsite and saw my kids all sweaty and tired with big smiles on their faces and lots of stickers on their bikes and life was good! We all sat around camp exchanging stories of how hard it was with the wind, or how cold it was and how we would do things differently next time. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that just getting out there and doing it is the important part. How we finish just changes the story we tell our family and friends. The important thing is having a story to tell, and people to share it with.

I'll try to plan a Team dinner in the near future so we can all exchange stories in person for a change. Thanks to everyone for representing Team Chicken Ranch with gritty determination and positive attitudes. Hopefully, we all inspire other people to get out there and do the same. Keep training hard, and having fun and I'll see you all out on the road.

Sincerely,

Matt