after much wavering back and forth, i decided not to race on saturday. we (chris and I) instead rode from home to the top of squaw peak, south fork, and up and over the alpine loop. we had a car stashed at the bottow outside the pay area. i felt really good, especially at the top of the loop.
on the way in we could not figure out why there was so much smoke in the valley. apparently several thousands of acres are on fire. nothing incredibly close at this time though. we also stopped for a minute to watch a rescue team just south of bridal veil falls. we did not hear of anything on the news, but search and rescue was bringing someone or possibly more than just one person down. I took some pictures but they did not turn out.

i did race up at sundance last night and it was good. i pre-rode the course and on the back side the wind picked up like crazy--huge dust clouds. while waiting on the start line, it sprinkled a bit which was nice because it cooled things off. the race was straight up over the rock drop and then down. i felt kind of bad because i was talking to this guy, dean, and recommended he ride expert before i realized what the course was. in the end he had opted for sport class and had an enjoyable time. ironically, i had brought my geared bike instead of my single speed. (it is temporarily being cannabolized until my new frame gets builts up.) i was happy to have options on the climb. as always it was a great way to spend time on the bike.