The intermountain cup sereies finished up yesterday in evanston, wy. The course was by bear river lodge and it was in excellent condition. apparently it had rained for most of friday making the trail sticky. It was not slimy, but just tacky so traction was good and mud was not much of an issue. There were some puddles but it was easy enough to get around them. The down hill sections were not as loose as they have been in the past either. There was one hole that I almost fell into which could have been bad...very bad. I was able to avoid it though.
The pro women wimped out. Erin started it. When Ed offered to let us change the length on the start line, Erin suggested only doing a big and a small lap as opposed to the scheduled two big laps. I was intrigued by the offer because I had forgotten my camel back and felt nervous about relying on bottles. After some discussion, we all agreed to the shorter day. I ended up feeling really good and bottles were not an issue due to the cooler weather. In retrospect I wish we would have gone longer, but my undercarriage was glad for the shorter length.
The evanston race is one of my favorites, not because the course is the best (although yesterday it was close) but because we get to stay as a team at Karl and Dot's cabin. The whole atmosphere is just cool. Then afterwards there is a big awards ceremony with pizza and all the competitor's just hang out.
On a side note, I would say that the intermountian cup series is one of the best. Granted I have not competed in many other series, but when I have it becomes very apparent that the intermountain cup is well run. Let me support my point with what I do know.
First, it is really cost effective. I don't have to buy a stupid license for $60 or $120 dollars. The races are between $35 to $45. The lesser being the pre registration price for beginners, sport, and expert. The latter is the price day of for pros. That is a steal compared to NORBA.
Second, there is competition even at this price. Now Kathy Sherwin may not agree with me on this, but I find it very competitive. My goal is to make it competitive for Kathy, but I have not quite succeeded in this yet. Maybe (that is a big maybe) next year.
Third, the courses are great. Everyone once in a while Ed (race director) tries to throw in a new course that may be questionable, but as a whole we do some of the best courses. The length of the courses are also ideal and meets everyone's racing ability and needs.
Fourth is Ed Chauner. Ed does a great job handling his races. They magically run smoothly. I don't know how he does it, but there is very little drama involved. Anytime we race somewhere outside of the intermountain cup, I am reminded of what an amazing job he does.
If you live in Utah, I would strongly suggest looking into these great events next year.