BOGGS IV PHOTOS

Here're a bunch of random photos from this past weekend's amazing 8-Hour mountain bike race in the NorCal:

BOGGS IV RACE

Real quick before I go to bed ... John Clark and I had a great time at the Boggs Forest 8-Hour mountain bike race this past weekend. Killer riding, killer mountain bike scene, killer weather--75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Our stats: John rode rode 81 miles with 11,250 feet climbing in 8 hours 19 minutes; I rode 63 miles with 8,800 feet of ups in 7 hours and 17. John took third in our age category (out of 22), I took 8th. A super great time!

BOGGS 4 WEEKEND

It's here, baby. Or will be Saturday. The 8-hour race in NorCal that John Clark and I have been training for all winter. Above is a shot from last year's Boggs race (www.bikemonkey.net/?page_id=57); it looks dry and Eastern Washington-ish, which will be a welcome change from what we've been riding in since early December. See below with the mucho deep snow.

We're leaving B'ham around 5 p.m. on Thursday by Nissan Versa and hope to make it down below Portland before we call it a night. Friday should be about nine hours of driving, maybe a quick stop to check out the course (it's a nine-mile loop we ride over and over again for eight hours), then to our motel for some shut-eye. Saturday, we race. Can't wait!

Oh yeah, on Thursday, check out my story on getting your bike ready for spring in the Seattle Times Northwest Weekend section.