Back in Maine!

This week is feeling very relaxed- I'm staying with the family who owned the first bike shop I worked at when I was 19. These guys are great and they're like a second family to me so I'm having a lot of fun.

I've had some good training here, I rode out to the house I grew up in that is in the town of Appleton yesterday. It is always strange to go back by there, lot's of stuff has changed but there's still many reminders of my childhood. I rode my cross bike with some really big slick tires so it was the perfect setup for exploring some dirt roads and old shortcuts that I used to love to ride. I felt like I really stuck out since I was wearing my rather bright and noticable RHVilla/Montano Velo uniform. It's not like the bay area where people are used to seeing bike riders... I got some funny looks from people that I'm pretty sure didn't recognize me!

The weather has been perfect for the last few days, sunny and about 65. The trees are just turning color so there are many psychedelic views of the countryside. Today is overcast and there appears to be some rain on the way, but I think it will be clear for this weekend's racing.

I'll go over to the good old Camden Snowbowl for some cyclocross practice this afternoon. The Snowbowl is a tiny ski area that is owned by the town and is actually an incredible place for mountain biking. It's totally riddled with trails that were all made by bike riders over the years and it's super tight and technical. I'm tempted to borrow a mountain bike and get some trail time in, but I don't think I'll have time during this trip. I'll poke around on some lower trails when I'm there today, but the good singletrack is just too rough to be enjoyed on a cross bike, especially one with good racing tires...

I'm optimistic about my chances for the coming weekend, looking at who's pre-reg'd I should be able to get some points at these races. You really never know though, I have learned not to take any race for granted and although I feel like I've gotten better over the last few weeks I'm not going to make any brash claims just yet!