T to the B (Tour de Burg)

This is a quickie- my DSL is down at home and I feel guilty writing long entries at work, so here it is.

I rode stage 1 of the Tour de Burg on Saturday (see this for a description of the MTB stage race).

Joe, who wrote a great report, and I headed out there and rode it together. The most remarkable thing about the weekend was getting my butt kicked by Joe. I don't know that I've ever seen someone improve so much over one season. While he may be humble and slow to admit it, he's made huge strides.

A solid rider last year, Joe was still someone I would typically drop and not expect to see again until after I'd finished. This season we've both ratcheted up our training, significantly. On the first timed section of the day 5 mile climb? I started off several riders in front of him, and opened up a good gap. He quickly caught up, passed me and left me behind. I had to fight very hard to get back on his wheel, but there was no way I was passing him. Way to go Joe!

Another added coolness factor was the presence of some pros- Jeremiah Bishop and Chris Eatough from the Trek MTB team. They were out in front most of the time, obviously, but they also hung with the group during the parade sections and rest periods. Good times had all around.

Bishop was interviewed in Cycling News regarding the race. Check it out! http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=news/2005/jul05/jul06mtbnews.