The 2019 Turn & Burn

If not for the Turn & Burn Six Hour and CX Races, Autumn mountain bike racing around these parts would be, like the dry, brittle stalks of mustard and thistle bordering the trails, and the withered grasses covering the hillsides, a mere memory of the past. Extinction is an ugly thing, and I can't imagine September and October passing without at least this one race taking place minutes from home base.

A little warmth to the air today, not a lot, just enough to add another element to the challenge. I noticed a little blood here and there on arms and legs (Bonelli will always oblige by taking a little skin), but I didn't hear any complaints.

It must have been kind of demoralizing for the six-hour racers still circling the course while the shorter-distance cross-country racers were stepping up to the podium, though at least one guy made the best of it, giving a big whooo-hooo as he rode through the chute alongside the throng gathered in front of the three big steps.

It was a good day to race, whether contesting against someone else, or testing one's own limits. I saw the challenge in the passing faces, heard it in the heavy breathing, words of encouragement, the exclamations of success, and felt it beneath spinning wheels.

Ugh, I've got nothing creative to say here and need to save a few brain cells for Cross tomorrow, but check the album link at the bottom for more photos (I'll have to let them tell what ever story there is to tell).

for good luck

And here: The link to the album's selection of photos.