Hillside Road Race and School

Alisha says: I talked Dave into going to probably my last road race of the season last weekend. He was a little reluctant to go because he was starting school on Monday and already had a huge stack of papers to read but after a little pleading and telling him I would drive so that he could study he finally agreed to make the journey with me. The race was in a tiny town about four hours away from Tucson. We left on Saturday and stopped in Chandler to see Christine and Parker's new house which is really nice. We then continued to the cool town of Prescott and found some questionable (although free) camping for the night.

In the morning there was a slight drizzle. I was hoping it would hold off for the race which it did and we had a nice cloud cover which blocked the sun but resulted in humid conditions. It was a really fun and challenging out and back course with lots of rollers and climbing. The group mostly stuck together and there were some good attacks thrown in but nothing that stuck. About nine miles from the finish I attacked the group and soloed in for the win. Just for fun I decided to try for the first time ever a two handed victory. I was so focused that I forgot to zip up my jersey, oh well, someday I'll get it all together :)

Dave says: My first week as a Ph.D. student was both busy and exciting. I already had a bunch of homework for the first day of class and my classes all have between 4 and 8 people in them so you've got to know what's going on. However, they are all going to be really great classes and I am learning a lot. The faculty and the other students are outstanding and the program is excellent. In addition to my classes, I'll be spending my time working on research projects with faculty members.

I've been waking up at 5:30 every morning since we moved here and I am not a morning person. It has been great for riding but it makes me pretty tired in the evenings. The trip up to Prescott was a fun one. The night before the race I was reading articles in the tent using a wind up flashlight that I would turn between pages. I finished in 8th which is ok but I feel like my form is coming back after a summer without much racing.

We have been enjoying some great group rides. The Tuesday Gates Pass ride and the Shootout are super fast. Yesterday we went up Mt. Lemmon with the Toussaints and the local Cactus Cycling Club. There is a kid named Tulio who is 14 and who flies up the mountain dropping almost everyone. He is already placing well against racers twice his age and he is going to be a future star.

Last but not least, we made it out to the Desert Museum for the last night of the summer program with my grandparents. We attended a presentation on beetles and saw a good number of crunchy little friends on display.