September 15th marks the independence day of the Costa Rican calendar, and what a better way to celebrate than racing in the USA, at the Local Over the Hump Race Series, at Irvine Lake in Orange County California. The race starts at 6PM to give people a chance to make it over after work.

The front of the race had several local pro riders; some pro roadies even gave it a try. The course is very fast, and not very technical, which it makes it great for first time racers. At the front Sid Taberlay and I were dominating the race, taking control of the pace early. Many attacks were made right from the start, which quickly excelled the speeds. By lap 3 of 4 there were only 5 of us, so I decided to get rid of some of them. I punched it hard on each roller, by the start of the last lap it was only Sid Taberlay, and Trek local Rider Dana Weber, and myself left. Sid launched a huge attack in the middle of the last lap, and I followed him and the two of us finished 1-2 once again. For 2009 after 2 events I sit in second in the overall standing with Sid Taberlay leading the series. Next year it will be a series of 10 races, so if you live in the area, be sure to keep the mid week nights open to come join us.

I’ve been training extremely hard for the La Ruta race. As part of my training schedule, this weekend (Sunday the 20th) I will be attending the U.S. Cup Unification race at Bonelli Park. At the conclusion of the awards ceremonies I will be riding home, for a total of over 6 hours on the bike. More details on my Preparation for La Ruta, check back next week to see how everything unfolds for me this weekend. Hope to see everyone out at Bonelli this weekend, stop by and say hi.

Muchas Gracias!

MP