But the Colorado rocky mountain high

I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky

The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye

Rocky mountain high” John Denver Circa ‘72

Well I just got back from round #4 of the PRO XCT series, and this time we were in Colorado Springs. A new venue, new city and new state was a great change of pace from the muggy south of Alabama just a couple weeks prior.

Colorado was exceptionally green this time of year and the Cheyenne Mountain State Park was easy on the eyes with Pikes Peak nestled in the background for a picturesque feel that not many parks offer these days. Truly a great place to come and ride.

Team Sho-Air/Specialized rolled in with the men’s leader’s jersey riding on the shoulders of the “Mountie” Max Plaxton, with Aussie Sid Taberlay holding down 2nd place.

The course was a perfect blend of double track, single track, rock gardens and technical decents, enough to separate the field. The S-Works Epic was the teams weapon of choice on this course and Plaxton delivered in a big way!

Just a week before Plaxton wasn’t feeling it at TEVA games and ran around in 9th, some 6 minutes off JHK and Todd Wells, both Colorado locals. So with Coloroado Springs just one week away, it look like Wells and JHK were going to put the hammer down.

However when it came time to race, Max was all game. He put on a riding clinic on his Epic, leaving even the top Pro’s scratching their heads watching this kid desend like a mad man. It was a pleasure watching Max and the guys first hand on my Kawasaki Lead moto….truly the best seat in the house!

All in all is was a great week. Plaxton took his first win, and extended his PRO XCT points lead to 10. We had two other riders in the top 10, so that was solid as well.

Now we get a much deserved break, before heading East to the land of Maple Syrup…..Vermont in August.

Other than the team win, I got a chance to ride with the Legend himself Ned Overend. I was surprised on our course pre ride with team mate Johnny O,that Ned was drinking the 29er punch and joined us for a big wheel spin on the XC course the day before. Ned is deadly on anything thing he rides, whether it’s a 29’er, 26 in or beach cruiser.

Even better than the ride with Ned, I knocked down a couple frosty pints at the local brewery with him and Ian Dewar (prounced Do’er) for those not in the know. We downed some really good rare Ahi, while we swapped stories and planned for 2010.

All in all it couldn’t have gone much better than it did.

Till next time,

The Red Cowboy