Taylor's Crusty-Butt Race Report

Yo man,

So I finally got settled back in at my apartment after my road trip to Crusty Butt this last weekend. I probably don't have to tell anybody this, but Gunnison County CO is one of the most amazing places I have been. The road trip out there was great, seeing the incredible rock formations in Utah near Zion at sunrise is something I wont ever forget. If any of y'all Backboners get the chance, head out to Crested Butte next year! Great fun, and an awesome place to visit even if you aren't racing.

Scenic road trips aside, the race went well for me. Day 1 of practice I was one of the first riders on course, and the MSC staff hadn't even posted any warning signs of markings on the DH course yet. The start was straight down a ski slope for about 75yds, ending with a road gap. Of course I failed to notice the road gap when I started my first practice run. I was greeted half way down the hill by some spectators who I thought were a little too excited to see me riding down the hill with no brakes. They cheered and shouted; "You got it bro! Go! Go for it!" And I could only think to myself in 1/100th of a second; "Got what you dumb a**? I'm going straight down a hill, not that hard..." Immediately after finishing this thought I was airborne and suddenly very aware that there was a road gap at the bottom of the hill I was just sailing down at full speed. I suddenly realised what the spectators were sooo excited about. Of course, I wasn't too exicted about being that high in the air. Fortunately, the Tomac handled the rough and overshot landing like a champ and kept on chugging down the hill. The rest of the course was mostly pedaly, with a few tree sections. Overall, I enjoyed riding it and think it would be an awesome course to ride regularly if only the middle section was a bit steeper.

I was content with my 10th place finish; I went into the weekend just hoping for a top 10 finish after my last MSC race went horribly wrong in Angel Fire. I still know I can go much faster, looks like I'll be spending a lot of time training on the trails in Mammoth and Tahoe this summer!

Pictures from the weekend will be out soon, I left my digital camera at home and settled for a 7-11 disposable camera. As soon as I use up my last couple shots I'll get them developed and out for the masses to see!