Gettin' my drop on

Skills 101 - that's what it has been all about down here in Tucson!  So I thought it would be time for a little more in depth review of one my favorite bikes I've ever ridden....my new Trek Fuel EX 9.

As a professional racer I am accustomed to the lightest and the best of the best.  The new Fuel EX 9 is neither the lightest nor the best of the best and I think that's why I am having a blast riding it....downhill!



The bike is weighing in at 29 lbs w/ pedals, bottle cage, and GO Pro!  The new FOX CTD suspension does provide a good platform for climbing, but what goes up must come down.  With 130mm's of plush bottomless travel, high volume 2.2 Bontrager XR3 Team Issue Tubeless Ready tires, and a Rock Shox Reverb dropper seatpost this bikes gives me confidence on descent like I've never had before.

The frame is aluminum, the Rhythm wheels are solid, and the Shimano XT is durable and reliable.  I'm loving the new clutch rear der, that locks the cage into place and keeps tension on the chain at all times eliminating chain slap and virtually stopping all chances of a dropped chain.

The biggest confidence booster however has to be the Reverb.  A quick push of the hydraulic lever and the seat drops 125mm's.  This allows you to quickly adjust your weight back on the bike and take a drop that you would never even consider on a XC bike with your seat at full height. 

Trek's suspension gurus have the linkage and the suspension dialed for small bumps, rocks, and the big drops.   Overall this bike rules, its fun, its fast, and you don't have to be afraid to get it scratched with a really reasonable price tag.  Time to go shred...

Dropping the Waterfall on the Milagrosa Trail

                           

It's for fun!

The Desert

We made it to Tucson in one piece!

It was an adventure and our first trip across the country with Oscor.  Somehow in a two day time frame I cleaned up from a muddy CX Nationals, packed up my life, loaded the car, and headed to the Southwest.  This year due to weather we took a different route than normal.  I-80 west to Denver - south on 25 - west on I-10.  The first night we made it to Walnut, IA and found a Super 8.  Not bad....

The next night we made it to Las Vegas, NM.  I decided Super 8 was pretty good on night number one so we might as well try it again.  We scored the best hotel I have ever stayed at...  no joke, not really expecting that at a Super 8.  So if you ever find yourself in Las Vegas, NM and need a place to stay I highly recommend the Super 8!

Oscor soaking in some rays and getting some Z's at the same time!

We arrived, Oscor was a champ for the entire 30 hours and is adapting to the sunshine quite nicely.  A day later we were loading up again to Fountain Hills for the first MBAA race.  Andrea was excited to rip some trails and she finished 3rd in the Womens Open race.  On the way home I had finally had enough and succumbed to getting sick. 

AZ Trail w/ Trav, Chloe, John Beck, & Krista Park

It took about a week of laying low before I was feeling back to normal.  Luckily  just in time for an ass kicking 6 hour ride on the AZ Trail on my new Fuel EX 9.  The new bike is so awesome.  Fat tires, big suspension, and the new coolest feature in my opinion is the dropper seat post!  I'm so glad I picked up this bike to rip up some trails out here and save a little wear on tear on the race bike.

Trek Fuel EX 9 - nothing fancy, but a really sweet ride!

The 6 hour ride put me out of commission for a few days.  It took a lot of birthday pizza & ice cream cake a few days later to finally recover! 

El Champion

Why I really love coming down to AZ, besides the man size burritos:  a quick recap of the last five days.

THURSDAY:  Bug Springs 4 hour mtb day with Andrea
FRIDAY:  Rest day...nope how about a jam session on Mt. Lemmon w/ Tommy D and Phil Gaimon.
SATURDAY:  OK now a rest day and 4 CX races on the internet!
SUNDAY:  New friends, big bikes, and the Milagrosa trail followed by pizza & Superbowl
MONDAY:  Peariso's arrived for some Arizona Trail Action & more burritos.





Yep I'm tired, but thats what its all about.  Time for bed so I can do it again tomorrow!  Yee-hah

Another amazing Tucson sunset