Winter Park MSC Weekend Fun and Easy

We tripped over Berthoud Pass over the Labor Day Weekend to once again enjoy Winter Park's fantastic cycling opportunities and help the COMOtion Sports team eek closer to the 8th Mountain States Cup title.

 I've been bad this year participating in the series.   After forking out fees and travel expenses for 16 races last year I'm burned out.  Sometimes you just need a break. 

But as the end of the season approaches and the team is challenged by a new XC team, it's time to honor the tattoo and help 'em out. 

Old fart division usually requires only a show up and completion to pick up some points and the short track is despised by many so cranking out 30 minutes of grunt climb and whheeeee singletrack was easy to capture last place in the 40+ (although the scoring shows me at 5th) and first place in the 50+ category.  Boom. 200 maximum points for the team effort.

We hung out with Denver friends Harold and Linda for lunch and then watched the Pond Skimming competition over the WP base pond.  Yes, I was tempted to try but even I have sane moments.  We took the short longway home through Rocky Mountain National Park and had lunch above tree line in the truck.  It was 37 degrees with a northerly wind of 35 mph.  Winter is not far off.

Our final leg of the backroad return sent us down the Peak-to-Peak Highway through Ward and Lefthand Canyon.  Halfway down, we realized the puffy cloud formations we had been viewing were not all harmless clouds but rising smoke.  Not until we were home safe in Broomfield did we learn that we had skirted one of the state's most destructive wildfires now known as the 4 Mile Canyon Fire.

As of the Thursday, over 160 homes or structures have been destroyed and over 5,000 acres charred.  The cost of living the mountain life I guess.  Teresa's boss, Doc Orent is one of the homeowners in the area.  Still no word on the fate of his property.

Wish the best for the victims and friends of southwest Boulder.  Now we are off to Breckenridge this weekend to put a lid on this Live-Train-Ride Team and apply the number 8 decal on the trailer.  Circuit Race and Hill Climb Time Trail for me.  Cross Country race the following day would kill me for sure.