The riding did not start auspiciously as John's legs got ahead of his handling skills. It seems that a winter on the trainer makes you think you can take loose corners pretty hot. The result is a nice raspberry on his arm.

Chip joined in just as John was stricken with the Houghton flu that he had transported to Puerto Rico. Following a shake out ride in Toa Alta (don't forget to tighten your bars when you put your bike together), John climbed into bed while Chip and Felix went to Cerro Gordo for a couple of laps on the course.

By the time Chris arrived, everyone was feeling well. After another shake out ride, we headed to Salinas again to try our luck on the new racecourse. Luck was not on our side - Chris flatted twice in the first quarter mile and John couldn't get his seat post to stay up. We got some laps in and Chris went on a road ride.

Then we moved to Boqueron in the southwest corner of the island. The perfect place to start a 5.5 hour road ride (1", 100 psi tires on the mountain bikes) into the mountains around Maricao. Lots of climbing and two-way mountain roads not much wider than a sidewalk made for a great day with some clouds to hide the sun.

We moved a bit north to Rincon for a day split between surfing the big waves (okay they were only 2'-3') and riding the UCI course in Rincon. Everyone was able to get surfing thanks to the lovely Melissa and her sidekick Bill. The afternoon was some fantastic riding on a great, flowing course. Everyone started to get the feel for their bikes and Chip tasted the dirt and was left with a new tattoo of Puerto Rico on his knee.

Saturday was a rest day and a travel day. We headed to the beaches of Guayama. That night, only John cleaned and lubed his bike. Sunday we joined the JJC/MCS bike team for the first of the Puerto Rican MTB Commission race series at the Albergue Olimpico in Salinas. Chris raced Master B (40+), John raced Advanced C (40+), and Chip raced Advanced D (50+). Some rare clouds kept off the heat. Chris went off first and was in the top 5 when the flat gnomes got him again - a ripped sidewall that the Stan's wouldn't seal. We got him up and running after a long walk, two tubes and three pumps, but he had lost a lap to the leaders. Chris came out 8th in the class. Chip also raced in the AM. After a slow start (something all three suffered from), he started to move up a bit. However, a hunger for eating dirt on several occasions slowed him down and left him with tattoos on the other knee as well. Some shifting issues due to a dirty drivetrain slowed him further. Chip was able to persevere for a 5th place finish. John took in the top 15 and started to work through. His group was hampered by the slower back of an earlier flight on the first several hills. This made passing difficult. By the second lap, John was able to begin moving despite never getting a drink from his bottles, which ejected themselves from the cage at every opportunity. By the third lap John was in 4th and on the move, 30 seconds or so behind first. After passing two more, then bobbling on a technical section, and still being 19 seconds back, it was time to zip up and cruise the last half-mile to the finish line in 2nd. Nice results for some guys coming out of winter with a few extra pounds and the greenest looking flesh in Puerto Rico. Highlights of the trip included great food, meeting Maximo a top-20 finisher in the 1996 Olympic Marathon, perfect riding weather, the realization that skinny tires on a mountain bike really do work. Members of the JJC/MCS team will be coming to Houghton to race during the cyclocross season.