First off:  For those of you who we missed on the first jersery order request we are submitting another ? please email me @ ben_b_thompson@hotmail.com if you would like to join us in sporting a super-cool Bend Elite MTB team jersey made by Hincapie Clothing (just $85)!

Now on to the good stuff?

Sun?  At Sea Otter?
When we arrived to sunny central California, the trail conditions seemed to be great, as was the weather, clear and in the mid-60s. Perfect for racing, especially after facing the furnace in Arizona a few weeks back.

In the first race of the weekend, Ben showed up and put down a fast time in the Time Trial (TT), a short test of power and handling abilities, finishing 40^th in a large Pro field with a 3min29sec effort.

We were very fortunate to be able to stay with Ben's folks only miles from the venue. The Thompson house will be a hard act to follow as far as future race accommodations go. We would awake to the smell of freshly brewed, local organic coffee, and stumble
downstairs to see a huge container of muesli waiting for us as well as fresh fruit and a stocked fridge. Relaxing on their expansive back deck, overlooking some central Cali woods with coffee in hand, a cool breeze and a bright sun proved a perfect start to the day.

Saturday we awoke to overcast skies..."perfect...we won't get too hot," or so was the sentiment, still overly sensitive to the heat after AZ. Overcast turned to light rain..."perfect, the short track course will be nice and tacky..."...light rain gave way to heavy rain and winds, postponing the semi-pro start from for three hours. Monterrey would receive half an inch of rain that afternoon, or a third of April's average rainfall. The course soon turned to slop, not as bad as last year, but defiantly a soup, where skinny, "pizza-cutter" tires would be a boon.

Ben started in the first heat of the pro men's field and fought to hold on to decent positioning in the always hectic start. It was cold, muddy and continued to rain, but the conditions were familiar to us Oregonians. Making a heroic last-minute pass on the climb, Ben scored 10th after passing his Rocky Mountain Cycles rival.

I was psyched about the slop and the cold (once I got warm) and used the conditions to my advantage.  On the first lap, I attacked going into the downhill after realizing the others couldn't weren't riding well in the deluge. I held on for second place after getting passed up late in the semi-pro race.

Saturday night we were again treated to a gourmet meal, this time courtesy of chef Ben. We dined and laughed and told stories of the day with friends and fellow Bend racers
back at our "home,"  feasting on stuffed and roasted chicken breasts, a cold corn, bean and broccoli salad and fresh bread all from, Whole Paycheck...er...Whole Foods -  just the thing for tomorrow's long XC race.

Saturday's rain served another purpose; it turned the previously bullet-hard XC course into a fast and grippy race-track. Unfortunately, the mud took its toll on my brake pads the day before, and I had no stopping power after 15min of racing, I crashed pretty hard on one of the many fast downhill sections, despite being in good position and feeling good.

Ben spent much of the first lap working his way up from a low call-up through the 100+ starters in the Pro field inching by on the short punchy climbs and big-ringing on the flats and sipping his Hammer HEED in anticipation of a long day at the office.  As the miles and elevation approached the claimed ~7000ft ascent and 40+ miles, Ben was able to put those December base miles to good use and move through some of the visiting euros to finish in 48th place. 

Afterward, we were rewarded with fresh pasta, a huge salad and baguette back at the Thompson villa, before starting the long slog back to central OR.

Meanwhile, Brig was down in his home state of Texas, representing the team at the Warda and had this to share: ?Well, while the boys were off in California I went down south to ol' Tejas for a wedding, and, lucky for me, the 5th stop of the Texas Mountain Bike Series in the booming metropolis of Warda, TX (Dairy Queen is looking into it). Always kind of funny to think that the mountain bike season is almost over down there, and it hasn't even really begun here.  Anyway, a $100 hole-shot check guaranteed a fast and dangerous start... something I can't say I really wanted to partake in. After the dust settled Scott Henry (Trek-VW), Will Black
(Colonel's Bike Shop) and I formed a small gap on the rest of the field. Having not pre-ridden the course I was content to follow the leader for a lap, but just before the start of lap two I decided to have a go in the lead. To my surprise the legs felt good, so I just pedaled and let the Orbea soak up all the ruts and rocks on the twisty 24 mile course. Just under 2 hours after the start we had our first win of the year. Even better, my girlfriend (and soigneur) and her family got to watch. Even better still, the victory was followed by a wedding with delicious Texas BBQ, beer, and music.. Yeeee-haw.?

All in all, a very successful weekend, with a 1st, a 2nd, and a top
10 and more top rides from Ben against one of the most competitive fields in the world. Again, our Orbea OIZ?s worked great on the fast course with 7000'+ of climbing. A big thanks to all of our sponsors, especially our bros at Sunnyside Sports, in Bend, OR. Their mechanics have been crucial in keeping our rigs running smoothly.

The next weekend of racing is only weeks away...

-- The Bend Elite wrecking crew