Naughty in North Bend

Who could ask for more from a race backdrop than that of Mt. Si at the MFG #3?

Justin in the pits.

The course itself was pretty much the complete antithesis of mountainous though - alas, another flat power course. Didn't have great hopes of doing well on this course, but a naughty little treat from Shimano was in store today as the team got to ride some seriously sexy new DuraAce carbon tubular wheels, so things were looking substantially better. Just couldn't resist using them, so didn't take much convincing to break the rule of not trying anything new on race day. Grippy in the corners and easy to get up to speed, they couldn't have been more perfect for this course, because they propelled me to an unexpected 2nd place finish. Or maybe it was the 2nd Surge energy gel that I consumed before the race (with more caffeine than I'm used to in a month)? Or maybe it was improving my barriers? Or maybe it was the added incentive of having my mum watching me race? Who knows? What I do know is I may be a little addicted to at least one of those components now!

 Kristi & Mel Post Race.