Fear & Loathing in Aspen

August 22nd was the first Super-D race of my career at the Blast the Mass race in Snowmass. The Lemans Style group start was tricky & I made the rookie mistake of allowing a rider in between myself &eventual winner Mike West. Once we headed into the initial single-track section it was a long & frustrating ride behind this individual as Mike rode away from us without even having to pedal. While he was overshooting switchback turns and then cutting me off I eventually threw it in on him & he again cut me off putting me down & allowing another rider to get by both of us. Now sitting in 4th I finally made it around my kryptonite friend & started tracking down the 2nd place rider. After a frustrating race I took a chance near the end to pass on a loose corner trying to grab 2nd place but ended up laying the bike down in pea gravel again. The race did not go as planned but the Snowmass area has much improved the amount of trails on the hill since last time I had been there. I had a lift ticket for the Super-D so all in all I had a good time riding the hill. The bigger Blast at the Mass was the thrill of watching Hunter S Thompson’s final ride as his ashes were sprayed over the area via fireworks shot out of a cannon. From my campsite I was able to view the spotlights and fireworks as they light up the evening sky going off from his mortal home in Aspen as he had requested. Goodbye Gonzo!