Oh, Palmer Park. Our in town, technical play ground. I'm just now starting to feel really comfortable riding in Palmer Park - when I first started, the rocks all scared me. Now I'm taking the fun trails - not always by myself, but I try to at least find one fun rock section every ride. And I have to admit that I've never raced at Palmer Park before. I know, sad with all the…

Unlike some of the other sports I've done, mountain biking is one where taking some time prior to the race and checking out the course can make all the difference between winning, finishing and taking a major spill out. Marathons? It's nice to know where the hills are and if there are any sharp turns. But not knowing won't really affect the course. Road triathlons? Same…

Okay, so the the hail held off until the racing was done and hopefully everyone got home safely! I know it got really ugly really quickly...

I got to Bear Creek just before the start of the Cat 3 and Juniors race. Always fun to watch those races - there were some fast juniors tearing it up and some true beginners out having a good time. Bikes of all shapes and styles underneath riders of all ages. Then the Cat 2 race started and it was time to think about following my own…

Three of the Ascent Cycling Series races are held at Bear Creek Terrace, right in the shadow of the mountains. This was the traditional location for the Wednesday night races for the last three years, so many COS riders are familiar with the trails. We usually use Bear Creek as a pass through - a bit of single track before continuing up the Regional Trail to destinations further afield. The courses at Bear Creek Terrace don't seem challenging on intial inspection, but I've always found them…