This was the 2nd year racing the Middlebury CT Root 66 season opener and its becoming one of my favorite regional races.  Like last year it was a bit chilly, the kind of chilly that your not sure what to wear.  I usually opt for short sleeves and shorts in this situation mainly because I know after ten minutes I'll be sweating my ass off, which was the case.   After saying hi to everyone we were off racing like mad thru the New England singletrack and it felt good, really good.  Two weeks prior we were racing in the desert of California which felt like racing on the moon compared to the east coast.  I generally suck when I race on the moon so being in first place after the first five minutes gives the ego a glimpse of sunshine after it was crushed by Todd Wells a couple of weeks back.  So after three quarters into it, my little buddy (not really little) came flying by me at the speed of light and then it was all over.  I could see him for the next couple of laps but never close the gap.  Seamus is strong this year and its going to take a alot of training to beat him I know it.  He has finally grown into his legs and I believe he is on the way up, bigtime.  So second was still awesome and I'm happy.   Aleksandra got to race against the expert men which was a real treat for her because the women's field is so small.  She rode really well against the guys and was only out of first place by 18seconds.  I am really proud of her and think this year will be so much more rewarding being able to race in a large field especially since one of them is my brother.  Knowing how competitive they both are it was a good thing  we took two cars because if we didn't I might not be here today to write this.  My brother Matt did really well with a fifth place finish, which isn't too shabby for his first expert race.  And our other family member Scotty DNF because  he is always too busy fixing our problems and doesn't spend enough time on his own bike.  Damn chain.   
See you on the trails
       Mike