A bit delayed in getting this report to you, but rest assured, I am back from Fontana. Fontana is one of those wonderful places in that it is wonderful when you leave. Had a good race and like I said in my previous post, the trails are really fun to ride. I ended up fourth at this one. It was an eye popping affair with some pretty intense climbing. I tried to bridge up to the leaders on the third and final lap and paid dearly. I ended up crashing and then basically fell apart on my way to the finish line. 4th place passed me without about five minutes to go. Somehow I rallied to stay on his wheel, but I flailed up the last little hill and that is all she wrote. Managed to increase my lead for the overall series, so I was happy with that. I am also happy that I tried to get up to the leaders knowing full well that I was draining the tank too far from the finish line. Without a victory in the series, I feel like my season is a bit incomplete. Going into the year, however, I would have taken a top five in any of these races, so I'm more than happy about the way things have gone. With two races to go, I'm excited about where I sit.

The wifeage gets a little mad at me sometimes due to my competitive nature. She doesn't get the whole winning is better than losing thing. I must confess that I am not a great loser. As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to win. My first year playing baseball was a real eye opener. Up until that point, I had always been successful when it came to sports. Baseball was new to me, and I struggled. So much so, that after striking out one time, I threw my helmet on the ground in disgust. The helmet broke and I was lambasted by the coach. I was more pissed than embarrassed. Later I learned to control that anger and frustration, but just barely. After every defeat in almost every sport at some point I would cry. One time after a football loss that knocked us out of any playoff hope, I was found crying in the locker room. I remember one of my teammates asking me what my problem was and I responded amidst the sobs that we now officially sucked. I'm not proud of the fact that I can't eat my emotions like others, but I'm also not all that embarrassed either. I think the fear of losing is just as big of a motivator for me as the pleasure of winning.

From time to time I see that spirit in my children and I have to admit, it makes me happy. Sometimes, when I want them to do my bidding, I make a race or competition out of what ever it is that I want them to do. The girl is pretty crafty in that she will throw obstacles in front of the boy or pull or push him to get to the goal more quickly. While the boy will protest, she continues relentlessly toward the objective. She doesn't always win, but it's not due to a lack of effort. When the boy loses, look out. He'll burst into tears and sometimes throw, kick or punch the nearest thing. It's one of those moments as a parent that you need to be stern and exact in the way you deal with the situation, all the while not smiling from ear to ear. It makes me happy that both my children want to win and do their best. I think it will serve them well in life. My wife hates that I foster that behavior. Of course, back in college, she was on a two time national championship rowing team. Although she says she's not competitive, you don't obtain that objective without a little desire to win. Anyway, hope you are well.

Johnny GoFast