08/25/2026
Irrelevant Race Report- CMRA Round 7 Eagles Canyon
TLDR: Working a ton, rough year watching bad crashes and friends get injured, head isn’t into it, what should I do next?
I was promoted in January and now running 3 sales teams — work has dominated my 2026. I crashed my A bike back in April and still haven’t had time to fix it, so this weekend I was on my B bike, which, despite past success on that bike, is grossly setup compared to my A bike. Add in maybe 4 track days all year, and I just wasn’t fast.
I entered the solo endurance race Saturday planning to use it as a long practice session to get my eyes back up to speed. Backfired — it rained right before, so I was out on slicks on a wet-but-drying track. While everyone else found grip as the race went on, I was on ice the whole time. Finished 3rd in class, dead last overall — worst podium I’ve ever earned, though half the class no-showed, so I guess I had the cojones to run. That race wrecked me though; I ran 6-8 seconds a lap off my pace the rest of the weekend.
Down in a Hole- Alice in Chains—this is where my head’s been this year. After watching friends lose legs, lose mobility, crash into stalled bikes and cartwheel… at my age, I’m genuinely questioning if I should keep riding. This sport can be the highest of highs one day and take everything the next.
No Easy Way Out- William Tepper—yep! I’m pulling a Rocky IV soundtrack cut! Rocky just watched Apollo die and all he can do is keep training. That’s where I am. I love this sport too much to walk away, so I’ll keep riding, learning, and enjoying it until the day that decision gets made for me.
Curious how you all handle this?
