It's been a great couple of weeks for AES athletes Mark Miller and Jane Pearson.  Mark won what is considered an Oregon classic MTB race - Pickett's Charge - and clinched a fine 2nd place in the series.

Jane has also been on a tear and just stepped up to the top step on the podium at New Jersey's Bulldog Rump XC race.  This is the fourth race in the H2H Series, which runs through November.  Check her out on the podium yesterday:

Jenn Reither got onto her track bike and promptly took 2nd in the Women's Points Race at the Testarossa Velodrome Challenge at Hellyer Park in San Jose, CA.  Jenn's coming into top form after weeks of road racing in Athens and Tulsa, and she hasn't been on a track bike in a long time.  That didn't seem to slow her down, though.  Read more about it all, and her continuing adventures, here.

AES athlete Mark Miller improved on his recent second place at Spring Thaw by winning the Return on the Jedi in Grant's Pass today.  Mark has been on a roll lately, despite a round of personal and work-related travel.  He's becoming an expert at balancing training, work, and having a social life.  Tonight, he proved he could do it all by driving straight up from the race to Portland for an evening of salsa dancing!

AES athlete Mark Miller came back to bike racing three years ago after nearly twenty years away from the sport.  His focus has been on MTB racing and he has been knocking on the door this year with one 4th place and two 2nd places.  Today his comeback became complete when we won his class at the Cascade Chainbreaker in Bend, OR!    

Next week he goes to southern Oregon for the Spring Thaw.  Good luck, Mark and Congratulations!

Pro mountain bike racer and AES athlete Jane Pearson has been tearing it up this season, despite having to train through a rough East Coast winter.  Yesterday she dusted the competition at the Wawayanda Spring Cleaning Mountain Bike Race in New Jersey, the first race in the Campmor H2H Series.

Here are the results.  She even beat some pro men!

Pro Mountain Bike racer and AES athlete Chris Peariso scored his first Pro podium placing today in the Cohutta 100, the first stop on the National Ultra Endurance Series calendar.  Chris worked hard through a difficult Wisconsin winter and had targeted this race as one in which he had wanted to excel.  Congratulations, Chris!

The full story can be found right here:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/national-ultra-endurance-nue-series-1-cohutta-100-ne/results

A few choice photos from this year's camp:

This was a day without any particular assignments - ride as you like, and keep in mind that the biggest day is tomorrow.  We did the Alpine Dam loop with a nice out-and-back to the top of Mt. Tam.  There was some hammering, some cruising and a whole lot of fun.  Everyone is asleep now, as we have 150km of sunshine tomorrow.

Heading to Tam:

At the Dam:

Making it to the top:

The gang with a stunning view of the Bay:

Day 3 at Marin Camp is always a big one.  It's the day we 'race'— the Mt Tam Hill climb course, and it is the day the riders really have to dig deep to find the best in themselves.  For two days, they have been doing shorter, sharper efforts and today they have about 1 hour on the rivet, all uphill on one of the Bay Areas's toughest climbs.

Chris Peariso started the race off with a nice leadout on the flats from Stinson Beach, and he didn't stop there.  Just over 42 minutes later he arrived first at the Rock Springs lot, with Steven Hunter in second.  The rest of the crew arrived individually and everyone gave it their best.  Everyone had a blast, and after a short stint waiting at the top for warm clothes, descended back to Mill Valley for lunch, yoga, and massage. 

Steven Hunter comin' in hot:

Dick Drummond giving it his all on a bike he built himself:

Huddling for warmth:

Tomorrow is a relatively mellow day riding Alpine Dam and the top of Mt Tam.   More coverage here at Jeb's blog.

Another day dawned clear and bright and, following an excellent discussion on nutrition, the camp, with guest Jenn Reither, headed off to the Marin Headlands for what is for many the toughest day of camp - sprint, lead-out, and race finish scenario day.  We started with a bit of briefing on what lay ahead:

Then, we rode:

Finally, we sprinted, lead-out, and did some race finishes followed by discussion thereof:

All-in-all it was a fantastic day.  Tomorrow, we replicate the Mt Tam Hillclimb!

What a beginning!  Under clear, warm skies, we departed for an excellent introduction to some of Marin's best riding.  After an excellent first day's discussion on goal setting and mental training, we did 5 min and 1 min tests while taking in the wonders of Mt Tam, the descent of Bolinas Rd., and the stunning coast.

It's fun (but, exhausting fun) so I am going to keep it short and simply say that the day was amazing.  Here are a couple of photos:

For more coverage of the camp as it happens, head over to Jeb Stewart's blog.