O'Deas back to regular racing

Former Cyclingnews diarists, Eddie and Namrita O'Dea, have had a hectic first half of the year, but not only due to riding and racing. Namrita finished up her master's degree in nutrition last month. Eddie has been travelling and racing for their team Topeak Ergon.

"It turned into a lot more time writing than riding a bike," said Namrita of her spring spent finishing up graduate school.

Meanwhile, Eddie kicked of his season with the Cohutta 100, but had some back luck off the start line when he flatted. During the race, he passed 100 people to finish with what he called a "respectable" time. From there, it was off to a local six-hour race in Georgia where he finished fourth and the Dirt Sweat & Gears, which might better have been called the Mud, Sweat and Gears this year.

"I don't think any of the racers had ever encountered such mud that just stuck to everything. Riders were carrying (not riding) 90 to 100-pound bikes around the 11-mile course," said Eddie. "It turned to be more of a hike-a-bike race than an actual mountain bike race but it was still a good time as the party went on."

The pair raced the Gunnison Growler 65-mile event at altitude in Colorado, where Namrita finished second in her class. Next, they will head to the Lumberjack 100, the Wilderness 101 and the Fool's Gold 100, the latter which they promote.

The pair is riding Rotwild frames for the season, of course with Ergon GX grips.