Back in Belgium

After a cancelled flight then many flight delays I finally arrived back in Belgium this past Monday night/Tuesday morning. I was amazed when I arrived to see alot of snow on the ground, something I guess isn't too common in this part of Europe.

I've gotten settled in relatively easily here these past few days and have done one race since I've been here.

It was just a small local race in a town on the coast called Middelkerke. I planned on using this race to just open up my legs and prepare for Saturday's World Cup. I got a good start and was up close to the front early on, but jet lag and being tired from all the travel took its toll on me and I started to drop back. In the end I finished mid-pack and was OK with that since I was still feeling tired from traveling.

Since then I have been just riding and getting used to life around the house.

Also I received the notification a few days ago that I have been chosen to represent the USA again at the World Championships the last weekend of January in Tabor, Czech Republic.

Tomorrow is the World Cup in Zolder, Belgium and I will have more to update about after that.

Race in Middelkerke, notice all of the snow

The Past Few Weeks

These past few weeks have been filled with a lot of racing and travel. It all started the Tuesday before Thanksgiving when I headed to Europe for the first time of the year. The plan was to race the World Cup in Koksijde, Belgium then the Superprestige in Gieten, Holland the next day.
I arrived in Belgium on Wednesday the 25th and got a few good days of riding before the actual race.

Race day arrived and my first impressions of the course were sand and lots of running. Not being the best sand rider along with the aggressive style of European racing, I was nervous at the start. The race started very fast and into the first sand section everyone was running. I started running, everyone was pushing and throwing elbows to try to move up; during all of this I hop back onto my bike to see my chain had fallen off. After getting it back on I saw that I was very far back from the group so I rode as hard as I could the whole race to catch back on and finished pretty far down on the results.Running the "sandbox" in Koksijde

The next day I was really looking forward to improving my result from the day before. After an early wakeup call and a 4hour drive we had arrived in Gieten. The course was very basic for a European course which included a good amount of mud and a "flyover". There were around 75 riders in the race and after the "random" callups I found my self starting at the back of all 75 other riders. But I was very motivated to improve from the day before and ready for the aggressive style of racing. I spent the whole race trying to move up through the crowd of riders and after it was all over I had moved up into the 30's somewhere. I was very pleased with this and can't wait to get a chance to start closer to the front to see what will happen.
The Tuesday after the races I flew straight to Portland, Oregon for the final USGP weekend and the National Championships the weekend after. I had great host housing for the week at professional racer, Kelly Benjamin's house. While I waited a few days for the rest of my team to arrive she took me on some great rides around Portland.
Preriding the course on Friday, it was surprisingly dry but after some rain Friday night, it was back to the typical Portland mud by Saturday. After some getting European racing experience I was looking forward to see how the races back here in the States would go. The race started and I got a good start and two others and I were riding for the lead. After a lap the other two proved too strong for me and I dropped back and rode the rest of the race to finish 3rd.

Runup in Portland
Thanks to Lyne Lamoureaux for the photo

The next day in Portland was not one of my best. Feeling bad in warmup and after getting dropped from the leaders after a lap I decided to pull the plug and save my energy for Nationals the next weekend. I was very disappointed in this, but knew that Nationals the next weekend was what I was looking forward to.
The National Championships took place this past weekend in Bend, Oregon. For the first races on Thursday the course was covered in snow and ice but by my race Saturday it had turned into a sloppy/frozen mess. I had felt great in the days prior so I was ready for the race.
After a great start I found myself off the front with 3 other riders. I was feeling great riding in the group but going down the major descent on the first lap I felt my tire puncture. I was devastated. I carefully rode back to the pit quickly as possible and got my spare back and quickly got back after it but was now in 14th place. I just rode the rest of the race as fast as I could taking many risks in the icy corners and ended up riding to 4th place in the end. I was very happy with how I rode but not as happy with the result. I'll post photos of nationals as I find them on the internet.
I flew out from Portland on Sunday and it felt great to finally be home.
Next up, after a week of school and finals, hoping this recent string of back luck is over, I am headed back to Europe on Sunday for the seventh year (my second) of Euro Cross Camp, directed by Geoff Proctor.
I would like to thank the whole KCCX crew for all of the support and pit help over the past few weeks and especially Tom Price. He is the main mechanic and pit guy for the KCCX team and after all of his hard work, was still able to get a win on Sunday in Portland and 4th Place in the 50-54 Masters Nationals.

Lincoln Cyclcross Weekend

This past weekend was the Lincoln Cyclocross weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska. I opted to only do Saturday's race because of all the racing still to come this season. This race although not the biggest race is always my favorite race and favorite course of the year. The promoter, Troy Krause, always sets up a great course and the crowd on "Hooligan Hill" is always enthusiastic.
The long story-short of the race was after 2 laps I came out of a corner and accelerated to hear a pop and saw that my chain was broken. This ended my race and I was a little bit disappointed but I felt like I was riding really well up until it happened.
I am headed to Europe tomorrow for the UCI World Cup in Koksijde, Belgium on Saturday then the Superprestige race in Gieten, Holland on Sunday. Although I am nervous about these races I am excited to see how I stack up against the world's best.

USGP Mercer Cup

Finally some time to update! Hard to believe how much school you miss from being for only 2 days. But the USGP Mercer Cup was an ok weekend.
I met up with my teammates at the airport last Friday morning and before we knew it we were in Trenton, NJ. With a delayed flight, we ended up getting there too late to get in a ride so we were forced to ride inside. After this and dinner, we were all tired from the day of traveling so we all quick to bed.
The next morning I awoke to look outside and see heavy rain. I knew it was going to be a muddy day. All of us arrived at the course and I noticed it had been totally changed from the year before but like the previous year the mud was thick...very thick. I pre-rode the course and it was obvious that bike changes were going to be required every half lap.
The race started and I got a good start but things did not go so great from there. I felt like I was powerless and had nothing in my legs. I rode most of the race alone and finished in a disappointing 14th.
The next day I was very motivated to turn around my performance from the day before. To my liking the course had dried up considerably.
I got a pretty good start off the line and was riding in 3rd after the first half lap. While I was attempting to close in on second I took a bad line in a muddy turn and fell into the course tape. I quickly got up but realized my bike all wrapped up in the course tape. By the time I got it unwrapped and going again I had lost about 45 seconds and around 6 places. The rest of the race I just rode as hard as I could and ended up 5th place.
At the end of the weekend I was kind of disappointed in how I rode, but I have tried to work harder lately because of it.
A big thanks to my teammates/pit crew- Bill Marshall and Tom Price for all of the help throughout the weekend.
Also thanks to former manager of the Navigators Insurance Pro Cycling Team, Ray Cipollini, for coming out and cheering during Sunday's race.

Grand Prix HPT and Veterans Cross

This past weekend we were greeted with some unusually warm November temperatures in Kansas City but it made it perfect for the racing.
The Grand Prix HPT took place on Saturday night and was an "avondcross" (Flemish for evening cyclocross). The race was one of the coolest I have ever experienced; it was under the lights at the Heartland Raceway in Topeka. The course went on the dirt track, in the infield, and outside of the track making for a very unique course. I got an OK start and started to make my way up on the long straightaways of the race track. At the end of the first lap it was me and 3 others battling it out for the lead. The 4 of us were split up about mid race due to a crash. I was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time and had to totally stop to avoid the rider. I rode the rest of the race alone trying to catch 3rd but was never able to and ended up 4th. Good race for teammate Joseph Schmalz who took the win.
The next day was the Veterans Cross race in Leavenworth. The course was what defenately made this race difficult, lots of climbing, bumpy, and very windy. The start went well and after the first lap I was with 2 other riders battling it out. Looking for more of a hard workout than a result I went to the front of our group and start to pull pretty hard. After 2 laps of this I was feeling pretty well spent and the 2 other riders were able to drop me and I was able to hang on for 3rd.
Overall it was a good weekend and my body is feeling good leading into Trenton next weekend and the beginning of the bulk of my season.

Over the barriers on Sunday.

Looking forward to start wearing new Navigators Jerseys.

No Colorado and the Upcoming Weeks

After seeing 18 inches of snow in Boulder and I-70 still shut down on Friday morning, my parents and I decided to stay in town this weekend. We were not sure if we would be able to make it to Boulder! It was a good weekend to be able to rest a bit as a lot of traveling to big races is coming up.
I plan on doing 1 local race next weekend before the USGP race in Trenton, NJ, taking place on the 14th and 15th. The USGP in Trenton will be the first round of the World Championship qualifiers for the Jr 17-18 racers. That weekend along with the USGP in Portland, 3 weeks after NJ, will decide what 5 make the World Championship team. I am hoping for the best at those races along with the rest of the season.

USGP Louisville Day 2

Once of the main course features "The Green Monster"

The day started off and I woke up feeling unusually tired. However after breakfast and some much needed caffeine I felt ready for the race that day.
The race course had dried up considerably but there were still some muddy patches.
My warmup went really well and sitting on the start line I felt ready to go. After an OK start, one rider was off the front with a group of four of us chasing him down. Two laps later we caught him but a big attack was put in right after and exploded things apart. I was sitting 3rd after this trying to chase down the two leaders. The time gaps stayed very consistent for the last 15 min of the race and I ended up 3rd again.
Overall I was very pleased with how the weekend went and I think my form is where it needs to be right now. A big thanks to my teammates, sponsors, and everybody else who helped me out last weekend. Wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys!
Next weekend I am off to Boulder, Colorado (hopefully the weather holds up!) for the Boulder Cup weekend and more competitive Jr 17-18 racing.

USGP Louisville Day 1

Friday morning teammate, Alex Edwards, and I set off for Louisville, KY for the second round of the USGP series. After 8 hours of driving we were at our hotel and and quickly got changed to go ride.

Not really knowing where we were going riding we set off and after about 30 minutes stumbled (by accident) upon a mountain. After about 10 minutes of riding up hill we reached the top and were granted with a great view of Louisville and the surrounding area.

After getting back from the ride and eating we were quickly asleep.

The next morning we arrived at the race course to see very muddy conditions. Not very sure if this played to my advantage or not I was nervous for the race.

The Junior 17-18 field was a bit small, but contained the best Jr 17-18 riders in the US.

The race started, I was able to get the whole shot off the line and another rider and I were quickly away. We traded off for most of the 40 minute race until one of the very muddy, technical sections I bobbled a bit and he was able to get away from me and ride away for the win.

During the race I made the mistake of not pitting for my spare bike. My race bike was getting very caked with mud and was bogging me down quite a bit (the bike was about 5-10 lbs heavier due to the mud). In the end 3rd place was able to pass me for 2nd and I was able to hang on for 3rd. It was a very good race and a lesson learned.

Tomorrow is Day 2, course conditions are drying up, and I am nervously excited for the race in the morning.

Photo by Alex Edwards.

Start of the New 'Cross Season

Cyclocross season is in full swing now with last weekends races already being the 5th weekend of local racing. The season sure is going by quickly and the big races haven't even begun.
But to back up to the start of the season. My training started after a nice long break from the road season and I was eager (maybe a little too eager) to get going. I hit the training a bit too hard and came down with what the doctor called Distal IT Band Syndrome. This sidelined me for a few weeks, and in the process I missed the USGP in Madison and the first World Cup in Italy.
I have fully recovered from that now and have been racing local the past 3 weekends to get back into shape.
My first weekend back to racing was the Boss Cross races in Parkville, MO. I wasn't too sure what to expect since I hadn't been able to ride much because of the injury, but I felt pretty good and was able to score 8th place both days in very stacked fields.
The next weekend was just one race, Chris Cross, in Leavenworth, KS. It was the first cold race of the year (starting temp was in the 30's and this is early October!). My teammate, Joseph Schmalz, was away quickly and I was in the chase group. One of my other teammates, Jeff Winkler, and I were able to get away from the other chasers and ride up to Joseph. We were all able to stay away for the rest of the race to go 1,2,3 with me taking 2nd.
This past weekend was the Capital Cup and Boulevard Cup races. The Capital Cup was held last Saturday in Topeka, KS and went pretty well. The course featured 2 back to back runups and grass that was constantly sucking away your speed. A relatively small field lined up and in the end Jeff Winkler and I were able to get away to go 1,2 for the day.
The next day was the Boulevard Cup in Wyandotte County Park. A very fast field lined up and after the first lap or so a group of 5 of us were away. About midrace Joseph was able to attack and ride away for the win. I was fighting for 2nd place until just before 1 lap to go and I went into a turn a little too hot and went down. I quickly got back up and tried to chase back on but it was too late in the race and I had to settle for 5th.
I have been having a lot of fun working and racing hard this season but none of it would be possible without my sponsors and I send thanks to all of them.
Next weekend I am off to Louisville, KY for some good 17-18 competition and the second round of the USGP.