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.