Wisconsin State Championship and regionals

Well 3rd in the state isn't so bad considering the two boys ahead of me (Andy and Simon) were some of the best in the country. The course in Verona has never been one of the best courses for me but I made it. The next day for the unofficial junior regionals race I got first!
It snowed all morning and it was beautiful as the pictures show. (Thanks Scott!) I had almost zero brakes so I really couldn't use my skills. But I still plowed through the snow and only froze a little.

Derby City Cup USGP

Me going over the zip barriers

Well this was the first time I have ever gone to this race and  I'll say the 7 hour drive was worth it. My family left Thursday night and stayed at a friends house in Indianapolis Indiana over night. We got up late on Friday and had a leisurely morning.We left my mom there and me, my sister and my dad drove the last 2 hours and went straight to the race course to pre ride. It was probably the best cyclocross course I have ever seen! It was just technical section after technical section after technical section. It was practically a mountain bike course and I knew this would benefit me.
         
        On Saturday I raced at 11:45 so I got up and went to breakfast  with Andrew Schmidt, Sam Spende and Sam's mom. We ate and then we drove over. My dad and sister had gone over earlier because she raced at 9:45. My sister Emma Swartz won the cat 2/3 race both days. I watched my dad race after my sister and prerode the course a few more times. I warmed up with Sam and Andy and when it was time we went over to the starting grid. About 15 min later we where all lined up and I was second row behind Edward Fritzinger. My dad had told me to go as hard as I possibly could the entire race because it was only two laps, so I started a little slow because I was not front row and it was hard cause there were bigger boys who had a lot more power on the flats. The group took off and I was about 8th going out of the first run up because my front wheel hit one of the wood things and my bike fell over. I got up and only lost a few seconds and got moving again and rode past a few people in the sand pit. I was 4th going over the fly over. I stayed 4th mostly the entire race and on the first lap I was following a kid and at the bottom of the hill after the stone barrier run up there was a ditch and he flubbed the turn and crashed right into the tape. I never saw him again. On the second to last lap Alexander Christian passed me on the starting flat but endowed magnificently in the sand pit and I never saw him again. I finished 4th and I was content.
       
         On Sunday it was the same routine, breakfast, warm up and all that. My legs were a little bit tired from Saturday but I was gonna podium even if it was the last thing I ever did. I started behind Edward Fritzinger again and this time I had a much better start. I was 4th going through the mini sand pit and the kid who crashed in the ditch on Saturday crashed in the sand pit along with a 15-16 whose head I almost ran over. I jumped on Simon Jones's wheel and stayed pretty close. My legs ended up feeling great after they got warmed up and I just went harder then I ever have. Just nailing the technical section and powering the flats and on the beginning of the second lap apparently Simon had crashed in the sand pit and messed up his shifting. I passed him into third with Alexander Christian on my wheel. We passed Edward Fritzinger after the rock run up and his chain had fallen off or something. This just set me off, I was in 2nd! I just exploded I shot down  the flats to the zipp barriers and going through the sand pit Alexander Christian passed me because of his longer legs I jumped on on his wheel and tailed him through the off camber section and going onto the pavement I was about 10 feet back I gave it every thing I had and got third by six inches. If there had been three more feet of pavement I would have got him. It was a great week end of racing and I am certainly going again next year! 

Me on the podium on day 2

Me with Alexander Christian on my wheel
right before we pass Edward Fritzinger

Going under the fly over

Norge Cross, Illinois

I went down to Norge Cross which was some where in illinois. My sister Emma Swartz got second in the Cat 1,2,3 women. I did the Cat 4 A's because juniors were too late in the afternoon. I thought I was gonna be last row at the start because only three people registered after me in the field of 58 men. But to my surprise I got called up second row and got to start behind Andrew Schmidt the junior national champion and my friend. I had a bad start because it was on loose gravel/broken concrete but I instantly recovered started working my was up through the field, taking inside lines and basically riding as smart as I could. I held my ground in 6th place for awhile but in the last two laps I dropped back to 9th. I was pretty happy with that but my back started hurting towards the end and I lost some of my power.   

Many Races

My Dad and I on the Continental divide trail

On top of the fly over at a Chicago
Cross Cup Race 

Well I haven't updated since May so I am about 25 races behind but I have gotten 3rd overall in the WORS kinetic citizen series. I went to Brian Matters Mountain bike camp in June. I then went on a long mountain biking vacation out west and went to Crested Butte, Colorado and many other mountain biking hot spots.  At USGP of cyclocross Sun Prairie, Wisconsin I Got first on Saturday and Second on Sunday. It was a good week end of racing and was very fun. After that was Jingle Cross Rock in Iowa City. I mopped the floor with the Juniors and got the double win. I also got a 9th and a 13th in the Cat 4 races. I am currently tied for first place in the Wisconsin cyclocross cup series. The season is finishing up here and I think I only have a few more races here and then a break before nationals.

At the top of the 401 trail in Crested Butte

Crossing a small bridge at the Franklin WORS race

WORS Trek Big Ring Classic

Well this was the Trek Big Ring Classic WORS number 3 in Wausau Wisconsin. I Started out the day really hoping to win and I just drilled the first lap as hard as I could and was in third place and I couldn't see first or second. I didn't quit though, I went as hard as I could in the second lap hoping that I would catch some one. I used my strengths and flew through the single track. I was in the last single track section before the finishing straight when all of a sudden 2nd place was right there! He looked back extremely surprised and took off I chased him through the final flat section but he just had more power. I got third and I am happy

WORS Crystal Lake Classic

For WORS number 2 at Rhinelander I went up with the Schmidts. We left on Saturday and arrived around 2 pm. Then we wandered around for a while till we found my bike and went pre riding. I liked the course and the single track sections were amazing  fast and smooth but there was a lot of two track which did not help me in the race. I got third in Citizen which I was kinda mad about because I won at Iola but I am just faster in the single track      

Mountain Biking In The Smokies

For spring break my family and I went to Florida! (Just like all the retired elderly people!) 
We stayed in Brevard North Carolina for two days and I wanted to stay longer. The trails were awesome and I got to ride my new Specalized Stump Jumper for the first time on some really hard core trails. The fist day we got stuck in a thunderstorm on top of a mountain and got hailed. But the hail was small so we just tried to get back to the car.