WORS #4 and my Western Adventure!

After a intense block of training it was time for WORS #4! In the past the course was pretty flat and boring without much single track at all. This year they added a bunch more gnarly, wet, rocky single track and I was racing the pro course so it was a brutal 30 miles! I got my Wolf Tooth Drop-Stop chain ring and hadn't tried it out but it absolutely worked like a charm, not a single problem which was amazing considering how rough the course was. So, big thanks to Wolf Tooth for the support!

Anyways, I warmed up and could tell I wasn't feeling great and it was going to be a hard race. I rolled up to the start line and got into the fourth row after the other pros got their call ups. Don did the count down and we took off, I moved up the best I could and was in the low 20s going into the single track. The first lap was surprisingly technical but also had a fair amount of hard two track sections that separated the field a lot. I dropped back a few places towards the end of the lap and was mostly by myself for the second lap with no one in sight in front or behind after a few people passed me right at the start. Going into the third lap I got back with a group of people which helped me pick up the pace a ton. That group broke apart going into the fourth and final lap and it was just me and one other guy. I was faster than him on the flats and he was faster than me in the single track so I new I could get him, and in the end I opened up a 15 sec gap on him. I finished 29th out of about 60 riders which I wasn't happy about after finishing 17th in the last race. But, it wasn't a great course for me and racing in such a competitive pro field is never easy, especially for my second ever full pro race! In the end I am still content with how I rode on such a difficult course and I can only go up from here.

My plan for the next five weeks is first flying to Washington to meet up with my coach, Joe Maloney, which was yesterday. Today we drove to Missoula for the Pro XCT and we will be staying here to ride and race until Sunday. Another guy Joe coached will be joining us and we will stay in Boulder, Co Monday through Wednesday before driving to Colorado Springs for the next Pro XCT. After that we drive back to Pulman, Washington where Joe lives and we will stay a day or two before driving down to Bend, Oregon where we will train at Altitude for 10 days. After that we will drive down to Mammoth Mountain California for MTB nationals from the 15-17 of July or so. This trip is, and is going to be super freaking awesome and I can't wait to see what else is in store!!! After nationals there is one more thing from July 20-25 that I can't talk about yet ;).

WORS #3 Battle of Camrock!

Finally time for one of my favorite courses! Cam-rock is only 20 minutes from my house and I have been riding here for half my life so I had a little bit of a home course advantage. Saturday it was too wet to preride but on Sunday the dirt was perfect. Due to the lack of racers in my Cat 1 15-16 Category I have been getting no new USA cycling points which I need for my call up at nationals. My dad and I talked to Don, the president of WORS who has been running it for 24 years, and he gave me the go-ahead to race in the 19-23 category which meant I would be doing the full pro race. I was excited to see how I actually stacked up against the pros since before, in the 15-16s I did one less lap, but also a little nervous about racing almost 30 miles with some of the best in the country.


I woke up late Sunday morning and packed my stuff and prepped my bike. I warmed up with my team mate Brian Matter and went to the start line. I snuck up to the third row, happy to not be confined to the back of the chute as the juniors are. In these big fields of 60 plus riders the starts are vital because of the large amount of single track and how difficult it is to pass. Don did the count down and we took off. We charged up the hill and I moved from the middle to the far left and moved through the pack. I was about 20th as we went into the first single track section. Some other riders and I made some aggressive passes to get by slower riders who were holding us up in the single track. Unfortunately there was one rider between me and the guy in my category who lives in Cambridge and rides these trails multiple times a week who ended up 10th overall. He got away and I drilled the rest of the first lap in 15th place. Right before the start hill going into the second lap I dropped my chain and lost some time to the pack of riders chasing me, including my team mate Jason. They caught up and I hopped on Jason's wheel who pulled me through the climbs and the two track. I took the lead into the single track and slowly began to pull away. In 15th place I opened up the gap to about thirty seconds but two thirds through that second lap I dropped my chain twice in a row and that group of 5 caught me while I was fixing it. I jumped on their group and started to work my way up. Going into the third lap I was on Jason's wheel but I couldn't quite hold it, so him and another guy got way. I chased as hard as I could but couldn't catch up. Another 19-23 rider and I rode the rest of that lap together, only dropping my chain once.

The other rider and I hammered the final lap together duking it out for the final podium spot with me leading. Three fourths through the final lap I dropped my chain for the 5th time this race. He took off and I lost 15 seconds on him while I fixed my mechanical. I chased him down through the single track and sat on his wheel to recover. Each lap I had noticed that he was faster up the first winding two track part of the climb but I always passed him easily once we got back onto the open hill, which was where the finish was. Knowing he would attack on the first part I recovered on his wheel biding my time. Like I predicted, he hit gas and I stuck to his wheel like glue. He blew up a a couple hundred yards before we got onto the open climb. I powered past him and gave it everything I had on the last part of the climb and through the finishing straight.

I am extremely pleased to have gotten a glimpse of what I can really do. Finishing 17th in the pro field out of 65 riders in the biggest MTB series in the country against some of the top riders in the country has left me feeling very accomplished and finishing third in the 19-23 age group against some super strong riders is also fantastic. My goal was top 15 but after dropping my chain five times and having to ride carefully to avoid more issues I am still pleased. I plan to crack the top 15 at the next race and my new goal is to crack the top 10 before the season is over. My team mate Brian Matter won the pro race which was fantastic. My other teammate Jason Balden finished 13th. One of these days I'll get him! Rachel Jensen also did a great job in the pro women with a 7th place!

I have established a relationship with Wolf Tooth Components who are the makers of the patent pending drop-stop tooth profile chain rings, which are miles and miles better then the Shimano chain rings and are a necessity for running 1x11. They will be supporting me for this season and the future! I can't wait to ride their components and put a stop to mechanicals so I can ride to the best of my ability! I can't wait for the rest of the season and what it has in store!