CXLA!

After packing the bikes Thursday night I slept in Friday morning while my dad went to work for a few hours. Once he got home we hit the road to Chicago for our direct flight to L.A. We shuttled two bike bags, our carry ons and our checked luggage through the airport and settled in for the four hour flight. Once we landed, we collected our bags, got our rental car and wandered around L.A. until we got to my dad's cousin's house. 

Saturday 

After a good nights sleep and breakfast we headed over to the course. It was pretty fun and had some good flow to it but some parts were painfully bumpy. As the temperatures climbed toward the mid 80s I warmed up and headed to the start line. When the gun went off I wasn't too quick off the line, but there were only about 15 people in the race. Cameron Beard went off the front from the start. I caught up to Michael Owens on the second lap, he was in 2nd place with Nick Jenkins in tow. I rode away from the two and built a sizable gap on them over the next three laps and finished about 25 seconds behind Cameron. I rode a good clean race, and it was great to score my first 17-18 UCI podium! I cooled down after podium with Nick and a little bit later I started to get a head ache. I drank lots of fluids and started to feel a little nauseous too. Probably a little dehydration from the extreme heat. When we got home I slept for an hour and a half, feeling fantastic when I woke up. My dad and I grabbed some burritos from a local place before driving to our relatives' house to see some family heirlooms and documents from the Civil War.

Sunday

We took our time in the morning, opting to minimize my time out in the hot sun, and headed over to the race around 12:30. The course was more or less the same but just slightly shorter. I did a quick warm up and headed to the start. This time I was much quicker off the line and quickly settled into third wheel. Cameron attacked hard right away and only Michael stuck with him. I kept chasing hard with Nick on my wheel. Michael bobbled in the sand pit losing Cameron's wheel and causing our gap to close a little more. Nick and I chased Michael down over the next two laps. When we caught up the three of us all sat up and rested. Since Cameron had a big gap on us we spun the next lap and half because no one wanted to work. Going into the final lap Nick attacked hard after the start straight but Michael shut him down quickly. After the two sets of stairs I attacked hard, splitting up the group. Michael chased hard from a few meters back and Nick was off the back. I hit every corner and straight away as hard as I could and built the gap up to about 20 seconds over the next 2/3rds of the lap. When I finished I felt like puking due the heat and was glad it was over! After a quick cool down and podium my dad and I quickly packed my bikes back up an headed to the airport, finally arriving home around four in the morning.

Overall it was a great weekend of racing and I was stoked to take second both days. as well as have great legs and to have raced well tactically. I also earned a lot of UCI points securing my front row call up for nationals! Now its time for a huge block of training until nationals with only Jingle Cross the first weekend of December to interrupt!

Indian Lakes Chicago CX and TBD Cross in Madison

My two favorite mechanics!

After traveling for two weekends straight it was great to only drive two hours. We arrived in Chicagoland around 11 and helped Emma get ready to race. She had an awesome race and won the Women Pro/1/2/3 race! I pre-rode, warmed up, and headed to the start. When they blew the whistle I was quick off the line and almost pulled the hole shot from the second row. How ever, I wasn't quite warmed up enough so I dropped back a few spots. A minute later a rider some how went over the bars in an off camber section causing me to crash on top of him. I grabbed my bike and started to catch back up to the leaders. I caught up to the big pack through the start straight but soon things broke apart again. I ended up having to pull myself back up to the front chase group multiple times and had to burn lots of matches that I wanted to save. With Dan Teaters off the front I was settled in a group of four with David Reyes, Brandon Feehery, and Michael Dutzack. I fell off the back part way through the second to last lap and just couldn't close the gap. The rest of the group fought it out for the last two podium spots while I spun in for 5th place. I was hoping for a better result but after a big week of training and it being a course that wasn't well suited for me combined with huge head winds I am happy with my result! After my race we headed out to eat for some pizza before Emma headed back to Indianapolis.

Sunday I woke up at ten, had a big pancake breakfast and relaxed at home for awhile before my race. When it was time to go we hopped in the already loaded car from the day before and drove the eight minutes over to the course -- most local cx race ever! (Usually we ride over!) The course had 200 feet of elevation per lap with lots of off camber sections and technical features. What made it even more difficult was that a lot of the course was on longish, dead prairie grass that was super slick. Because of that, I ended up running more aggressive PDX tires despite it being bone dry. After my warm up I headed to the start. When Rich the official blew the whistle I was quick off the line again and third into the first corner. David Blodget lead the first lap and I sat on his wheel until the ride/run up after a single barrier. I hopped the barrier and rode the steep hill, putting a good gap between us. I stretched my lead to about 35 seconds over the next nine laps. I didn't make a single mistake and rode the barrier and hill every lap, being the only one to do it all day! Bunny hopping barriers is something I have been working on for quite awhile and although I am not yet comfortable hopping double barriers in a race I could certainly do a single.

 

I was super stoked to take my very first Wisconsin cyclocross series Pro/1/2/3 win. I have been racing this series since I was 9 years old and it was great to take the win in front of all the people I have been seeing at the races, and racing against for eight seasons of cyclocross! I also knocked off another season goal! Friday I head to CX L.A.(Los Angeles) for the final round of 17-18 UCI racing before Nationals!

Thanks Honey Stinger!!!

Huge thanks to Trek Cyclocross Collective for their awesome support this season as well as my coach, Joseph Maloney for helping me achieve my goals. Also big big thanks to Honey Stinger for supporting Trek CXC and sending me this amazing package this week, full of some the best and tastiest ride food on the market!

Derby City Cup!

After a solid seven hour drive Friday we arrived at Eva Bandman Cyclocross Park on the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville around 4:30. I did my leg openers on the course and practiced some of the more difficult sections. After I cooled down we headed over to Nick Beirnes' house who we were staying with and then headed over to the big dinner gathering/Pro rider discussion panel at a local orthopedic surgeon's house. It was a fun gathering of the Ohio Valley/Louisville cyclocross crowd plus riders, mechanics, and parents from all over.

The next morning we relaxed because I raced at 4:00. Around noon I started to get a head ache and pretty soon I started to feel a little nauseous. I tried to lie down for awhile but was feeling worse and worse. While my dad and Nick loaded the car I felt like I was dying. When it was time to go, knowing that the movement of the car would certainly make me hurl, I jumped up and down a few times to speed up the process. A few moments later I proceeded to lose my breakfast and lunch and I immediately felt much better! By the time we got to the race and I sat round for a bit, I was feeling myself again. I talked to my coach, Joe Maloney and we decided that I should start and see how it would go. If I wasn't feeling it I could pull the plug. I had a a good start but because I had lost all my nutrition my legs were pretty empty and I pulled out after two laps to save it for Sunday. I spent the rest of the day watching the elite women and men races with my friends from around the country before grabbing a bite to eat and hitting the hay.

Sunday I raced at 2:00 so we headed over around 11:30, this time illness free! When I hopped on the course I immediately knew my legs were good. I did the rest of my warm up, got my call up (yay UCI point!) and ate my energy gels. When the gun went off I was quick off the line and was in a good position through the first corner. I moved up by taking a sharp inside line through the humps and again before the flyover, and I passed into 7th place going by the pit. Cameron Beard came by going past the pit for the second time and I settled into a group with me pulling Noah Barrow and George Schultz. I pulled them around for a lap until Cade Bickmore caught up and pulled through. George and Noah got between me and Cade, and as Cade pulled away I couldn't get around them and on his wheel. On the third lap I started to drop Noah and George and on the fourth lap I had a good gap as well as caught Evan Clouse because he broke his chain. Going into the second to last lap Spencer Petrov caught up to me after some mechanicals at the start of the race. He pulled George and Noah back up to me but when Spencer hit the gas after the flyover I was the only one who could hold his wheel. I sat on Spencer for the rest of the lap putting twenty seconds on the group behind us, setting my fastest lap of the race and almost making me bonk. He surged ahead through the start straight and caught up to Cade and Cameron who were fighting for fourth. I kept on the gas for one last lap and took home 7th place, one of my best finishes in the 17-18 UCI series! I was glad to show what I can do after missing the Saturday race! Now it is time for some local races this weekend and perhaps LACX in two weeks, along with some serious training! Big thanks to Trek Cyclocross Collective as well as my family and SRAM components for the awesome support this season. I cannot wait to see what else it has in store!

Kings CX and Pan-American Championships

This weekend we had to drive a lot farther for the races. We drove three hours Thursday night, stayed in a hotel and drove the next five hours Friday morning. I decided to check out Sunday's continental championships course instead of Saturday's course, knowing that it would be the more difficult and demanding course. I did a few laps with Wisconsinite Isaac Neff and dialed in some of the more challenging features. Afterwords we headed down town Cincinnati for dinner and then back across town to our family's house who we were staying with.

Best CX bike on the market with the Cincinnati Skyline!

Saturday - Kings CX UCI Boys 17-18

After a good night of sleep and recovery we headed over to the course. It was a major power course with a few off camber sections and it felt like riding in a sponge. Unfortunately I got unlucky in the call up draw and was stuck with a fourth row start. When the gun went off I was near the back through the first corner and managed to get through a few traffic jams. I started moving up from about 25th place. I hammered all the way up to 10th place by the end of the fourth and final lap. I pushed it through every corner dropping three of the four riders on my wheel and catching Jack and Cade. I pushed as hard as I could through the final lap holding Nick Jenkins off. I gapped him in the last half of the lap and put five seconds on him up the finishing straight. I crossed the line cross eyed but happy with how hard I worked for where I finished and to have brought back so many riders on a course that was somewhat unsuited for me.

 Sunday- Pan-American championship - Boys 17-18

After eating as little Halloween candy as possible and getting lots of sleep, I fueled up and we hopped in the car. When we arrived I was ecstatic to see the large amounts of mud covering everyone and their bikes. I kitted up while my dad got my bikes ready and did two laps on the course. It was very muddy with a lot of off camber sections that were made much more difficult by the slop. I went back to the Trek tent and relaxed for a little before putting on my non muddy kit and starting my warm up. My sister took home 6th in the U23 Women after hugging a tree while fighting for third.

I was hoping for better luck in the drawing but got 25th. I was third row which wasn't too bad and when they blew the whistle I was quick off the line. We charged down the start straight and around the first off camber before the tundra twister. I took a sharp inside line into the twister, passing a few people before attempting to sprint through the carnage on foot. I slid down the off camber into the snow fence but fared better then most. I moved up quickly and soon found myself on the wheel of the 10th place rider. I got around him and we dropped the rest of the riders behind us. After the second lap they took out the Pan Am Plunge after a Canadian rider apparently crash and broke his collar bone. I was fighting for my first UCI point and on the second to last lap I started to ride another Canadian rider off my wheel. I was also very close to catching 9th place and I was building a good gap but in the off camber section before the first time through the pit, I slid out. I didn't lose much time but when I dropped back down the hill I shifted and because I had bent my derailleur hanger, it shifted my chain into my wheel. Luckily I was literally 30 meters from the pits and sprinted down the hill not even needing to shoulder the bike. I grabbed my pit bike and entered the course just ahead of 11th place. I started opening up the gap again and held it for the next lap and half without making any mistakes. Shout out to Andrew Allwein and my Dad for a great bike exchange and for being in the pit for me. Thank you!

Evidence of my slip in slide on the first lap!

I was super stoked to get my very first UCI point, meaning no random draw for call ups this coming weekend in Louisville as well as better staging for nationals! I was a little disappointed with the legs I had, especially on a course well suited to me and when the wheels of 7th, 8th, and 9th place were right ahead of me midway through the race. I just used a little too much juice trying to move up on Saturday's power sucking course! Regardless, I am pleased with my consistency and majorly looking forward to the races in Louisville on a course also that I am well suited for! Big thanks to my parents, Trek Cyclocross Collective, and Lizards Skins bar tape, as well as my awesome coach Joe Maloney!

Riding the "Pan Am Plunge" at Devou Park, Covington, Kentucky