Heusden-Zolder World Cup

It was very different to spend Christmas away from my family this past year but at the USAC house in Sittard we made it as festive as possible with a secret Santa gift exchange, pancake breakfast followed by World Cup course preride! 

Monday it was spitting rain as we drove to the course. Us juniors kitted up in the vans before heading out for a quick few laps on the course to dial tire pressure and lines in. Next was warm up before heading to staging. I took a gamble and lined up second row on the far right, knowing I would be pinched off in the first corner unless I had a killer start. Sadly my foot clipped out of my pedal 

and I lost valuable time causing me to be cut off  y other riders in the next two turns.

Near last place I started to move back up through the field. Due to all the traffic I was forced to run many sections that were easily ride-able for the front of the race, putting me a minute down after only one lap in 42nd place.

I felt okay for the next two laps but my back started to tighten up on me causing issues with my hips. I lost power in my left leg and was having a lot of trouble running.

Kurt Van Hout

I slid back quite a few spots and finished in 45th place. I was extremely disappointed because my legs were feeling great and I felt super good on the course. It was not how I wanted to end my trip but the fitness gained would pay off greatly for nationals.

As always big big thanks to my coach Joseph Maloney, my family, and my team, Trek Cyclocross Collective for all the support! Also huge thanks to my sponsors Trek Bicycles, Bontrager, Sram, Englewood Grass Fed Beef,  Mike's Mix and Honey Stinger.

Diegem Superprestige

Here is a quick race report from the Diegem Superprestige before the Zolder World Cup on Monday.

After the short week of training, my body was back to normal and the legs were opened up and ready for Friday afternoon's race. After nailing my warm I lined up second row, ready to charge up the start climb. When the light turned green we flew up the hill into the 90 degree gravel left hand turn. It was total chaos through the next few slick 180 degree turns, with bikes and bodies flying everywhere.

I hung onto the front pack sitting in about 20th until we reached the sandpit. I got bogged down and stuck behind other riders making the group stretch out as we headed over the barriers and onto the pavement. Since the course mainly consisted of full gas pavement climbs and descents into sketchy 90 degree turns, it was a challenge to maintain your position without risking a high speed crash on pavement or on a slick muddy section.

Photo: Kurt Van Hout

As the race progressed I let a few people slip by me each lap, which was frustrating because there was a group of seven or eight riders that formed 15 seconds ahead of me. It was really vital to try and hold onto the riders that came around me but my legs were pretty taxed.

In the end I finished 27th out of almost 60 riders, out sprinting an unsuspecting Belgian rider with a bike throw at the line. In my last Superprestige I finished 42nd so this was a big step in the right direction and hopefully building towards a great result at the Heusden-Zolder World Cup on Monday!

Photo: Kurt Van Hout

Again, I really want to say thank you to USA Cycling for making organizing this trip as well as thanks to my family, my coach Joseph Maloney and my team, Trek Cyclocross Collective for all the support! Huge thanks to my sponsors Trek Bicycles, Bontrager, SRAM, Englewood Grass Fed Beef,  Mike's Mix and Honey Stinger for all their awesome support!

Happy Holidays from Sittard, NED!

Namur World Cup

I've been in Europe for a little over a week so it is time for an update! I arrived Wednesday morning in Brussels along with the other riders, and the mechanics drove us the two-hour drive back to Sittard, NED. After some breakfast and bike building Lane, Ross, Gage and I went for a good little spin finding an awesome castle and an old amphibious WW2 American tank.

The next day we did some skills practice and Friday we all went for a good easy spin together. On Saturday we drove to Namur to preview the famous course which is at a citadel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citadel_of_Namur. I'd watched the race a few times and knew what to expect but it was amazing to be there and actually ride the course. Right off the line you power up a steep cobble climb followed by a long, technical, rocky descent down to Pit One. Right after that you launch down the first steep drop followed by a gentle climb into another run up and steep drop. Next up is the infamous Namur off-camber, after that there's two more run ups, one more steep drop and finally a long climb back up to the finishing straight. Below is a video I made from my pre-ride.

Pre-ride was awesome and I felt ready to race the awesome course. Unfortunately on the long car ride home I started to feel a little sick. I thought it was just motion sick but when I got home it didn't go away. I suffered in bed for a few hours before losing my lunch and everything else I had eaten that day. I immediately felt a bit better and managed to keep some eggs down before going to bed. I didn't sleep very well and was pretty uncomfortable most of the night. When I woke up at 5:00AM to head to the race I felt completely devoid of energy and appetite. When we got there we hopped on course for two laps before retreating back into the warmth of the vans until it was time to warm up.

After my warm up I worked my way through the crowds of people and over to the start. I lined up third row surprised to have such a decent call up. When the light turned green I charged up the rough cobbles of the first climb with the rest of the juniors. 

I lost a few spots having to dismount and run around the steep first corner to avoid crashes. That first descent was the only time I would pass anyone for the rest of the race, I stayed upright and ripped around crashed riders. When I got to the bottom I passed Pit One in thirtieth place.

Photo: Vic Geerlings

The rest of the race I held my own in the technical sections but lost places left and right on the climbs and straight sections. Not only were my legs totally empty but my entire body felt like a limp noodle. I just absolutely had nothing to give and was helpless as I watched wheels slip away from me. My race lasted 33 minutes, completing only four laps before being waved off the course by the officials. I was grateful to be done but that was overshadowed by the shame and sadness any rider feels when they are pulled from a race for being too far behind the leaders.

Photo: Willem Beerland

Although things didn't go my way it was still an amazing experience and I am grateful to have even made it to the start line. Now I am back to full strength and ready to race the Diegem Superprestige tomorrow!

Huge thank you to USA Cycling for making this trip happen and facilitating everything. Big thanks to my coach Joseph Maloney, my family, and my team, Trek Cyclocross Collective for all the support! Also huge thanks to my sponsors Trek Bicycles, Bontrager, SRAM, Englewood Grass Fed Beef,  Mike's Mix and Honey Stinger for all their awesome support!

Major Taylor Cross

After four weeks of hard training it was off to the Major Taylor Cross Cup in Indianapolis. The race took place right at the Indy Cycloplex on the Marian University campus, my future school!

We arrived on Saturday and hopped right on the course. It was super fun with lots cool features and challenging sections. After a few laps and my warm up I toed the line with the rest of the small 17-18 uci field. I took the holeshot and slid back to third wheel. Part way through the first lap, Gunnar from Canada broke away solo. Over the next two lap I put in some work to try and bring him back but it proved to be too much of a gap. I sat on Lane Maher and George Schultz and recovered for a few laps before putting in a big dig on the last lap. George countered my move and brought Lane with him leaving me to finish in fourth place.

Overnight it sprinkled a little bit and the course started to get a little slicker. In the last 30 minutes before my start it absolutely poured, completely changing the course and conditions. This time things stuck together a lot longer. Gunnar had a few issues pushing him back to sixth and we formed a group of five at the front. Unfortunately after Saturday my back tightened up really bad, putting me in a lot of pain. With three laps to go I fell off the front group eventually getting caught by Evan Clouse, pushing me back to finish in sixth place.

Although I had tired legs and a bad back it was still a blast to rip up such a fun course and get muddy. Speaking of mud... I am leaving on Tuesday to head back to Europe! I will be racing the Namur World Cup, Diegem Superprestige and Zolder World Cup, I can't wait! Be sure to follow my adventures on Facebook and on Instagram and Twitter @cswartzz!

Big thanks to my coach Joseph Maloney, my family, and my team, Trek Cyclocross Collective for all the support! Also huge thanks to my sponsors Trek Bicycles, Bontrager, Sram, Englewood Grass Fed Beef, Mike's Mix and Honey Stinger for all their awesome support!