Derby City Cup

Derby City Cup race report coming at you! This race moved from Eva Bandman, where the 2013 CX World Championships were held, to Joe Creason Park. The course was full of fun technical descents, muddy ruts, tricky off-cambers, and leg sapping power climbs. The consensus seemed to be that everyone who had good legs loved it, those who bad legs not so much!

Saturday after a random draw for start position I lined up second to last row. When the gun went off I snaked around people slamming on the breaks to avoid crashing on the start straight. Things were going smoothly and I passed my way into the top thirty by pit one and stayed on the gas. On the technical off-camber before the stone steps I took the high line and passed my way into the top 20. I dropped into the technical descent after the stone steps right on another rides wheel, who proceeded to eat it hard. There was nothing I could do and I ran into him going over the bars. Our bikes got tangled up and by the time we got them apart I was in dead last with my chain off over a minute behind the next rider. 

Photo: Palomino American Cyclocross

I hopped on and rode my way to the pit where I exchanged bikes and got back underway. On the next lap, through brief yelling as I went by the pit my dad and I decided it was best for me to do a few laps, figure out my lines, and then pull out. I hate to not finish a race, but the Pan-American Championships on Sunday were the focus of the weekend. I needed to score some UCI points and that wouldn't have been possible if I blew my legs out on Saturday. So, I made the best of it and worked my way back into the top thirty after three laps. In that time I discovered my legs felt great and that I felt smooth and comfortable everywhere on the course.

My Marian team mate & room mate Nick Beirne post race. PC: Cameron Fisk

 After Saturday's debacle I was determined to have a great race and score valuable ranking points. Things started with a drawing the very last call up position but I put it behind me and focused on moving up. I had a good start but made a mistake in the corner before pit one costing me seven or eight spots that I'd just gained.

Photo: Jeff Curtes

It was a game of catch up again and I worked my way into the top 15 and found myself in a group with Cameron Beard and a Canadian rider fighting for the top ten. With two laps to go Spencer Petrov who broke a chain on the start line caught up to Cameron and I.

We picked up the pace and Cameron started to lose some time to Spencer and I. It was just the two of us as we headed into the lap battling for ninth place. I hung on tight and Spencer launched his attack into the barriers close to the finish by hopping them, and putting in an all out effort. I managed to hold pace a few seconds off his wheel but coming into the last technical section Spencer crashed allowing me to run around him to take home 9th place in the Pan-American Championships.

It was a solid result for my first u23 specific race and for being at the youngest end of the age group. Physically things were starting to fall into place and mentally I was 100% there until the end and hungry for it.

As always big thanks to my family, my coach Joseph Maloney and to my sponsors Trek, Bontrager, Sram, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix, Challenge Tires, and Englewood Grass farm for the support!

Watch for my next race report after Major Taylor Cross Cup this weekend here on my home course at Marian. Until then I'll be enjoying these last days of fall ripping my Boone through the leaves! Thanks for reading.