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!

Derby City Cup

I started racing the Derby City Cup in 2012 and it was pretty cool to come back again to race this course as a junior one more time. Before I even got to Louisville I had to make a quick stop in Indianapolis. I stopped there to officially sign to Marian University! Starting next fall I will continue my education at Marian and race D1 collegiate cycling.

Coach Dean Peterson and I

Always fun to see the sites in Louisville!

Saturday

After earning some UCI points in the continental championships I was done with random call ups and lined up third. I wasn't super quick off the line but settled in 6th wheel. Through the sandpit third place made a mistake and got jammed up, luckily I saw it happen, dismounted and ran from 6th place to third place. Lane and Denzel pulled away and I chased hard trying to catch up.

At the start of the third lap Ben Gomez-Villafane caught up to me and we worked together to stay ahead of the chase group. On the fifth lap I made some mistakes that cost me a few seconds on Ben. I tried to make contact again but he held me off through the last lap by five seconds. I was pretty bummed to have missed the podium but it fired me up for Sunday!

 

Sunday

On day two I had a better start and sat in third wheel behind Denzel. I lost two spots before the stairs thinking I had a flat which was luckily a false alarm. Knowing I needed to be third wheel I made a risky pass around Ross and George before the sandpit. Unfortunately I lost a few seconds through the sandpit and Denzel and Lane got a gap.

I suffered out in no-mans land for a lap before Scott, Ross and Ben caught up to me. I hung on to the group for two laps but my back was slowly but surely sabotaging my race.

Photo: Andrew Aaron

I started to drift off the back and on the fifth lap Calder Wood caught up to me. I hopped on his wheel and held on as he closed back in on the group. As we closed in we passed Ben who was dealing with a flat tire. I started lose time on Calder and ended up riding the sixth and final lap by myself finishing in sixth place.
Although it was not what I was hoping for I'm still happy with how consistently I raced these past two and I managed to score some good UCI points.

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!

Thanks for a great weekend Louisville!

Now that this big block of racing is all finished up it's time to train like crazy and do a few local races!
Thanks for reading!

Pan-Am Champs and Cincy CX Festival

Saturday - Continental Championships

After terrible random draws in Europe I lucked out and was 10th call up, so 2nd row. When they blew the whistle I hit my pedal right away but a rock or something jammed up my pedal and I could't clip in. I was top ten into the first corner, avoided a big crash, and started to move up. Through the first few turns I moved into fourth wheel but started to drift backwards again and came through at the end of the first lap in 8th. My legs were fully warmed up then and I started to move up once again. I worked my way back to the front of the chase group and settled in. I was in fifth place leading a group of four, with another group of three and four close behind. We weren't going hard enough to stay ahead and since no once else was working I decided that I would have to do it!

Through the third and fourth lap I pulled my group well out of reach and it was now a three way battle for fourth place. I thought I be might able to ride Sam Noel and Tyler Clark (Canada) off my wheel and attacked the fifth lap pretty hard. Unfortunately it didn't work so I tried again on the sixth and final lap. Once again I just couldn't shake them and Tyler counterattacked with only a few minutes left in the race, managing to pull away leaving me to finish in fifth place as the third American

Sunday - Kings CX

After having a great race on Saturday I was super motivated and ready to put out a great result. This time I wasn't quite as lucky and got a third row call up. Since this was a narrower sketchier start on a course that involved a lot more group riding, the start was much more important. I got squeezed into the first corner and had to really get on the gas to start working my way up. This was a lot more difficult because everyone was strung out it.

By the end of the first lap I had moved up to sixth place a few seconds off the lead group of six riders. I dangled there for another lap until one rider got dropped from the group and hopped on my wheel. I kept chasing hard leading our group of three but no matter how hard we went the gap just wouldn't close! I lead the third and fourth lap whittling it down to five seconds but no luck!

Going into the fifth and final lap Kevin Gougen attacked and pulled away from me. Simultaneously the lead group exploded and reopened the gap. I rolled across the line in seventh place (5th American) bummed to have missed the front group but pleased with how great I felt and what I did with the cards I was dealt.

It was an awesome weekend of racing and it was great to score some UCI points as well as put some of what I learned in Europe to use.

As always big thanks to my family, my coach, and my team, Trek Cyclocross Collective for all their support as well as Trek Bicycles, Bontrager, Sram, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix and Englewood Grass Farm!

Valkenburg World Cup

After the Zonhoven race we had the whole week to recover and train, which meant we had plenty of time to explore Sittard and the surrounding area. It is a pretty awesome little town, typical European style with a big town center and intricate brick streets and buildings. It was fun to visit all the little shops and experience the culture.

The rest of the week we trained as a team ripping around Belgium, Holland and Germany as well as putting in some skills work on the slick European mud.

Saturday we all drove over to Valkenburg to pre-ride the course. After lots of video analysis we thought we knew what to expect but it turned out to be a very different course. With lots slick off camber sections and tricky downhills it was a lot like a mountain bike course. After a few easy laps and a hard lap we packed up and headed home for dinner.

The next morning we piled into the vans and headed over again. At 8am it was only 35 degrees F and huge clouds of fog rolled up the Cauberg and onto the course. Lane, Ben and I did one lap on the course to dial in our lines and tire pressure before hopping on the trainers to warm up.

Unfortunately my random draw for start position was not so good. Technically I should have been about 6th row out of 9+ rows, but in Europe there's not really such thing as rows like we have in the US. Instead everyone crowds forward as far as possible forming one giant disorganized blob, and I ended up at the very back of it. When the light turned green I sat there for a few seconds waiting for the blob to get moving and was about 8th from last into the first corner. I stayed on the outside down the first descent, avoiding the carnage and moving up as much as possible.

I stayed on the gas, pushing it as hard as I could on the technical sections and sprinting up the two long run ups as fast as I could. On the third lap I moved up ten spots and continued to test the limits of my traction in the slick mud.



On the fourth lap I caught a rider from Luxembourg after the twisty start descent and made a tight pass on the outside. Right before the corner into an off camber sections he tried to get me back and I put my elbows to good use forcing him to hit the brakes rather than stack it into the metal fencing. Speaking of stacking it, shortly after I slid out in the off camber sections but only lost a few seconds and gained a little dirt.

Going into the fifth and final lap I just emptied the tank. I moved up a few more spots and just barely missed catching a big group of 6-7 riders. I ended up finishing 37th out of 60 riders, not what I was hoping for but it was an amazing experience to race my first World Cup!

This trip to Europe was pretty incredible and has been something I've dreamed about for years. I learned so much, had so much fun and experienced so many new things. The racing was so different and fantastic. As Chris McGovern (coach for the trip) said, "It's not about flow, it's not about ripping one corner well, it's about hitting it f**kin' hard out of every single corner. We're racing a different sport than in the US."

I would like to thank everyone who has supported me and made this trip possible, I really couldn't do it with out you all!  I would also like to Marc Gullickson, Andrew Hawkes and Chris McGovern from USA Cycling for facilitating everything from meals to race registration. Lastly thank you to my coach, Joseph Maloney, my family, and my team Trek Cyclocross Collective for all their support as well as Trek Bicycles, Bontrager, SRAM, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix and Englewood Grass Farm!

Polderscross and Zonhoven Superprestige

Time for a write up on my first and second European races! I landed in Brussels on Thursday morning, built bikes, and went for a spin with the rest of the group. It was pretty awesome to get my first taste of Europe and then I slept for 13 hours to get rid of the jet lag.



POLDERSCROSS, KRUIBEKE
Friday we did some efforts to open up our legs and early Saturday morning we hopped in the vans and drove the hour and a half to Kruibeke. After trying to find parking and inscription (registration) for awhile we finally located them and the team camp. Lane, Ben and I got kitted up and did a few laps on the course. It was pretty slick and pretty simple, with a few good climbs, plenty of off camber sections and huge flyovers.

After preride we pinned our numbers, warmed up on the trainers, and went to the start. I was third row call- up in the random draw. When the light turned green I shot up the right side and started to move through the field. I stayed on the gas and caught Lane and Ben by the second lap and kept on the gas. My accelerations felt very strong and I used it to my advantage to keep catching riders.

On the fourth lap I was just off the back of a group of six or seven riders and was having a little trouble with my shifting. I made the mistake of thinking I would lose more time if I pitted and waited to do so until the fifth lap. Not pitting actually cost me time and I didn't make the group. My back started to tighten up on me but I held my position for the last lap and a half riding as smoothly and cleanly as possible.

It was a fantastic and extremely fun first race in Europe and I was pretty happy to be the top American and finish only one spot out of the money in 16th place.

SUPERPRESTIGE ZONHOVEN!
Sunday we only had to drive 45 min to Zonhoven. Same as the day before, we kitted up and hopped on the course. This time we knew what to expect, Zonhoven is one of the most iconic races in the world with huge sand drops and run ups. Just riding the course was amazing and racing it was even better.

Once again, we warmed up and went to the start. Today I was not so lucky with my call up... and was second to last out of 70 riders putting me in the 9th row. When the light turned green it was total chaos, I weaved my way around crashed and slower riders, charging into the first corner. When I got to the first sandy drop in there was so much carnage that I had to run down the sand dune dodging fallen riders and broken bikes. Seconds later I hit the first run up and moved past a few riders before dropping into the sandy bowl again, followed by an even larger sandy run-up.

Those first two laps I moved up thirty spots but going into the third lap my back started to hurt more and I began to lose my power. Now I was stuck racing one of the hardest courses in the world at half strength... but what can you do? What I did was tough it out and maintain my position for those last couple laps to finish 42nd. It was a far cry from what I wanted to have accomplished but it was still an incredible experience.

I've been having an awesome time training and racing here in Sittard, NED and I can't wait for the Valkenburg World Cup this Sunday. Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement!

Katie, Ben, Me, and Lane

 

KMC Cyclocross Festival

Super late, but here is a quick update on my races at the KMC Cyclocross festival. Starting one week before at Jingle cross I got a super gnarly cold that took a while to get over. Going into the weekend I was still a little sick and it took a lot out of me. I ended up 11th Saturday and 13th Sunday. It was far from my best but considering how sick I was there wasn't much more I could do.