Jingle Cross 2014

Friday
It was about 25 degrees while I was warming but as the sun went down it dropped down below 10 degrees. I lined up 4th row because we didn't register fast enough and after the category 2s went off we followed. 10 seconds into the race there was a unavoidable crash and I piled on top of it. I untangled my bike after losing about a minute and started chasing. I fought super hard and my whole body was numb from the cold and I basically went on autopilot. I kept moving up the whole race and got all the way up to 6th!

Saturday
Luckily today we were staged by finishing order from the day before so I started first row. I pulled the holeshot and led until the off camber section up top when I had to get off and run by cat 2s we had caught, second place managed to stay on the bike and get a gap. I chased him for two lap and then rode away from him and soloed the last two laps. I was super glad to get the win after such a struggle the night before. I then returned to my hotel room and spun my legs before lying in bed with my legs up for another 4 hours until we went to the pool.

Sunday
After getting 5 inches of snow Saturday night the course was was super slick and sloppy. I was super excited to race in the mess! I warmed up and got my call up, I was second into the first corner and jumped on firsts wheel. I went by Cormac Dunn and led until an off camber section at the end of the lap when somehow my rear break had become unhooked and I had to stop and fix it. I lost about 30 seconds but I laid down some power and managed to catch who I thought the leader was at the beginning of the second lap. We rode together for two laps until I gradually rode away from him. I rode the last two laps by my self but lost a lot of time on the final lap because I couldn't clip in due to the frozen mud in my pedals. I was pumped to get the win but as it turned out one more guy had slipped by me when I was fixing my brake that I didn't know about. I had gone hard until I caught who I thought was leading and then recovered but if i had known there was another guy I would have kept pushing! I super stoked to get the overall cat 3 jersey despite my issues and get some great results at the best race in the US and my favorite race! Huge thanks to my team and team mates as well my dad and Emerys Cycling! Now time for a lot of hard trainer work outs and a few races until nationals.

saturday podium

trying to get the "snowicemud" out of my cleats

day 3 podium

Louisville Derby City Cup

Day 1

After staying in hotel an hour away we drove in to the race Saturday morning around 12. I hung out for a bit, prerode, and then messed around until it was time to warm up. Because we had not preregistered in time I was starting 6th row but I made due. I hadn't eaten enough as it turned out so my tank was pretty empty so I ended up 30th out of over 120 riders.

Day 2

Sunday we fixed my start order and I was  for action. I had a good start and was about 10th into the first corner the front group pulled away and I settled in around 12th my legs were a little tired from the day before so I eventually slipped back to 15th overall, and 2nd in the cat 3s. I was happy to have redeemed my self a bit!

Cinicinnati 3 day Cyclocross Festival

We arrived with plenty of time before my race on Friday and it was going to be muddy. I prerode the course and it was a slippery, sliding mess and was awesome! I finished warming up and went to the start line. I started 3rd row, we took off and everyone was very aggressive but I held my line and was top 20 into the first corner. I began moving up but unfortunately I had picked the wrong gloves and my hands were getting colder and colder as they turned into muddy blocks of ice. I slid out towards the end of the first lap and lost a few places but slowly got them back. I moved up slowly though out the whole grueling race and got as high as 13th. But sadly in the middle of the last lap I slid out in a corner and broke my derailer hanger. I ran a quarter lap to the pit but found my dad had left with my bike to look for me, so unfortunately my race was over.

Saturday I woke up and was fine but something I ate for breakfast didn't agree with me and I got food poisoning. I rested up and got ready for the next day.

Sunday I was out for redemption after a few bad races and to test my self against some the fastest boys in my age group in the country. I prerode the course, which was fantastic, warmed up and went to the start. I started 3rd row next to my friend Andy Schmidt. They blew the whistle and we took off, a big crash happened right next to me and almost took me but I squeaked by. I got stuck behind some traffic in a off camber section where more people had crashed and I lost some time. my age group leader got away and Andy and Scott Funston were about thirty seconds up. I  rode with Edward Fritzinger but after 3 days of racing he was low on gas so I pushed on. Cassidy Bailey caught up to me and I stuck on his wheel for a bit but he dropped me and caught up to Andy and Scott. I slowly regained ground and by the end of the 4th lap I made contact with the group of 3 when Scott rolled a tubular right before the pit. I rode with Andy and Cassidy until the barriers but I had gone to hard to catch up to them and couldn't hold it. I rode the lap with Scott but towards the end of the last lap some debris flew up into my wheel and I last a few seconds as I pulled it out and Scott got away. It was a super hard race against some super hard competition and I cant wait for more!

Sun Prairie Cup CX and Carpentersville

Sun Prairie CX Cup

My first pro1/2/3 race! Unfortunately my legs were dead, but I warmed up and went to the start. They blew the whistle and we took off, some people slid out in he first corner and I got stuck behind them for a few seconds but got right back on track. I continued to move up to 9th after a while but David Blodgett caught back up to me. I rode his wheel for two laps and attacked on the last lap. I pulled away and managed to hold him off. I was pretty happy with 9th in my first pro1/2/3 race!

Carpentersville

The next day we carpooled with my coach Joe Maloney and arrived in time for my sisters race. I warmed up, prerode the course, and went to the start. This was my first Chicago Cross Cup Pro1/2/3 race and there was over 60 riders! I started third row, they blew the whistle and we shot off. I got bumped around a bit at the start but held my ground, I slowly began to move up. It was a 60 minute race but my legs opened up and I kept moving up. I would catch a group of riders and slingshot around them as soon as I could. By the end of the 4th lap I settled in a group of three other riders fighting for 7th. I sat in for two lap and some guys were starting to fade. So after the flat open power sections after the start I attacked going into the technical off camber sections. After the section in the corn field towards the end of the lap there was only one guy left and he came around me on the pavement section. I jumped on his wheel and tried to recover for the sprint. The finish was a long and flat and I tried to sprint around him but the finish was so long and I was pretty spent from two days of racing and I just couldn't get around him. I was super stoked to get 8th in such a competitive field, my coach and team mate Joe took the win so that was awesome as well! Next week we hit the road to St. Louis  

Grafton Pumpkin Cross and Further Cross

Grafton Pumpkin Cross
My dad and sister drove to New York for the UCI race so my mom and I were left to fend for ourselves. We got there early and I prerode the course. I warmed up and went to the start line. We took off and I would have have been third into the first corner but I pulled out of my pedal which I made sure to fix before Sunday's race! I moved up and got on first's wheel. I passed him at the beginning of the second lap and pulled ahead. A guy caught me and we rode together until the middle of the second to last lap where I attacked at the top of the big hill. I soloed the last lap and half and made sure not to make any mistakes.

Further Cross

This race was only 20 min from my house so I had plenty time to relax in the morning. I arrived early and took a few laps and warmed up. We lined up and took off, I was first into the first corner and I led the first lap. A guy surged around me at the start and I hopped on his wheel, he hammered for a lap and half with just me and Jason on his wheel. Jason attacked super hard part way through the 3rd lap and it took me until the beginning of the fourth lap to get back on his wheel. I sat on his wheel for two laps and at the beginning of the last lap, I sprinted around Jason at the start straight and attacked. I did the last lap full sprint and almost made myself puke. My last lap was 20 seconds faster then my first lap, I ended up finishing with a 10 second gap on second. It was super satisfying to get the win on such a tough course! Next week I will be doing the 1/2/3's in Sun Prairie and Chicago!

Cross-Shooshko and Hopkins Park

The first real cyclocross weather! Forty degrees and raining was not preferable but it was awesome once it got muddy. We took off and I was second into the first corner I pulled into first and my team mate Harrison got on my wheel and we took off. He put down some serious power on the flats but eventually I pulled away from him in the technical sections. I rode the last few laps solo and had to work hard to not make mistakes in the slippery corners and hold onto the lead. It was a great race and then it was off to Hopkins park the next day.

My whole family piled in the van and we trekked down to the Chicago series race. I prerode the course, warmed up and went to the start line, I got my call up and lined up in the front row. We took off and I was third into the first corner, I stayed third wheel until after a pavement section on the back of the course where I passed into first on a off camber section. I opened up small gap and held it until the beginning of the third lap when one guy caught me. I drafted him down the back pavement section but got away from him in the off camber section. I rode the last two and a half laps solo and focused on not making mistakes. It was a great course and super fun. I think for the next Chicago race I will do the 1/2/3 's instead of the normal 3's and see how I match up!

Twilight Cross and Caldwell Woods

East Troy Twilight Cross

The course was super technical and fun and there were only two very short power sections on the entire course. The only way to go fast was to hit every corner perfectly and nail the technical spots. We started and I was second wheel into the first corner. I passed into first later in the first lap. I started to push the pace and soon it was just me, my friend Simon Jones and two other guys. Simon started to drift back a little and one of the other guys attacked but promptly crashed hard. Then it was just me and the other guy for the last five laps, I made up time on him in the corners and barriers. I ended up doing the last two laps full sprint and finished with a 10 second gap. It was super satisfying to get the win after such a hard battle! My dad and I then drove the short trip to Lake Geneva to stay at the Schmidt's for the night.

Caldwell Woods

We woke up, ate and then jumped on the road. I was on the waiting list for the Cat 3s so I started warming up for that race in hopes I would get in. I got in but I was going to get a last row call up in field of 100 riders. According to the rules I should have been first row. So we talked to them and ended up getting me in the front row. We took off and I was 10th into the first corner,  I passed into fifth on the run up and hunted down the lead group of 4 midway through the first lap. I caught on and me and Andy Schimdt took off down the starting straight on our own. We rode the second lap together with a group of four chasing hard, but Andy said he had dead legs so at the beginning of the third lap he told me to go an that he would block. I rode the last two and a half laps solo and finished with a 30 second gap. I was thrilled to get two wins in one weekend! I had a great time and the courses were fantastic! There is a lot more to come!