Missoula Pro XCT, Colorado Springs Pro XCT and my Western Adventure

After flying from Madison to Spokane, Washington where my coach picked me up from the airport we drove back to Pullman and went and rode the trails near Joe's for a few hours. The next morning we packed up and drove the four hours to Missoula. We arrived in the late evening at our host housing and went straight out for a short recovery ride on some awesome local trails. We met up with Carter Warren the next day to preride the course, Carter is another kid Joe coaches and is joining us for the whole trip. The course was very, very different from anything I've ridden recently, it was pretty much straight up then straight down with a thousand feet of climbing per lap and the descents were crazy gnarly and rough. 

The next morning we slept in, made breakfast and headed over to the course. Joe warmed up with Carter and I before we rolled over to the start. I sat around for a little too long so my legs weren't quite as warmed up as they needed to be. Call ups started and I should have been called up second but for some reason they missed me. Luckily I protested to the official and they slotted me into the front row. We took off and I had a great start, knowing it was a long race I backed off a bit and didn't take the lead into the first corner. I sat in up the climb but I wasn't quite warmed up enough for the intensity before the first single track and I dropped back to 11th or so. The 6th or 7th place rider went down hard in a dusty narrow corner and caused a split between me and the top 5. I started to catch up a bit on the next climb and got on Cassidy Bailey's wheel for the descent. I hung on tight until we were back through the start straight and climbing again where I took off. I moved up some more and stayed ahead until the descent started where Denzel Stephenson got around me and I hopped on his wheel. He was too fast for me on the downhill but I caught back up on the start straight. I started to move up again on the climbs and passed Denzel back. I kept moving up the climbs for the next two laps until I was in 6th place. I finished close behind 4th and 5th. I would get the gap down to about 10 seconds after the climbs but I lost time on the descents so the gap opened back up to 25 seconds or so each lap. I was happy to have moved up so far and to have been so strong on the climbs but was a little disappointed to miss the podium by one spot. It was a great reintroduction to the western style of racing and since there is about 900 ft of climbing on the nationals course it should be great for me!

On Sunday Carter raced the enduro while Joe and I went and rode four hours on some incredible nearby trails. After, we packed up and drove to Helena where we had some fantastic barbecue with Carters cousins and stayed over night.  In the morning we did a little adventure gravel ride for recovery and then hopped in the car for the 12 hour drive to Boulder. We stayed with my long time family friends Eric and Carrie and their two kids. We had a fantastic time doing intervals up a mountain followed by ripping up Valmont bike park. The next day we rode Walker Ranch, which was super technical, rocky, and crazy awesome. Thursday morning we drove down to Colorado Springs and prerode the course. We prerode again Friday and did openers on the course on Saturday after Joe's race. He had a great ride scoring 24th in a stacked field and getting some UCI points. 

Boulder in Boulder!

After a big dinner and bike washing we hit the hay, Racing at 1:30 we had plenty of time to relax, we unloaded and Joe went over to the store for ice and pantyhose to combat the 90 degree heat. When he got back I kitted up and warmed up, which went perfectly. I rolled up to the start line after grabbing my bottles, and sock full of ice. I was second row but when we rolled up farther to the line I sneaked into the front row. We took off and I pulled the hole shot, I led up the first slightly uphill flat and through the next couple of short single track climbs. One guy passed me on a long sandy double track section before the real, technical single track started. I sat on his wheel in second place through the rough, rocky, single track. Once we came out onto the road and onto the long double track descent back to the start I passed back into first not wanting to be behind anyone on the descent I had memorized. A few seconds later I had a mechanical, I coasted down to right before the sharp dirt descent into the parking lot where I got off and tried to fix it. By the time I got back on I was back to 14th place. I was incredibly pissed off so I went at it like a madman. I passed a few people through the railroad ties, the double track climb and the run up. I got stuck behind people through the next long single track section and the sketchy rutted downhill back into the parking lot heading towards the second part of the lap. I passed two people through that pavement section and kept moving up in the open sections. I finally caught fourth place and we decided to work together. I took the technical single track sections and he took the open flats. Going into the second to last lap which should have been the third to last lap but our race was cut one lap short due to the storm we caught the kid who had been leading who had gotten a flat. Excited to be in third I hit through single track and got a small gap on the kid who was in 4th who was actually a 17-18 which I didn't know at the time. I drilled the rest of the lap and was pretty surprised to see the officials waving us in due to the thunderstorm. 

My legs were amazing and the only thing holding me back was my lungs and the altitude, having prerode the course so much I was super comfortable with every section and could go as fast or faster then my competitors. I was super happy to have moved up so far and take the third step on the podium in a race that was less than hour long but also a little disappointed that mechanical happened and knowing that with the legs I had I could have definitely won the race excluding further incident. I am super stoked for nationals and very pleased with how I have stacked up against the fasted boys in the country, I along with a number of others definitely have a shot at that top spot in two weeks if all goes well!

After Joe raced the short track we grabbed a bite to eat with my former teammate Tim Racette and then hoped in the car for the 3 hr drive to Gunnison to spend the night and ride with our friend Tyson. We were treated to a delicious meal by Tyson's wife and then woke up early to go ride in Crested Butte which was only 20 minutes away from Tyson's place. It was great to ride some absolutely incredibly trails and see Tyson again, Crested Butte is definitely somewhere I would love to live! We came back, showered, packed, said good bye, and then hopped back in the car for the eight hour drive to Salt Lake City. We stayed with former Wisconsin racer and friend of Joe's Jeff Bender and his roommate Cameron. We hung out, ate dinner and had a great time relaxing. In the morning we drove the half hour to Park City where we rode for a couple hours on some more world class trails. We grabbed some ice cream and then drove the 12 hours back to Pullman, Washington through the 100 degree heat. We have been training here for a few days and on Monday we will drive down to Bend to train back at altitude for a week before heading to nationals. Its been great fun and I can't wait for what the rest of this trip and nationals has in store!

Amazing riding in Crested Butte with my team mate Tyson!

Incredible riding in Park City!

Great times with these dudes!

Huge thanks to my coach Joe Maloney for making this awesome trip possible, by traveling with me and Carter and for basically being our guardian haha. Also big big thanks to my family and my team, Team Wisconsin presented by KS Energy Services/MOSH for helping me be able to have this awesome experience and be able to fly and drive all over the western half of the U.S. racing, riding and training. Also huge thanks to Brent Emery and Emerys Cycling, Triathlon and Fitness for helping me be able to race on the best race bike available! Also thanks to Trek Bicycles and Bontrager for supporting me and my team. Last but not least thanks to ESI Grips and Wolf Tooth Components for sponsoring me this season. Nationals is right around the corner and I can't wait to see all my hard work pay off!!! 

WORS #4 and my Western Adventure!

After a intense block of training it was time for WORS #4! In the past the course was pretty flat and boring without much single track at all. This year they added a bunch more gnarly, wet, rocky single track and I was racing the pro course so it was a brutal 30 miles! I got my Wolf Tooth Drop-Stop chain ring and hadn't tried it out but it absolutely worked like a charm, not a single problem which was amazing considering how rough the course was. So, big thanks to Wolf Tooth for the support!

Anyways, I warmed up and could tell I wasn't feeling great and it was going to be a hard race. I rolled up to the start line and got into the fourth row after the other pros got their call ups. Don did the count down and we took off, I moved up the best I could and was in the low 20s going into the single track. The first lap was surprisingly technical but also had a fair amount of hard two track sections that separated the field a lot. I dropped back a few places towards the end of the lap and was mostly by myself for the second lap with no one in sight in front or behind after a few people passed me right at the start. Going into the third lap I got back with a group of people which helped me pick up the pace a ton. That group broke apart going into the fourth and final lap and it was just me and one other guy. I was faster than him on the flats and he was faster than me in the single track so I new I could get him, and in the end I opened up a 15 sec gap on him. I finished 29th out of about 60 riders which I wasn't happy about after finishing 17th in the last race. But, it wasn't a great course for me and racing in such a competitive pro field is never easy, especially for my second ever full pro race! In the end I am still content with how I rode on such a difficult course and I can only go up from here.

My plan for the next five weeks is first flying to Washington to meet up with my coach, Joe Maloney, which was yesterday. Today we drove to Missoula for the Pro XCT and we will be staying here to ride and race until Sunday. Another guy Joe coached will be joining us and we will stay in Boulder, Co Monday through Wednesday before driving to Colorado Springs for the next Pro XCT. After that we drive back to Pulman, Washington where Joe lives and we will stay a day or two before driving down to Bend, Oregon where we will train at Altitude for 10 days. After that we will drive down to Mammoth Mountain California for MTB nationals from the 15-17 of July or so. This trip is, and is going to be super freaking awesome and I can't wait to see what else is in store!!! After nationals there is one more thing from July 20-25 that I can't talk about yet ;).

WORS #3 Battle of Camrock!

Finally time for one of my favorite courses! Cam-rock is only 20 minutes from my house and I have been riding here for half my life so I had a little bit of a home course advantage. Saturday it was too wet to preride but on Sunday the dirt was perfect. Due to the lack of racers in my Cat 1 15-16 Category I have been getting no new USA cycling points which I need for my call up at nationals. My dad and I talked to Don, the president of WORS who has been running it for 24 years, and he gave me the go-ahead to race in the 19-23 category which meant I would be doing the full pro race. I was excited to see how I actually stacked up against the pros since before, in the 15-16s I did one less lap, but also a little nervous about racing almost 30 miles with some of the best in the country.


I woke up late Sunday morning and packed my stuff and prepped my bike. I warmed up with my team mate Brian Matter and went to the start line. I snuck up to the third row, happy to not be confined to the back of the chute as the juniors are. In these big fields of 60 plus riders the starts are vital because of the large amount of single track and how difficult it is to pass. Don did the count down and we took off. We charged up the hill and I moved from the middle to the far left and moved through the pack. I was about 20th as we went into the first single track section. Some other riders and I made some aggressive passes to get by slower riders who were holding us up in the single track. Unfortunately there was one rider between me and the guy in my category who lives in Cambridge and rides these trails multiple times a week who ended up 10th overall. He got away and I drilled the rest of the first lap in 15th place. Right before the start hill going into the second lap I dropped my chain and lost some time to the pack of riders chasing me, including my team mate Jason. They caught up and I hopped on Jason's wheel who pulled me through the climbs and the two track. I took the lead into the single track and slowly began to pull away. In 15th place I opened up the gap to about thirty seconds but two thirds through that second lap I dropped my chain twice in a row and that group of 5 caught me while I was fixing it. I jumped on their group and started to work my way up. Going into the third lap I was on Jason's wheel but I couldn't quite hold it, so him and another guy got way. I chased as hard as I could but couldn't catch up. Another 19-23 rider and I rode the rest of that lap together, only dropping my chain once.

The other rider and I hammered the final lap together duking it out for the final podium spot with me leading. Three fourths through the final lap I dropped my chain for the 5th time this race. He took off and I lost 15 seconds on him while I fixed my mechanical. I chased him down through the single track and sat on his wheel to recover. Each lap I had noticed that he was faster up the first winding two track part of the climb but I always passed him easily once we got back onto the open hill, which was where the finish was. Knowing he would attack on the first part I recovered on his wheel biding my time. Like I predicted, he hit gas and I stuck to his wheel like glue. He blew up a a couple hundred yards before we got onto the open climb. I powered past him and gave it everything I had on the last part of the climb and through the finishing straight.

I am extremely pleased to have gotten a glimpse of what I can really do. Finishing 17th in the pro field out of 65 riders in the biggest MTB series in the country against some of the top riders in the country has left me feeling very accomplished and finishing third in the 19-23 age group against some super strong riders is also fantastic. My goal was top 15 but after dropping my chain five times and having to ride carefully to avoid more issues I am still pleased. I plan to crack the top 15 at the next race and my new goal is to crack the top 10 before the season is over. My team mate Brian Matter won the pro race which was fantastic. My other teammate Jason Balden finished 13th. One of these days I'll get him! Rachel Jensen also did a great job in the pro women with a 7th place!

I have established a relationship with Wolf Tooth Components who are the makers of the patent pending drop-stop tooth profile chain rings, which are miles and miles better then the Shimano chain rings and are a necessity for running 1x11. They will be supporting me for this season and the future! I can't wait to ride their components and put a stop to mechanicals so I can ride to the best of my ability! I can't wait for the rest of the season and what it has in store!

WORS #2 Crystal Lake Classic

After a brutal race at Iola I couldn't wait to do it again! I went up Friday night and stayed at my cabin with my dad and a bunch of his friends. Saturday morning they left and did a 104 mile gravel ride and I rode a little bit of it and turned back. I worked on my bike, fished and relaxed until they returned in the evening. In the morning we loaded up and drove the 55 minutes to Rhinelander. 

I prerode a bit of the course, warmed up and went to the start line. I lined up with the pro men and we took off. There was a ton of two track before the first single track section so it gave me plenty of time to move up from the back and I was about 25th going into the single track. I caught up to my team mate Jason Balden as it started to pour and we hammered along starting to catch a bigger group. Unfortunately I dropped my chain at the bottom of a hill and spent the rest of the first lap catching back up to the group. Going into the end of the first lap I latched onto the group with leader being in 15th place. They pulled me through the finishing and start straight at top speed. Realizing that I had to take my gels, navigate the rough road and hold on to the group going 24 mph put me into kind of a pickle. I decided that I would suffer much more later if I didn't feed then if I had to catch back up a little bit to the group. I couldn't quite catch back up, luckily my team mate Jason came by me and I hopped on his wheel so I still had someone fast to follow. I stuck with him for a another mile or two but got popped on one of the really bumpy climbs. I realized later that I definitely had to much tire pressure for how bumpy of a course it was and that combined with the rain it slowed me down a fair bit. I finished the last lap and a quarter kind of mad at my self for making the tactical error of not holding onto the group but still really enjoyed ripping it up in some epic muddy single track. I was first overall among all the juniors and was running about 20ish again among the pro men. In two weeks the race will be at Cam-Rock which is 20 minutes from my house so I will get the course and tire pressure dialed well in advance and I hope to be racing in the top 15!

Many thanks to my supporters that make it possible to train and race: KS Energy Services, Team Wisconsin, Emery's Cycling Triathlon and Fitness, ESI Grips, Trek, Bontrager, Clif, and Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital. I also want to thank my coach, Joseph Maloney, for helping me prepare for my races.

The rain came in full force!

Racing with the pros!

Should have stuck on the group haha!

WORS #1 Iola Bump and Jump!

Finally! Mountain bike season has arrived and I kicked off with the Wisconsin Off Road Series #1, Iola Bump and Jump! I got my new bike dialed during the week and drove up mid day Saturday to preride with my team mate Mark Norton. The course was super loose with tons of dust and sand, but also lots of fast single track and hard climbs. After preride Mark and I drove over to my other team mate, Brian Christopherson's cabin where he cooked us some wonderful steaks and we hung out with my team president Dave Eckel, along with Tyson Hausdoerffer and his family. After relaxing by the lake for the rest of the evening and getting a good nights sleep, we woke up, I cooked breakfast, relaxed a bit more and fueled up before heading over to the race.

 I dialed my bike and gear, warmed up and went to the start, unfortunately I could tell my legs weren't great. I lined up fourth row surrounded by all the pro men, Don did the count down and we took off. Our field of 65 riders blew around the first turn and hammered up the first loose dirt climb in a giant cloud of dust. The whole first have of the course was lots of hard climbs often followed by fast tricky descents, made even more difficult by my heart beating at maximum capacity. The second part of the course is mostly fast, tight sandy single track. The first lap I thought I was going to die but after the second lap I settled in a bit more. Unfortunately I just couldn't really fight back and slowly lost places through out the race. On the fourth, final lap I took it back a notch on the climbs and flats, instead I hammered the single track, focusing on every turn and obstacle. I made back a place or two and and finished strong. Because I am a junior I do one less lap then the pros, but based on the people around me I would have finished about 20th to 25th overall in the Pro/Elite. In my category I won the Cat 1 15-16 and also beat all the 17-18.The heat, dust and distance took some getting used to after a long, awesome season of cross but it was a fantastic start to the season and I can't wait for whats to come! This weekend I will be doing a 3 hour solo WEMS race and then on to WORS #2 the week after!

New bike day!!!

Huge thanks to Brent Emery and Emerys Cycling, Triathlon & Fitness along with my Team, Team Wisconsin presented by KS Energy Services/MOSH  for the support and opportunity to race this bike this year! Also thanks to Bontrager and Trek Bicycle for sponsoring my team. Last but not least thanks to ESI Grips for sponsoring me for this season! I'm looking forward to the first WORS race this coming Sunday.

The bike is incredible! Ultra light, responsive, very stiff but comfortable and amazing power transfer, it rips single track, and flies down the flats like a motorcycle. This frame combined with the best wheels, tires, bars, stems, grips and drive train there is nothing holding me back this season! Can't wait!!!

Thanks for the fantastic build Emerys!

Awesome package in the mail today!

ESI Grips!

I am thrilled to announce that ESI grips will be sponsoring me for this upcoming mountain bike season! ESI grips are by far the best grips on the market, their products are unique, high tech, quality, and made in the U.S. There is a reason why the top mountain bike racers in the world use them! Perfect control, comfort, and well... they are very very grippy! Again, I am very proud to be representing such a great company and glad they will be helping me achieve my goals this season!

Click ^ to check them out!