KMC Cyclocross Festival

I woke up at four AM Friday morning to fly to Providence, Rhode Island for my first ever 17-18 UCI race at the KMC Cyclocross Festival. I slept the whole flight and again on the drive from Boston down to Providence. One of my bikes and all my wheels went ahead the week before in the Trek sprinter van so I only had to fly with one bike which is always awesome. After a pit stop at whole foods we wandered around Rodger Williams Park until we found the race. I prerode with Tobin and Cody in the pouring rain and it was awesome! The course was super challenging and fun, with lots of technical sections, well suited to me!

Day One

Flying over Milwaukee

After about 11 hours of sleep I fueled up and we drove over to the course. Sadly the rain had stopped so the course was not the mud bath I had hoped for and was actually super tacky. I warmed up super well, tested out the course, tires, and pressure before heading to the start. Since it was a random draw for start order I was lucky enough to get second call up. I had a great start but because we sat around so long at the start my legs weren't warmed up enough. I was 5th into the first corner but people quickly swarmed around me in the next straight section. Going into the second lap my legs opened up a bit, but I then realized they were pretty empty as well. I settled in with Jack Tanner and we worked together until the second to last lap when he pulled away from me. On the final lap I went as hard as I could to close the gap on Evan Clouse who was in 10th and only a little behind Jack but I just couldn't quite catch him. I was happy to still take 11th with such bad legs but it was disappointing to not be able to show what I can really do.

Jack and I descending the flyover

Day Two
I did everything I could Saturday to help my recovery but as soon as I started warming up I knew my legs were flat again. I warmed up the best I could and did some laps on the now dry and almost loose course but I knew I was going to be in for some hurt and was going to have to do the best with what I had. This time I was not so lucky with the random draw and got second to last call up. When they fired the start gun I was almost last off the line but started to move up. I weaseled my way through two pile ups in the first couple of corners with out getting tangled up and settled into my group of four. I led the charge the whole race and slowly stretched out the group only catching one other person the whole time. Another rider and I fought it out on the last lap and after he hopped the barriers I jumped on his wheel and managed to out sprint him to the line to take 15th.

The weekend didn't turn out the way I hoped but I had an awesome time at the races and it was great to hang out with everyone from Trek CXC as well as see many of my friends from across the country! This coming weekend is the Trek CXC Cup race in Waterloo Wisconsin just 25 minutes from my house and I can't wait! After that its on to Boulder, CO for round two of the 17-18 UCI series and I'm looking forward to showing what I can really do!

Trek CXC with a strong showing in Providence!

My first Chequamegon and Lake Geneva Cross

On a last minute change of logistica I rode up to Hayward with my coach, Joseph Maloney, Thursday afternoon. We went for a quick spin around the lake and then hopped in the car for the five hour drive. We arrived at my family friends, The Jackson's house just past 10 and I went straight to bed. The next morning I hung around the house with the Jackson's before heading over to pre-ride the course with them. It was an interesting course and the rolling birkie trail was challenging but fun. We headed back, washed bikes, had a massive dinner and hit the hay. The next morning everyone woke up early and I headed over to the race with my parents. I eventually found my back tag and warmed up on some awesome ATV trails near the start and then lined up in the start grid. They fired the gun and we took off, Sam Olson went straight to the front and hammered the pack to 32 mph. By the end of the first climb shortly after the start it was down to a group of five. Sam Olson and Sam Elsen pulled the entire race and once we got onto the birkie trail we were down to a group of 4. Going into the final climb over the ski hill I attacked a little too early and both Sams went by because they had more momentum from the downhill just beforehand. I kept hammering but Sam Elsen got a gap and finished four seconds ahead of me. I managed to pass Sam Olson back right before the finish to take second overall. It was a fantastic first Chequamegon Short & Fat and although it was my goal to win I am content with 2nd overall, there is always next year! :)  It has been one heck of a MTB season and has been my best so far by a long shot! I would like to thank my team, Team Wisconsin presented by KS energy services/MOSH as well as Emery's Cycling one last time for the amazing support this season as well as ESI grips and Wolf Tooth components.

Love the Northwoods!

Love my new Trek CXC bikes and kits!

After the awards ceremony my family and I drove over to my cabin an hour and a half east in Minocqua where we had dinner with my uncle and Grandpa before driving all the way home to Madison. The next morning my dad and I woke up late, packed the car with my cyclocross gear and drove to Lake Geneva. The course was super fun and technical with lots of awesome features! Andy Schmidt and I warmed up together before heading to the start. Andy pulled the hole shot and I settled into the top group of five. The group stuck together almost the whole race until a rider slid out with three laps to go and caused a split. Andy and Casey Hildebrandt got ahead and Jordan and I started chasing hard. The next lap while in third I slid out in a corner and dropped back to fourth and unfortunately fell out of reach of Andy and Casey. I chased hard but couldn't pull Jordan Roessingh back over the next two laps and took fourth. I was happy with my finish considering the mistakes I made and was the only one who had raced the day before. This coming weekend I will be doing some big training and then its time for my first 17-18 UCI race in Providence, Rhode Island on the 3rd and 4th of October, time to represent my new team Trek Cyclocross Collective on the national scene!!!

I am also very proud to announce that I will be working with Lizard Skins this cyclocross season! I started using their products a couple of years ago and their bar tape is the best on the market! I can't wait to represent them on the 17-18 UCI circuit this fall and in other national races!

Cyclocross is here!- Silver Creek and Sheboygan!

Manitowoc

Saturday morning we took the drive up to Manitowoc  for the first cross race of the season and it was an awesome course! I lined up second row behind Brian Matter and they blew the whistle. I stuck on his wheel and was 5th into the first corner. The race was super fast and intense with many technical sections. I was in a group with Travis Braun and Scott Mclaughlin fighting for 4th. We stayed together until the last few laps of the hour long race. Travis got a gap, while Scott and I duked it out for the rest of the race. Going into the final lap I sprinted up the run up as fast I could and got a 15 second gap on Scott. I drilled the rest of the lap not making mistakes to take 4th! It was a shocking and painful reminder of how hard cross is but as soon as I crossed the line I remembered how incredibly awesome it is. After the race I cooled down for awhile with Brian Matter and Bill Street and then headed over to Travis Braun's family farm outside Manitowoc. A big group of people stayed over so we had a super fun evening and night hanging out. The next morning we woke up, saw the five minute old baby calf, had breakfast and then drove the 45 down to Sheboygan.

Sheboygan

I saw some of the races, warmed up and went to the start. I was 5th off the line and into the first corner, I passed two people through the barriers and into third. At the end of the first lap Brian passed me and started chasing down Tristan and Dan. I settled in with Michael Dutczak who I rode the entire race with. We rode the next 11 laps together, slowly riding away from Scott, Travis, and David Reyes who were hunting us almost the whole race. Scott and his group closed the gap to about 15 seconds with five to go but Michael and I turned it up a notch and opened the gap to over 30 seconds over the next couple laps. Going into the final lap Michael and I were neck and neck but I couldn't quite get him at the end and finished 5th on the podium. 

My new Boone 9 Disc was absolutely amazing and my CX1 gruppo is so smooth and fast, also Katie Compton's race wheels from last year certainly helped! I'm so stoked to open up the season and my first races for Trek Cyclocross Collective with two podiums in the pro field!

Nearing the end of MTB season

After I got 17th in my first pro race back in June at Camrock I set a goal for my self to crack the top 15 and then the top 10 before the mtb season was over. Three weeks ago I cracked the top 15 and since this was my last WORS for the season so it was now or never! After a short warm up due to the 90 degree temps I headed to the start. We charged up the start hill and after a smart inside pass I was in about 10th heading down the big descent down the ski hill. Unfortunately I dropped my chain due to a shifting issue and had to stop while everyone flew by me. I hopped back on and thinking my chances of a top ten were ruined I angrily started hammering my way back from 25th place. Due to the heat I sorta felt like I was dying and was pretty unsure if I was gonna survive going into my second lap. I perservered and kept moving up with a group on my tail. I managed to stay ahead and eventually the group broke apart, going into the final lap I finally caught up to Casey and into 9th. With a quarter of a lap to go Cory came flying by us, I jumped on his wheel and we dropped Casey. Cory drilled it and I stuck on his wheel and we sprinted it out to the line. I couldn't quite get him but was still stoked for my first top 10 and my first 19-23 WORS Pro/Elite Men age group win!!! Cyclocross season kicks off tomorrow and Chequamegon, my final mtb race of the season is next weekend!

WORS #8 Collectivo Coffee Bean Classic, and NICA #1!

Since my parents were dropping my sister off at college I got a ride with Isaac Neff, along with Mark and Lisa Harms. It was about 90 degrees out so thankfully Lisa was nice enough to do bottles for us! I had a great start and settled into the top 20. I moved up the whole race and once I got in a group with Parker and Fletcher we were flying! At the end of the third lap Fletcher attacked and neither of us could follow, he drilled to an 8th place overall and I fought off Parker and caught one other rider for my 12th place overall in the pro men! I was so pumped to knock off another season goal of a top 15 in the pro men! Next up is Treadfest in Lake Geneva where I hope to achieve my top 10!!!

Interview with Don!

I was so stoked to take the win at the first NICA race of the season! I took the lead into the first single track section and attacked. I led off the front for the four laps of the hour and a half race. It hurt and probably wasn't the smartest tactic but it was a ton of fun! It was great to race the high school league and to see so, so many kids out racing! Many for the first time!

Ore to Shore!

After a five hour drive to the U.P. and one stop for pasties my dad, sister and I arrived at the finish line Friday afternoon. We prerode the last five and a half miles of the course which really paid off. We dried off, washed our bikes and got some Mexican food before crashing at our host house.

The next morning we woke up at six, ate and headed to the course. My dad took his bike and a chair and sat in the first row behind the preferred starts to save our spots, which is important when it is a mass start of 950 people! I warmed up and went to my spot ten minutes before the start. They shot the gun and we took off. I moved up as fast as I could and went from 6th row to the front of the race by the second corner. I sat in but people were pretty squirrely so I moved to the front. As we turned onto the dirt after 5 miles of pavement we hit a descent and the big pack started to break up. No one wanted to work so I more or less pulled the entire race. Parker and I controlled it together and put in a few good attacks every now and then to try and slim down the pack. After awhile the group was down to 15 or 20 riders. I continued to push the pace but was still basically soft pedaling.

With about six and half miles to go we hit a big descent after some single track and two other riders started to hammer. The group started to shatter and we were down to group of six or eight riders. With just six to go some one buzzed my rear wheel and caused a break in the pack, I took that as an opportunity and attacked as hard as I could and only one rider could follow. I started to open up a gap on him and when we got to a climb the gap got to about 15 seconds. I kept hammering as I got to the last five miles that I had prerode. I started to get out of sight of the other rider and I kept laying down the power, I ripped through the sand dune-ish part of the course and down the sandy descent. I kept on fighting and started to get out of sight. After a long solo five miles I finally popped out of the woods and onto the pavement with one mile to go and saw no one behind me. I kept on the gas all the way to the finish line and won by exactly thirty seconds with a average of 20.3 mph! I was so stoked accomplish another one of my season goals and to do it with style :). My sister won the womens overall and was 16th overall, we were so stoked to take the men's and women's overall wins!

Emma, Me, My good  friend Carter who finished 10th overall!

Big thanks to my coach Joseph Maloney for helping me get this level of fitness and huge thanks to my family and my team, Team Wisconsin presented by KS Energy Services/MOSH for all the suppoprt! 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 and allowing me to ride the best grips and  components possible! #cxiscoming

Awesome riding the next day with awesome people!

Mountain Bike Nationals 2015

Not especially enjoying myself in the short track, haha!

This is an extremely late nationals post so bear with me, haha! As most know my mountain bike nationals didn't go as planned but here is my account of my two races...

After an amazing week in Bend, Or of riding, resting, eating and watching the tour, Joe, Carter and I hopped in the car for the eight hour drive to Mammoth Lakes. We arrived late Sunday night and prerode Monday and Tuesday, the course had a ton of non technical climbing and it more or less went straight up with a few intermediate flat sections and then all the way back down in one long gnarly descent that is marked as a downhill trail.

Wednesday I raced the short track, due to a rule mix up, staging was by registration order for those that didn't have points, which most didn't. Unfortunately I was one of the last to register so I had a last row start. After the gun went off I was fifth to last off the pavement out of 50 riders. I sprinted up the climb and passed a pack of ten people. I then hung on for the descent as my heart beat out of my chest. I did that for 9 more lap until I was in 20th which was where I finished. I was happy to have moved up so much but due to the intensity of the effort and the altitude my legs almost didn't recover at all for the cross country event the next day which was my main focus.

That night I had a good meal, lots to drink, put my legs up and got to bed early but it was to no avail. I warmed up thinking my legs would be fine and went to the start. The longer we sat there the more nervous I got and was relieved when I got my call up to the front row. After a few more minutes they fired the gun. I was third off the pavement and was sitting 4th wheel going into the first climb. I got boxed in and the pack started to slide by me, I made a aggressive move and powered up the side of the road into third right before the single track. That was the only time my legs felt good the entire race and it was the same punch I had for nine laps the day before, I used it all up! I sat in 3rd the rest of the way up the single track climb and when we got out on a steep gravel road climb I lost some places and knew I was in trouble. By the end of the first lap I had dropped back to 10th and my legs were completely dead. I slipped back slowly the rest of the race but managed to gain a few spots back on the last lap to snag 16th. It was a very hard race physically and especially mentally, seeing people I had beaten handily at Missoula and Colorado Springs go by me and to see some of the people I was battling for podium spots with at those races at the front. Despite my physical down fall, my Trek Superfly 9.9 was flawless! Combined with my Bontrager XXX wheels and XR2 tires I had the best race bike on the market, weighing about 18 pounds! My ESI Grips kept me comfortable and my hands from rattling off the bars while my Wolf Tooth drop-stop chain ring kept me from dropping a chain on the crazy gnarly bumpy descent!

Good start!

Huge thanks to my coach Joe Maloney for making this awesome trip possible, by traveling with me and Carter and for all the mental, tactical, training, advice and support. Also big big thanks to my family for meeting me at nationals 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 and allowing me to ride the best grips an components possible! I'm bummed things didn't go my way but this had been the best summer of my life and there are many more big races to look forward to this year and in the years to come! #cxiscoming...