After a solid weekend of racing in Missoula and rest week, I was hoping for another good result this past weekend at WORS #4 (MT. Morris). This is where I did my very first mountain bike race back in 2009, and it's the course that got me hooked! It's pretty old school, tight twisty single track up and around a ski hill with lots of roots and rocks.
GOOOOOO! PC: Danny Marchewka
I know the course well and was excited to race, but from past experience, I know my body just doesn’t cope well with racing in extreme heat. As I “warmed up” in the 95-degree heat I could tell I was in trouble.
PC: Danny Marchewka
The start confirmed that. Cole House, Pete Karinen and Ben Senkerik charged ahead for the hole-shot leaving me in fourth like I was standing still. I headed into the lower sandy section in the woods chasing hard but not making up much ground on the front two.
PC: Danny Marchewka
I managed to catch up to Ben right before we headed back up the ski hill but when we hit the climb I just didn’t have the legs. Payson Partridge passed me at the top of the climb along with Trysten Schouten. I hopped on Trysten’s wheel and finished out the lap with him.
PC: Danny Marchewka
Going into the climb on the second lap I passed him back struck out on my own. I knew I just didn’t have the gas, so I set a steady pace hoping to catch up to Ben or Payson.
PC: Danny Marchewka
I ended up just riding laps 2, 3, and 4 completely solo, chugging water and melting ice socks on my neck like nobody’s business. It wasn’t the result I was looking for but I’m happy to have landed another podium and not have to pull the plug.
PC: Danny Marchewka
As always thank you to my team Linear Sport RT teammates for helping me stay cool and hydrated and to our sponsors: Trek, Bontrager, Wheel & Sprocket, Styled Aesthetic, Kettle Moraine Preservation and Restoration, and David Hobbs Honda. Big thanks as well to my personal sponsors, Englewood Grass Farm, TOGS, Fox Racing Shocks, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix, Wolf Tooth Components and ESI Grips.
Next up is WORS #5 in Eau Claire, be sure to follow along on my social media @cswartzz and check back next week for a race report. Thanks for reading!
Missoula Pro XCT baby! I was out in Missoula, MT in October for Collegiate Nats and before that, I raced there in 2015. The course is super fun and very demanding, 700ft of climbing up and then straight back down! I flew out on Thursday and did a few laps on course. On Friday I did one more lap and then spun out my legs for a bit.
On Saturday I didn't race until 7PM so in the morning I rode up to some local trails and got the legs ready to rip. Needless to say, the views were pretty incredible. Thunderstorms were inbound for our race and it was drizzling as I warmed up and went to the start line. I was the very last call-up out of over thirty riders and I had my work cut out for me right from the gun. I moved up on the inside in the first corner, leading up to the fly-over and up the first few two-track switchback climbs. By the top of the climb, I found myself in 6th place. On lap two Cole Paton and Howard Grotts were alone at the front up the climb while I was glued to Cypress Gorry's wheel, with Minnesotan Sam Elson behind me. At the top Cole got a flat and we passed him before heading into the descent.
Photo: Derek Johnson
Cypress and I railed the descent and caught up to Howard going into the third lap. Things started to heat up and Howard and Cypress got a few second gap on me before the descent. Sam caught up to me at the start of the fourth lap and surged around me chasing after the front group. I was pretty gassed and let myself recover until Cole caught me. I then hopped on his wheel and we caught back up to Sam.
Post race storytelling
In the end, I just didn't have the juice to stick with Sam and Cole. I lost contact with them midway through the fifth lap and was stuck in no man's land. I emptied the tank up the climb on the last lap to hold off sixth place and secure my podium place. It was an incredibly difficult mental battle to keep pushing myself without anyone to see in front or behind me, while I was maxed out.
I finished in fifth only ten seconds ahead of sixth place, and 3.5 minutes behind Olympian, Howard Grotts. I couldn't believe I'd worked my way onto the podium in my very first Pro UCI race! It was probably one of the hardest races I have ever done, and possibly the deepest I have ever dug.
Photo: Derek Johnson
On Sunday things got pretty gnarly in the short track race. I pulled the hole-shot and led the first lap which was very exciting, but I soon found that my legs did not have the juice I needed. As I tried to recover from the hard start the front group surged and I lost contact with them.
Photo: Derek Johnson
Midway through the race I was sitting in the top ten as it started to hail and rain violently. Making the course slick and muddy for the last few laps of the race. My legs just weren't there and in the last two laps I lost three or four spots.
Photo: Derek Johnson
I ended up in 11th place only ten seconds behind 6th place. It was not the result I'd hoped for but I burned a lot of matches in Saturday's XC which was the main focus.
Sam Elson and me, Midwest power!
In all, it was an absolutely fantastic weekend of racing and way more than I could have even hoped. I have to give a big thank you to Mike Kernan for hosting me the whole week, as well as Matt Knowles and the Elson/Carlson clan for helping me out with cheers, transportation, bottles hand ups and more! It takes a village and when I'm out on my own at big races I can't thank the great friends that step up and help enough!
Now as always I want to give a big thank you to my team Linear Sport RT and our sponsors: Trek, Bontrager, Wheel & Sprocket, Styled Aesthetic, Kettle Moraine Preservation and Restoration, and David Hobbs Honda. Thank you as well to my personal sponsors, Englewood Grass Farm, TOGS, Fox Racing Shocks, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix, Wolf Tooth Components and ESI Grips. I'm so proud to have represented them all at a national level this past weekend!
I am out in Missoula now for the Pro XCT UCI weekend so I will keep this brief! This was WORS race number three of the season! This time on my home trails in Cambridge, just 25 minutes from my house.
After a weekend off from racing and plenty of big miles, I was hoping for a big result with a bit of home-course advantage. From the gun I pulled the hole-shot up the infamous start hill, past the big crowd all the way to the top where I preceded to get bogged down in some would chips right at the top of the hill. I had to unclip one foot and it dropped me back to 9th place. I gained two spots back before entering the single-track.
The course was so tight and twisty that there was nothing I could do to move up until we popped out on the gravel road part way through the lap. I knew it was the time to move up and latched on when Ben Schmutte sprinted to close the gap on the top three. From there the lead group of five was established, Cole House, Pete Karinen, Brian Matter, Ben, and me.
On the third (maybe second?) lap, Ben attacked and stayed on the gas for a full lap straining the group but never breaking anyone. The rest of the race was a series of all-out assaults followed by soft-pedaling. We were all pretty evenly matched and when it was really hard, it was hard for everyone but not quite enough to drop anyone, and when it was easy, it was easy for everyone.
At the end of the fourth lap, I was dangling a little bit and when we hit the start climb Cole attacked hard. Everyone stood up and went with him, I tried to as well but I seemed to just stay in one place as the group drifted away. I was about 15 seconds down, but luckily the group slowed down and I caught back on. When we popped out on the gravel road with half a lap to go, everyone just looked at each other and no one made a move. We basically soft-pedaled the upper single-track section all the way back to the bottom of the finish climb. We rolled up through the switch back berm climb and down the little single-track descent and into the two-track portion of the climb. Everything hit the fan there as we sprinted up the climb through lapped traffic, I came out and around Brian into fourth position before we hit the last single-track section and then into the finishing shoot.
I came through in fourth place, just a few bike lengths behind the win making it the first time I have ever been in sight of the finish of a WORS race! Overall it was a decent race for me but I was definitely hoping for more. I just didn't have the legs to really take advantage of knowing the course so well or to make a move before the sprint to try and get away and obviously going into a five-man sprint in fifth wheel is never the proper move.
The highlight of the day was getting to finally, actually race with my teammate Brian Matter. Brian is someone who I have looked up to as a role model and a mentor since I first started racing ten years ago. He's helped me grow throughout the years immensely and especially in 2017 as he helped me train to win a national championship title and for MTB worlds in Australia. There is no racer I respect more and crossing the line ahead of him accomplished a goal I've had for years :)
As always big thanks to my team Linear Sport RT and our sponsors: Trek, Bontrager, Wheel & Sprocket, Styled Aesthetic, Kettle Moraine Preservation and Restoration, and David Hobbs Honda. Thank you as well to my personal sponsors, Englewood Grass Farm, TOGS, Fox Racing Shocks, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix, Wolf Tooth Components and ESI Grips.
WORS race number two! This time out at Englewood Grass Farm on their homemade single track turned race course. Although I am a bit biased in my opinion as an Englewood sponsored athlete, this is one of my favorite WORS courses. It's new to the series and is ripping fast with plenty of fun singletrack and technical rock gardens. I pre-rode on Wednesday after some course work with Ben Agnew and got my lines dialed.
Since I didn't race until 3:30 and it's only a 35-minute drive I got to relax Saturday morning before heading out to the race. Then the usual: registration, nutrition, tire pressure, and then kit up, warm up, and call up.
I lined up in the middle of the front row, almost centered on the apex of the first corner. Don did his famous countdown and we took off with me leading the charge, taking the holeshot. I lead up the first couple of pitches and out onto first big straight away on. Cole House came around me at a full sprint and I glued myself to his wheel. Ben Senkerik and Pete Karinen also came around me and I slotted in 4th wheel through the first few single track sections.
When we got to the midpoint of the lap I attacked from the back of the group up a short pitch into a descent and into another climb where I stayed on the gas up and over into the descent. I lead the rest of the lap and into the second lap when the group came around me. On the ridge straight away Isaac went to the front with me on his wheel. Cole came around him again and Pete tried to sneak by on the inside of the corner at top speed causing the whole group to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing, pushing me back to fifth wheel.
Photo: Gary Smits
I was hurting from my time in the lead but stuck with it refusing to lose the front group. After the double climb and descend section we were heading into the rock garden at the top of the climb when Pete tried to pass Isaac at an inopportune moment. They went into the chunky rock roller and Isaac hit Pete and had to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing, bringing him, Ben and I to a stop, while Pete and Cole attacked down the descent.
Photo: Brad Sovinski
From there I gave chase separating myself from Isaac and Ben going into the third lap. Then it was three laps straight out in no man's land. I managed to hold/close the gap on Pete and Cole, even getting it down to about ten seconds but I could never quite make contact. In the end. I finished 30 seconds behind the front two, the closest I have ever been to the win of a WORS race. My legs felt great and I was happy to have held pace with the top guys and to have put in more time at the front then I ever have before!
As always big thanks to my team Linear Sport RT and our sponsors: Trek, Bontrager, Wheel & Sprocket, Styled Aesthetic, Kettle Moraine Preservation and Restoration, and David Hobbs Honda. Thank you as well to my personal sponsors, Englewood Grass Farm, TOGS, Fox Racing Shocks, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix, Wolf Tooth Components and ESI Grips. Huge thanks to Ben and Kristi Agnew for putting on such an awesome event out at Englewood Grass Farm. Thank you as well to my awesome Linear Sport Racing teammates for all their support and cheers!
WORS season is finally here! For those who are new, WORS is the Wisconsin Off-Road Series, the largest and longest-running mtb series in the country. My parents started racing the series in the early 90s and got me started racing mountain bikes in 2009.
Due to excessive snow, the Iola Bump and Jump was pushed back a weekend. This meant great weather and perfect dry/tacky conditions everywhere. I opted not to preride on Saturday and just drove the two hours up Sunday morning. It was great to be back on the WORS scene and see so many familiar faces after being away at college for nine months.
Photo: Bradley Sovinski
I started off on the front row and was quick off the line along with Ben Senkerik going 1 and 2 into the first corner. Cole House and Pete Karinen came around us at the top of the ski hill climb and then we dropped into the bowl. Pete was putting down the hammer and I dangled just off the group of three. As we emerged from the first single track section I latched onto Ben but he was feeling the burn too and a small gap formed between Pete/Cole and Ben/me. I came around Ben and tried to close the gap for the rest of the first lap but just couldn't do it.
Photo: Bradley Sovinski
Ben passed me back at the start of the second lap and took up the hunt. We settled into a good pace and established a solid gap on the rest of the field.
Fueling up with a Honey Stinger gel! Photo: Bradley Sovinski
I led for the whole third lap and Ben took over again going into the fourth lap. At the climb half-way through the lap, Ben launched an attack and stayed on the gas trying to drop me. It almost popped me but I barely managed to stay on and did my best to recover.
Photo: Gary Smits
Ben stayed on the gas all the way back to the start of the same climb a lap later. As we approached the top I counterattacked as hard as I could up and over. I put it down as hard as I could for the rest of the lap navigating through lapped traffic emptying the tank.
Photo: Gary Smits
I finished in third with almost a 50-second gap on Ben and two minutes down on Cole House who won. These guys have been out at the Pro XCTs in California whereas this was my first race of the season, so no complaints from me! The handling skills felt good and the legs felt great, now I just need to work on not missing the podium :)
Missed the podium, so solo shot instead lol!
For any data nerds out there, here is my heart rate data from the race. You can see where I was leading from miles one-ish to five on lap one, where Ben was leading from miles 5-10 on lap two, where I lead again on lap three from miles 10-15, where Ben attacked on lap four around mile 17 and finally where I counterattacked on lap five around miles 22.
Overall pretty stoked to open the season with a top three. Big thanks to my team Linear Sport RT and our sponsors: Trek, Bontrager, Wheel & Sprocket, Styled Aesthetic, Kettle Moraine Preservation and Restoration, and David Hobbs Honda. Thank you to my personal sponsors, Englewood Grass Farm, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix, Wolf Tooth Components and ESI Grips. In addition, new to my program this season are TOGS and Fox Racing Shocks, so huge thanks to them as well and I'm proud to be representing them. Next up is the Englewood Open on Saturday, I'm heading out there today to pre-ride and will be posting a course preview video soon!
Sorry for the delay on this race report, things got a little bit hectic after missing class and starting my second semester of college the day I got back from Nationals!
The whole Marian squad (16 riders and three coaches) flew out to Reno on Monday the 8th and walked the course in the afternoon. It was nothing spectacular but had stairs, a ditch jump, a sand pit, more stairs, a big hill and some fun off-camber sections. Overall it was a power course but with enough features intermixed to make it fun. Tuesday we pre-rode and I settled on my Challenge Baby Limus's as the perfect tire for the slick, but not sloppy course.
Photo: Jason Blodgett
The individual collegiate varsity men's race was at 9:30 on Wednesday morning. I had a front row start but when they blew the whistle, the rider to the left of me swung across the field cutting off half of the front row. On the plus side this opened the door for my Marian teammate Cade to pull the holeshot. I came through the first corner in sixth and moved up into fourth before the short set of stairs. I lost contact with Cade, Henry Nadell and Brannan Fix when I bobbled in the sand pit. For the rest of the first lap and most of the second lap I was stuck dangling about ten seconds off the front group.
On the third lap Stephan Davoust of Fort Lewis caught me and we worked together for a lap until I started to drop off. Stephan bridged up to his teammate Henry, while Brannan and Cade dropped back from the front group. Cade and I worked together on the fourth lap in 3rd and 4th place and I established a small gap on the second to last lap and it held until the end to finish in 3rd. Cade ended up 5th and Ben Schmutte ended up 6th rounding out the top three for Marian.
I have been racing Cyclocross National Championships since 2008 and I have been very close to a few podium finishes. This was the first time it all came together and finally happened, making it very special for me and my family.
Photo: Patrick Gordon
On Thursday the collegiate team omnium came down to the 4x4 team relay. To win the championship we had to beat Fort Lewis. Our team was Cade first, Laurel Rathbun second, Emma third, and I was the anchor. It was a lot of pressure, and I was incredibly nervous. Probably more nervous than I have ever been before any other race in my life. What made this race so special was that we were racing for the whole team, they were relying on us to be the very best we could be and bring home the title.
Cade put in a ripper first lap coming through in the lead. Laurel managed to get a gap on her lap coming through in first again. Emma was up against a fast Brevard College male rider who got a gap on her, and she came through in second with a 25 second gap on the third place Fort Lewis rider.
As soon as Emma came around the corner onto the start/finish straight I started rolling, careful to stay behind her until the finish line (if you pass your rider before the line you get a time penalty), and then launched into a full sprint. I hammered out of the first corner and up the false flat into the headwind, nearly nauseous as I dismounted for the stairs. I ran the ditch because I didn't want to risk a big mistake, and then nailed the sandpit and climb up to the belgian steps. Coming into pit two Stephan had closed the gap big time and I knew I had to get on the gas harder.
Photo: Patrick Gordon
I put everything I had into the next few straightaways and off camber sections, finally grinding up the steep hill and around the downhill switchbacks. From there I buried across the little wooden bridge, up the pavement climb and sprinted out of the final corner all the way to the line.
Photo: Patrick Gordon
I ended up finishing seven seconds ahead of Stephen in second place, and managed to close 41 seconds of the 51 second lead Brevard had on us. I was thrilled to have done my part for the team, and it was amazing to take home the overall championship after such a solid team effort.
Photo: Patrick Gordon
Next year (this December) hopefully we can take home the relay championship, it was such a close battle and such a unique style of racing. I can't wait to do it more!
Photo: Patrick Gordon
After all the team excitement Friday was spent recovering on the couch and I got out for an easy spin. Saturday Emma and I did our final course recon and leg openers.
Saturday morning everything went to plan, breakfast, course recon, Emma raced (finished 4th!), warm, and then staging.
Photo: Dave McElwaine
I was second row but didn't have the start I was looking for, getting pushed back into the field. I came through the sandpit in 18th place and looking to move up ASAP. Coming into the second lap the legs were finally going and I worked my way into a big group fighting for the top 12.
Photo: Dave McElwaine
I felt comfortable in the group and made sure not to lose and wheels or work harder than I needed to. Eventually it was down to a group of five rider fighting for the top ten. Coming into the second to last lap I threw down some watts on the false flat after the start straight and got a gap on the group.
Photo: Jeff Curtes
I held the gap but on the start straight coming into the final lap Denzel Stephenson passed me pushing me from ninth to tenth. I was too gassed from the previous lap to hold his wheel but I tried to pace off of him as best I could so the group behind me didn't catch up.
Photo: Jeff Curtes
In the I held off the group and finished in tenth place, 2 seconds behind Lance Haidet (2017 U23 champion) and 8 seconds behind Denzel. It was an extremely tough race, the field was stacked and the course was demanding but I was happy with how I raced. I didn't give up, I played my cards properly and I felt content with the effort I gave and the result I earned. Check out this article put out by Trek for some more insight on my season.
I can't thank my family, friends, coaches, teammates and sponsors enough for making my first U23 nationals one to remember. Special thanks to my team, Trek Cyclocross Collective and my sponsors Trek Bicycles, Bontrager, Sram, Challenge Tires, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix, and Englewood Grass Farm. Lastly thank you for reading and for following along on my adventures this past year, your support means a great deal to me. Mountain bike season is approaching quickly and it is going to be a good one! I will be putting out and announcement about my 2018 mtb season so be sure to keep and eye out for it and follow along on Instagram/Twitter @cswartzz and on Facebook @Caleb Swartz. Peace!
Last UCI race weekend of the year! My dad flew down to Indianapolis and my sister and I picked him up on the way out of town. It took us about 8 hours but we made it through the snow storms and the mountains to Hendersonville, North Carolina. When we got there every single restaurant was closed but we grabbed groceries at Target and luckily the Brookshire's who were hosting us hooked it up with some pasta.
Saturday morning we woke up to more fresh snow (total of about 10 inches) and did a combination of breakfast, bike work, free Trek cyclocross live stream watching and spinning on the rollers inside. Emma raced at 1:20 and unfortunately had some bad luck landing her in 8th place.
I had a second row call up and a great start putting me into 7th place after the first few turns. I was right with the top five but kept having trouble clipping in due to the snow and ice and dropped back to 7th part way through the second lap. I kept making little mistakes and that combined with not being able to clip along with some issues with my saddle angle dropping, kept me from catching back up. I dangled in 7th until the last quarter of the race when fellow Wisconsonite Isaac Neff caught up to me and then proceeded to drop me on the second to last lap pushing me back to finish in 8th place.
Photo: Daren Wilz
It was my best UCI finish yet but I was not pleased with all the little mistakes I kept making. I had the legs to make the top five but the execution just wasn't quite there.
On Sunday my goal was to minimize my mistakes and to crack the top five. Things kicked off with a front row call-up and a great start putting me in the top eight. I had a good first two laps dangling just outside the top five but I started making little mistakes that cost me.
Photo: Daren Wilz
On my third lap I really started to make mistakes and just wasn't hitting my lines on the rutted out course. I dropped back all the way back to 11th place by the start of the fourth lap. I took a bike in pit one and kicked it back into gear. I rode back through the group that caught me and into 8th place.
Photo: Daren Wilz
On the second to last lap I almost closed the gap on 6th and 7th place and on the final lap I caught the 7th place rider and finished just behind the 6th place rider. Finishing in 7th was my new personal best UCI finish but once again I was not happy with all the mistakes I made.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend of racing in some super fun, gnarly conditions that we don't see very often. I scored some valuable UCI points and next up is nationals!
Big thanks to the Brookshire's for their hospitality and for putting us up at their wonderful home! In addition thank you to my sponsors Trek, Bontrager, Sram, Honey Stinger, Mike's Mix, Challenge Tires, and Englewood Grass farm for their great support!
