Ore to Shore

Here is a quick and very late race report coming at you! My family and I drove up to the U.P. Friday morning. Emma, Ben Schmutte and I got out for a quick preride/spin.

Saturday morning we were up early and headed to the start. I lined up front row with my teammate Brian Matter and got ready to suffer! Unfortunately, my potential for a great race was cut short, when my chain exploded eight minutes in. I didn't have a chain tool and was stuck waiting until a kind person threw me one. Another friendly dude from Broken Spoke stopped to help as well and we got me up and running again. At that point, I was 17 minutes behind the leaders in last place(667th) with 40 miles to go.

From there I just buried myself. I worked my way through huge groups of people desperate to catch my sister and help her win the big check. With 9 miles to go I finally caught her and told her to hop on my wheel. She already had a few minute gap on second place so I towed her all the way into the finish. It was pretty special to cross the line with her.

Although my race was shot the weekend was still a blast. I got to race with my sister, go cliff jumping with great friends and spend some time up in the North Woods. This pretty much concludes my "pro" mountain bike season for 2018. Now it is time for collegiate racing and cyclocross! Announcements about cross will be coming soon so stay tuned.

WORS #8 Hixon Forest Epic

Last WORS race of the season for me! Hixon Forest in La Crosse is one of my favorite courses and a little rain made for perfect conditions. Per usual I drove up the morning of, warmed up and got my call-up. Right from the gun, I settled in on Cole's wheel and he set the pace.

Photo: Janice Jedlicka

We entered the first single track section together and started to pull away from the field throughout the first lap. We established a solid gap and heading into the second lap I put in a dig before the first single track section taking the lead. Cole closed it down on the descent and heading into the first singletrack climb I gave it some gas to test the waters. I got a small gap and Cole closed it down passing me back midway through that second lap.

Shortly after he passed me back Cole dropped his chain through a rocky section and I hit the gas. I figured he would lose 20-30 seconds and catch me after a little bit, so I decided to at least make him work for it. I kept the pace high expecting to see him coming but it never happened for the rest of that second lap. I realized that this was my opportunity to make a win happen and I continued charging solo.

I rode the next three laps totally solo, growing my lead. My legs felt fantastic, I kept my technical mistakes to a minimum and I never let off the gas. I ended up crossing with over a two-minute lead to win my first ever Pro WORS race!

Photo: Janice Jedlicka

I've been racing WORS for ten years now and racing in the elite race for about four seasons now. I've wanted to win an elite race as long as I can remember and finally checking off this goal feels amazing.

I'd like to thank the whole WORS community for their endless support in me and to my amazing 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 for helping make this happen.

2018 Mountain Bike National Championships

Time for a nationals roundup! I rolled out on Tuesday the 17th and headed for Milwaukee where I picked up fellow WORS racer and friend Ben Senkerik. We then headed for Indianapolis where we stayed the night with my sister's boyfriend and Marian grad Ben Schmutte. We had dinner, spun out the legs and the next morning we were back on the road early to finish the drive.

Snowshoe never disappoints! 

The rest of the evening was spent riding, getting to know the Bear Development crew I was staying with, and hanging out at the Wisco/AZ cookout. One of the things I love most about cycling is all the friends you make and one of the best parts of nationals is reuniting with those friends from all over the country.

Hanging with the Bear Pro Team boys and Specialized Racing interloper Chris Blevins

Thursday I pre-rode more and got a few hot laps in. I felt fast and fluid on the course, but I made the mistake of going back to hit the big manmade rock garden one more time. On the exit I was I was just a few inches off my line and slammed into a rock super-manning over the bars. I got scraped up all over my body and hyperextended my left elbow. Overall I was in one piece and Ron Funston (Scott's dad) checked me out and taped up my arm.

Trek Top Fuel dialed and ready!

The next day I did one easy lap and then hit the rock drop a few times to regain my confidence before spinning out the legs. Then there was nothing left to do but rest, recover and focus!

The A-line over the rock drop. Photo: Jack Looney

Cross Country

Saturday morning, the Bear Pro crew and I all went through our race day rituals. Breakfast, coffee, watch the tour, second breakfast, and legs up until it was time to kit up. Then warm up and roll to the start. I lined up second row on the far right and charged up the start hill in the top ten. When we popped out onto the first climb people went around me like I was standing still. I tried to kick it into gear but things just wouldn't click.

Photo: Calder Wood

I went into lap two near 20th place, but this time when I got to the first climb it felt like a switch had been flicked. All of a sudden I was actually racing! I started to make up a few spots. At the end of the third lap, Cooper Willsey caught up to me. I hopped on his wheel and we started making moves. He had a very smart strategy, fast but steady on the climbs so that you weren't too gassed to put it down in the technical sections.

Photo: Calder Wood

By the final lap we worked our way almost into the top ten, Coop had a little gap on me after the last descent but both of us were clear from the rest of the group. Cooper finished in 9th just eight seconds ahead of me in 10th.

It was my first u23 nationals and earlier in the year I set the goal of cracking the top ten, but I was still disappointed. You know what really good legs feel like, you know decent legs feel like, and you know what bad legs feel like. On this day my legs were just painfully mediocre and far from what I needed to attain a big result. On the bright side, I was the top finishing first year u23 and my fellow Trek family members of the Bear Pro Team claimed six of the top seven spots!

Short Track

On Sunday we had to wait around all morning since we didn't race until two. That meant more Tour watching, lots of food, stretching and tired dudes talking about how much the short track was going to hurt.

I did a long warm up and got my call-up to the fourth row. I started hard trying to make up as many spots as I could quickly before I lost too much time. The pace was blisteringly hot and I struggled to hold on to my teammate Brian Matter's wheel as he moved up through the field.

Photo: Janice Jedlicka

He still helped me move up a few spots through the field and at the halfway mark of the race other races started to blow sky-high. I started making up spots passing the blown riders.

I worked my way close to the top 15 but lost some spots on the last two laps fading back to 20th place. Again, I was hoping for a better result but I really had no clue what to expect in my first Pro STXC nats.

Photo: Janice Jedlicka

In all I had a great week in West Virginia. The riding and racing was fantastic and I came away with some solid results and learned a lot. I have to give a huge thank you to Julia Violich and the Bear Devo program for hosting me for the week and making me feel so welcome.

Now finally I want to thank my amazing team, Linear Sport RT and 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 for making my season happen. I couldn't do it without them.

WORS Cup Midwest Championships

WORS Cup! One of the best race weekends of the entire WORS season. Things kicked off on Saturday with the XC race in the afternoon.

Right from the gun we tore down the start straight and kicked up the ski hill almost all the way to the top. I kept a consistent pace and moved into 5th before the descent, and moved into 4th on the way down. I followed Sam Elson for the first lap and came around him going into the second lap chasing after Pete and Cole.

I passed Pete up the climb and started chasing after Cole hard. I brought the gap from 35 seconds down to under 10 but left off just a little too soon, and Cole drifted away again at the start of the third lap.

Pete led the third lap and going into the fourth lap Brian caught us, coming around at full speed. I hopped on his wheel and we took off in pursuit of Cole. Brian pushed it hard while I yo-yoed on and off his wheel for the rest of the lap. In the end Brian finished 10 seconds off Cole and I was 10 seconds behind Brian.

I wish I could have taken that top spot but I was still thrilled with how I raced. I felt super strong and on my game, I felt smooth and fluent in the single track and I had the fitness to put down the power when I needed.

Photo: Danny Marchewka

On Sunday we went full gas into the short track event. Things started off hard and I stayed out of the wind following Daxton. Pete took over the lead for a few laps pushing the pace.

Photo: Danny Marchewka

With four to go Brian went to the front and launched a full out attack. Only Cole and I stuck with him and our little group of three had a gap. Brian led for those two laps and Cole took over for 2nd to last lap. Things hit the fan again on the last lap as Brian floored it again.

Photo: Danny Marchewka

I tried to sneak around on each of the two climbs but just couldn't do it. Going into last finish loop we thought we had it sewed up, but being the savvy racer Cole is, he managed to sneak right around us and take the win. It was a little disappointing but that's racing, and it was still a super fun, fast, hard clean race!

Photo: Danny Marchewka

Next up I leave for nationals in West Virginia on Tuesday. I can't wait to give it everything I've got! Be sure to follow along on my social media for updates.

To finish things off I want to say thank you to my team Linear Sport RT  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!

WORS #5 Red Flint Firecracker

A little bit late but here is a super quick recap of WORS #5 in Eau Claire!

Photo: Brad Sovinski

Things started off a little slower than usual because of the two miles double track lead out. I stayed protected and moved up the side and luckily avoided a crash.

As the dust settled I decided it was time to get out of there and sprinted ahead after Ben and Cole along with Pete. Kyle Trudeau joined our group before the first descent and midway down Pete went down hard.

A gap opened up between us and Cole forcing us to chase. Kyle gassed it for the rest of the first lap and Ben took over at the start of the second lap. Midway through the lap I went to the front and took over the chase.

Photo: Brad Sovinski

I pushed it hard and eventually got a gap on Kyle and Ben by the end of the lap. From there I just kept the pace high for two more laps to finish it off. It was difficult to be solo for more than an hour in the heat but it was a good mental battle to stay on the gas and not let up.

Photo: Brad Sovinski

I was pretty stoked to take second overall, my best WORS finish ever!

As always thank you to my team Linear Sport RT  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!

WORS #4 Mt. Morris Challenge

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

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!