In visions of the dark night
I have dreamed of joy departed
But a waking dream of life and light
Hath left me broken-hearted.
Ah! what is not a dream by day
To him whose eyes are cast
On things around him with a ray
Turned back upon the past?
That holy dream - that holy dream,
While all the world were chiding,
Hath cheered me as a lovely beam
A lonely spirit guiding.
What though that light, thro' storm and night,
So trembled from afar
What could there be more purely bright
In Truth's day-star?
By Edgar Allan Poe
~A poem I picked to memorize for my english class
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Tyler's View ~ A Specialized Report
My father and I spent last night putting together my new Tarmac Pro and it was a blast. We had all of it put together by around 10 and then it was time for a test ride. Of course I started out with a sprint and in the middle of it while I was tugging on the bars they pulled sideways. The wheel was pointed right and I was headed left...not good. I pulled out of it and it was no problem, guess we should have tightened the stem down to the fork before my test ride.
Today was the first real ride on it and I was thinking about going for a couple hours around the lake, but as I got onto the road I decided that it had to go up Tam on its first ride. I got to test its ability at climbing and descending and it blew me away. Right from the start I could feel the incredible stiffness as I stomped towards town. As I began to climb Tam I was going at a relatively easy pace, but I was flying. The Beast and its carbon is so stiff that all of my power goes just where its supposed to. I made it to the peak above the golf course with relative ease before I was subdued by hunger. I still wasnt sure if I could head back home, I was hypnotized by this machine and its abilities.
Then came the real test, the descent. The road was relatively packed today so I couldnt push it to the absolute limit, but I would definitely go hard. I started my timer (Im not sure if anyone else times there descents but I love going downhill fast) and I was off. The first few corners were crisp. I started to glide through the next few and I began to notice that this machine was even better at descending than climbing. It was as if it found the apex for me. I was going well into hyperdrive until I met a car that decided to stop in the middle of the road. After a few valuable seconds were lost and a total loss of momentum I was off again. I took it back into hyper drive and flew to the bottom. Not bad 6 minutes flat. My record on the old machine was 5:52, I am going to blow that away. The Beast is very nearly a weapon of war.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Tyler's View ~ The Last Ride - A Tribute to The Old Beast
I have been riding on a red Specialized Allez for two years and it has been a great ride. That machine has carried me through a lot more than just miles of tarmac. It has helped me through my first Nationals and taken to the hospital during my recovery from a car accident to brighten the mood. It has been the center of my life for two years, but all good things must come to an end. My last ride on The Beast today was an appropriate ending, an epic ride.
I started out with the plan of doing the Roaster's ride and then going for a few more hours. I went out early and spun to San Anselmo, where upon I sat around for 30 minutes waiting for a ride that I finally decided must not be going on. I headed out into the cold for a ride by myself. When I started White's Hill I was sure glad that I was by myself because I was suffering. Over the past few weeks I have had decent legs on the flats, but I just get knocked on climbs. I think my legs are just tired. Well I fought my way out to the Cheese factory and the sun began to shine a little. It was the beginning of another beautiful day in paradise, well I thought it would be.
I had an awesome time riding out on the country roads towards Marshall, they have even repaved a lot of the sections of that road and it is damn beautiful out there. I grimaced my way to the top of Marshall and flew down to Tomales, where upon I fought a consistent head wind into Pt. Reyes. The last few climbs going into Pt. Reyes were just rollers but they were killing me. It felt as if my rear wheel was low or something. Five miles later its flat, I love slow leaks.
So, I have got my equipment to fix this, no problem right. I slap in a new tube and get the CO2 and then as I snap in the CO2 it shoots everywhere except for into the tube. What bloody luck, I am finished. The cell phone doesnt work and I thought that my parents were in Calistoga so it wasnt going to be much use anyway. I start looking around for some fellow riders, but the cold day seemed to scare most people off the road. So I tear the valves off of my tubes and slap the two of them in and begin to ride. I sit real far forward and try to put all my weight onto the front wheel, w/o going over the bars. After a bit I begin to realize that I am not going to pull this off for 15 miles and I start looking towards the side of the road. I see a mountain bike tire. I grab it with the idea of slapping this one into the wheel also and hopefully making it work a little better and not kill my rim. So this tube is pretty think and getting the valve off proved to be quite a challenge. I got a sharp rock and eventually punctured it and pulled the valve off.
Just then as Im thinking of how epic this is going to be a fellow riders shows up. He offers to help me out as I explain my situation. First he lends me a tube and I slap it in and try to get it going with his pump, but the valve is too short for my rims. I take that out and he offers me a tube with a longer stem. Everthing goes well and I get the thing all pumped up perfectly and just as I take the pump off, so does the tip of the valve come off. Just then another riders shows up, a real friendly guy that offers to help, but he only has a short valve tube. He hangs with us for a bit as we think of what to do. Then my new friend, Mark from Novato decides that he will be incredibly nice and take the long stemmed tube from his front wheel, let me have it and stick the short stem into his wheel. Jeze what a nice guy. Everything works out perfectly and we head out on our seperate ways after many Thanks.
After standing there for 30 minutes my legs our more dead than they were before. Plus it is getting darker and cloudier and I am starving. I finish up my last Clif-Shot but that does little help, as I am still starving. My legs dont seem to want to move but I suffer on. I make it to the San Geronimo golf course and begin to die as I am suffering into a headwind going about 12 mph. Just then a large man shows up and passes me. Hes cruising and I am able to jump right into his slipstream. Jeze, that was a great slipstream. We were cruising and I was barely pedaling. I made it to the base of White's Hill and suffered to the top. I made it home, and three bowls of cereal later I felt much better.
The time has come for a New Beast and after 4 hours in the garage it is built. It is time for the last farewells to the Old Beast and this is my tribute to her. I can not remember all the experiences that we had together, but I will always remember our last ride.
I started out with the plan of doing the Roaster's ride and then going for a few more hours. I went out early and spun to San Anselmo, where upon I sat around for 30 minutes waiting for a ride that I finally decided must not be going on. I headed out into the cold for a ride by myself. When I started White's Hill I was sure glad that I was by myself because I was suffering. Over the past few weeks I have had decent legs on the flats, but I just get knocked on climbs. I think my legs are just tired. Well I fought my way out to the Cheese factory and the sun began to shine a little. It was the beginning of another beautiful day in paradise, well I thought it would be.
I had an awesome time riding out on the country roads towards Marshall, they have even repaved a lot of the sections of that road and it is damn beautiful out there. I grimaced my way to the top of Marshall and flew down to Tomales, where upon I fought a consistent head wind into Pt. Reyes. The last few climbs going into Pt. Reyes were just rollers but they were killing me. It felt as if my rear wheel was low or something. Five miles later its flat, I love slow leaks.
So, I have got my equipment to fix this, no problem right. I slap in a new tube and get the CO2 and then as I snap in the CO2 it shoots everywhere except for into the tube. What bloody luck, I am finished. The cell phone doesnt work and I thought that my parents were in Calistoga so it wasnt going to be much use anyway. I start looking around for some fellow riders, but the cold day seemed to scare most people off the road. So I tear the valves off of my tubes and slap the two of them in and begin to ride. I sit real far forward and try to put all my weight onto the front wheel, w/o going over the bars. After a bit I begin to realize that I am not going to pull this off for 15 miles and I start looking towards the side of the road. I see a mountain bike tire. I grab it with the idea of slapping this one into the wheel also and hopefully making it work a little better and not kill my rim. So this tube is pretty think and getting the valve off proved to be quite a challenge. I got a sharp rock and eventually punctured it and pulled the valve off.
Just then as Im thinking of how epic this is going to be a fellow riders shows up. He offers to help me out as I explain my situation. First he lends me a tube and I slap it in and try to get it going with his pump, but the valve is too short for my rims. I take that out and he offers me a tube with a longer stem. Everthing goes well and I get the thing all pumped up perfectly and just as I take the pump off, so does the tip of the valve come off. Just then another riders shows up, a real friendly guy that offers to help, but he only has a short valve tube. He hangs with us for a bit as we think of what to do. Then my new friend, Mark from Novato decides that he will be incredibly nice and take the long stemmed tube from his front wheel, let me have it and stick the short stem into his wheel. Jeze what a nice guy. Everything works out perfectly and we head out on our seperate ways after many Thanks.
After standing there for 30 minutes my legs our more dead than they were before. Plus it is getting darker and cloudier and I am starving. I finish up my last Clif-Shot but that does little help, as I am still starving. My legs dont seem to want to move but I suffer on. I make it to the San Geronimo golf course and begin to die as I am suffering into a headwind going about 12 mph. Just then a large man shows up and passes me. Hes cruising and I am able to jump right into his slipstream. Jeze, that was a great slipstream. We were cruising and I was barely pedaling. I made it to the base of White's Hill and suffered to the top. I made it home, and three bowls of cereal later I felt much better.
The time has come for a New Beast and after 4 hours in the garage it is built. It is time for the last farewells to the Old Beast and this is my tribute to her. I can not remember all the experiences that we had together, but I will always remember our last ride.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Mount Tam Hill Climb
That helmet hair!4th Place
The day started out good and ended well, but the middle involved some dead legs. I got up early and Ryan and Ethan drove over to my house and we went for a warm up over Tam. I could already tell that my legs were not feeling good, but you definitely do not want to admit that to yourself before a race. I just kept rolling along hoping that they would come around before the race. We got down to stinson a bit slower than we would have hoped and that meant for a little bit of a rush of getting pre-race duties done. I made it to the line with plenty of time, but I couldnt find Ryan or Ethan, but they both made it there on time and we were off. Ryan, Ethan and I had ridden the course the week before and we were all excited and prepared. There had not been many tough competitors pre-registered so we had thought about doing a tough pace along the flats in order to get a really good time. However, quite a few other strong riders had showed up so we decided to just sit in on the flats and take it easy. It was a good steady pace around 22 mph, I would have liked for them to go faster, but I wasnt going to go on the front and waste myself, especially considering how my legs felt. We got near the hill and I made my way towards the front and started the hill up there. I soon realized that it was indeed true that my legs felt terrible and I was dying to hold onto the last wheel of the shattered front group. After a few miles of the climb I lost all contact and was left to fight it on my own. My legs felt horrible, but I just kept telling myself "Keep Fightin...keep fightin..." I was caught by Danimal (Daniel Tisdell) and I hung onto his wheel for a while. I was hoping that I could find my legs and catch some riders that would blow up from the front group. That did not happen and I gave it my all to the finish, but was definitely not happy about my result. I was more than 2 minutes slower than my time of last year! I was thoroughly dissappointed, but I had a lot of fun descending down Panoramic back to Stinson. Ryan, Ethan, and I plus my father and his friend Jeff rode out in the general area of the Lighthouse. On the way out towards Pt. Reyes I was suffering horribly, but I eventually found some decent legs. Ryan and I raced up a couple hill with one leg and we made our way back to my house. We were even able to drill it for the last 8 miles and we made it back with 100 miles under our belts for the day.
Monday, September 10, 2007
My new frame
This is not a toy. This is not a commuter's bike. This is not a yuppies showpiece. This is, very nearly, a weapon of war- a machine that reach's deep into the soul of the man atop the saddle and capture's his heart. This is the new Beast. Much Thanks goes out to The Godfather (Ben Vandevier) for the sweet deal on The Beast!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Tyler's View ~ Starting a Diary?
September 9, 2007
Well last week I went searching through the attic to find some old posters that I had put up there, but I couldn't find them. I did find something that was much more thrilling than posters though. I found some cycling magazines from the 1990's. It is pretty awesome to read interviews with Hinault, Hampsten and Lemond. Well in one of the Velonews there was a story by Bob Roll that I had read in one of his books, but I found the actual Velonew that it was in. It is a good story so last night I went to read it again. At the end Bobke said "I recommend that everyone keep a daily diary- so as the memory fades, you have a record to look back on." I thought it was a good idea, and since I had just started a blog I thought that I would go for it. I dont know how often I will actually write diary stories of each day, but I think it will be cool to look back upon. I mean I am definitely living the dream. I am still young and have my whole future to look forward to. I think that every day is pretty awesome even if I have a bad day, I mean come on were living on this beautiful planet you know. Well it is almost the end of the cycling season and I am sort of looking forward to having an easy month of little riding, but I also love to ride so much that I dont really want a month off. Plus I am getting a new frame and I dont know how I am going to last a month without riding the new Beast. It will be a Tarmac Pro and I am definitely looking forward to hopping on that. I went for an easy ride today around the Nicasio Reservoir and it was pretty cold, foggy and a bit windy, even though I did not head out until around 11. That cold weather started me thinking of leg warmers and booties, and that is actually exciting. I definitely enjoy riding in the sun, but I feel much more like a bike racer when it is cold and windy and I am the only one out on the bike, makes you feel tough. I've got some big dreams for next year and I cant wait to go on those long base rides through the blasting wind and rain.
Well last week I went searching through the attic to find some old posters that I had put up there, but I couldn't find them. I did find something that was much more thrilling than posters though. I found some cycling magazines from the 1990's. It is pretty awesome to read interviews with Hinault, Hampsten and Lemond. Well in one of the Velonews there was a story by Bob Roll that I had read in one of his books, but I found the actual Velonew that it was in. It is a good story so last night I went to read it again. At the end Bobke said "I recommend that everyone keep a daily diary- so as the memory fades, you have a record to look back on." I thought it was a good idea, and since I had just started a blog I thought that I would go for it. I dont know how often I will actually write diary stories of each day, but I think it will be cool to look back upon. I mean I am definitely living the dream. I am still young and have my whole future to look forward to. I think that every day is pretty awesome even if I have a bad day, I mean come on were living on this beautiful planet you know. Well it is almost the end of the cycling season and I am sort of looking forward to having an easy month of little riding, but I also love to ride so much that I dont really want a month off. Plus I am getting a new frame and I dont know how I am going to last a month without riding the new Beast. It will be a Tarmac Pro and I am definitely looking forward to hopping on that. I went for an easy ride today around the Nicasio Reservoir and it was pretty cold, foggy and a bit windy, even though I did not head out until around 11. That cold weather started me thinking of leg warmers and booties, and that is actually exciting. I definitely enjoy riding in the sun, but I feel much more like a bike racer when it is cold and windy and I am the only one out on the bike, makes you feel tough. I've got some big dreams for next year and I cant wait to go on those long base rides through the blasting wind and rain.
Iron Angels
Now this was a tough race. I was doing pretty well sitting in 4th place until my bike gets toasted by the mud with 2 miles to go. The mud was crazy and it got stuck everywhere on my bike, my rear wheel wouldnt budge, so I had to run the last two miles trying to drag the bike along. I finished in 8th and was dead, but its cool looking at the photos now.
Grants Ranch
This course was like a road race, with a lot of drafting, I was able to win the sprint and get 2nd.Saturday, September 8, 2007
Giro Di San Francisco
Elite 3
I drove out with my grandfather to Sausalito and rode from there to the race. My legs felt alright, but not great on the way out there. I got there feeling decently warmed-up, but our race had been delayed due to some problems and so I got my number pinned and ate some food for a while. Ethan, Ryan and I then got in a good warm-up and rode up to Coit Tower a few times. Our plan for this race was to win as many primes as possible and then win the race of course. The race started out well, and my legs had not felt good during the warm-up, but when that adrenaline of racing came they felt pretty good. I sat up in the top 10 and I was thinking a lot about trying to do as little work as I could. A couple primes came, and I tried to get up to the front for them, but I kept getting cut off and knocked around and I did not want to waste myself. I watched as Ryan and Ethan worked some perfect teamwork to win a prime. Through the descent they were 1-2 and then Ryan came around before the last corner and got a gap as Ethan blocked. For the next prime I made it up to the front just as Ethan attacked. I got in front and started to block and worked like a charm. Nobody felt like fighting me and Ethan held it solo for a lap and got another prime. The race flew by from that point on and I continued to fight for good position. With 2 laps to go I sat 3rd wheel. As we came around for the last lap the field swarmed and I was toast. I struggled through the first corner as I got sandwiched between two guys. I held on tight and made it through and then I drilled it up the climb and Ethan got on my wheel. I fought through the backstretch to get him to the front and made it up near 5th wheel. It was chaos though and Ethan lost my wheel a few times and I of course had nothing for the sprint after attempting the lead out. We struggled to get good results in the finish, but I think we had a good team race.
I drove out with my grandfather to Sausalito and rode from there to the race. My legs felt alright, but not great on the way out there. I got there feeling decently warmed-up, but our race had been delayed due to some problems and so I got my number pinned and ate some food for a while. Ethan, Ryan and I then got in a good warm-up and rode up to Coit Tower a few times. Our plan for this race was to win as many primes as possible and then win the race of course. The race started out well, and my legs had not felt good during the warm-up, but when that adrenaline of racing came they felt pretty good. I sat up in the top 10 and I was thinking a lot about trying to do as little work as I could. A couple primes came, and I tried to get up to the front for them, but I kept getting cut off and knocked around and I did not want to waste myself. I watched as Ryan and Ethan worked some perfect teamwork to win a prime. Through the descent they were 1-2 and then Ryan came around before the last corner and got a gap as Ethan blocked. For the next prime I made it up to the front just as Ethan attacked. I got in front and started to block and worked like a charm. Nobody felt like fighting me and Ethan held it solo for a lap and got another prime. The race flew by from that point on and I continued to fight for good position. With 2 laps to go I sat 3rd wheel. As we came around for the last lap the field swarmed and I was toast. I struggled through the first corner as I got sandwiched between two guys. I held on tight and made it through and then I drilled it up the climb and Ethan got on my wheel. I fought through the backstretch to get him to the front and made it up near 5th wheel. It was chaos though and Ethan lost my wheel a few times and I of course had nothing for the sprint after attempting the lead out. We struggled to get good results in the finish, but I think we had a good team race.
Challenge Road Race
11th Place Elite 3
Ethan, Ryan and I set out for Live Oak on Friday afternoon. We planned to stay at my grandparent’s home that night and drive up to Challenge the next morning. This worked out well so that we did not have to wake up extremely early for the race. We made it out there and got registered, and pinned some numbers. It was actually quite cold in the early part of the morning, but that would not last for long. We made it over to the starting line and sat there for about 30 minutes. Velo Promo is always late, but I can not blame them because they provide so many races throughout the year for us, and I really appreciate that. Velo Promo races are what racing is all about; its races for riders who just love the sport as the only prize is a T-shirt. I must say though, a Velo-promo T-shirt is considered to be quite the trophy in the bike race world. Well the course started out on a crazy neutral descent. I got in front for the neutral descent and stuck behind the motorcycle, it’s quite amazing how much draft you can get from those. The pavement was horrible for this descent, but my trusty Specialized and I glided over most of it. We started up the first climb and I began to do some tempo near the front, I was not going very hard but it felt good to open up the legs a little since I had very little warm up. After a bit I dropped back and put in a small attack. I got pulled back in and Ethan attacked and Ryan blocked on the front. I think that we may have started our tactics too early, but it was a lot of fun to ride with a team. Along the course we went onto a very nice paved descent, and it was pretty steep. We got going about 5 2 mph so that was quite a lot of fun. I personally enjoy windy technical descent more than pure speed, but there is just something about going over 50 mph on a bike that provides a thrill. I sat in for much of the lap and then we hit the feed zone climb. This climb is tough and it is absolutely wide open so the sun was just bearing down on us. I went with an attack on the climb just so that I could sit on and be in front of the pack so that I would have a buffer zone and not get dropped because I was suffering. I made it up to the feed zone and poured water all over myself and then I felt decent through the final climb. The second lap I just hung in and tried to conserve. We started the feed zone climb and I once again went with the attack to provide some room. The pack started to break apart chasing us down and about 20 guys made it up to the break that I was in. I started to really suffer on it though and was barely hanging on to the back of the new pack. I made it to the feed zone once again and got some much needed water. I then went up near the front for the start of the other climb. I suffered my way through the first part and barely hung on. I made it back up to the front for the steep section of the climb, but I was dropped there. I made it to the top not to far back and the pack was just humming along now along the flat section. I snapped up into my big ring and gave it all I had to get back into the group. I went straight up near the front and started the final climb there. One guy attacked right at the start, but he was chased down relatively quickly. At the 1 KM sign the pace began to heat up, and I was stuck in the second row. I wanted to move up so I could be ready to move quickly on any attacks, but with the yellow line rule and the ref on the motorbike right behind us I had no where to go. I was suffering and I made it to the 200 meter sign where there was a large attack and I was not able to respond. I suffered my way to the end and got caught by Zach Williams and Ryan at the line. I think that I should have conserved more, but I also think that on this day some 8 other guys were better than me.
Ethan, Ryan and I set out for Live Oak on Friday afternoon. We planned to stay at my grandparent’s home that night and drive up to Challenge the next morning. This worked out well so that we did not have to wake up extremely early for the race. We made it out there and got registered, and pinned some numbers. It was actually quite cold in the early part of the morning, but that would not last for long. We made it over to the starting line and sat there for about 30 minutes. Velo Promo is always late, but I can not blame them because they provide so many races throughout the year for us, and I really appreciate that. Velo Promo races are what racing is all about; its races for riders who just love the sport as the only prize is a T-shirt. I must say though, a Velo-promo T-shirt is considered to be quite the trophy in the bike race world. Well the course started out on a crazy neutral descent. I got in front for the neutral descent and stuck behind the motorcycle, it’s quite amazing how much draft you can get from those. The pavement was horrible for this descent, but my trusty Specialized and I glided over most of it. We started up the first climb and I began to do some tempo near the front, I was not going very hard but it felt good to open up the legs a little since I had very little warm up. After a bit I dropped back and put in a small attack. I got pulled back in and Ethan attacked and Ryan blocked on the front. I think that we may have started our tactics too early, but it was a lot of fun to ride with a team. Along the course we went onto a very nice paved descent, and it was pretty steep. We got going about 5 2 mph so that was quite a lot of fun. I personally enjoy windy technical descent more than pure speed, but there is just something about going over 50 mph on a bike that provides a thrill. I sat in for much of the lap and then we hit the feed zone climb. This climb is tough and it is absolutely wide open so the sun was just bearing down on us. I went with an attack on the climb just so that I could sit on and be in front of the pack so that I would have a buffer zone and not get dropped because I was suffering. I made it up to the feed zone and poured water all over myself and then I felt decent through the final climb. The second lap I just hung in and tried to conserve. We started the feed zone climb and I once again went with the attack to provide some room. The pack started to break apart chasing us down and about 20 guys made it up to the break that I was in. I started to really suffer on it though and was barely hanging on to the back of the new pack. I made it to the feed zone once again and got some much needed water. I then went up near the front for the start of the other climb. I suffered my way through the first part and barely hung on. I made it back up to the front for the steep section of the climb, but I was dropped there. I made it to the top not to far back and the pack was just humming along now along the flat section. I snapped up into my big ring and gave it all I had to get back into the group. I went straight up near the front and started the final climb there. One guy attacked right at the start, but he was chased down relatively quickly. At the 1 KM sign the pace began to heat up, and I was stuck in the second row. I wanted to move up so I could be ready to move quickly on any attacks, but with the yellow line rule and the ref on the motorbike right behind us I had no where to go. I was suffering and I made it to the 200 meter sign where there was a large attack and I was not able to respond. I suffered my way to the end and got caught by Zach Williams and Ryan at the line. I think that I should have conserved more, but I also think that on this day some 8 other guys were better than me.
Superweek 2007
Superweek takes place in Wisconsin, and most of the races are in or very close to Milwaukee. There are 16 days of racing for the category 3s, but I was only going to be there for 7. I had the opportunity to race 3 road races and 4 criteriums. It is a very cool event because there is a lot of prize money and usually the fields are good sizes throughout the week. There is really no where else in the US that you can find 16 straight days of racing. I flew from Nationals over to Milwaukee where I met my father and then went down to host housing. We were able to stay at Bob and Carol Diggelmans house. It was super cool of them because they were not even home, but they let us stay in their house. They came back on our last day and we had dinner with them and I really appreciated their generosity. My father and I also went to see Janice and Vince, they are really great people and I hope that we can see them again next year and that some Swifties can stay with them at their host house. Finally the racing:
Whitnall Park Road Race
4th Place Category 3
I had the opportunity to do this race last year so I was familiar with the course. I warmed up and my legs felt decent. We started the race and I felt good, and I tried to initiate a couple of moves, but the field wasnt letting anything go so I decided to sit in for a while. This course is about 2.3 miles and it has some rolling hills, and then there is a decent little climb at the finish so I felt good about the course. One man was able to stick an attack and he held on for the win. I fought hard through the last lap though and was able to move my way up to the front for the finish and 3 of us got a bit of a gap in the sprint and I was about a wheel length away from 2nd, but I am happy with my result. I was able to get a massage after the race and that definitely helped out my legs.
I had the opportunity to do this race last year so I was familiar with the course. I warmed up and my legs felt decent. We started the race and I felt good, and I tried to initiate a couple of moves, but the field wasnt letting anything go so I decided to sit in for a while. This course is about 2.3 miles and it has some rolling hills, and then there is a decent little climb at the finish so I felt good about the course. One man was able to stick an attack and he held on for the win. I fought hard through the last lap though and was able to move my way up to the front for the finish and 3 of us got a bit of a gap in the sprint and I was about a wheel length away from 2nd, but I am happy with my result. I was able to get a massage after the race and that definitely helped out my legs.
Proving Grounds Road Race
2nd Place Category 3
My father and I drove out to the course and I think we went through the wrong entrance. The course is located in this area that is used to test cars and we drove by a bunch of cars that were wrecked, but we eventually made it. I could not find much room to warm up so I just took it easy until the start. We took off and my legs felt awful. The course is about 9 miles and we did 6 laps. The course has some rolling hills, but there are no hills that break the field up. I decided that in order to do well I must either get in a break or just wait until the end. Considering my legs felt awful I decided to sit in. It was a pretty hot and humid day so I ate and drank a lot and tried to find my legs. There were constant attempts for breakaways, but everything was being chased down so I was quite happy. Halfway through the last lap it seemed that I had found my legs a little so I moved up near the top 10 and found a good spot. As we hit the last couple of miles I was sitting in great position and I felt I had a good shot. Then we hit the final climb and I found myself boxed in. I started thinking "Get me out of here, give me an opening!" I was able to push my way out a little and then halfway up the climb I moved to 2nd wheel then I attacked hard and gave it my all. I crested the hill with a gap and then there was about 500 meters of flat to the finish. At about 300 meters to go 1 man caught and passed me and I had nothing to stay with him, but I was able to hold onto 2nd. I was happy, but I couldn't help thinking that I had lost again.
My father and I drove out to the course and I think we went through the wrong entrance. The course is located in this area that is used to test cars and we drove by a bunch of cars that were wrecked, but we eventually made it. I could not find much room to warm up so I just took it easy until the start. We took off and my legs felt awful. The course is about 9 miles and we did 6 laps. The course has some rolling hills, but there are no hills that break the field up. I decided that in order to do well I must either get in a break or just wait until the end. Considering my legs felt awful I decided to sit in. It was a pretty hot and humid day so I ate and drank a lot and tried to find my legs. There were constant attempts for breakaways, but everything was being chased down so I was quite happy. Halfway through the last lap it seemed that I had found my legs a little so I moved up near the top 10 and found a good spot. As we hit the last couple of miles I was sitting in great position and I felt I had a good shot. Then we hit the final climb and I found myself boxed in. I started thinking "Get me out of here, give me an opening!" I was able to push my way out a little and then halfway up the climb I moved to 2nd wheel then I attacked hard and gave it my all. I crested the hill with a gap and then there was about 500 meters of flat to the finish. At about 300 meters to go 1 man caught and passed me and I had nothing to stay with him, but I was able to hold onto 2nd. I was happy, but I couldn't help thinking that I had lost again.
Humboldt Park Criterium
5th Place Category 3
This race was super close to our host house so I got the opportunity to sleep in and we made the short drive down to the course. I got a bit of a warm up and I saw Jason Cardillo from Eastside, this was his first race at Superweek and I was excited to have someone to work with. We lined up and were off. The course was pretty cool because it had a climb in it. We took off hard and I tried to make something happen, but nothing much was going on. Then 3 guys rolled off the front and no one bothered to chase. I tried pretty hard to make some bridge attempts, but nothing was working and I found myself wasting myself towards a lost cause. Then another 2 guys rolled off of the front and I was suffering. Then with 2 laps to go we hit the base of the hill and I was in about 5th position with about 3 guys from one team and Jason in front of me. Jason and another guy took off while the other team boxed everyone out. I was able to get around but they had a bit of a gap on me. I drilled it and got a gap on the field. Along the top section of the course I was going so hard I wanted to cry. I caught Jason and the other guy and along the last lap we caught one of the guys that had been in a break. Jason and I worked together and he let me take the sprint for 5th. I felt all right with my result, but I was a bit irritated that I had missed the early breaks.
This race was super close to our host house so I got the opportunity to sleep in and we made the short drive down to the course. I got a bit of a warm up and I saw Jason Cardillo from Eastside, this was his first race at Superweek and I was excited to have someone to work with. We lined up and were off. The course was pretty cool because it had a climb in it. We took off hard and I tried to make something happen, but nothing much was going on. Then 3 guys rolled off the front and no one bothered to chase. I tried pretty hard to make some bridge attempts, but nothing was working and I found myself wasting myself towards a lost cause. Then another 2 guys rolled off of the front and I was suffering. Then with 2 laps to go we hit the base of the hill and I was in about 5th position with about 3 guys from one team and Jason in front of me. Jason and another guy took off while the other team boxed everyone out. I was able to get around but they had a bit of a gap on me. I drilled it and got a gap on the field. Along the top section of the course I was going so hard I wanted to cry. I caught Jason and the other guy and along the last lap we caught one of the guys that had been in a break. Jason and I worked together and he let me take the sprint for 5th. I felt all right with my result, but I was a bit irritated that I had missed the early breaks.
Green Lake Criterium
5th Place Category 3
The race was over in Green Lake and that was about 1 hour and 45 minutes from our host house. My race was not until the afternoon, but we left with plenty of time so that we would have time to get lost and still make it their all right. Little did we know that we would be getting extremely lost. The race directions led us onto the rural highway instead of the main freeway and although we were on the right track we decided to backtrack and it all ended up in me changing in the car and us getting their 10 minutes after it was supposed to start. I sprinted to the start line and luckily they had not gone off. I had to check in and I used the restroom while the referee was yelling out the race rules etc. The race started and I was sure happy to just be in it. The course was pretty fun, with a decent hill in it. My plan for today was to make the break and so I started out attacking like crazy and being in every move. I was determined to be with everything so that I would not be racing for something less than 1st. But then I cracked and moved into the pack for some R&R. Just then 3 guys just roll off of the front, there was not even a real attack, and they were gone. The course had a straight-away start/finish area that led into a downhill right hand turn. One lap I was sitting 2nd wheel and the guy in front took the turn too hot and slides out in front of me, I was able to stay up and had no problems. I actually thought that it was pretty cool how my instincts took control and when he went down it felt like everything went into slow motion. The remainder of the race I attempted to make some moves, but nothing stuck. At the beginning of the last lap I got pushed to midpack and I hit the hill there, but I was able to move up into the front on the hill and onto the front. I headed into the final corner in great position to win the field sprint, but some guy cut me off through the corner and he took it. Good thing there is a race tomorrow because I am tired of having the race roll away.
The race was over in Green Lake and that was about 1 hour and 45 minutes from our host house. My race was not until the afternoon, but we left with plenty of time so that we would have time to get lost and still make it their all right. Little did we know that we would be getting extremely lost. The race directions led us onto the rural highway instead of the main freeway and although we were on the right track we decided to backtrack and it all ended up in me changing in the car and us getting their 10 minutes after it was supposed to start. I sprinted to the start line and luckily they had not gone off. I had to check in and I used the restroom while the referee was yelling out the race rules etc. The race started and I was sure happy to just be in it. The course was pretty fun, with a decent hill in it. My plan for today was to make the break and so I started out attacking like crazy and being in every move. I was determined to be with everything so that I would not be racing for something less than 1st. But then I cracked and moved into the pack for some R&R. Just then 3 guys just roll off of the front, there was not even a real attack, and they were gone. The course had a straight-away start/finish area that led into a downhill right hand turn. One lap I was sitting 2nd wheel and the guy in front took the turn too hot and slides out in front of me, I was able to stay up and had no problems. I actually thought that it was pretty cool how my instincts took control and when he went down it felt like everything went into slow motion. The remainder of the race I attempted to make some moves, but nothing stuck. At the beginning of the last lap I got pushed to midpack and I hit the hill there, but I was able to move up into the front on the hill and onto the front. I headed into the final corner in great position to win the field sprint, but some guy cut me off through the corner and he took it. Good thing there is a race tomorrow because I am tired of having the race roll away.
Carl Zach Cycling Classic
A little podium time.
Head down, and dissapointed about that loss.
Going Solo!2nd Place Category 3
I am happy to say that our drive to the race was uneventful, no getting lost. I pre-rode the course some, and got a bit of a warm-up. The course is interesting to say the least. There are tons of corners and the road narrows a lot. It is not a fun course to be in the pack in, but it is great for breakaways. The course was full of spectators though, and that was super cool. Well I got a bad place on the starting line and that cost me quite a bit of energy considering it took forever to move up through the pack on this course. I made it up towards the front just in time for the first prime. I went hard for it, but I got nipped at the line by about ½ a wheel, I was not a happy about that one. The race was quite uneventful until about 17 laps to go and they started giving out some primes. I followed some guys that were going for the prime and I didnt go too hard for the prime, but they got a gap on the field and I attacked out of the prime. I went solo for a few laps and then t here was a $40 prime that I got followed by another $40 prime I got and then a $50 prime I got. I was suffering out there by myself, but I was having an absolute blast with the crowd cheering for me. The announcer was talking about me and I could even here some people that I didnt even know yelling "Go Tyler!" Now that is cool. Then two guys bridged up to me and I was relieved to get some help and we got a good paceline going and we were working well together. Then there was a prime for us and the guys let me have it, plus all of the other primes, they just wanted to keep the break going. With about 6 laps to go another 2 guys bridged up to us and there was a $100 prime for 1st and $25 for 2nd. I went sort of hard, but I thought that they were going to give it to me, but I got beat at the line. The group continued to work well together and I had a feeling that we were going to stick it so I took a little shorter pulls to save some energy. With 2 laps to go an other guy bridged up. The six of us were going to hold it and I went into the last corner 3rd wheel. It was a long straightway that was slightly uphill and with a headwind so I thought that I was in the ideal position. I went with about 200 meters to go and I almost had it until the guy behind me pulled up a ½ wheel ahead of me for the finish. I had lost again. Well that was all right because I had made around $350 from the 7 primes that I had won.
I am happy to say that our drive to the race was uneventful, no getting lost. I pre-rode the course some, and got a bit of a warm-up. The course is interesting to say the least. There are tons of corners and the road narrows a lot. It is not a fun course to be in the pack in, but it is great for breakaways. The course was full of spectators though, and that was super cool. Well I got a bad place on the starting line and that cost me quite a bit of energy considering it took forever to move up through the pack on this course. I made it up towards the front just in time for the first prime. I went hard for it, but I got nipped at the line by about ½ a wheel, I was not a happy about that one. The race was quite uneventful until about 17 laps to go and they started giving out some primes. I followed some guys that were going for the prime and I didnt go too hard for the prime, but they got a gap on the field and I attacked out of the prime. I went solo for a few laps and then t here was a $40 prime that I got followed by another $40 prime I got and then a $50 prime I got. I was suffering out there by myself, but I was having an absolute blast with the crowd cheering for me. The announcer was talking about me and I could even here some people that I didnt even know yelling "Go Tyler!" Now that is cool. Then two guys bridged up to me and I was relieved to get some help and we got a good paceline going and we were working well together. Then there was a prime for us and the guys let me have it, plus all of the other primes, they just wanted to keep the break going. With about 6 laps to go another 2 guys bridged up to us and there was a $100 prime for 1st and $25 for 2nd. I went sort of hard, but I thought that they were going to give it to me, but I got beat at the line. The group continued to work well together and I had a feeling that we were going to stick it so I took a little shorter pulls to save some energy. With 2 laps to go an other guy bridged up. The six of us were going to hold it and I went into the last corner 3rd wheel. It was a long straightway that was slightly uphill and with a headwind so I thought that I was in the ideal position. I went with about 200 meters to go and I almost had it until the guy behind me pulled up a ½ wheel ahead of me for the finish. I had lost again. Well that was all right because I had made around $350 from the 7 primes that I had won.
Evanston Grand Prix
4th Place Category 3
We got to drive to Illinois for this race, another state to mark down as raced in. The course was downtown and there were big crowds. It was going to be a cool race. The area had little to no room for warm up so I just hung out. I watched by the start/finish and there was an electric speed gun up that was telling how fast the riders were going. I thought that was pretty cool so that the spectators could see how fast the racers are actually going. The course was nice, with wide streets, except for the 2nd to last corner was quite narrow, I thought that would be dangerous, but luckily my group kept the rubber side down through it. It was not the ideal course for me, dead flat, but I felt confident. We took off nice and quick and I took it easy in the pack. There was some action off the front, but there was a big field today and everyone was chasing. I made a good counter as a break was being reeled in, but the pack wasnt letting anything go. The race was quite uneventful and there were no primes, so there was nothing much to do but save the legs for the end. The pace was actually pretty slow as we were nearing the end, and it was getting dangerous as we were going into corners with the field about 10 riders wide. It is much safer to have the field strung out. Luckily nothing happened and the pace kicked up for the last few laps. I moved into perfect position on the last lap and I sat 4th wheel through the last corner. The last corner to the finish was quite far; about 700 meters and I started the corner in my 52-14 junior gears. Well I was standing up sprinting and then I was spinning out and I had to sit down and try to get some draft in the sprint, junior gears are great. Well I was able to finish in 4th and I was quite happy considering the course.
We got to drive to Illinois for this race, another state to mark down as raced in. The course was downtown and there were big crowds. It was going to be a cool race. The area had little to no room for warm up so I just hung out. I watched by the start/finish and there was an electric speed gun up that was telling how fast the riders were going. I thought that was pretty cool so that the spectators could see how fast the racers are actually going. The course was nice, with wide streets, except for the 2nd to last corner was quite narrow, I thought that would be dangerous, but luckily my group kept the rubber side down through it. It was not the ideal course for me, dead flat, but I felt confident. We took off nice and quick and I took it easy in the pack. There was some action off the front, but there was a big field today and everyone was chasing. I made a good counter as a break was being reeled in, but the pack wasnt letting anything go. The race was quite uneventful and there were no primes, so there was nothing much to do but save the legs for the end. The pace was actually pretty slow as we were nearing the end, and it was getting dangerous as we were going into corners with the field about 10 riders wide. It is much safer to have the field strung out. Luckily nothing happened and the pace kicked up for the last few laps. I moved into perfect position on the last lap and I sat 4th wheel through the last corner. The last corner to the finish was quite far; about 700 meters and I started the corner in my 52-14 junior gears. Well I was standing up sprinting and then I was spinning out and I had to sit down and try to get some draft in the sprint, junior gears are great. Well I was able to finish in 4th and I was quite happy considering the course.
Holy Hill Road Race
10th Place Category 3
We made it out to the race and we pre-drove the finish stretch. I was quite excited as it was my birthday and I had the opportunity to do a bike race. I was also excited to see that I sat in 2nd place overall in the race. I got all ready and warmed up, but then we did not start until about an hour late due to the COM car getting a flat tire. Then we were off and the pace was quite slow. I guess everyone was not quite as excited as I was to do 70 miles. As we got into the 2nd lap with nothing happening I felt like playing with the field a bit. It is fun to know that everyone is watching you, since I was in 2nd overall, so I made a few attacks and watched as the field barreled after me. I made these attacks to see if I could open my legs up a bit because they were feeling pretty awful. The race was an 8-mile loop and it included a gravel climb and descent. It was horrible; the climb was not that bad but the descent hurt a lot. Gravel was shooting everywhere and it stung pretty badly when it hit you, especially in the face. Well my legs continued to feel pretty awful and the course was boring so I tried to find a good spot and eat and drink and hope for my legs to come around. I tried to get into some breaks, but the field was not allowing me to go anywhere. Eventually a break went and it had about 5 guys. My legs had not improved so I couldn’t do much. I sat in and waited for the end and even though I had great position for the sprint, I came up quite short in the sprint. I guess my legs need a couple days off.
Well it sure was an awesome trip. I had a ton of fun and got to experience a lot of great racing. My legs were hurting by the end though, I cannot imagine what the Tour de France must be like.
We made it out to the race and we pre-drove the finish stretch. I was quite excited as it was my birthday and I had the opportunity to do a bike race. I was also excited to see that I sat in 2nd place overall in the race. I got all ready and warmed up, but then we did not start until about an hour late due to the COM car getting a flat tire. Then we were off and the pace was quite slow. I guess everyone was not quite as excited as I was to do 70 miles. As we got into the 2nd lap with nothing happening I felt like playing with the field a bit. It is fun to know that everyone is watching you, since I was in 2nd overall, so I made a few attacks and watched as the field barreled after me. I made these attacks to see if I could open my legs up a bit because they were feeling pretty awful. The race was an 8-mile loop and it included a gravel climb and descent. It was horrible; the climb was not that bad but the descent hurt a lot. Gravel was shooting everywhere and it stung pretty badly when it hit you, especially in the face. Well my legs continued to feel pretty awful and the course was boring so I tried to find a good spot and eat and drink and hope for my legs to come around. I tried to get into some breaks, but the field was not allowing me to go anywhere. Eventually a break went and it had about 5 guys. My legs had not improved so I couldn’t do much. I sat in and waited for the end and even though I had great position for the sprint, I came up quite short in the sprint. I guess my legs need a couple days off.
Well it sure was an awesome trip. I had a ton of fun and got to experience a lot of great racing. My legs were hurting by the end though, I cannot imagine what the Tour de France must be like.
Nationals Criterium
25th Place
My race was not until 4 in the afternoon so we had plenty of time to get ready for the race and get some packing done since we were leaving early the next morning. At 12 there was a huge thunder storm and that was interesting, so we decided that we were probably going to race in the rain. We got down to the course about 2:30 and I got to look at the course and get good and ready. I was excited with the course, the finish was only 200 meters from the final corner so the sprint would be determined mostly on positioning, and if it was wet then I could have a lot better chance since I am not a great sprinter. There was also a slight uphill after the first turn and it was all around a course that I felt good about. As I was warming up it started to sprinkle, then it began dumping and thunder storms, and I was excited. I always enjoy racing the rain, it feels epic with the water shooting all over your face and you’re soaking wet. I was able to get another good place on the starting line and I got off to a good start and even got in a little attack at the beginning and was in a break for a lap. I then took it easy and got into the sweet spot of the pack. I am not sure when, but a break went and it started to pull away. I went with a couple moves to bridge up, but each time the pack chased hard. Then as the break started to get seriously dangerous I gave it my all and took off and was able to get within 2 seconds of the pack, but then no one would pull through and drive the nail in. And then my race was done. I continued to attempt to bridge, but I got no where and I rolled into the finish disappointed that I did not make the break.
I felt good with my experience at nationals, and I feel that I was able to develop a great deal over the past year. Nationals is always a great place to test yourself against hundreds of riders your same age, and I was able to see that I am heading in the right direction, and that I am able to race with the best of them. I had a great time with the team and we had a lot of fun hanging out and watching the Tour. Thanks to all of our sponsors for giving juniors the opportunities to compete around the world. I am off to Superweek in Milwaukee and I plan on some podiums next year and maybe even a jersey.
My race was not until 4 in the afternoon so we had plenty of time to get ready for the race and get some packing done since we were leaving early the next morning. At 12 there was a huge thunder storm and that was interesting, so we decided that we were probably going to race in the rain. We got down to the course about 2:30 and I got to look at the course and get good and ready. I was excited with the course, the finish was only 200 meters from the final corner so the sprint would be determined mostly on positioning, and if it was wet then I could have a lot better chance since I am not a great sprinter. There was also a slight uphill after the first turn and it was all around a course that I felt good about. As I was warming up it started to sprinkle, then it began dumping and thunder storms, and I was excited. I always enjoy racing the rain, it feels epic with the water shooting all over your face and you’re soaking wet. I was able to get another good place on the starting line and I got off to a good start and even got in a little attack at the beginning and was in a break for a lap. I then took it easy and got into the sweet spot of the pack. I am not sure when, but a break went and it started to pull away. I went with a couple moves to bridge up, but each time the pack chased hard. Then as the break started to get seriously dangerous I gave it my all and took off and was able to get within 2 seconds of the pack, but then no one would pull through and drive the nail in. And then my race was done. I continued to attempt to bridge, but I got no where and I rolled into the finish disappointed that I did not make the break.
I felt good with my experience at nationals, and I feel that I was able to develop a great deal over the past year. Nationals is always a great place to test yourself against hundreds of riders your same age, and I was able to see that I am heading in the right direction, and that I am able to race with the best of them. I had a great time with the team and we had a lot of fun hanging out and watching the Tour. Thanks to all of our sponsors for giving juniors the opportunities to compete around the world. I am off to Superweek in Milwaukee and I plan on some podiums next year and maybe even a jersey.
Nationals Road Race
The Carnage!!
26th Place
I woke up bright and early for the road race. Our race started at 7:30 and I was up at 4:30 in order to get food in and it gave me plenty of time to wake up and get ready for the race that I had been training all year for. I was excited but relaxed, I knew that I would give it my all, and I felt like if I could make it without error through the first few miles and get in good position then I would do well. Getting on the start line early was almost more important than the warm up due to the 172 guys that were signed up for the race. I was able to get a decent spot in about the third row and I got a great start and was able to move up into the top 10 and find a good place to sit and relax. I felt good and then at about mile 3 I looked to my right as a Rock & Republic rider came screaming by me and in to the gravel off the road. I saw him go over the guard rail out of the corner of my eye, but I did not realize what was going on behind me. I did not even think about the consequences of going 50 mph and going over a guard rail. I did not realize that about 50 other guys had also gone down. My race was ahead and that’s where I was headed. We did four laps out on a 10 mile circuit then returned to the start/finish area. There was one super steep climb that was about half a mile long and that was the only part of the course that I felt could be decisive until we got off of the circuit and up the finishing climb. I was able to find the sweet spot of the field and I just sat there trying to conserve my energy. I was suffering up the steep climb, but no one was drilling it up the climb so I was able to gut it out each time. The first few laps there was a dense fog that we could barely see through. I was sure happy that I had pre-rode and drove the course as I knew each corner and climb and was able to shift before each. Two guys had broken away on the first lap, a Hot Tubes rider, Ben King, who had won the Time trial and a Colavita rider. On the second lap we caught the Colavita rider and Ben King was going solo. No team was chasing too hard though and the gap was slowly increasing. We started the final climb about 8 minutes back of the leader and the strong guys started to drill the pace. I was able to stay over the first few climbs but as we hit the long climb I was not able to hold on all the way. As I started to fall off the pace, Micah Herman of the AMD team came up behind me and gave me a little push and told me to follow him, and I tried but I just could not hold on. I suffered up to the Condos where Ethan caught me and he took a hard pull in our chase group of about 5 riders. Through this section my legs quads began to cramp and it seemed that they were pulling against me, it was ridiculous how painful it was. We started the final climb up to the resort and the finish and I was hurting. I tried massaging the cramp out but that did little. I just concentrated on getting through each stroke and was able to make my way to the line without too many riders catching me. I felt good with my ride, a little disappointed, but I knew that I could hang with the top guys, and if I had good legs I know that I could have gotten top 10.
I woke up bright and early for the road race. Our race started at 7:30 and I was up at 4:30 in order to get food in and it gave me plenty of time to wake up and get ready for the race that I had been training all year for. I was excited but relaxed, I knew that I would give it my all, and I felt like if I could make it without error through the first few miles and get in good position then I would do well. Getting on the start line early was almost more important than the warm up due to the 172 guys that were signed up for the race. I was able to get a decent spot in about the third row and I got a great start and was able to move up into the top 10 and find a good place to sit and relax. I felt good and then at about mile 3 I looked to my right as a Rock & Republic rider came screaming by me and in to the gravel off the road. I saw him go over the guard rail out of the corner of my eye, but I did not realize what was going on behind me. I did not even think about the consequences of going 50 mph and going over a guard rail. I did not realize that about 50 other guys had also gone down. My race was ahead and that’s where I was headed. We did four laps out on a 10 mile circuit then returned to the start/finish area. There was one super steep climb that was about half a mile long and that was the only part of the course that I felt could be decisive until we got off of the circuit and up the finishing climb. I was able to find the sweet spot of the field and I just sat there trying to conserve my energy. I was suffering up the steep climb, but no one was drilling it up the climb so I was able to gut it out each time. The first few laps there was a dense fog that we could barely see through. I was sure happy that I had pre-rode and drove the course as I knew each corner and climb and was able to shift before each. Two guys had broken away on the first lap, a Hot Tubes rider, Ben King, who had won the Time trial and a Colavita rider. On the second lap we caught the Colavita rider and Ben King was going solo. No team was chasing too hard though and the gap was slowly increasing. We started the final climb about 8 minutes back of the leader and the strong guys started to drill the pace. I was able to stay over the first few climbs but as we hit the long climb I was not able to hold on all the way. As I started to fall off the pace, Micah Herman of the AMD team came up behind me and gave me a little push and told me to follow him, and I tried but I just could not hold on. I suffered up to the Condos where Ethan caught me and he took a hard pull in our chase group of about 5 riders. Through this section my legs quads began to cramp and it seemed that they were pulling against me, it was ridiculous how painful it was. We started the final climb up to the resort and the finish and I was hurting. I tried massaging the cramp out but that did little. I just concentrated on getting through each stroke and was able to make my way to the line without too many riders catching me. I felt good with my ride, a little disappointed, but I knew that I could hang with the top guys, and if I had good legs I know that I could have gotten top 10.
Nationals Time Trial
44th place
At this point in my racing the time trial is the weakest part of my racing, but I feel that I am able to post a decent time, and I hope to improve my time trialing in order to become a GC rider. I drove out to the time trial course with Ethan and it was quite odd entering onto the freeway and parking on the on ramp. The promoters had only managed to get 6km of freeway so we had the pleasure of doing 4 turn-a-rounds to complete our 20km time trial. I personally felt that it was ridiculous, but what can you do. I was excited for the time trial and I knew that I was going to have fun not matter what happened because I was given the opportunity to use a disc and an awesome wheel in the front, it sounded fast no matter what happened. I was able to borrow a trainer from Brentley, which was extremely helpful considering there was not a ton of room to warm up. I suited up and put on my new Time shoes which are awesome. I hopped on the trainer and was amazed that my legs felt great. My legs usually never feel good when I am warming up on a trainer, but today they felt good. I got good and warm and rolled over to the start and easily passed all the UCI specifications for my bike. I was able to down a Clif-shot which gave me the perfect amount of energy for this sub 30 minute effort. I got up to the start ramp and felt ready to go, a couple deep breaths and I was off. The beginning was a slight downhill with a tail wind and I felt great, and the first turnaround was super close. I gave it my all and I was able to make my way through all the ridiculous turn-a-rounds. I suffered on to the line with the wind blowing my all over the place. I crossed the line with a time of 27:52 and I was a little disappointed because I was hoping for around 27:30 but I felt good with my ride nonetheless. I knew that I could not crack the leader board, but I felt that I had put in a respectable ride.
At this point in my racing the time trial is the weakest part of my racing, but I feel that I am able to post a decent time, and I hope to improve my time trialing in order to become a GC rider. I drove out to the time trial course with Ethan and it was quite odd entering onto the freeway and parking on the on ramp. The promoters had only managed to get 6km of freeway so we had the pleasure of doing 4 turn-a-rounds to complete our 20km time trial. I personally felt that it was ridiculous, but what can you do. I was excited for the time trial and I knew that I was going to have fun not matter what happened because I was given the opportunity to use a disc and an awesome wheel in the front, it sounded fast no matter what happened. I was able to borrow a trainer from Brentley, which was extremely helpful considering there was not a ton of room to warm up. I suited up and put on my new Time shoes which are awesome. I hopped on the trainer and was amazed that my legs felt great. My legs usually never feel good when I am warming up on a trainer, but today they felt good. I got good and warm and rolled over to the start and easily passed all the UCI specifications for my bike. I was able to down a Clif-shot which gave me the perfect amount of energy for this sub 30 minute effort. I got up to the start ramp and felt ready to go, a couple deep breaths and I was off. The beginning was a slight downhill with a tail wind and I felt great, and the first turnaround was super close. I gave it my all and I was able to make my way through all the ridiculous turn-a-rounds. I suffered on to the line with the wind blowing my all over the place. I crossed the line with a time of 27:52 and I was a little disappointed because I was hoping for around 27:30 but I felt good with my ride nonetheless. I knew that I could not crack the leader board, but I felt that I had put in a respectable ride.
Elkhorn Stage Race-Day 3
7th Place Dooley Mountain Road Race Elite 3
The race started at 8:30 and we had to get everything packed and in the van and all of the hotel cleaned out because we needed to check out before our race. Well that was all a hassle and I was happy to be on the start line with everything else done and only having to race. We started again from the High School and headed out for a big loop and the finish was on an 8 mile climb. The race would be 101 miles and I was excited. I never had done a ride, let alone a race that long before so I was unsure of how I would be doing near the end, I just knew that I needed to keep eating throughout the day and hope that it all came together. Well we rolled out of town with a police escort and at mile 10 a break went and the Davis team who had the leader sent their boys to the front to try and chase it down. Ethan bridged up to the break and so I was glad to know we had someone up there, and I was hoping that he was sitting on because we had a long way to go. Well we kept the break in sight for a while and Ethan let up and dropped back into the field because the break had only a 50-second gap after about 7 miles of riding hard. Well my legs felt terrible and I was just gritting my way through it wondering how we were going to keep this type of pace for 100 miles. Well I pulled out a Clif-Bar and got a few bites into my mouth just as we hit the first hill~ what good timing. Well I choked that down and eased up the hill. My legs felt a lot better going up the hill then on the flats actually so that was a good sign I thought. We continued to roll at a good pace, but the break was flying and they were well out of sight. From what I had heard the break was always caught at the base of the final climb in previous years so I was not too worried. Well up some rollers my legs felt terrible and I began to feel so bad it felt like my rear wheel was flat, it wasn’t though. We got to the feedzone and I grabbed a bottle. I kept on sitting in the middle of the pack and then my legs started to come around. I felt good up the climbs and we were cruising. We finished the last of the climbs at about mile 60 and there were about 35 miles of flat and then the final climb. I just sat in as the group started flying. There was a paceline in the front and near the back there were guys just hanging on. I didn’t want to work so I just sat near the middle and I was just knocking down as many Clif-Shots as I could. I knew that these shots would give me the energy that I needed so I ate about 6 of them along that flat section and I drank a ton of water. We got to the final feedzone and I got another bottle. We got to about mile 90 and I started to move up and I was a bit discouraged that we had not caught the break, but my legs felt good and I would see what I could do on this important climb. I sat about 3rd wheel up a false little climb and then when we got to the major final climb I drilled it. The group was already spread out from the false climb, but then there were only about 25 of the 80 guys remaining and I continued to drill it and it got down to about 7 guys. I let the guy with the leaders jersey pull through then soon after I attack the group and there were just two that caught back up to me. Well I just kept going with them on my tail for a while as we passed guys who had been in the break. I let the leader- Greg Gambetta of Davis Bike Club pull through and he looked back and then right when he looked forward again I attack hard. I really wanted to put some time into them, especially the leader but they were able to catch back onto me. I was having fun at this point and I just kept on going. It felt great to have such good legs at this point in a race. Well we got to the 3k sign and I attacked hard, but not hard enough, then we got to the 1k sign and I attacked again but I knew I couldn’t hold them off to the line so I let them catch back up and got behind them and then I sprinted out them both at the line. I took 7th place on the day and was happy with my result, but I really wished there had not been a break because I believe that I could have won that stage if there had not been. I felt great about my ride though and I was happy to see that I got 10th overall at the Elkhorn Stage Race. I was definitely pleased with that and it wasn’t first, but top 10 is not too bad.
The race started at 8:30 and we had to get everything packed and in the van and all of the hotel cleaned out because we needed to check out before our race. Well that was all a hassle and I was happy to be on the start line with everything else done and only having to race. We started again from the High School and headed out for a big loop and the finish was on an 8 mile climb. The race would be 101 miles and I was excited. I never had done a ride, let alone a race that long before so I was unsure of how I would be doing near the end, I just knew that I needed to keep eating throughout the day and hope that it all came together. Well we rolled out of town with a police escort and at mile 10 a break went and the Davis team who had the leader sent their boys to the front to try and chase it down. Ethan bridged up to the break and so I was glad to know we had someone up there, and I was hoping that he was sitting on because we had a long way to go. Well we kept the break in sight for a while and Ethan let up and dropped back into the field because the break had only a 50-second gap after about 7 miles of riding hard. Well my legs felt terrible and I was just gritting my way through it wondering how we were going to keep this type of pace for 100 miles. Well I pulled out a Clif-Bar and got a few bites into my mouth just as we hit the first hill~ what good timing. Well I choked that down and eased up the hill. My legs felt a lot better going up the hill then on the flats actually so that was a good sign I thought. We continued to roll at a good pace, but the break was flying and they were well out of sight. From what I had heard the break was always caught at the base of the final climb in previous years so I was not too worried. Well up some rollers my legs felt terrible and I began to feel so bad it felt like my rear wheel was flat, it wasn’t though. We got to the feedzone and I grabbed a bottle. I kept on sitting in the middle of the pack and then my legs started to come around. I felt good up the climbs and we were cruising. We finished the last of the climbs at about mile 60 and there were about 35 miles of flat and then the final climb. I just sat in as the group started flying. There was a paceline in the front and near the back there were guys just hanging on. I didn’t want to work so I just sat near the middle and I was just knocking down as many Clif-Shots as I could. I knew that these shots would give me the energy that I needed so I ate about 6 of them along that flat section and I drank a ton of water. We got to the final feedzone and I got another bottle. We got to about mile 90 and I started to move up and I was a bit discouraged that we had not caught the break, but my legs felt good and I would see what I could do on this important climb. I sat about 3rd wheel up a false little climb and then when we got to the major final climb I drilled it. The group was already spread out from the false climb, but then there were only about 25 of the 80 guys remaining and I continued to drill it and it got down to about 7 guys. I let the guy with the leaders jersey pull through then soon after I attack the group and there were just two that caught back up to me. Well I just kept going with them on my tail for a while as we passed guys who had been in the break. I let the leader- Greg Gambetta of Davis Bike Club pull through and he looked back and then right when he looked forward again I attack hard. I really wanted to put some time into them, especially the leader but they were able to catch back onto me. I was having fun at this point and I just kept on going. It felt great to have such good legs at this point in a race. Well we got to the 3k sign and I attacked hard, but not hard enough, then we got to the 1k sign and I attacked again but I knew I couldn’t hold them off to the line so I let them catch back up and got behind them and then I sprinted out them both at the line. I took 7th place on the day and was happy with my result, but I really wished there had not been a break because I believe that I could have won that stage if there had not been. I felt great about my ride though and I was happy to see that I got 10th overall at the Elkhorn Stage Race. I was definitely pleased with that and it wasn’t first, but top 10 is not too bad.
Elkorn Stage Race-Day 2
12th Place Gold Rush Criterium Elite 3
After the Time Trial we headed to the hotel for some rest and the crit was not until 5:30 in the evening. I planned to take it easy in the crit and try and sit in the sweet spot and then put in a good sprint at the end. We headed downtown about an hour before our race and we got in a good warm up. It was cool to see people from the town out watching us and having fun. I got off to a terrible start because I was in the second row and this guy in front of me could not get his foot in. I spent the first few laps getting into the sweet spot and then the rest of the race I was pretty much fighting to stay there. The crit had 6 corners and the pavement in the corners were beat up so it was interesting and not as smooth as I would have hoped, there were a lot of guys breaking in the corners and that makes for not a very fun crit. We had a good pace going though and it was windy so we were working hard. There were a lot of primes so that kept everyone racing, but I was not feeling good enough to sprint into the wind for a prime so I just sat in. Well about ¾ of the way through the race I felt a tug on my shorts through a corner. I wasn’t sure what it was but someone was caught on me and I just kept going. Well I heard some guys go down and I was alright so that was good. After the race I noticed the guy had left a hole right through the seam in my shorts, I think that his brakes got caught on me. Well the race was a bit confusing for me because it was 45 minutes + 2 laps. Well I could see the time clicking down but I could not see the lap cards. The last lap I thought that there was another one to go and I was in good position but I did not sprint. Well it didn’t matter too much, the crit was a success, Ethan got 2nd and I stayed out of trouble and was ready to rock tomorrow.
After the Time Trial we headed to the hotel for some rest and the crit was not until 5:30 in the evening. I planned to take it easy in the crit and try and sit in the sweet spot and then put in a good sprint at the end. We headed downtown about an hour before our race and we got in a good warm up. It was cool to see people from the town out watching us and having fun. I got off to a terrible start because I was in the second row and this guy in front of me could not get his foot in. I spent the first few laps getting into the sweet spot and then the rest of the race I was pretty much fighting to stay there. The crit had 6 corners and the pavement in the corners were beat up so it was interesting and not as smooth as I would have hoped, there were a lot of guys breaking in the corners and that makes for not a very fun crit. We had a good pace going though and it was windy so we were working hard. There were a lot of primes so that kept everyone racing, but I was not feeling good enough to sprint into the wind for a prime so I just sat in. Well about ¾ of the way through the race I felt a tug on my shorts through a corner. I wasn’t sure what it was but someone was caught on me and I just kept going. Well I heard some guys go down and I was alright so that was good. After the race I noticed the guy had left a hole right through the seam in my shorts, I think that his brakes got caught on me. Well the race was a bit confusing for me because it was 45 minutes + 2 laps. Well I could see the time clicking down but I could not see the lap cards. The last lap I thought that there was another one to go and I was in good position but I did not sprint. Well it didn’t matter too much, the crit was a success, Ethan got 2nd and I stayed out of trouble and was ready to rock tomorrow.
Elkhorn Stage Race-Day 2
34th Place Pleasant Valley Time Trial Elite 3
We went down to the Time trial course and Ethan was the first one of us that would be off and so I helped him get ready and then I got ready. We warmed up on trainers and my legs felt alright. I really wanted to have a great ride today because I thought that if I could stay within a minute of the leader than I could bring back that much time on anyone on the final stage and hopefully win it all. I headed out to the start and Ethan had started about 26 minutes before me so he was going to try and get me the disc, he got there about 15 seconds before I was about to head off though so I didn’t bother with it. I started out at a good pace, it was downhill but there was a tough head wind on the way out. I went out hard but I left some for the end. Right before the turn around I got caught by my 30 second man and I could see that my minute man was close behind us. This did not discourage me too much, as I knew that these were the strong men in the race because they had started the time trial in reverse order of the results from the first stage. Well I passed my 30-second man back and then the minute man who was on the Davis Bike Club Team came flying by. Well I started to crank to stay within 10 seconds of him and I fought hard. He slowly pulled away though and so did the 30 second man. I gave it all I had to the line and I was unsure of how I did, but pleased with my effort nonetheless. Well it turned out that my minute man had posted the fastest time in the 3’s for the Time trial and he was the new leader of the race and he went on to finish 2nd overall. My 30-second man went on to win the final stage and the overall. We got to see the results before we left from the Time Trial and I was very happy that I had only lost 1:32 and I sat in 19th place out of about 87 guys. I wanted to win though so I knew I had some work to do on the last stage, but I was within reach and since I am not a strong time-trialist I was happy with how I had done.
We went down to the Time trial course and Ethan was the first one of us that would be off and so I helped him get ready and then I got ready. We warmed up on trainers and my legs felt alright. I really wanted to have a great ride today because I thought that if I could stay within a minute of the leader than I could bring back that much time on anyone on the final stage and hopefully win it all. I headed out to the start and Ethan had started about 26 minutes before me so he was going to try and get me the disc, he got there about 15 seconds before I was about to head off though so I didn’t bother with it. I started out at a good pace, it was downhill but there was a tough head wind on the way out. I went out hard but I left some for the end. Right before the turn around I got caught by my 30 second man and I could see that my minute man was close behind us. This did not discourage me too much, as I knew that these were the strong men in the race because they had started the time trial in reverse order of the results from the first stage. Well I passed my 30-second man back and then the minute man who was on the Davis Bike Club Team came flying by. Well I started to crank to stay within 10 seconds of him and I fought hard. He slowly pulled away though and so did the 30 second man. I gave it all I had to the line and I was unsure of how I did, but pleased with my effort nonetheless. Well it turned out that my minute man had posted the fastest time in the 3’s for the Time trial and he was the new leader of the race and he went on to finish 2nd overall. My 30-second man went on to win the final stage and the overall. We got to see the results before we left from the Time Trial and I was very happy that I had only lost 1:32 and I sat in 19th place out of about 87 guys. I wanted to win though so I knew I had some work to do on the last stage, but I was within reach and since I am not a strong time-trialist I was happy with how I had done.
Elkhorn Stage Race-Day 1
6th Place Oregon Trail Road Race Elite 3
The race did not begin until 1:40 for our group and we (Ethan, Troy and Connie) arrived the day before and got a chance to pre-ride the TT course and the finish of the final stage. It seemed like forever waiting until it was finally time to get ready. We went down to the Baker City High School where the race began and signed in. The race started out easy and Ethan, Troy and I sat up in the top 10 taking it easy. The race was out and back and from the course profile it looked to be a steady descent out and then a steady climb back to the finish. After the neutral roll out of town we got a steady pace going and guys started trying to make some breaks happen. I just sat in watching them waste their energy. My legs did not feel that good, but as we were heading out I was happy with the climb to the finish that I was seeing. It was not my favorite as the climb was dead straight, but it looked just good enough that it would be able to split the field up some. We got to some little hills and I tested my legs out hoping they would come around. Otherwise on the way out I took it super easy in the pack trying to find that sweet spot. We got into Richland (the town that we would turn around at) and rolled through the town and started on back. I went to the front and my legs felt good now and I started up a decent tempo. We still had 40 miles to go though so I took it easy and made it through the feedzone with two full bottles. It was a super hot and dry day and water became essential. We got to about mile 65 when the decent size climbs began and it was super windy. I took a hard pull thinking to myself “rip their legs off” but it was too windy and I didn’t want to waste it now. I went with the attacks up the climb and sat on. I began to hurt and as the group got down to about 6 with about 20 guys 5 seconds back and I began to wonder what I should do. Then two guys attacked and I thought about going with them but I thought that there was still 10 miles at that point into a gnarly wind and I figured that that they would not stay. Well the group of 20 caught us and we started rolling. I sat in and then when I saw the 1k sign I tried to get in good position but we were all in the gutter trying to stay out of the wind and moving up was not easy. I was able to sprint into 4th in the field with the two guys that had attacked hanging 6 seconds ahead of us. The race wound up being only 75 miles when I had thought that it would be 81 so the break was able to stay. I was pretty happy with my result though and glad that I had gotten a bit of a later time for the Time Trial the next morning due to my good finish.
The race did not begin until 1:40 for our group and we (Ethan, Troy and Connie) arrived the day before and got a chance to pre-ride the TT course and the finish of the final stage. It seemed like forever waiting until it was finally time to get ready. We went down to the Baker City High School where the race began and signed in. The race started out easy and Ethan, Troy and I sat up in the top 10 taking it easy. The race was out and back and from the course profile it looked to be a steady descent out and then a steady climb back to the finish. After the neutral roll out of town we got a steady pace going and guys started trying to make some breaks happen. I just sat in watching them waste their energy. My legs did not feel that good, but as we were heading out I was happy with the climb to the finish that I was seeing. It was not my favorite as the climb was dead straight, but it looked just good enough that it would be able to split the field up some. We got to some little hills and I tested my legs out hoping they would come around. Otherwise on the way out I took it super easy in the pack trying to find that sweet spot. We got into Richland (the town that we would turn around at) and rolled through the town and started on back. I went to the front and my legs felt good now and I started up a decent tempo. We still had 40 miles to go though so I took it easy and made it through the feedzone with two full bottles. It was a super hot and dry day and water became essential. We got to about mile 65 when the decent size climbs began and it was super windy. I took a hard pull thinking to myself “rip their legs off” but it was too windy and I didn’t want to waste it now. I went with the attacks up the climb and sat on. I began to hurt and as the group got down to about 6 with about 20 guys 5 seconds back and I began to wonder what I should do. Then two guys attacked and I thought about going with them but I thought that there was still 10 miles at that point into a gnarly wind and I figured that that they would not stay. Well the group of 20 caught us and we started rolling. I sat in and then when I saw the 1k sign I tried to get in good position but we were all in the gutter trying to stay out of the wind and moving up was not easy. I was able to sprint into 4th in the field with the two guys that had attacked hanging 6 seconds ahead of us. The race wound up being only 75 miles when I had thought that it would be 81 so the break was able to stay. I was pretty happy with my result though and glad that I had gotten a bit of a later time for the Time Trial the next morning due to my good finish.
Nevada City Classic
The night before I stayed at my grandparent’s house that live down near Yuba City so it was a short drive over to Nevada City and I was well rested and ready to rock. I was planning on doing the Juniors Race and Elite 3, but I guess I was not supposed to. I got good and warmed up and ready for the juniors race and I felt ready. I got all rolled out and just as I was shifting up and everyone was on the line I heard a snap and my rear derailleur would not move. I needed help and quick and luckily my dad had brought cables with us and he had to run all the way to the car and Dave Toll was able to stall the start of the race for us. My dad tried his best to get it going but he could not and I told the ref to just start the race. My Nevada City junior’s race was over so I needed to put in a good ride in the 3’s. I didn’t feel too terrible until I watched the guys race by and I really wanted to be in their. Nevada City is probably my favorite race, the course is straight up and down with an awesome high speed corner and the crowds are always big and excited. Well I got lunch and then got ready to go again for the 3’s race and got a good warm up and rolled out once again. We had to sit on the starting line for a while and I knew that the start would be crucial. The first lap was supposed to be neutral but the motor was not able to hear that we had started and we took off and then someone fell on my rear wheel but I was able to keep going. I got up into the top 3 and I was confused if it was neutral or not but we just got going. Throughout the race I sat 3rd wheel almost the entire time. I thought that was the best place because I did not have to work at the front and I did not have to chase much after the big high speed turn. We got down near the end and our group was only about 10 guys. I wanted to attack on the last lap and get a good enough lead that I could hold onto until the finish because I did not have a chance in a downhill sprint due to my junior gears. Well on the last lap I took off on the climb and I got going pretty good and got a little gap. I then began to wonder if it really was the last lap because it did not seem like they were chasing very hard. I eased up a bit and got back into the pack and then some guys attacked near the top and I had no chance and I just sprinted it into 4th. I was happy with my race but I think that I could have won if I had committed to my attack.
Mount Hamilton Road Race
We had to get up early to get out to the race so that was not great but I got to sleep in the car. I got all prepared and headed out to the line for the start, it was neutral for the first mile or so and then about a 20 mile climb. I was able to move into good position during the neutral roll out and then we hit the climb and my legs felt decent. I started to move back a bit as people began to swarm to get to the front. It was cramped in the field and I wanted to be up a little closer to the front but I just waited. About halfway up the pace started to really kick up and that strung everyone out and I was able to move up into the front. I took the first little descent on the front and then we hit the second part of the climb and I was thinking to myself that this climb was mine. I took a hard pull and then Evan Pickett from Stanford and another guy rotated at the front for the remainder of the climb. Near the top I began to suffer a bit, but I hung on and only 10 guys remained. I moved up for the descent as I am a pretty good descender due to my access to Mt. Tam. We were flying down the descent and then a guy that was two riders ahead of me slid out in a corner and the guy in front of me went down trying to avoid the other guy. I made my way around the carnage and kept on rolling. There were a few short climbs and then quite a bit of flat. Evan Pickett attempted a few attacks and then the group started a rotation along the flats. I continued to eat my Clif-Shots and I could feel my legs getting a bit tired. As we hit some of the climbs at about mile 40 I was hurting and just barely hanging on but I stayed in good position and I was thinking about putting in some attacks on the last few rollers but there were not any very good places. The group stayed together through the final descent and I sat in decent position in the 8 man group. With about 1 mile to go a guy attacked and I wasn’t going to chase, but I guess that no one else felt like chasing either. So he stayed off the front and I gave it all in the sprint and I almost threw myself off in the bike throw. I finished in 4th so I was happy with that, it showed that I was able to hang with the top guys, I just need to work on getting the win.
Sea Otter Circuit Race
I got off to a good start and the pace was high from the beginning. I enjoy this circuit race because it has such a solid hill. Throughout the race I held decent position and I was hurting at the top of the hill, but I was not about to get dropped or anything. There were some attacks but nothing too dangerous had gone off through the beginning of the race. The group was cruising and Grant Van Horn kept attempting to attack, but we were able to bring him back. Then Grant made a strong attack and Alfredo Cruz got on, I had the legs to get there but I was boxed in. I was angry to say the least and I drilled it through the flats, but no one else felt like bringing them back, and it was windy so I could not pull much. We kept a good tempo and then on the final lap near the end we caught the junior 15-16 field and so we were mixed in with them in our sprint. I got caught up in the middle of the mixed fields and did not have much room to sprint.
Sea Otter Road Race
Well I just got back from Colorado the night before and had to cruise down to Monterey. I was off the bike for a few days and this morning during the warm-up it felt like I was pedaling squares. The legs did feel decent though and I was ready for the important sea otter races. It was a bit chilly this morning and the field was a good size. I was a bit disappointed with the course map that I saw as I noticed that we were not going up “the wall” this year, but it turns out we did have a good climb that we got to go up. I sat in through the first 5 miles then when we got to the climb I got up into good position and started to drill it. It definitely felt good to watch many people suffering behind me. I did not drop many, but I could see that they were hurting. Through the flats I sat in and on the hills I drilled it through the first lap. On the back side I made a hard attack and I got a good gap that I held up through the hill, at the top a few people caught me and we started a little paceline, but the field caught us. Then on the third lap I rode a good tempo up the long climb and Bryan and I got a gap that we held for a bit. Then along the flat Bryan and I were off the front a bit. I sat up and got back in the group while Bryan attacked. No one chased and he got a good lead. The group did not chasing too hard until that long climb and there Grant Van Horn made a super hard attack and I was trying to grab onto his wheel, but was unable and started some tempo with Major Motion. Grant bridged up to Bryan and they ended up staying off the front. I got into good position and Team Spine led the group up the final climb while I sat 3rd wheel. They were keeping a good tempo, and I was hurting a bit but I noticed that the group was getting split up. Then there was a slight attack and there was just a group of 4 of us left. I had nothing for the sprint once again and ended up in 6th I had thought. It ended up that one of the guys did not pass rollout so I ended up on the podium, which is cool at Sea Otter.
Carrera Del Toro
Today was my 3rd Mountain bike race of the NorCal High School Series. After my tough outing at the previous race I had dropped to 9th Overall and felt ready to prove that I belonged up with the leaders. The course was about 5 miles with 1000 feet of climbing with each lap. My division was doing 4 laps so I felt that this was the race for me. The start was quick and we began the long climb, the ½ mile was on pavement and it was the steepest part of the climb. I was riding well with the front group almost to the top of the climb. Near the top the climb became very sandy and because I lost my balance in the sand and I had trouble getting started again. After this I was about 10 seconds back of the leaders and as I got to the downhill I wanted to drill it in order to catch back up. As I hit the first corner of the descent I hit a piece of loose dirt and was going to smash into a tree so I went down so that I just slid and hopped back up. The lead group now had a good 30 seconds on me and I was pissed to say the least. As we came through the finish area I was with one teammate and I started flying through the climbs and catching riders 1 by 1.
Through laps 3 and 4 Jonathan Mayfield and I rode together and were not able to bring back anyone but we could see some riders we were slowly bringing back. Near the end of the climb of the fourth and final lap we caught Stephen Wallace, a racer for the Redwood Team, and the three of us stayed together. On the downhill I started off behind both Jonathan and Stephen. I passed Stephen along some grass and then I was able to pass Jonathan. I stayed in front for a little before he passed me back, which was perfect because he led straight into the finishing stretch and with about 500 meters to go I took off and gave a great sprint to finish in 6th place. I was hoping to do better, but I was happy with my strong finish.
Ronde Van Brisbeen
Today was another chance to get some points towards becoming a category 2 and I learned last weekend that I am in good enough form to get some results in the elite races now. I feel that my sprinting has improved a lot since last year and this was a course that I could show it off in.
From the start I knew that position was going to be a key part of this race and right when I was headed to line up we had to do junior roll out. Luckily they brought us up to the very front of the group for the start, to the dissatisfaction of the older guys, and that helped a lot to not start in the back of a pack of 120. During my warm up it had been extremely windy so from the gun I let up and got into around 20th position so that I would be in good position, but not in the wind. For the better part of the race I stayed right around there. At some points of the race I dropped back a little too far and getting back into good position was not fun with the tough wind.
Even though it was tough work on the downhill’s with the junior gears I was able to move up in the pack with a good tuck. With about 20 minutes left in the race I got up into the top 15 with a good move along the right side of the uphill, this allowed me to stay protected while moving up and not get stuck in the wind. My legs felt good and my specialized bicycle was handling all the corners so smoothly I knew that I could do well if I got good position.
With one lap to go I pulled into fifth position for the downhill and I sat there. For the first half of the climb I stayed there behind a super tall Webcor rider. Then the field swarmed and I got jammed into the right side with no where to go. I knew that the winner would go at the last second because no one would be able to sprint for long in the nasty wind. As I attempted to find some room and move up the right side a guy who was also trying to move up yelled at me so I had no choice. In last 500 meters a few guys went down and I went with the room I had and I was able to pull out a decent 6th place. I was disappointed since I had felt good, I just did not have room to sprint, oh well I still got some points.
From the start I knew that position was going to be a key part of this race and right when I was headed to line up we had to do junior roll out. Luckily they brought us up to the very front of the group for the start, to the dissatisfaction of the older guys, and that helped a lot to not start in the back of a pack of 120. During my warm up it had been extremely windy so from the gun I let up and got into around 20th position so that I would be in good position, but not in the wind. For the better part of the race I stayed right around there. At some points of the race I dropped back a little too far and getting back into good position was not fun with the tough wind.
Even though it was tough work on the downhill’s with the junior gears I was able to move up in the pack with a good tuck. With about 20 minutes left in the race I got up into the top 15 with a good move along the right side of the uphill, this allowed me to stay protected while moving up and not get stuck in the wind. My legs felt good and my specialized bicycle was handling all the corners so smoothly I knew that I could do well if I got good position.
With one lap to go I pulled into fifth position for the downhill and I sat there. For the first half of the climb I stayed there behind a super tall Webcor rider. Then the field swarmed and I got jammed into the right side with no where to go. I knew that the winner would go at the last second because no one would be able to sprint for long in the nasty wind. As I attempted to find some room and move up the right side a guy who was also trying to move up yelled at me so I had no choice. In last 500 meters a few guys went down and I went with the room I had and I was able to pull out a decent 6th place. I was disappointed since I had felt good, I just did not have room to sprint, oh well I still got some points.
Corporate Criterium #1
It is always nice to have a race near home so that the drive is not too far away. I also know this course very well because we do the Tuesday Night Criteriums there so often. This course has been a struggle to keep because of problems with the companies around the course but thanks to René Goncalvess’ hard work we have been able to keep the course. I got a decent warm up with my teammate Charlie Carrol, but I was planning on this race to be my warm up for the 3 / 4 race and was not too worried about it. Most of the race was boring and I seemed to be the only one attacking much. I went for all the primes and I tried to get my teammates involved in the race. At the end of the race I went too early and I could not hold my sprint long enough and wound up in 3rd. It was a good warm up.
I got a good place on the line and this actually turned out to be important because their was a very large field and it was nice to be in the top 10 from the start. The race was exciting as it had been a while since I raced with Elite 4’s, lets just say that they make the race a little more exciting. I definitely was having fun in this race though, it is exhilarating flying through corners with a large pack, I think the key to racing criteriums is the mental game, I know that I am not going to crash and so I don’t crash. For the majority of the race I stayed in the “sweet spot” and I felt very good. I went with a few moves and got 2nd in one of the primes. I was in good position at the end and I feel good about my sprinting this year as I was able to get 5th out of this very large field and I got myself some points towards a category 2 upgrade.
I got a good place on the line and this actually turned out to be important because their was a very large field and it was nice to be in the top 10 from the start. The race was exciting as it had been a while since I raced with Elite 4’s, lets just say that they make the race a little more exciting. I definitely was having fun in this race though, it is exhilarating flying through corners with a large pack, I think the key to racing criteriums is the mental game, I know that I am not going to crash and so I don’t crash. For the majority of the race I stayed in the “sweet spot” and I felt very good. I went with a few moves and got 2nd in one of the primes. I was in good position at the end and I feel good about my sprinting this year as I was able to get 5th out of this very large field and I got myself some points towards a category 2 upgrade.
Central Coast Invitational
The first mountain bike race of the year for my High School team and I was excited for a new year. This year I had some expectations to live up to since I had an article in the paper that my team had all seen. I was unsure how I would face up against the guys in the Varsity division, but I did expect that I would do well. The start for this race was ideal for me with a long uphill road climb before the race went onto the single-track. I felt good in the start and was able to get into the top five very easily and I was in the ideal situation heading into the single track. After about a mile the two strongest guys went off the front and there was no room for me to get over and chase. That basically turned it into a race for 3rd place. It is interesting how different Mountain bike races are then road. They are comparable to a Time Trial but there is lots of passing and if there is no room to pass at a crucial part of the race, then your race can get messed up. Luke Ramseth and I worked together for the next 2.5 laps with Andy Goessling hanging a fair distance behind us. During the last lap Andy caught us and I in the last few miles I got dropped and took it home as hard as I could. It was great going through the finishing stretch as my High School team is about 40 riders and they were all lined up cheering and yelling for me, that was definitely motivational and I appreciate that. I finished in 5th with an average heart rate of 185 for the race. I was happy with the result and I got a medal!
Snelling Road Race
It was finally time for the first Road Race of the year, and I was happy that there was one because I enjoy road races much more than criteriums. I did not even have to wake up early because my race was not until 12:30. It was quite a long drive out there though and my legs definitely have not come around yet. After getting a good warm-up I rolled over to the start line, where I got to wait for a 30 minutes because the races were so far behind schedule. We started with a 3 mile promenade, and I could not get my foot in the pedal and had to roll on the back of the pack while I dug the dirt out of my cleat. The first few laps did not involve much and the whole race was not very tough. There were a few attacks here and there but no all out dying efforts today. Even though the race was not super tough we kept a steady pace and I sat in the pack without doing much work but my legs were not feeling too good. I made a few moves on the last lap but nothing held. I got in decent position for the sprint, the last 3 miles before the finish are on a road that is super rough and that was definitely not enjoyable but I was able to get a decent 5th place out of it, and I got a T-shirt, that always makes it worthwhile.
Cherry Pie Criterium
I was given the opportunity to wake up bright and early again and headed off for Napa; luckily I get to sleep in the car. When we arrived at the race my teammate Ryan was already there and he had forgotten his helmet so I was happy to help me out since he was racing before me. I got warmed up on the trainer, since the race would only be 20 minutes I needed a great warm-up. I headed out to the start to roll out and watch the end of the 15-16 race. It was a tight squeeze but I was able to get my helmet back just in time and a break went right from the start and I missed it. Lucky me I was stuck on the front, at least at this time of the year it gets you a good workout. I now know that I should have sat in a little more because I worked so hard at the front pulling back breaks that when the opportunity came for the breaks I was too worn out to make it into them. So I pretty much suffered at the front and gave it a good sprint at the end. I am frustrated with my result for this race because this is a crit course that really fits me with the hill in it. I will have to win it next year.
I got about an hour rest between the juniors and 3’s so I rested and spun on the trainer a bit and headed out to the start line. I sat in at the beginning and I was frustrated by how slow everyone slowed down for the corners, the course was a little wet but, it wasn’t like it was raining. I made a couple of moves that didn’t stick. Then with about 6 laps to go I made a good move up the hill and two junior racers came with me. We got a decent gap and the next lap I heard prime at the last second and gave it a little push and ended up winning a prime I hadn’t known about. With about three laps to go I could see that the break wasn’t going to stick so I sat up a bit and went back into the field and got some rest and was in great position for the sprint. As we nailed it up the hill for the sprint the guy in front of me blows and sits up. This was annoying but, I also know that I did not have enough of a sprint to win it even if the guy had not sat up. I felt decent about how this race had gone, and at least I got a prime.
I got about an hour rest between the juniors and 3’s so I rested and spun on the trainer a bit and headed out to the start line. I sat in at the beginning and I was frustrated by how slow everyone slowed down for the corners, the course was a little wet but, it wasn’t like it was raining. I made a couple of moves that didn’t stick. Then with about 6 laps to go I made a good move up the hill and two junior racers came with me. We got a decent gap and the next lap I heard prime at the last second and gave it a little push and ended up winning a prime I hadn’t known about. With about three laps to go I could see that the break wasn’t going to stick so I sat up a bit and went back into the field and got some rest and was in great position for the sprint. As we nailed it up the hill for the sprint the guy in front of me blows and sits up. This was annoying but, I also know that I did not have enough of a sprint to win it even if the guy had not sat up. I felt decent about how this race had gone, and at least I got a prime.
Apple Pie Criterium
The Apple Pie Criterium was my first race of the year, and although I had some rough times I feel that I have gotten a great base for this year and was excited to see how I could do against the other junior racers. It was raining when I got to the business park nice and early. I took it easy getting ready and did not do a great warm up, but I felt decent. I was debating how I should handle the race considering the Davis Bike Team now has three very strong riders and I was pretty much on my own. At the start I got my foot clipped in super fast and I decided I might as well break it up now and I took off. This worked reasonably well, and I ended up in a break with two Davis riders and a Los Gatos rider. The Davis riders started to beat up on us and the Los Gatos rider wasn’t doing much to help me, and he was a better sprinter than me so I did a hard little interval and dropped him. I’m still not quite sure if this was a good move because that put me into a position with the two Davis riders and I. They attacked me for a little while and then one of them got off the front of me. Then the other attacked and I made the mistake of not staying with him, and they both got up the road together and I was stuck in no mans land. We had gained a decent lead on the remains of the pack and I was able to stay where I was and finish in third. I felt that I had done well considering the situation that I had been in, but I also think that I could have at least got second. I won $25 though and feel good about the race and the kind of shape that I am in.
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