Winter Riding

It’s no doubt that when you live far enough north, November, December, and so on until March or April is a going to be tough. The weather is cold and the sun barely shines. As a cyclist, it gets even tougher as you try to stay motivated to train or even just get outside to enjoy the sport you love. This season has been especially cold and the recent really cold spell has really tested me. It got me thinking about what I’ve done this year to ride outside and to stay motivated. I’m not trying to complain, ok maybe a little bit, but it’s also just enjoyable to reflect and understand what you’ve done to cope with the conditions.

The summer season begins to end when the days get noticeably shorter and the temps begin forcing you to wear long sleeves and knee warmers. I genuinely look forward to this time of year. It’s the time of year when you start to get cozy. You wear pants and long sleeve shirts and you start to bundle up at night. The all-day rides begin to ends with a refreshing crisp chill. It wakes you up as the sun begins to set. It’s autumn and its beautiful.

I almost forget that winter is right around the corner I enjoy it so much. I forget until that first ride where instead of a refreshing end, you get smacked across the face by a cold to the bone wind and have to thaw out your fingers and toes. It’s the first ride when you are reminded just how cold it can get. But as the days go on your body adapts; you keep riding anyways because it’s not that cold and you’re a man right? Maybe so. You toughen up and learn to ride even when the temp dips below freezing. It’s cold, but it’s not dangerous. For winter in southern Wisconsin, the temperature seems to stop dropping around this point, at least drastically. But it still moves around from time to time. It’s at this point that local CX ends and some call it a year.

The final level is when you’ve learned to deal with below freezing and then the temperature drops even more. Everyone has a point where they won’t ride outside. For me, it’s 15 degrees F where I start to really think about it, look at the wind and try to find a reason to ride the trainer. For those of us trying to train for January racing, it can be hell or it can a mountain. If you let it, it will derail training. If you conquer it, it’s an extra boost.

Racing is another story as I’ve tried to decide if I would have towed the line in Bend this year had I been there. I’ve thought of myself as a tough guy, and when I heard about the weather in Bend for the Deschutes Brewery race in my peripheral, I thought to myself that everyone was blowing it out of proportion. I’m from Wisconsin and I ride in the cold all the time. But after hear it was near zero, and then riding in similar conditions, I don’t know if I’d race. But I digress.

So how does one beat it, what have learned so far this winter and what did I already know that I can now put into comprehensible words thanks to my fancy new college education? One things for sure, there are probably still spelling and grammar mistakes in this post (it took me 3 tries to spell grammar right).

·         We are slaves to physics. Just like your car might not want to start in the cold, same with your body. Common sense always trumps the hardman cyclist wearing a thin leg warmer and his fancy technical base layer. First off, if you’re trying to stay warm, don’t throw away heat. Cover your legs. They will get warm from working but if they are not covered they will also loose heat faster than your cold hands. Keep that heat and your body will send it where it’s needed like your freezing hands or toes. Layer your base layers such that they intertwine. This will keep air from cutting through to your skin. Cover you head. I’ve got an old helmet that I taped over the vents (Thanks Matter for the idea, as well as the million other people who’ve done it). It freaking works. But in the end, there is no one solution. You’ve got to cover all your bases because the cracks are where the heat goes out and the cold comes in.

·         Block the wind. This to some effect goes along with my first point, but its important. I’ll often wear a wind vest on cold race days under my skinsuit. When I’m training, I’ll have a wind jacket on. Wear booties and a good pair of wind blocking gloves. Make sure it’s your outer layer, you’re trying to create a layer of warm air between you and the outside.

·         Layer. This one comes from my dad. It was always a million layers with my dad. Sometimes he’d go overboard but you can always take off clothing. He sometimes had to stop to take a layer off, but he was always warm and happy. I was always cold and miserable. At least until I learned tho dress right.

·         A cool little piece of gear I use are cotton socks. Cut a hole in the bottom for the cleat (a small one, it will stretch) and you can use them as wind booties in the summer or fall. Then in the winter they can go over the shoe but under your wind blocking booties for an extra layer when it’s stupid cold out.

·         Put on some oil. For races some people use Embrocation. I’ve used it, it works for racing but its not always the way to go for training. So you can use plain baby oil to create a layer on top of your skin. It keeps you slightly warmer, helps protect against dry skin, and isn’t painful on the reheat, because there is no reheat.

But sometimes it’s just too freaking cold to ride outside. Then what? If I’m on the fence, or its almost too cold, look at it like a challenge. Tell yourself you need to learn how to handle it. Use it as a learning experience. Even over do it if you have to. If its just too cold, it’s trainer time.

The best thing for riding trainers is to find a friend. Having someone  to talk to make a world of difference. Combine that with interval riding. Riding a trainer is boring. So doing intervals splits up the time into manageable chunks. Instead of riding for 2 hours, you’re watching a video for 20 minutes while you warm up. Then you’re focusing on pushing yourself for the next hour doing threshold work. Having a friend there make this even easier because you can wimp out in front of a buddy. Best of all, interval training is a good way to get a ton of benefit out of a short time period, so instead of riding for 3 hours, you can ride for 90 minutes. Combine all these things by joining a spin class. I’ve also found that having a good trainer makes it easier too. When you can barely find a reason to ride, having trouble getting your bike set up can turn into a missed workout.

These general ideas have helped me so far get through a tough block of training before CX nats. We’ll see how much more I can do after nats and when spring starts up. We’ll see how much of these tips I remember. Good thing I wrote them down.

Thanks for reading.

If you’re looking for a good winter workout, check out SpeedCycling in Madison

I work PowerTap and Cycleops, so I’m biased. But CycleOps trainers are hands down the best.

If you need gloves, booties, or other winter clothing, Bontrager has you covered. Go to Emery’s and pick them up and tell them Joe sent you from Team Wisconsin, you’ll get the royal treatment.

In the meantime

Hey! It’s been far too long since my last post but instead of flooding you with race reports I’ll try to be brief and informative. Last time I checked in I was starting up CX season with a few good races on the local scene. Then it was all about ramping it up for a few hard UCI weekend with Cincy3, derby city, and Jingle CX.

Got some good food after Norge Ski Jump Race
just down the road at The Onion Pub

In the end I had some tough races and a little illness but overall the results weren’t where I wanted them to be. The focus was heavy on getting more UCI points to replace the ones I would lose after Jingle CX. I knew it was in me, but the issue is that there are a lot of variables in play, especially when it comes to competition. The us cross scene has gotten stronger this year and it showed as I was just outside of points on my ok days, and way too far back on my off days. I was just a little to fatigued from the long MTB season to really have any good days. The result was that I’m sitting here without points. Once you get points, all you care about are points. A good day you score some, a bad day you don’t. Its easy to get your head stuck like that and I’m trying to look at it from more outside the bike racing bubble. I have to remember that everyone is getting faster and that as long as I don’t get pulled, im still competitive. But I’m certainly looking for better.

Destroyed my drivetrain at Quarry Ridge one day

But I don’t want to discount the 3 UCI weekend. The results weren’t ideal, but I still enjoyed the racing, and especially when I raced Jingle with a strong team presence there. It was awesome having the team there, the sense of teamwork, helping each other in the pits and having some fun after racing finishes up.

I followed the UCI weekends with some more local racing. But this time around the competition was really there. Isaac and Brian showed up to Booty CX and State, then Tristan and Isaac we both at Regionals. First off, Isaac hit his form perfect this year absolutely crushing it at the local level at least. He seemed disappointed with his UCI results, but he’s stepped up to a higher level for sure. I got a chance to hang with Brian a little in Louisville and it was good to get to know him a little better. Then getting a chance to race against him, I’ve been able to learn a lot from him. He’s still the man to beat, but I’m happy to be in the picture at least for most of the race to keep learning and keep getting better. The same actually goes for Isaac and Tristan actually. Regionals were a pretty awesome race, a good venue and the weather turned out to make the course super fun. I had a good race and pushed hard and was able to get second behind Isaac and ahead of Tristan. It was a pretty fun battle with Tristan and I was happy to be able to have the legs and the head for it. Plus it came with a sweet cahs prize and an even better nationals support package from Pro Bike Express! That’s gonna come in handy.

Following regionals it’s been all about training hard. I’ve shifted the focus away from CX training specifically and moved to a modified base period for MTBs. Really just trying to stay sharp on the CX bike while doing the core and threshold work to be ready for 2014 MTBs.

State Champs Podium

One piece of information worth sharing is something I’ve finally learn to do this year, dress for the cold! After years of “just being tough”, I’ve started dressing a little smarter. The biggest revelation was with my legs, cover them. I’ve always been under the impression that your legs are making all this heat, they should be fine. But your body is a system and extra heat in the legs goes to the rest of your body. You also, thermodynamically, make more power when your legs are at the right temperature. Which im sure is well above what they are when they are bare on a 40 degree day. I’ve had issue in the past with numb hands and feet. Adding a wool tight under my normal tights has completely solved this. In addition, a good pair of booties and a solid pair of gloves are always important. Spend your money there.

Aside from all of that, I graduated with my degree in mechanical engineering. At least I hope I did. I’ve been through too much and lived long enough to know that you can’t count you chickens before they hatch and I’m not going to feel much about it until I get the real diploma. So look for that, maybe, in the next few months.

The capital lights blazing at the end of a fun skills workout.

 I wish a Happy Holidays and a wonderful new year to everyone. Hope your 2014 is better than your 2013 no matter how awesome or un-awesome it was.

Working on my balance. I've pretty much mastered the ball.

All Quiet...

It's been quiet in my world in the last few weeks, and that has been very nice. Granted I've done some racing but things have been pretty relaxed. I need it; the body and mind are feeling the long season's wear and tear. I'd like to say that since China, it's been all about focusing on relaxing but it really hasn't. I've been focusing on nothing.

After I got back I figured it would be no problem hopping in WORS #11. I even figured Brian Matter wouldn't be there so winning would a possibility. When Brian showed up in baggy shorts and I showed up feeling like I needed another week of sleeping, I knew I had completely misjudged how things would go down. I just didn't have anything to give. Thanks to a vicious start, I would place 6th. Considering how I felt, I was happy, but lesson learned, traveling is hard. The week after was Wigwam in Sheboygan. I was feeling back to normal and had the legs to follow the leader. Only a slip on a bridge had me off the back. It would have been cool to stick with them, but I was pumped for a third place. The good finish put me in 4th overall for the season. Good way to end a season.

With the end of WORS comes the end of MTBs and it's been CX ever since. I've been training, but the training is all less than 2 hours so it's been restful training, if that's possible. Mentally, staying at home has been good for the mind. It's taken me from China until now, but I'm feeling on top of school and life a little better. Better, but not completely. (not sure if completely is possible.) I was really happy to head to Grafton for a muddy Pumpkin CX. The mud was fun and the new course was awesome. Winning might have also skewed my opinion. Followed that up with one of the most exciting races I've been a part of at Badger Prairie. Corey, Chad and myself going off the front in a group and racing tactically up until a half a lap to go. I was able to attack and come up with the win again. This one felt sweet, winning it so close to the end. And a double weekend had confidence high.

The Pre-Ride

They don't really have them on the road, except for big races, but in the dirt its all about the pre-ride. Here is why I think it's one of the most important parts of your race weekend and how I use it.

It certainly has to be because I'm younger, but I think I take the pre-ride a little more seriously than some of the older more established WORS elite racers. But when it comes to the pro level, everyone takes it pretty seriously except for maybe a few riders. The importance is really because of how the races are treated in the olympic style racing at a high level. Where as a long point to point, or a big 2-4 hour marathon, the course is either very easy such as with the Mid-west Triple Crown, too impossible to pre-ride and remember the whole thing, or the pace is slow enough that it's not as important. But in XC, it's about doing each climb, technical feature or corner as fast a possible. It's first about doing them well, then it's about doing them well together as a full lap, and finally it's about repeating those laps each time.

China, China, China!

So after riding the course Friday I was feeling pretty good about the race Saturday and Sunday. Somehow the legs were good and I was pretty relaxed about everything. It really helped having everything taken care of. No worried, no wasted energy. But the unknown side was the competition. More than a few of the riders were their national champ and there was a lot of European talent there as well. But overall I was staying calm knowing that I was there for the experience and any good results were a bonus.

Saturday morning we had a chance to ride the XCO course again and I did so trying to make sure I had lines dialed in. There were a few jump lines that I was hoping to get figured out and I wanted to burn a few matches and string some laps together to see what the altitude might do to me because we were at 1200 meters or about 4000 ft. The altitude didn’t seem to affect me much and I was feeling pretty good but on the third time around I took one of the drops too hard with not enough pressure in my tire and I hit the ground. It was a little blow to my confidence and I decided to stay off the jump lines to play it safe. We went back to the hotel and had lunch.

Chequamegon and China: 1,2 Punch

I’m a little bit behind on the race reports so I’ll hit you with a few here, and they were both big results. I’m sitting here after returning from china with a lot buzzing around in my head and having just woke from sleeping all night and most of the day, I’d say I have the energy.

Chequamegon always has a special place in my heart. If you frequent this blog you’ll know. I’ve been doing it since I was 12, haven’t missed a year. The past few years, I’ve had some success as I’ve slowly crawled up the results sheet. After a great race in Lake Geneva I knew I was in a position to do something special. For most people, Chequamegon is an all-out test of how hard you can go. But with the speed being so high, it’s a different race at the front. I know it can be a roadie course with roadie tactics. To some this means the strongest will win, to me I know that it means someone with the right move at the right time with the legs to back it up can come away with the win. I came into the race for the first time with the thought that I had a (an outside one) chance to win.

Reforestation and Treadfest: the success keeps coming.

The last few weeks have seen me shift gears a little bit from before as the focus has been on training for CX, and racing more locally. Between that, school starting up and work, I've been busy. Sometimes busy is bad, but sometimes it can be a good thing. It's been a mixed bag of rushing around and taking care of business with simply focusing in on training hard. Thats one of the nice things about cyclocross training, the workouts are never very long, so it's all about suffering.

But on some racing! a few weeks ago (i say that with an honest tone, it feels like it's been a month already) was reforestation up near Green Bay. This race is traditionally a good shakedown for Chequamegon, or at least the organizers like to make it out to be. In truth the only thing the two races share in common is that it's near impossible to get bottle feeds in both. The courses are both fast and the distance is similar, but the courses have a different feel. Plus, you can't really have another race like Chequamegon. This year will be my 11th year racing, in a row. I go back every year because it's one of a kind.

Packing

Whether is a long or short trip, if you're racing bikes you're packing a bag and gear. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but this is what I bring and why.

When I pack I try to go bag by bag. For most trips I'll take 3 bags. My gear bag has all my racing clothes, shoes, helmet, glasses and such. Then I'll have a food bag with all my bottles, gels, Mike's Mix (recovery and drink mix), and if I can fit it a jug of water in case there isn't water at the venue. Finally a third bag for my stuff. toiletries, regular clothes, and any books, homework and computer i might need for work/school.

My Routine: Race Nutrition

With Mont Sainte Anne finished, there is still racing to be done. But it’s a good time to look back a little bit on the season and reflect. One of the big things I’ve come to find is that my race preparation and race routine has become naturally more defined and exact. So I figured I’d share with everyone one of the components to it, nutrition.

More than just race reports

So race reports are cool and everyone loves to hear about these amazing places and these amazing course I've been so lucky to travel to in the last year. But I still use this blog to help document what I do and how it works, makes me faster or not. So I'm going to try and do this in a way that can help other people too. When you're trying to get fast you're trying to train, but you are also dialing in a race routine. A routine you go through to prepare you for each race. I'm going to share mine in the next few months with everything from pre-ride to race clean up and everything in between.

So look for these in the next few weeks to start rolling out. They will be labeled under Race Routine so you can read them in series whenever you want.

Quick Recap: (Alterra, opps) Colectivo Coffee Bean Classic

Time for a quick recap and opinion on WORS #8 in Franklin, WI.

This race can be considered my home race. Although it might be better to call Cam-Rock my home race, I grew up about a 15 minute drive from then Crystal Ridge, now The Rock. I rode there a lot when I was just getting started. And once I had a drivers license, I was there after school as often as I could borrow my parents car. To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve ridden there, but it still has the feel of a home race. My family and friends always make it out.

MONT SAINT ANNE

This is, to be honest, a story that I wasn’t super excited to write about. But there are a million phrases and reasons I needed to do it. This blog is all about learning how to race and they say you learn the most in defeat. I was pretty defeated. They say that the best judge of character is how someone handles the difficult times. This has been an amazing year and this little hiccup in the long run is exactly that, a bump in the road on the way up. Finally, to be a good racer, you have to selectively remember. The good day and the bad, you have to only focus on things that make you stronger. Not the negativity that you feel from some bad luck. I’ve been focusing on the useless negative, it’s time to focus on the things that will help me improve.

Full Circle

This past weekend I originally planned to drive out to Vermont and race the final round of the Pro XCT, but when the chips fell, money was tight and I was getting tired of traveling. So I decided it was best to stay in Wisconsin and race the WORS race held at Sunburst instead. I think it was good for me because I’m feeling refreshed and ready for this coming week. But besides a quick recap I’d like to talk about a quick realization I had during Sunday’s race.

Uncharted Territory

So things have been crazy in that last few weeks and it’s been hard to find the time to sit down and write. But here I am sitting on a bus going back to Milwaukee with a ton of things to get down and some pretty sweet things to mention.

But to pick up where I left off, Subaru Cup was big. The crowd was huge and the course was awesome. And everything came together as I was able to have a best finish of 13^th place good for some UCI points which rank me internationally. My parents were there and so were just about all of my friends. To do something like that in front of the people you care about is pretty special.

Homecoming Queen

As I described before, the Subaru cup was something of a home coming for me as I’ve been off racing out of state at other pro XCTs in the last month. I was very excited to race with a home town crowd. After racing in Montana and New York and hearing the cheers for the locals I was missing the comfort of home, friends and family. So I got the word out there to make it big and it sure was. But all this is to come, I’ll start from the beginning.

Mikes Mix!

Last year, while working with the Wisconsin Cycling club at UW-Madison, I began working with a small local company that made a single product: recovery drink. They were simply looking o get their name out there and grow the small startup into something. Their philosophy is pretty simple, keep it simple and natural. Fast-forward to a few weeks ago and I was fortunate enough to pick them up as an individual sponsor. Beyond that their product line has increased to a whole catalog of endurance sports drink mixes.

 

What I like so much about Mikes Mix products is their simplicity. The classic recovery mix has 3 ingredients. It’s everything your body wants right after a hard workout or race, nothing more, nothing less. And yet despite this, it still tastes great. Not just good enough, but really good. The chocolate recovery mix makes a great hot cocoa substitute after hard winter rides too. The other huge benefit of its simplicity is the cost. Most recovery drinks will cost you $60 or more for a 4 lbs container. But you’re paying for a bunch of stuff you don’t need. Mikes Mix is just what you need, quality sugars and protein. All that and only a fraction of the price, $26.99 for the Mikes. As you might have noticed, I’m a huge fan.

WORS and Pro XCT Racing

With all the driving the last few weeks I’ve had a chance to do a lot of thinking, the good kind of thinking. But as the hours in the car add up, and the night falls you wonder why you’re doing this to yourself? Why would I drive thousands of miles just to race my bike? Why would I drive so far just to line up and watch the leaders ride away? Why all that especially when I have the biggest and most well run state series right in my own state?

And let me make this is clear. After traveling to Alabama, Missoula and Windham I can say with some certainty that WORS is run very well. I feel almost spoiled. Every WORS race is run as well or better than a PRO XCT race. The races go off on time, the course is clearly marked, there is support for riders. And there are spectators. WORS is top notch when it comes to organization. And lets not forget the competition. If you look at the USA Cycling ranking, we have 3 of the top 10 Pro racers in the US racing WORS often. And we have another 5 guys in the top 20. That’s huge! So with all this, why do I drive so many miles to race?

Windham

If you follow along closely, you’ll remember that my trip to Missoula Montana was amazing. If I had to sum up that trip, I would do so by saying it was life changing. The trails in Montana are in a different universe, technical in a completely different way than here in Wisconsin. The mountains are so beautiful; I was truly in awe the entire time. I returned a different rider for sure.

And return I did, for a short while at least. The weekend following, this past weekend, was another big trip to Windham, NY for the next round of the Pro XCT. This time I was driving out with a UW freshman Lukas Erdmann, who is more of a downhiller. The weekend was a UCI C2 XC race and a Pro GRT for Lukas who is  still a cat 2, but really pushing to make it big. We drove out Thursday morning to make the 15+ our drive in time to practice Friday, race Saturday and Sunday.

MisSOULa pt. 2

After a night of racing the STXC I returned to my hotel very tired. I took a shower and cleaned things up and laid down on my bed to relax. Next thing I knew I was waking up at 4 in the morning with the TV on and the lights in my eye. Guess I was tired. I turned things off and went back to bed to get some more sleep. At a more reasonable 9am I awoke to a text from David Flaten to get some breakfast.

After breakfast it was to the hotel to prepare for the day. I packed everything up and made the short drive over to the race course. I wasn’t able to get anymore laps in on the course like I wanted to but I rode around the lodge area and up to the top of the climb on the spectator trail. Hung out with friends some and watched some early races. Around 2:30 I got in the car for a late lunch to get ready for the race. Whereas the night before was a little bit hectic and nervous, I was calm while getting ready for the XC. It’s the main event but like I said, the STXC is good at getting you in a groove. It was just going through to motions, very comfortably. I made sure the bike was working well, pinned up, had some more snacks and got my bottles ready. It was pretty quiet as far as stories go, but in this case no news is good news.

MisSOULa pt 1

In the gravel parking lot at the bottom of the mountain there was a car parked right near mine. It had a ton of bumper stickers but one stood out. It simply said MisSOULa. I can’t understand exactly why, but I just really like what that means. I’ll be a Wisco boy forever, but I left a little bit of my soul in Montana.

Cam Rock Recap - Go Team!

In the wake of my first big trip to a Pro XCT down in Alabama, I was overcome with relief on the way home that I was going to get a weekend at home with no real racing. It was memorial day and Alabama back to back that had my legs and mind feeling the stress of life on the road. The stress is worth it when the results are there. But there is nothing like knowing that you get some time to relax and charge up for a while. I took the time to train hard, but with no class and no work it was a lot of relaxing and a lot of sleeping so the hard days were more than under control.

The annual Trek 100 was the weekend. While I was going, its not a big drive and there is no pressure. It was all about having fun with the team and enjoying riding a bike. On top of that the ride support there is top notch. The rest stops are packed with everything you could want, seriously. And the finish line has enough food to ensure that you can easily replace what you burned for the day no matter how far and fast you went. I enjoyed every moment of it. And in the end we as a team raised $24,000 towards helping Trek and the MACC Fund fight childhood cancer. So it was a win-win.

So the week off was tough riding wise, but it was exactly the mental recharge I needed. The week leading up to The Cam-Rock race was full of rain so it made getting out on the trails tough but Tim and I did the best we could. I think over the 2 week period we rode there 3-4 times and even hit up the kettles. I feel so lucky to get to ride mountain bikes as much as I have this year. I feel lucky to be healthy and lucky to be as focused and driven to ride as I’ve been; and even luckier to have the resources to do it all.

But all this riding gave way to a local WORS race a Cam Rock. I wouldn’t consider it my home course, but I know it pretty well. I was really looking for a good result, especially after the troubles in Iola. I really felt like I had something to prove. I knew I was capable of racing at the front end, I just wasn’t doing it. So despite the home course and all the familiarity that comes along with that, I was a little bit nervous. But it was a good nervous. The kind of nervous that forces your body to prepare.

It’s hard to pin-point what exactly was special about it, but the warm up felt good. I had some rest in the legs and did some good openers the day before. I made sure to warm up well. I also started drinking a caffeinated soda in the warm up. It seems to help clear the stomach and gives you some sugar and caffeine to charge you up.

When the race started it was up up up the big start hill. To my surprise I felt very under control. I was smooth and playing tactics instead of reaching for a spot in the pack. I was moving about how I pleased. We kept together going into the single track and I followed wheels and tried to keep my whit’s about me to be ready for the big attacks to come. When they came I was ready as I made a few passes and defended my position. Eventually it was Tristan, Corey, Nate and myself riding at a solid tempo on the front. When a gap opened up between Corey and Nate, I played the waiting game thinking he would close it back up, but he just wasn’t able to. I came around him and shifted into the next gear. I could still see Trisan and Corey and I was gaining. But coming into a slick corner I lost the front and hit the deck. Nate came around me, but I was quickly back on and making chase. I caught nate and took the pass in an open gravel sections and decided to focus on putting space between him and myself instead of trying to catch the leaders. The gap grew and I began to realize a top 3 spot was all but mine. I rode the pace I could sustain thinking that maybe Tristan and Corey would play games and I’d get back on. It just wasn’t happening as the gap grew up to a minute on them before Tristan attacked and from there the gap only grew.

Coming into the middle of the last lap, Kevin was starting to come within sight of me just off my back wheel. I lifted the pace to try and keep him off me, but he slowly clawed his way back on. I battled but the body was tired and I made a few mistakes allowing him to overtake me and further put about 30 seconds into me. It was back to 4^th for me. I was still super happy with that result. I crossed the line with a huge smile on my face and immediately realized how much everything hurt. But this race was a huge personal victory for me. I remember growing up watching the elite racers, and now I am one.

Huge thanks go out to Trek, Bontrager and Emery’s for helping me get the equipment issues sorted. I train so hard but you’re only as fast as the weakest link and it’s good to know that the equipment won’t be that link because I’m on the best bikes around. Also thanks to Speed Cycling and Coach Gordy. I just pedal, he’s the one making sure it’s actually making me fast. I’m learning every day that it’s a team effort and you can’t do it alone. Speaking of team, teammate Tim Racette also had a best finish that day with a 7th place. The front end of the elite field is getting more and more red each race.!

Racing Up

Since I started racing off-road, I’ve had a dream to race as a professional mountain biker and this weekend marks a big step towards that dream. But that realization only strikes me right now as I sit here post-race. The focus has been other places like making sure everything is packed and that the legs are set. That’s the way it should be.

Day one really started when the clock struck midnight while my roommate Sam and I made our way down from Wisconsin all the way to Birmingham, Alabama. We didn’t stop for a hotel until about 3am when we pulled into a Best Westen just north of the city and fell asleep about as fast as a person can. With only a few hours of sleep we finished the drive to Oak Mountain park just south of town. We pulled in and found a parking spot right near the start line.

First impression was that it really wasn’t anything too big. Participation was smaller than a WORS race and the race was run with much less order. But I began getting ready, warmed up and headed to the start line only to find that they decided to run the PRO race separate from the Cat 1 race as planned. Hard to say this hurt me, but it threw me off a bit if I’m being honest. As the Cat 1s had their race, it was tough to keep the legs warm and ready. But we finally toed the line and unsurprisingly there was a serious lack of communication. They didn’t have a timer for the racers, and no real way of letting us know how much time and laps were left. Now I don’t expect these things at every race I go to, but this is a PRO XCT, so I was expecting something better than that.

But once the race started it was all out of mind because with only about 15 or so racers, I started behind Todd Wells and next to Jeremiah Bishop. No time to be star struck though (well only a few moments) as the race was off. The start was pretty easy and I felt pretty good, but that feeling faded after a few laps. But I could tell I wasn’t the only one feeling that way as I was battling in the second group for 4^th place and making up ground on the leaders. Things were going well but as the last few laps came around, something just wasn’t there. I sat on the back of the group and let the race unfold in front of me, eventually losing contact with the group. Don’t know if it was the legs, lungs, or the head, but something wasn’t there. I rolled in for 8^th place.

I followed that up with a ride on the XC course and I was blown away, the trails are pretty sweet. The end of the long loop and the majority of the finish loop were on a trail called Jekyll and Hyde. We ran it backwards with the Hyde part first. It was a flowy fast tour of the ridge on the south end of the park. There were a lot of jumps and little berms, it was a blast and very fast. The Jekyll section was much different. A 1 kilometer climb through some of the toughest rocks I’ve ever had to deal with. It really put the grind in bump and grind. But the reward was ample. Once at the top we descended blood rock which featured a few tight rocky switchbacks, then 4 or 5 major rock garden drops. Finally the trail opened up into a fast loose section all the way down the mountain. There were a few small jumps and a lot of rocks. It was very fast and I was on the limit of grip the whole time. I got to the bottom and was so charged up to race on it. We packed up and headed to a hotel for the night. I spent the night cleaning up and getting my head ready for what was to come.

To my delight the XC race was better attended. When we got there the crowd was forming. People coming just to watch and people just finishing the race were lining up around the finish area. Again, it wasn’t much bigger than a WORS race, but there is still something special about having the big pros there. We arrived a little late so my warm up was cut short. I made it too the line and started getting in the zone.

Quick little side comment. I’ve been “getting in the zone” more. A racing buddy Tim and I talked about on the way to a race and it seems to help. Telling yourself it’s going to hurt, preparing your body and mind to deal with it. It gets your heart racing and you blood flowing and some adrenaline going as well. I think all in all, it helps a lot.

But back to the race, I was in the zone. When the race started I was able to quickly make my way up from almost last into a top 15 or so. From there the pace was fast but nothing too crazy so I was able to handle it. The group stayed together for the first 5 miles of single track but when it opened up onto a long gravel road the top dogs opened up the taps and I just couldn’t follow. Luckily neither could anyone around me so it was a fight for the back. This long 5 miles mile section of gravel hurt the legs more than anything else in the race. I pushed hard but I was only losing ground. At the end of the long stretch was a noticeable 2 mile climb up to the top of blood rock. I was able to find some power on the climb but only enough to hold the gaps.

I was pretty lonely on the descent from blood rock, but I was ok with that because I was able to have a lot of fun. And at the bottom riders began to appear and motivation was back in a big way. I metered my effort on the way back to the start area and got ready for the last 10 mile ascent and descent on blood rock. Metering my effort worked very well as I was able to pull back rider after rider. I took it easy near the bottom so that when I reached the rocky ascent portion I was able to really hammer and stay smooth. By the time I reached the top I passed 2 riders and at the bottom I was hot on the tail of another. For the final 2 miles I kept telling myself you can do this, you can do this. I made the pass coming around for a tight downhill. After coming around him I hit the gas hard but couldn’t drop him. I was feeling the burn and getting more and more worried that I would get caught. It’s always tough to get caught for the line. I was battling for 12^th, but at a certain point even battling for second to last feels like fighting for a win.

I saw the 1 mile to go sign and for that last 5 or few minutes the only thought that went through my mind was that I could do anything for a mile. That if anything was going to slow me down, it wasn’t going to be my legs. I was giving everything to stay ahead. I came out onto the road and looked back. Nobody was there. Rolled in for 12^th.

All in all it was an amazing weekend. The trails there are amazing. I can’t even do them justice talking about them. The freedom, atmosphere, and the focus on the race. Everything was so immersive. If I wanted to be a pro bike racer before, I really want to be a pro racer now. I want to live that life.

This video is of a guy climbing blood rock, we descended this section.

Sharpening the Edge.

The two weeks after nationals have been eventful in their own way, but not nearly as eventful as the nationals weekend so in a way it’s been restful. It’s hard to say why it’s felt restful, but if I had to guess it’s been that I’ve just been enjoying riding more than I have before that. It’s a feeling that has been expressed very well by one of Team Wisconsin’s leaders and friend Jason Kayzar. He recently wrote about the rediscovery of living in the moment that bike riding and racing can bring you. And that’s exactly where I’ve been the last few weeks. It’s not that things have been going particularly well or that anything bad has happened, I’m just enjoying the experience of life more. Read about it HERE

Collegiate Road Nats wrap up

So to recap, I had just finished 9^th in the crit and was riding pretty high after that finish. While you always want to win, there are some finishes that just get you pumped and ready to go for more. And that’s exactly how I was feeling. Even better than that was we all seemed pretty pumped and focused for the next job. I think it was nervousness going into the crit, but after the race and that night everyone seemed chilled out and ready for the RR.

Cycling has an illness and sadly the cure is not more cowbell.

So instead of finishing off my story about nationals today, I’ve decided to write about something else. Something that came from reading this article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324767004578485194028851214?mg=reno64-wsj.html?dsk=y

To summarize, the article talks about the change in cycling culture happening from the Armstrong fallout. It goes on to look into it a little deeper and examines the cycling culture; mostly based on internet sites and interviews with industry reps.

Collegiate Nationals: An end to a pre-season with success.

A few weekends ago was the collegiate national weekend out in Ogden Utah. I was lucky enough to have the UW team send me out there along with some good company, Alex Martin, Skip, and a new woman on the team Maddie Pape. There was an ITT Friday, Crit on Saturday and the big Road race Sunday.

Things started out pretty bad, I’ll be honest. A week before we were set to leave, I was coughing and wheezing with a headache. I was getting sick. I did the best I could to quarantine myself in my room and get better as fast as possible. I had to skip a few workouts but not too many as I was scheduled for some rest going into the weekend anyways. But with the cold, I wasn’t getting the best rest. But as the Monday before we set off came around I was starting to feel the sickness subside, so I was able to get things packed up and have some hope for a normal weekend.

The Anatomy of a Crash

This past weekend, I didn’t have lady luck on my side. Saturday was a tough day as I was trailing off the back of the 3^rd group on the road, yo-yoing a lot. I was eventually able to get back into the group and get somewhat comfortable, but the universe wasn’t pleased because that was quickly followed by some crossed wheels and a crash. Drew Dillman came across the road to follow an attack and I wasn’t completely aware of it. We came together and locked up, sliding to an almost stop, then got run over by a third participant. Not too bad, I was having a crappy day anyways. I was frustrated, but I was that before the crash.

Bring Some Wisconsin in your Suitcase

Not exactly what I mean, but certainly something on my packing list.

Week number 2 of the MWCCC collegiate road season stopped in Greencastle, IN for Depauw. The general hope of MWCCC racing is that despite it starting in March, we begin racing in the south and move north as it gets warmer. Well, it doesn’t always work like that. This weekend was a prime example.

My Last Collegiate Road Season

Last fall I started what would be my last year at this university. These milestones happen and I don’t really stop to think about them until they pass. But the fall was dominated by other things. If it wasn’t injury or sickness, it was class becoming overwhelming. I didn’t get a chance to stop and think about my last Collegiate MTB season. I think it was only a few moments that I stopped to think about it at the last race of the year. I won both races that weekend, so it was good to go out on a high note I suppose. And then of course CX nats came and went. To be honest I think I lived that one how I wanted. I didn’t have the result I hoped for, but no regrets there.

Update: Off Season?

You remember a few months ago? I do. I remember feeling excited to be racing CX, but as it seems to be in cross, there is always a longing to start the new season. While cross is a ton of fun, the short, cold intense rides and races always seem to make me eager for the next seasons base miles and the next seasons racing to start. It is best described as bitter sweet I guess.

Last year it was even worse as temperatures stayed high throughout the winter making the base miles a pleasure. Mid-January and into February I was threatening to ride without anything on my legs! With last year passing, so too have the mild temperatures, but what seems to have stayed was my body’s acclimation to it. This is really a roundabout way to say I miss the warm temperatures. I need to harden up a little I guess.

It might seem apparent, but I’m riding again. I took a few weeks off from real training, but with collegiate starting so early in the year, it’s tough to really take time off. It’s less of a break and more maintaining what you had with easy rides while giving your mind some time to relax. I suppose the body will just deal.

But I’ll tell you something, it’s nice to remember what road bikes are good for. It’s easy to forget when you’re playing in the mud and having the time of your life. At the time you think there is nothing that could be more fun. Well riding a road bike won’t put an instant smile on your face, but it can be easy come and easy go. And in a setting like that, the hard earned rides can keep you grinning for days. And that’s exactly what it’s been. The long tough miles on the weekends as I start preparing for the new season bring you a sense of adventure like you just don’t get on a cross bike.

Let me describe exactly what I mean. While, again, I enjoy cross as much as anyone else, it’s a very single serving sport. The courses are different, the locations can be exotic and less so, but the racing is pretty formulaic. Not that it’s a bad thing all the time, but its only one dimensional. The road offers something more free form. It can be horribly painful, or it can be gentle and pleasant. It can be long, short, or anything in between. You can ride in your backyard (anything within a 10 mile radius of Madison) or you can explore. I’ll be honest, there are few roads I haven’t ridden around Madison, but at a certain point, you start to rediscover roads. This can be just as eye opening. And let’s not forget the big difference; you can go really fast on a road bike!

With the first collegiate road race next week, I’ve been preparing. I’ve been riding a fair amount, going out with friends for some long rides and of course the ever present interval. I’ve also been practicing getting dropped. Working out the details, you know. Figuring out what face I’ll make when it happens, how many times I’ll tell myself I can catch back on, and of course and what songs I’ll have stuck in my head to guide me back to the car. All very important steps.

Another huge highlight, I was also very fortunate to win the Matt Wittig Scholarship this past week. The MJW scholarship commemorates a fallen rider. Matt was from all accounts an amazing rider, friend, and human being. But beyond Matt the man, the scholarship commemorates something else; it keeps the idea alive that UW Cycling is something special. Matt’s death brought the team together and displayed just how much love and caring there is on this team. We are united by a common set of beliefs; Bikes are great and the only thing stronger than the hate between club members is the love. Seriously, we joke around all the time, and won’t let anything ridiculous pass without due notice, but it’s all out of love. More than anything else, that is what the essay’s and ceremony are about.  To remind us of what we have and why it’s worth protecting.

I thank Matt’s family and the clubs alumni for giving us the opportunity to write the essays. It’s something I think we all dread a little come winter time, but when the essay is written we are happy we took the time.

The year is over: 3 of 3

So everything was set! I was lined up on the second row right behind Josh Johnson. When the gun went off I hit the pedal perfect and was able to stay calm going into the first corner and through the start pavement. I sat in 3^rd spot through the opening field and was in a good position hitting the first climb. I held the leaders wheel though the majority of the first lap, but wasn’t able to stay in contact without killing myself, so I rode my own race and tried to keep them in sight by making smart moves. Drew Dillman, came around me on the second lap followed closely by Rotem Ishay. I was able to hold their wheels a little better. Rotem was riding hard and making some technical mistakes so we battled for a few laps until he got away with 3 to go. I was sitting 5^th with a gap back to 6^th.

I made the mistake of getting comfortable and not riding hard. Mentally I gave in a little. A few little mistakes here and there didn’t cost me too much, but they began to make a big difference. I had a big crash in one of the faster corners that really changed the race. When Skyler Trujillo caught me on the pavement seeing 2 to go, I was hurting and he seemed in control. He sat on my wheel and I pushed it on to the field opening up a small gap. But when I bobbled near the pits, he came around and I had nothing to answer him with. I was in panic mode and that lead to a few more mistakes. I let myself lose him. I was pretty bummed as I watched 5^th place, a spot on the podium ride away. I limped in for a 6^th place spot.

But don’t think I wasn’t happy. It a strange place to be in. If you’re in that group for the win, or a top 5 and you screw it up, you’re pretty disappointed. But if you’re in a group for a top 10 and you beat those guys, you’re excited even though you’re finish is worse. So I was disappointed to be moving backwards through the race, but happy with a 6^th place finish. Getting beat by 3 of the members of the U23 world’s team and 2 pro MTBers is nothing to be sad about. But the finish wasn’t what I was capable of on that day. I feel I let myself down a little. This interesting combination of emotions has brought me to my current state of mind. I’m content, even happy with where I’m at, but super determined to get better, and achieve my goals. It’s made me look at everything in detail, and start to think about how I can improve. It’s also given me to drive to act on these realizations like never before. I’m not waiting to feel up to it, I seem to be making it happen. I say seem because we’ll see how things go when school starts. But for now things are good.

I have to throw a huge thanks out to the friends, family, teammates, and sponsors who have been there making the past year so enjoyable and possible. Trek Bikes for stepping up again and again with more and more support. Emery’s Third Coast Fitness for becoming more than just a great support bike shop, but a part of the KS Energies team. Not only are they a knowledgeable and experienced shop, but they truly care about the sport. From the recreational rider on the weekends, to the developing racer, they are trying to make riding a bike better for everyone. Of course I can’t leave out KS Energy Services and Dennis Klumb. Massive support is just the beginning of what he does for the team and his community. And Jason Kayzar from MC2 who has not only been a good friend, but doing more and more for the team by stepping up administering the team more in recent times. Chiropractic partners, keeping Madison and the team limber. If that isn’t their slogan, it should be. I proud to wear all of these folks name while racing, because they make it all happen.

Here is to 2013. I hope it is filled with as many good memories and lessons as 2012. Thanks for reading this year. The next few weeks will be full of planning for the coming year, class starting, and hopefully capped off with a announcing my 2013 season!

The year is over: 2 of 3

New Year’s was followed by a super restful week and really only enough intensity to keep the body from going stale. I felt tired during the week, but the power was big and the enthusiasm was big too. As a newer rider, I still am learning how to peak, so I had to rely on coach Gordy to get it right.. From what I could tell i was peaking right on time. I was able to make it out to the course a few times to watch some of the races, but as the week progressed and the forecast became clearer, I began to realize that things were going to be completely different than the current conditions at the time. The sloppy mud would thicken, and as temperatures dropped, it would completely freeze over. So pre-riding was limited. I did my openers and packed up the night before, and tried to get a good night’s sleep.

That morning the temperatures were low, but so was the wind. The course had a sense of wasteland to it. Hearing about the cold temperatures always makes you think a little, and with everyone else expressing their worry, it was easy to forget what I could handle. In reality, 15 degrees is nothing tough to handle for me. I’ll be honest that the CycleOps Warm Up tent did help a ton, but I came into it pretty worried. I got a couple laps in and dialed in the tire pressure. I ran a similar average pressure to what I normally do, but had a huge pressure difference between the front and rear. While this made the back end slide a lot, I was able to count on it in the rough stuff and not have to worry about flatting. The low pressure in the front allowed me to still get decent traction in the corners where there were not ruts. After a good warm up, it was off to the start line.

I need to take a moment to thank those who helped me. On Wednesday before the race I picked up a second set of mud wheels from Trek, the Bontrager Aeolus D3 wheels with Challenge Limus tires on them. I was honestly blown away. They are such a stiff and strong wheel set, spoiler alert, they held up in the race like a champ which is no small feat. Beyond the sponsor love, the KS Energy/Team Wisconsin crew was there helping out and cheering me on, even though I wasn’t in a KS kit, that’s team support. The whole UW crew was there too. We had a good group of people racing, and about as many there just helping out. Nick Frye and Andrew Rosch were in the pits and taking care of equipment. My parents were there helping keep me warm and well fed (thanks for the cookies) and of course Margy, my girlfriend was making sure those little details were all set. I think I had like 4 people willing to take my warm up jacket at the start. I think between Tom, Dino and Tyson, someone could have though I had a body guard squad at the start. haha! Thanks guys!

Conclusion will be up soon!

The year is over: 1 of 3

Holy smokes, the year is over! If you’re anything like me, you taking a deep breath right about now and trying to take it all in. But it’s a lot to process in one go but the off season is the most fitting time to do so as I’ll be taking a break from serious training for a few weeks.

But first things first! I promised an explanation about regionals.

To keep it short, the big issue was school. With this last semester coming to a close right around the same time as regionals and my class schedule full of tough classes, I was feeling the heat to finish strong in school. When it all came down to it, I had big deadlines on Monday and trying to race and get everything done was impossible. Not the kind of decisions you like to make as a bike racer, but 2 races were not worth an F.

I was worried about just passing these classes and I worked like my degree depended on it. The all nighters started mid-way through the previous week, and continued through the weekend. 2 hours of sleep here and there, but it was painful. Most of the work was focused on one class, my senior design class. But the other classes had their fair share of work which I knocked out one by one. Come that Monday, and the following Wednesday where we presented everything, the pressure was off. I’ll spare you the details as we fast forward to that Thursday

Thursday night was the presentation of awards. My group partner and I were not expecting anything and simply showed up because we had to and for one last chance to hang out without all the pressure. The award ceremony began with the usual speeches from the incredibly intelligent processors and administrators of the class who had important advice for us. But as we were all still heavily sleep deprived we didn’t car a whole lot. And as things moved onto the awards, we sat as the other teams were called up. The first ones received participation recognition which we assumed all groups would get. But with three groups remaining, the next group called up was given the viewer’s choice award. Something was going on here, and we like it. The next group was called up to receive second place. This left us, and we were called up to receive first place! The excitement began with pure disbelief. We quickly realized that it was no joke. It was big chunk of change to go towards tuition and a big help. Thanks to the university for the opportunity, and thanks to my friends and family for helping me through the tough push to finish it up.

With the semester over, it was just train, train, and train for 4 weeks to get ready for nationals. The training was good, but it took me a few days to get out of the rhythm school had me in especially with sleep. But after a few days off and lots of sleep, it felt something I had been missing for a long time, motivation and determination. It’s hard to say I made gains over the period, but I would hate to think of what I might have felt like without that break and those couple weeks of hard training. The last goal before Nationals was New Year’s Resolution in Chicago. My hope was for some more UCI points, to give my UCI stand some more dimensions. With only getting points at Jingle CX, the pressure is on to get more before those points expire.

The weekend started off in a less than favorable way. With the forecast a little uncertain coming into Saturday’s race, anything was possible. But with the women lining up it looked like it would be fast and a little icy. As the women lined up, the snow began to fall, and my concentration fell too. I don’t like to make excuses, but the start was poor as I couldn’t clip in because there was snow clogging up my pedals and shoes. It was just the first little issue in a long list that led to a disappointing result at the end of the day. I just wasn’t riding hard, and I wasn’t suffering like I needed too. Plus I couldn’t keep the rubber side down. I am thankful for the race, because I learned a lot. But you never like to learn lessons the “hard” way. Sunday was much better as I was able to place 15^th. Not what I was hoping for, but the field was stacked and I was a little tired. The big take away from the weekend was race preparation. You need to make sure all those little details are taken care of, but you don’t want to let them stress you out and keep you from enjoying the race.

To keep things short, I'm splitting this post up. Check back soon for part 2 of 3!