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.
I had a week off from travel to be at home and train a
little. It was combined with a little bit of rest to make sure I wasn’t getting
burned out. All the traveling, I’m not used to it as much as the more seasoned
pros so I had to take my time to recharge. Admittedly I did some partying to
celebrate a thus far successful campaign on the road. The first week was 2
tough workouts followed by a long weekend of 6 hours of trail riding and some
efforts on the road. I hit the second week feeling tired but knowing the plan I
kept pushing. The best part of racing less than 2 hours from home is that
Wednesday’s efforts could be done on the course. I was able to get 5 hard race
pace laps on course. That was big for me knowing I could go that hard for 5
laps without slowing down much.
It was also cool seeing some friends and racers out there
doing the same. The warm embrace of riding with friends and familiar faces is
always a good way to cure weeks of travel. I was getting back to the rhythm I’d
known the year’s before that I was feeling disconnected from. Don’t get me
wrong though. The weekends on the road changed me for the better. My
perspective on these races changed from a David and goliath to a more familiar
and tranquil isolation from the rest of the race. It went from fear of the big
bad races to me finding my spot and my path to the top.
But I seem to have strayed from the point. Running some race
laps on course was a rare advantage. And as it turns out something the pros
could use. The short term lessons from Wednesday’s efforts were that I was
feeling the workouts from the week before but was still focused and eager to
race. SO rest and recovery was the focus for the next couple days until Tim and
I packed the car mid-day Friday to hit up pre ride. I used the opportunity to
get to know the course conditions better and open up with a hot lap and some
road riding. When that was all done we headed to Lukas’ house again, who we
stayed with in Iola. The dogs even remembered us, sort of. Thanks for letting
us stay again!
A good nights rest was easy to get because after the travel
and racing, it was just another race. I was sleeping on a somewhat foreign bed
and running through the mistakes I made during practice to keep my mind off the
race. I fell asleep to music and the sounds of Wisconsin through an open screen
door.
Saturday began with a gradual wake up and a good breakfast.
That’s the best kind of morning, very relaxed but with a quiet focus on the
day’s effort. We packed up and headed off the course which was a short 40
minute drive. We arrived to a packed parking lot and all the bells and whistles
going off as races were already going for the lower categories. I took the time
to clean my bike and help out Tim with bottle feeds for his Cat 1 race about 2
hours before my race. It was fun hanging out chatting with others and feeding.
Good change of pace for me from the not knowing anyone at the race.
Tim’s race went well enough, he was a little disappointed
but I think he learned a lot from it which if nothing else is good enough in
the grand scheme of things. But then the focus turned to my race. My parents
showed up to watch. Between seeing them and talking to so many people and hear
all the support, I admit I was feeling the nerves a little bit more than usual.
Racing in the big out of state races had me comfortable by myself so
readjusting to all the hustle of talking and socializing took a moment. I had
to remind myself I was still racing. But the focus, lack of focus, and
nervousness went away as soon as I picked my skinsuit out of my bag and started
getting ready. I had a second row call up, first of the locals to get the call
up.
The race started fast, I’ve had some races lately where I
felt taxed at the start and some where I was comfortable. I was definitely
feeling the pace as we did the long loop around the parking area. There was
some hectic sections as people not knowing the course put on the breaks for the
dirt humps. A few people has some misfortune but all in all it was clean. As we
turned back onto the main drag towards the start again I glanced down at my
legs in pain for a short moment and looked up to find half the field going the
wrong way up the clif bar climb and was super confused. But there was no
question in my mind which direction was right. So I took the opportunity to
hop on Brian Matter’s wheel as we began the climb. I pushed hard here but
didn’t have the effort in me to go as hard as I wanted. I lost a few spots up
the climb but nothing bad. By the time we got to the top the top guys had
realized the mistake and gotten back on. Wells and few others made the pass
before the single track. As we crested the hill I settled in for the effort. I
dropped my chain 2 times in the single track on the first lap, but kept a cool
head and only lost a few spots because of it.
Finishing up lap one I came by my parents and my dad
screamed out 16th place. I heard this and it motivated me to no end.
I was shooting for a top 15, UCI points and some good cash. I took up a notch
and pushed an even harder pace knowing that that is what it would take to race
where I wanted to finish. Lap 2 is really where the race began for me. I was
pushing it hard and making up a few spots here and there. As the laps ticked
down, things ran smoothly. Tim was at tech zone 2 with drink and water keeping
me fueled with Mike’s Sport mix and clif gels. I have to say, I’ve really got
this aspect down. The crowd pushed me on lap after lap. There was so much
support and noise in the fire lane, yee haw and nitro. I began to feel the
effort on lap 5. If there was a time when I really needed to crowd, when I was
really feeling the pain it was lap 5. And having the local support made the
world of difference. Looking at lap times from the race, lap 5 was a little
slow, but with a whole state behind you, I got through it. Lap 6 was my third
fastest lap, again, when the crowd is there, supporting and cheering the pain
just goes away. It’s one of the greatest feelings in the world.
I rolled in for an amazing finish, 13th place. I
reached my goal of points, and did so in one of the toughest fields with my
home town crowd, friends and family there. With all that pressure and I pulled
it through. It’s hard to put into words just how grateful I am for all the
cheers and how happy I am to put on a good show and good result for the home
town. I finished up the day with pizza with Tim and his girlfriend at the local
pizza place. Then it was time for bed, I was completely cooked and fell asleep
like a rock right away.
Sunday’s events were more for fun for me. With such a good
result Saturday, I was satisfied with my weekend already. This mentality might
have beat me as in the short track I just couldn’t push it. I would have to say
that my legs were empty because it was impossible to push. The legs were just
empty. I suffered hard. This is something I’ll need to work on come CX season
,but for now I’m ok with how things happened. I was pulled with 2 or 3 laps to
go and felt a little light headed and sick, but some food helped. The super D
went a little better. I had the chance to go in the cat 1 field and still get scored
with the pros. I had an ok run, 4th or 5th to my bike but
had a good remount and was second into the first sections. After a solid
section of single track, I made the pass early in the run to the lead and never
looked back finishing about 10 seconds on 2nd place. I just had to
hope the run was good enough to place well against the pros. As it turned out
it was. 3rd place, some more cash and 2nd place in
Wisconsin riders meaning some good series points as well.
At the end of it all, it was an amazing weekend and I think
most would agree. For me personally, having the local crowd played a big part
in pushing me. I’ve missed a lot of the local WORS races this year and you
forget how awesome the crowd is. It’s truly the people that make WORS such a
special thing. Thanks to Don and the entire WORS crew for putting on easily the
best event of the year. We’ve got something special happening in the Midwest
and I’m proud to be a part of it. Thanks as well go out to the team, KS Energy
Services/Team Wisconsin. It was good to see some teammates I know from the road
mixing it up in the dirt. And of course thanks to Tim for the hand ups and
support. Thanks to Trek for putting me on such a fast bike and Bontrager for
the gear and Emery’s for making it all run smoothly. Mikes Mix for the drink
and recovery mix as well. I’m going to need it for next week!
I get home and drop my bags on the ground knowing full well
that in about 36 hours’ time I’ll be picking them up again and heading out to
Pennsylvania for nationals. The legs are coming around and I’m on great form
right now. All that’s left to do it rest up and take care. The legs will be
there, I just need to have the guts to keep asking them to push even when they
scream in defiance.
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