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!