Bear Creek Challenge--Macungie, PA (5/31-6/1/14)

Short Track  (Photo credit: Bear Creek Mountain Resort)

I had a great time last weekend. Not only did I get to preview the course that Mountain Bike Nationals will be at, but I also had some really good results. And to add to that, I also finished my first pro race, and gained some valuable information about myself as a racer and as a rider.

I was as excited as ever to get to Bear Creek, because I had some unfinished business with the course. I arrived at the resort Thursday night, and was relieved to have finally gotten there after the 15 hour drive. I couldn't wait until the next day to finally get out on the course. After riding a loop of the course on Friday, I felt sure of myself and couldn't wait to get out there and race.

On Saturday I had two races, the Short Track, in which I raced Cat 2, and the Super-D, in which I raced Junior Open. The short track was 20 minutes plus 3 laps, which in the end came out at just under 30 minutes. Knowing this, I knew it was going to be the longest short track racing I've ever done, but I was determined to finish strong. Off the start, someone clipped my handlebars and I stumbled a little and didn't get clipped into my pedals right away. Even with this setback though, I kept pushing until I was in second place and sitting on the leader's wheel going up the starting climb.  The person I was following was an 18 year old road racer who was incredibly strong. Throughout the race he made monstrous attacks on me on the climb and on the flats. And after 4 laps of pushing myself the hardest I think I've ever pushed, I finally tired out a little and he got a gap on me. For the rest of the race, I turned myself inside out trying to catch back up to him, but he was slowly increasing the gap. Finally, after the 29 minutes of excruciating pain, I finished 2nd.

Short Track podium (Yes, I know I'm standing on the wrong side.)

After the short track race I was determined to keep doing well and have a great result in the Super-D. I had an awesome start on the Super-D and flowed through the hardest section. I had an almost flawless run apart from one section where my foot managed to unclip and I was pedaling with one foot over the second hardest rock section. Once I finished, I had a time of 4 minutes and 57 seconds, which put me in first place in my category (and the Cat 2 category), and would've put me in 13th in the pro category. Not too bad for a junior on a hardtail.

Super-D podium

Pro/Open staging

Now on to Sunday. Oh boy. This was probably the most amount of fun and pain I have ever had in one 3-hour time period. I lined up on the front of the starting line and prepared myself for the pain I was about to endure. Originally, we were just going to do a 90 minute race on a course similar to the course I'll be racing at Nationals. I knew that the lap times were between 20 and 25 minutes. So I figured about 4 laps at the most. While I was lined up, I asked the race promoter how many laps we were going to do just to be safe, and he told me that we were going to do 6 laps. Now I won't call myself a genius, but I'm pretty sure that even at the fastest, about 20 minutes a lap, 6 × 20min = 120min. That's at least 2 hours, not to mention that most of the racers would probably do more like 23-25 minute lap times. So we were going to be out there for well over 2 hours for an advertised 90 minute race. Apparently, the race promoter didn't realize that the extra sections he added increased the lap times by 5 minutes from last year's course. Sorry for the rant.

Back to the race. Off the line, I managed to have yet another bad start and I had to put my foot down and push off before I could go anywhere. Going up the starting climb I was sitting in 6th and managed to maintained it for about 10 minutes. From there, I battled it out with the other racers until the third lap, where I was getting passed on the flats and passing back on the grass climbs and technical descents. By the time the third lap came around, my legs were shot. I had to stop in the feed zone for a couple of minutes to get some fuel in me and recover a little. After that I went back out and suffered up the climbs thanks to having too big of a front chain ring. 

Photo credit: Bear Creek Mountain Resort

On the fourth lap, the leader passed me, so I knew I only had to do 5 laps instead of the dreaded 6. So I kept pedaling through the pain. By the time I had crossed the finish line, my total ride time, including my warm-up, was well over 3 hours. Even with that, I still managed to not come in last, getting 16th place, and even got prize money for coming in the top 20. This race, went from being an easy excuse to race the pro category, because it was a similar course to mine at Nationals and a shorter race than what I would've done in the cat 2 juniors, to being the longest and most painful ride I have ever done on the bike.  

In the money, with teammate Veda, who got 3rd in the Pro/Open Women

But other than that, I had a lot of fun hanging out with current friends and making new ones. I also had a great time being at Bear Creek for Veda's birthday and seeing her do so well in the Pro/Open Women's class. Also, a super giant thanks goes out to Matt Donovan for making this trip possible.

Next weekend, I go back to road racing practically in my backyard at the Ocala (Almost) Stage Race. 

2014 Florida State Criterium Championships (5/24-25/14)

Warming up on my new rollers--Thanks, Roger!

Last weekend was a very special weekend for me. Not only was it my 14th birthday, but it was the last of the 5 State Championship Titles that I was competing for.

Saturday morning, I woke up ready to get on the bike and try to kick some butt in the Cat 4 Men's race. After doing my warm-up, I lined up in staging and waited to be called up to the line. Once the whistle was blown, I almost instantly went into the pain cave. I spent most of my time attacking in the front and recovering in the back.

Once I saw 2 laps to go, I knew I needed to start to move up. Going into corner one, my back tire slid out and went skidding on the pavement for several yards. Almost as soon as I was thrown down, I was getting back up and checking myself for any serious injuries. My bibs and socks were ruined, and I ended up with a nasty road rash that covered most of my right leg, but otherwise, I was ok. With encouragement from my dad, I got back on the bike and finished the race.

Look closely and you can see me skidding out

Dad's helmet cam footage

After I crossed the finish line, I got some medical help (and moral support) from my friends on the Wizard Racing and RedEye Velo teams. Some of the parents took me to the Wizard pit for treatment, since it was right near the finish line. They cleaned out my wounds, patched me up, and gave me ice to help with the swelling, and I really appreciate it. Without them, I don't know if I would have been able to race on Sunday.

That night, my family went out to eat with the RedEye Velo team at this cool little pizza place. We had a great time hanging out, and the team even gave me some presents that made me feel like an honorary member of the team. Thanks, guys!!

Staging for the Juniors race

Sunday morning I was a little bit stiff and in pain, but I knew I just had a short 25 minutes to push through if I wanted to compete for my final state championship. Off the line I made an attempt to drop everyone early, and hammered for the first 3 laps. However, because of my injuries, it soon became obvious that I wasn't going to be able to ride away from the group, so I settled in.

The finish

With 3 laps to go, a friend (Jackson) attacked and got a good gap, which stood strong until the very last turn of the race, when I closed the gap after spending 3 laps chasing him down. Once I came around the last corner, I attacked hard starting the sprint to the finish. In the end, I found myself winning my 5th State Championship Title of the year by a very slim margin. Kudos to Hunter, Nico, Jackson and the others for making the finish so exciting! It was a great race, and it was great seeing all of my road friends.

**Thanks to RedEye Velo and Wizard Racing Team for some of the pictures.**

St. Augustine VeloFest (5/10-11/14)

Goofing around with my brother, Ryan

This weekend the whole family traveled to St. Augustine, Florida for VeloFest. Even my brother, Ryan, came along. My dad and I were both racing the Cat 3/4 crit and the Cat 4/5 road race, and we made a little side bet about which of us would win. Regardless of where we finished in the overall results, we were racing for family bragging rights and I wanted to beat him.

 

I got a great start off the line for the Old City Criterium on Saturday, and was running in the top 3 early in the race. Nearly from the start, some of the Cat 3's were putting in a bunch of little attacks, which I tried to counter to stay up front. Ultimately, though, that was my downfall. It wasn't until I cramped up badly from head to toe that I realized my mistake and had to pull out of the race. That round went to my dad, who finished 4th in the Cat 4 field and 18th overall.

Neutral start of the road race

On Sunday, we lined up again to compete in the Syco Farms Road Race. I was determined to redeem myself for the mistakes I made the day before. The course was 36 miles, full of long, flat roads with strong winds. After doing a good warm-up, I went over to staging to wait for my start. Once it was 5 minutes until start, the officials called us up to the line, where I was able to get a front row spot. The first 3 miles of the course were really narrow, so it was a neutral start. Throughout the race, I was finding it hard to make moves and get myself in the front of the group, so I was forced to ride near mid-pack, where everyone was riding like they had never ridden a bike before. Once I saw that we had ridden 30 miles, I knew I needed to move up in the pack for the sprint finish. However, because the group was so closely compacted with over 70 cat 4 and 5 riders, I was only able to move up a few positions. 

Finish first, celebrate later

Once we came around the last corner, it was a 400 meter sprint to the finish line. I went really wide going around the turn, and I found myself with almost nobody in front of me. I hammered up the road, and when I caught up to the top 3, I saw that the guy in the lead was already celebrating 20 meters from the finish line.

Eeking out the win

So I got up out of the saddle and made one final attempt to overtake him. In the end, I finished in 1st place, beating the guy by a millisecond for my first category win. It was a great race and I feel like I'm gaining a lot of experience for when I compete in road nationals again this year. Plus, I also beat my dad, which left us tied in the battle for bragging rights. 

Coming up in a couple of weeks is the Florida State Criterium Championships, so stay tuned!

2014 Florida State MTB Championship--Lakeland, FL (5/4/14)

Ethan A., Bryce K., Me, Nico T.

Steve Agronick--still shredding it in his 70's

Last weekend was the Florida State XC Mountain Bike Championship. I had a blast and really enjoyed seeing all my local friends.








Saturday was not the best pre-ride I've ever had, but to be fair, it wasn't too bad. I was originally not going to ride the course because the past couple days it had been raining hard, making the trails really muddy and slick. But, after waiting two hours, I decided to just go ahead and ride two laps. The course was drying up really quick and by the time I was finishing my second lap it was almost completely dry. However, once I changed and packed up the car, it started pouring AGAIN.

Sunday was much better. By the time I raced, the course was mostly dry and fast. After doing my warm-up, I went to staging and waited for the start of my class. Off the line I had the hole shot, gapping everyone by several yards.

Throughout the race I just tried to keep a fast and steady pace, and by the time I crossed the finish line, I was over five minutes ahead of second. (Actually, second, third and fourth had an exciting sprint to the finish that I was glad I got to see.)

After looking at my lap times, I noticed that I had one of the fastest lap times of the day. I was only surpassed by the Pros and Cat 1 19-29 men. Winning this race was a great accomplishment, and I can't wait to try and get my 5th Florida State Championship title in the criterium race towards the end of the month.

**Thanks to Michael Ploch, Christie Burnett and Carissa House for the race photos I "borrowed" for this week's blog.**

Athens Criterium Races & SERC #4 (4/26-27/14)

After a sleepless night of loud trains and a very uncomfortable bed in a motel, I "woke up" at 6:30 a.m. to get ready for my races Saturday morning. By the time I made it to Athens for my Cat 4 race that started at 9:10 a.m., it was already 8:40 and all the racers were staging for the start. So, me being me, I didn't warm-up, and lined up next to all of them as to not get a bad start. (Big Mistake)

Cat 4 staging

Once the Master Men finished, my class all moved out to the start line, and I got pushed back to the third row. Off the start, someone slammed into me, causing me to put my foot down to save myself from crashing. After that, I was preoccupied with avoiding 5 crashes, multiple leg cramps, and trying everything I could to catch up to the front of the group. By the second to last lap, I was finally moving up in the field, but by the time we came around the last corner, I was still towards the back. Once I saw the finish line, I did everything in my power to move up, and after sneaking my way to the front of the group, I contested in the sprint, finishing 6th out of over 40 starting racers. I was a little disappointed that I was 1 tenth of a second off of 5th place and the podium, but really pleased that 1st place only finished 1 second in front of me, and that I had qualified for the Amateurs Twilight race at 6:00 that evening.

Warming up

Moving on to the Juniors race...

I was feeling decent, but I could tell that my legs weren't at their best. So, after a short warm-up on the trainer, I went over to staging and waited for my 1:30 start. My plan was to do what I've done in previous races--make a big attack and ride off the front to win. But, when I did attack, I quickly learned that I couldn't hold it, so I let the group catch back up. Throughout the race, there were a team of kids who would slow the pace down and then have someone attack from the back and try to go solo. They tried this 4 times and I was forced to close the gap each and every time.

Thanks to Wizard Racing for the photo

On the last lap I made one final attack after turn 3 to surprise everybody and gap the field. I had a major gap after the last turn, but with just 10 feet to go on an uphill finish, another kid caught up to me. I made one final attempt to beat him to the line, but my legs were jello. In the end it was a photo finish with him JUST BARELY beating me by about an inch. I was disappointed that I didn't win, but still happy with myself because I knew I wasn't feeling my best.

Sprint finish

Juniors podium

And now for the Amateurs Twilight race...

Sandor and I in staging for the Twilight

Staging was hectic. I went from being on the front row, to getting shuffled to the 6th after an unexpected parade lap. Once the race started, everyone seemed to move into the middle, and all of a sudden, within the first 5 seconds, there was a massive crash. I was right behind the wreck, so I frantically tried to move over to the right to avoid it. But unlucky me, my front wheel hit a guy lying on the ground and I flew over my handlebars. In the wreck I suffered a chain ring to the thigh, a slash to my knee, and a stem to the groin, but luckily my bike only had a dropped chain and scuffed up bar-tape. After I got up and assessed my condition, I decided I wasn't going to take the free lap. I felt that if I went back in, I would just get wrecked out again (plus, I was hurting a good deal). So I pulled myself out of the race.


And then Sunday came...

I still didn't get much sleep and I was still feeling pretty bruised up the next morning, but I wasn't going to let that be an excuse. I did my warm-up and then lined up in the Cat 2 Men 19-29 class. Off the start, I got the hole shot and sped through the woods. About 15 minutes into the race I got stuck behind lap traffic in a really tight section and a guy in my class managed to get around me. I rode his wheel until the last section of the course, where I attacked and dropped him.

Crossing the finish

My second lap felt strong and consistent, and in the end, I won by a comfortable margin. It was a fun race and it was great seeing all of my friends from the SERC again.

This coming weekend is the Florida State Mountain Bike Championship, so stay tuned!

2014 Sea Otter Classic (4/10-13/14)

Last weekend was one of the biggest races of the year for me. Almost all of my greatest competition in the country were at this race, so I knew that I had to give it my all if I wanted to win.

Hanging out after the pre-ride

I started off on Thursday with an easy pre-ride of the course with Veda and Haley. Right off the get-go I noticed that the course had changed a whole lot from last year. They changed the exit point off the raceway, making it a shorter ride to the double-track gravel road. In addition, they also made the course have almost all of the downhill sections on double-track and most of the climbing on the single-track.

The next day, I decided I wanted to do a somewhat hard ride, so I asked Casey if I could do a lap of the course with him, since my course was the same as the pro course. During the ride, I found that a lot of the climbs and lines seemed easier to ride than my initial pre-ride. 

Race day staging

On Sunday, all of the cross country races for Cat 1, 2, and 3 went off. The Juniors 13-14 class was the first group in Cat 3 to start. More than 50 riders lined up for the race. I got a huge jump off the line, but after careful consideration, I let the group catch back up for the ride around the speedway.

The start

The first climb

By the time I hit the single-track, I made several attacks, passed lap traffic, and dropped the rest of the group.

All alone in front

From that point on, I just concentrated on riding my pace and increasing the gap between the other riders and me.

The finish

After not being able to finish the race last year due to a crash, it was a great feeling to cross the finish line with a win at Sea Otter!! Thanks again to the Whole Athlete/Specialized team, Dario Fredrick, Josh Snead, Osmo Nutrition, DNA Cycling, ProGold Bikes, ESI Grips, and Specialized Bicycles for all the support. It was awesome getting to see and talk to you all at the event.

Post-race recap

Podium

Below is the short video my dad put together of the race. Enjoy!

Gasparilla Criterium & Florida Road Race Championship (3/29-30/14)

Staging for the Cat 4 Criterium

Last weekend was the Florida State Road Race Championship for Juniors 14 and under, and also the Gasparilla Criterium. I was really excited because my new Specialized S-Works Tarmac road frame came to the shop while I was in California, and I was planning to build it from scratch. After spending a day putting it together, and another day doing some fine tuning, my racing machine was finally built.


On Saturday, I lined up for my first Cat 4 crit since upgrading last summer. The weather at this race was the worst I have ever raced on the road. It was pouring and the wind was incredibly strong. For 40 minutes, we battled it out through sharp, slick corners and fast straightaways.

On the last 5 laps, I started to slowly make my way from the back of the lead group to the front. After the final turn, I sprinted for the finish line, placing 3rd in my category. My finish qualified me to race the Twilight Amateur Criterium that evening with everybody who qualified in the amateur categories.

Me racing in the Twilight Amateur Criterium

The next morning, we drove to Pinellas Park for the Florida State Road Race Championship. After completing my warm-up, I felt really optimistic about this race. Once we went off, I made a huge attack on the first corner, dropping all but two people. On the third lap, I made another major effort to drop those remaining riders, and this time, I got away clean. I spent the remaining 3 laps time-trialing it to the finish line, and won the championship.