Summer '18

As we roll into the dog days of summer I have been busy getting back to the 100% health in my right leg, since suffering a broken leg in March. After many hours on the saddle trying to make up for lost time, I finally felt strong enough to race. Since missing most the cross country season I was itching for a start line when I felt strong enough. I lined up in the Cat 2, 19-24 age group, at the Wisconsin Off Road Series in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Previously the Colectivo Coffee Classic is one of my favorite WORS race of the season. Before this race rolled around on Sunday I had an amazing opportunity to start the race weekend off strong. On Saturday I participated in the Scenic Shore 150-mile charity ride to support an amazing cause, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Riding 75 miles north from Mequon to Manitowoc along the shore of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. This 75 mile ride along the lake was a great way to start the weekend off. 

Post finish riding with the PPCCC!

Sunday came and my legs felt surprisingly strong. I got the whole shot in a field of 50 or so riders and held onto the spot for the first mile, then the chase group caught up to me. I rode with this lead group the next two laps. The final lap came fast and I was ready to make a move. I ended up making a quick attack and held on till the last two miles of the finish line. I ended up attacking a bit to early and did not have enough in the tank to hold the few second gap I created. Ended up crossing the finish line 2nd in the U23 age group and 9th overall. I was happy with the results but realized I did not race my best or have the legs I needed to race at the usual level I do. That's racing for you, and there is always room to improve. 

A huge thank you to my sponsors that have supported me this season even undergoing a major injury. Most importantly I would like to thank my newest sponsor Detour, voted the #1 Protein Bar. The people at Detour have their recipes dialed and are my go to whey-protein bar while out riding or recovering. Besides recovering from the the leg injury, my hands felt great due to the best grips in the bike industry, ESI Grips. If you are in market for new grips check them out they will not disappoint!
 

Season Update: Spring 2018

As the 2018 cross country season is under way as of now, I have yet to begin my season. In late March this year I had a accident and injured my leg and ankle. I ended up fracturing my Tibia and Fibula in my lower right leg. This was a major setback to my cycling season this summer. I had the privilege of enjoying crutches and a cast for six weeks then a walking boot for another two weeks. As of May 20th I began physical therapy weekly and remain in a ankle brace until further notice. The doctors mentioned that I am limited to road riding only and can not mountain bike till I have follow up x-rays in mid June. Unfortunately,  my race season is postponed until I get the all clear and my leg is back up to full strength.

I want to thank the doctors and trainers at UW-Health Sports Medicine for making this process as fast and efficient as possible. I also want to thank ESI Grips for there continued support this season! I plan on getting back to the start line around July and finish a strong race season through fall.

World Cup Weekend

After a short mid season break following a 2nd place finish in the Wausau 24 in August, I had a big weekend planned back at home around the Madison area. To start the weekend off I raced at the UW-Madison and UW-Whitewater Collegiate Race at Camrock Park on Saturday. Racing for UW-Stout in the collegiate B race, the competition was pretty tough in the small field. Right away I had an advantage having Camrock be my home trail system. When we went off at 11:00 and it was hot, a heat index of 98 degrees. Only riding 2 laps, each lap being 7 miles I knew I had to give a full effort right away to get in the lead. As we left the start line up the famous Camrock Start hill I gave it everything to grab the whole shot.

Right from the start I was sitting in first all the way to the start of the singletrack. I loved the course and knew the trails so it was easy for me to maintain the lead. I managed to have clean, crash free race and my legs felt great helping me hold onto the lead the entire race. Every mile I rode, the gap I put on the chase group grew. I was feeling confident  after lap 1 and focused on my fundamentals and pace to maintain the lead in lap 2.

I ended up taking the overall collegiate B win by almost 4 minutes. This was my first ever collegiate win and it felt good!

Following the collegiate race I went right up the road to Waterloo, Wisconsin for the Trek CXC and World Cup Waterloo on Sunday. It was so cool to see a venue this big in my backyard. Not racing cyclocross much I was a bit nervous to see how I would do at a World Cup venue. I raced Sunday morning at 8:30 in the Cat ⅘ field. After a long warmup to get my legs feeling better coming off yesterday’s win, I went into staging. My field had 120 riders, I was called up at rider 110, so I was in the 2nd to last row in this massive field, a disadvantage right away. I knew I had to get up to the front group right away if I wanted to place good. These technical and fast World Cup laps were just 1.8 miles long so lap traffic was a huge issue. Avoiding a few crashes in the beginning few turns, I focused on catching riders ahead one by one to get to the front.

This field was incredibly fast, having a national champion and other riders from around the world. During this race my legs felt spent, just another hot day here in Wisconsin. This took a toll on my body. This technical course with tons of off camber turns, barriers, flyovers and other features was unbelievably fast and fun.

When going out for the bell lap I was feeling spent after 35 minutes of a full effort prior trying to catch another riders. I ended up finishing 43rd out of 102 riders that finished the race. I was pretty excited to crack the top 50 in this stacked field from riders around the world!

I stayed around to watch the Pro UCI Men and Women that afternoon, that was unbelievable. Trek did a fantastic job running one of the biggest events I’ve ever seen!

I was very pleased with my results this weekend and I couldn't have done it without my sponsors and family!

Special thanks to:

2 Rivers Bicycle and Outdoor

ESI Grips

State Farm - Zempel Insurance and Financial Service

USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals

Before I start I’d like to give a huge thank you to my sponsors and family for making Nationals a reality for me! I couldn't have done it without them.

I took off for West Virginia to compete at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships with my Dad on Wednesday night. A huge thank you for him driving most the way so I could get some sleep. After the 14 hour car ride we arrived at Snowshoe Mountain early Thursday morning. I got all settled in and went to get my race plate and numbers for my cross country race on Friday.  

After meeting some fellow Wisconsinite friends a group of us gathered for a pre-ride on Thursday afternoon. It was a beautiful day and I really had a chance to take the time to scope out the course. My long time coach and mentor, Aaron Mock and his son Daxton, helped me pick lines and get familiar with this tough Nationals course. My first thoughts on the course: extremely technical, rocky, lots of roots and some tough climbs. Expecting nothing but the less from this course at the national venue. After two laps, I was fairly confident with the course and the conditions present on Thursday hoping for a good race the next morning. We then watched the junior short track and watched a fellow Wisconsin kid take home the National title home! I was feeling pretty good and was excited to give it my all on race day.

When I woke up on Friday for my race, mother nature had other plans in mind. It had rained through most the night and was continuing to rain that morning. I knew exactly this would be a totally different race. When we got up to the venue from our  hotel, the mountain was covered in a dense fog. Making visibility no more than 50 yards. This would make for an interesting yet fun race on this technical course. My race was scheduled for 10:00 am start time and 4 laps. Due to the conditions present USA Cycling decided last minute to postpone the women's race prior to mine setting my race time back till 10:30 and only 3 laps. This made for a frustrating warm up, having to warm up twice. After a solid warm up, I was feeling good but questioning the course conditions. Watching women riders come back covered in mud and looking frustrated. The rain had stopped just prior to my warm up but the fog was still relevant. As we went to staging, for the Cat 1/2  19-24 race, I knew the competition would be tough.

I got the 5th call up spot and was feeling anxious to be on the front line for Nationals in this tough field. As the whistle blew I had a pretty good start, right in with the first few riders. We then took off down the cobblestones for the lead out and things went south. I took a sharp left hand corner to fast and crashed hard; losing my glasses, water bottle and some holes in the kit. I got back up and was setting in last. This would become a tough game both mentally and physically for the rest of the race. The game of catch up began for me. On the first climb before the dreaded root filled singletrack, I had passed a few guys sitting right in the middle chase group going onto this single track. As the conditions were present I knew this section wouldn't be easy. The roots and moss from the pine trees made things very challenging and slow. I noticed immediately I was running a bit too much PSI in my tires for the conditions, this would issue would lingerie then entire race. Through the first lap I was still sitting pretty good in the middle group, as the lead group had taken off. The famous rock garden for spectators was coming up and I knew things would be slick so I decided to run through this sections, along with others, to save the time instead of riding it. After a few more technical rock sections and steep climbs thing started to settle down and become slow. The group was starting to disappear. Going into my 2nd lap I was beat, not physically but mentally. This course was taking its toll on me. I tried to remain calm and just focus on the section present. The second lap was definitely my slowest. The slick terrain made for a slow and frustrating lap. I used this to my advantage, kinda, and took my time through the technical singletrack and gave full effort on the opened ski trails/double track. After a few small almost wipeouts I had caught up to another rider in my field and hung onto his wheel for the rest of the 2nd lap. Going into the third lap I knew I was sitting top 20 or so and just had to finish the race with everything I had left in the tank. This lap was by far the hardest, mind over matter kinda lap. I had gained some time through the first half of the loop and really focused on the rock sections, with 2 miles to the finish. This area was my strong suit in this race so I knew I could make a move here. This section was basically a river full of mud and rocks at this point. I powered through that section and made a move on the final climb. I couldn't hang on to the other riders and ended up crossing the finish line alone.

This hands down was the most difficult, technical race I have ever had. The conditions played a huge factor and became the issue. I’m glad I finished and saw close friends and my Dad at the finish line to greet me on a great race. I was officially beat. I had zero energy left both mentally and physically, knowing I left it all on the course.

I ended up finishing 15th in the Cat ½ 19-24 field against the fastest kids in the nation. I was happy to at least crack the top 15 but not exactly the result I wanted. Most importantly it was the experience I had from this race. The good and bad will help me to grow as a rider and continue to train for a better result next season. Knowing the competition in the nation and what I need to work on as a rider to rank higher amongst the nation. The memories and experience from the 2017 Nationals will forever be special to me, I can’t wait for next year.

As a I recover from this I head to Wausau, Wisconsin for the famous Wausau 24 this next weekend. I’m competing in the 24 hour race with the four man team!

Again thank you to my sponsors, family and friends for making the 2017 Mountain Biking National Championship a reality. It means a lot to me have such amazing support group to race at a huge venue like this!

Thank you to:

2 Rivers Bicycle and Outdoor

Trek / Bontrager

ESI Grips

State Farm - Zempel Insurance and Financial Service

WORS Cup: Race Review

The WORS cup is the biggest weekend for the Wisconsin Offroad Series. Also known as the Midwest Regional Championship, the event draws racers from about 9 states in the Midwest. This year it was held at Alpine Valley, just about an hour from home. Never riding here prior to the event I had no idea what to expect.

On Saturday, the cross country race was the event of the day for me. Racing in a huge Cat 2 field with over 175 riders, I saw lots of unfamiliar faces and didn’t know the field to well. I started the day with a solid warm up and a quick look at some of the course. Fellow 2 Rivers teammate, Jeff, and myself had a solid warm up with a few sprints waking the legs up. When I got to the start line I was feeling good, but more nervous than usual. As the USA Cycling official told us just before taking off, there was a cut off time and riders would be pulled after 50 minutes if they didn't finish their second lap in time. This caught me off guard and changed my race strategy entirely. As we took off, I had a pretty normal start, I got in the lead group and sat on the leader's wheel. I then stayed with the lead group for the first mile or so. I then finalized my game plan and decided to give it all I had for the first two laps to make the cut off time, then recover the third lap and finish strong with what I had  left in the tank.

The first lap was the shortest of the three, I completed this in about 16 minutes, continuing to stay with the leaders. At this point I was sitting in about 5th place. As a came across the lap/finish I was feeling great and the legs agreed. The second lap was the longest of the three laps. Still thinking about the cut off, the lead group all split apart. It was a solo effort on my part, which became a mental battle trying to pace myself. I crushed the climbs early in the lap then focused on my skills in the singletrack using it as a recovery. I finally came across the lap/finish area again at about 41 minutes or so. I knew the third lap wouldn't be easy with the amount of effort I gave the last two laps.

After focusing on finishing the race, I used everything I had left on the double track and climbs to pass other racers and rest in the single track. I was chasing a racer from Brazen Dropouts most of this lap. I made a solid pass right before going into the final section of singletrack, and powering through this fast flowy section. I finished this 13 mile course in 1:13:19. This put me 5th overall out of all 186 riders and 1st in the Cat 2 U23 age group! After staying for awards and receiving my gold medal, claiming the Cat 2 U23 cross country Midwest Champion, I went home and rested for an even bigger day on Sunday.

I woke up early on Sunday for the Amateur Short track event. The course was about 0.7 miles long and had one long climb. Originally I had an okay warm up, knowing the warm up for STXC is a lot more crucial to have a successful race. When I got to the starting line along with all the over racers; there was a conflict in the schedule so my wave, Men 19-39 had to wait 40 minutes to race. This ended up being in my advantage due to the not so good warm up I had originally done. I quickly drank some electrolytes to replenish the ones I lost the day prior in the cross country race. I then went out for a solid half-hour warm up. When I rolled up to staging again, I was feeling way better and the legs were finally awake. I got the second call up for this race, which put me in a great spot. As the whistle went off I made a move straight to the front. I then sat in 2nd place, letting the leader set the pace. The two of us had put a decent gap on the rest of the field after the first lap. Each lap only taking 2-3 minutes, the pace was quick. I could tell the leader was struggling on the one climb. But I continued to let him pull me the second lap. I then made a move during the third lap to take the lead. I powered through this lap to put a gap between us.

Going into the fourth lap, it was a solo race with myself sitting out front. This was a struggle because I didn't want to blow up and bonk. I stayed focused and kept riding strong and fast. When the bell rang and the final lap was on, it was full throttle from me. Second and third place where catching up to me, but I still had about a 10 second gap to work with. As I came across the final corner and bridge, the venue was crowded and loud, I rolled through the finish line sitting winning the Midwest Regional Short Track Champion.

I finished 1st overall in the Cat 2 19-39 field. This was a huge accomplishment for me. This field was stacked with fast riders. Taking two gold medals this weekend was an incredible accomplishment.

With the success and race strategy I used this weekend at the WORS Cup, I’ve made the decision, and after qualifying in both events, I’m excited to go to Mountain Bike Nationals in West Virginia next week!

A huge thank you to all my sponsors for making this weekend a huge success and the huge support as I head to Nationals next week!

2 Rivers Bicycle and Outdoor / Trek

ESI Grips

State Farm - Zempel Insurance and Financial Service

WORS #5 Red Flint Firecracker: Race Review

After a solid warmup, with some fellow teammates and friends I was feeling ready and relaxed going into staging. Never riding this course before nor pre-riding, I did not exactly know what to expect from the Red Flint Firecracker.

Despite being warmed up, the Wisconsin weather decided to change. It started down pouring at the start line. I noticed my heart rate drop and started getting cold. As we took off for the long flat lead out, I didn't have the start I exactly wanted. After the first mile of the lead out I was sitting in the first group of riders in the Cat 2 Comp category. We then went into the single track, and I started to gather myself again through the rain. During the first set of single track I took a wooden Berm, which was extremely slick due to the rain, and crashed, causing my chain to drop. After getting my chain back on I dropped about 10 or so places. It was a game of catching up from here on out.

During the second lap I gained back some time, trying to maintain speed in the muddy single track. Typical Wisconsin fashion, the Sun decided to come out making it a sticky 60 degrees. I continued to make some good time back and pace myself, knowing there was another lap and a half to go. After a few pile ups and traffic issues due to other racers falling, i managed to avoid these and continued onto the third lap alone. Trying to chase down the person ahead of me. During the third and final lap, things started to get messy. It began to rain again, and the only thing I could do was to relax and focus on my fundamentals so I would stay upright and avoid a crash. During the last lap, in the trail section called "onion," I happened to take a pretty good crash down a steep rocky descent going across a creek.

I quickly recovered and kept riding. At this point, it was mind over matter. I continued to push extra hard during the open ski trails to make up time for the muddy single track. At this point I realized I had put a huge gap on the riders chasing me. I began to cramp up the last mile of the final lap, which didn't help at this point in the race. I then crossed the finish line after a rough, yet fun, 21 miles.

I ended up finishing at 1:47:43, placing 3rd in the 19-25 age group and 13th overall. Not exactly the results I was hoping for but still happy to make the top 15 overall in some of the most interesting weather I've raced in!

A huge thank you to my sponsors this year for supporting me!

2 Rivers Bicycle and Outdoor / Trek

ESI Grips

State Farm - Zempel Insurance and Financial Service

Also thank you to the Hansen family for letting me stay at there house and coming out to support me. With a few down days and some training, I'm looking forward to the WORS Cup, the Midwest Regional Championship, in Alpine Valley the first weekend in July!

WORS #3 Battle of Camrock: Race Review

After my success of the last WORS race at Englewood in the Cat 2 Sport division, I decided to move up to Cat 2 Comp for WORS #3.

Being at Camrock, this  was my “home field” while at home for the summer, riding countless hours at the park since the day I began mountain biking. Having this possible advantage and knowing the course and trails so well I decided to take on the challenge and “cat up” from Sport to Comp.

Spending some serious time at Camrock the days prior and getting a really good feel and look at each line and the course, would benefit me on race day. When the weekend rolled around my legs felt great. On Saturday, the Trek 100 for the MACC Fund was rolling through town, so I joined the ride and did some openers and got my legs feeling good and ready for the race.

At the start line at Camrock, it was brutally hot, almost 90 degrees out and sunny. I knew this would be a tough race, with the famous  ½ mile climb to kick off the race. I started with the Comp 19-39 year olds right behind the Cat 1 Men and Women. When Don, the race director, did his famous 10 second countdown I was ready and confident for this race. When we went off I had an extremely solid start. I got in the top 5 position behind some pretty quick riders and followed their wheels up the hill and then to the lead out. I ended up getting a PR on Strava for the climb, so I knew I had a solid start.

I then continued to ride behind two other riders for the first lap. We did end up catching some Cat 1 women, which did slow the pace up due to lap traffic in the singletrack. During the final part of the lap, it contained a few long brutal climbs. During the first lap I really focused on the fundamentals to ride through the climbs, the heat didn’t exactly help here. Going into the second lap I was still sitting in third, the group I was with put a pretty solid gap on the other riders behind us. Then in the singletrack the leader made a strong move and myself and the other rider, from 801 W. Madison/Trek, tried to keep up but just couldn't hang on.

I then stayed on his wheel the rest of the race, he was riding at a perfect pace that kept me challenged but was manageable to not bonk. During the last of three laps I was feeling great. My mind and legs were working together and where in the right place. Drinking plenty of water and eating a few energy GU’s helped this.Thank you to Taylor and my Mom for keeping me supplied during the race in the feed zone’s. On one of the final climbs I tried to make a move on this rider but just couldn’t hold on. Due to extreme exhaustion and possible dehydration we came close to a crash at the finish line. But finished half of a second from each other.

For my first Comp Cat 2 race, I was extremely happy with myself and the results. I ended up finishing 4th overall out of 77 riders, in a stacked field and placing 1st in my age group (19-25)! I ended up finishing the almost 20 mile course in 1:42:01, just a half of a second behind 3rd place!

I also want to give a special thanks to State Farm - Zempel Insurance and Financial Service in Lake Mills, Wisconsin for helping support me this season! I’m very glad to be working with Dan and his office this season! Here is a link to his website: http://www.zempelinsurance.com/

Again. Thank you to my sponsors, family and friends for all their support. A special thanks to 2 Rivers Bicycle and Outdoor, Trek/Bontrager, ESI Grips and Zempel Insurance for the support they give me to continue my passion for cycling!