WORS #2 Rhinelander Crystal Lake Classic

The nerves were pretty high for this race after DNFing at the first WORS race and really wanted to redeem myself. Without getting a call up I ended up starting 3rd row back. I figured that wouldn't be to much of a problem because of the long gravel lead out. I managed to get my self into a top 10 position going into the first single track and stuck there.

Lap one was a super dry, making the corners unpredictable so I was a little hesitant. but hung in position.It was Tyler Gauthier, Kevin McConnell, teammate Ben Koenig and I. We kept a consistent pace that I felt that I could hold the whole race.

Then sprinkles that started in lap 2 turned into a downpour. We were nearing the end of the lap and the thunder was getting loud. I attacked, thinking the race might get called early and I would have 6th place wrapped up. Nobody waved me to the finish so I sat up and waited to regroup and work off them again.

The conditions changed going into the third lap and I laid it down in a corner. Luckily it wasn't bad and nothing happened so I got up and bridged back up to the group. About half way through, I could see that Ben was slowing up a bit, I was hoping that we would stick the race out together because its cool to have a teammate to work with, but he needed to race his race and held it out for an 8th place finish.

I think it was the end of lap 3 that Mike Phillps and Joseph Maloney popped of the front group and when we got to them we ramped it up so they couldn't grab onto our train. We managed to hold them off but it still didn't hit me that there was only a group of 3 ahead. I have never been this close to the front in a WORS race.

Nearing the end of the 4th and final lap Kevin rolled his tire and went down. He had to get out the co2 to repair it. Then it was down to 2. Not to long after this the rain hit hard again and Tyler started ramping it up. He must of had mud tires on because I couldn't hang. I decided to ride conservative and keep it shiny side up because I new that Kevin wouldn't be able to catch back up after is flat. I kept it there and got the last step on the podium! 5th place! My best finish ever.

Post Race Interview Here
Cycling News Write up Here

Photo courtesy of Robert Sorenson.

Photo courtesy of Extreme Photography

Living The Dream

Since I haven't blogged in a long time (I was starting to think it was a lost art with Facebook and Twitter being on the forefront of communication) I will give you an update on my life.

Someone asked me about 6 months ago if I was living the dream yet... I said no. Now I can actually say that I am. In a brief summary of what has happened is since then I quit my day job and started my own company doing freelance graphic design and everything has been going great. By doing this it has given me the opportunity to make my own hours that allows me to ride my bike during the day.

I applied for my PRO license this winter and to my surprise I got it! This gave me big motivation to train hard over the winter months of Wisconsin on my Pugsley or my indoor trainer. I got out for a few Fat Bike races and had a blast doing it.

This brings me to the MTB season. In years past I hardly ever rode single track because all of the trails were just to far away and I didn't have time with work and the my freelancing at the same time to make it anywhere to ride. This year has been different, I am traveling more just to work on my technical skills and am having a blast on my bike.

WORS #1 - I had a lot of anticipation to see where I fit in with everyone else's fitness at this race but only got to ride for about 5 mins because I broke my chain right away and had to walk back. I did learn something in this race, always be prepared for mechanicals. I will always have a multi-tool, quick link and a CO2 incase of a flat.

My second and most recent race of the year was the Rasta Rally held in Rhinelander Wisconsin. If I have a home course, this would be it. The course is a 24 mile, 2 lap race with a lot of really cool technical single track with some rocky descents and steep climbs. The start is a few miles of open gravel roads. I ended up being up front I pulled the field to the first climb of the race where Chris Periso climbed by me and shot into the first section of single track. I was sitting in 3rd at this point. Chris lead for a few more sections of single track but the pulled over to let us lead. Im not sure what the guys name was that was in 2nd place but he started to hammer and we got a small gap on the group. I decided that I would take a pull so at the next opening I got up front and we headed into some more single track. I looked back an no one was there.... wow, I was pretty surprised that I had gapped him and had this lead so early in the race. Now I just had to keep it. I rode the rest of the race slightly gaining time on the rest of the field. About half way through the last lap I noticed that my tire was really low. It was rolling over in the corners if I went into them to fast. My fingers were crossed that it would just hold up till the finish line. I had to take it a little easier but I managed to hold the lead and got the Win!

Cheq 40

Its been awhile since I posted a blog, but I thought that this one would be a good race to write about.

This year brought some top notch racers including 2 Tour De France racers. I never thought that I would be toeing the line with guys like Christian Vande Velde! The race starts out on a long blacktop stretch that brings some high speeds, I was sitting pretty close to the front and could see that 3 guys (I think Cole House, Jason Mccartney, and Steve Tillford) had already broke away from the group and were drafting the 4-wheeler, I new right then that it would be an interesting race for the leaders. The group of hundreds of riders was weaving back and forth on the hwy and eventually bridged back up before rosies field.

My race was pretty uneventful and seemed like the miles were just clicking away. I was in a good group which included Scott Cole, and ended up taking some good pulls without really killing myself, and always staying near the front of the pack. I new from last year that you want to be in at least the top 5 people in the group because the yo yo effect is huge with all the punchy climbs, and can easily get popped off the back.

We hit OO and I couldn't believe that we were already that far, but I new in the back of my mind that the pace would pick up and the hills were going to hurt. Not to long after this we hit a bumpy down hill section and when I got to the bottom I noticed my chain had fell of the big ring. I pedaled a few turns and it wouldn't go back on, I had to stop and fix it.... after I got it back on I just watched the group riding away... I thought for sure that I could bridge back up but with the high winds I just couldn't get there.

I ended up riding from there on to the last 5 miles by myself, picking off a few riders here and there. Then Ben S caught me out of nowhere, we rode together for a few miles I was doing to much work for him and he ended up attacking on a climb after I took a long pull and I couldn't respond. Then with close to 1 mile to go I could see another group of 4 riders gaining on me. I gave every last ounce of whatever I had left to sprint to the finish, I was hammering, looking over my left shoulder not knowing that there was someone on my right side and lost to him by a tenth of a second.

I learned a lot from this race, and am already looking forward to next year. I hope I get in again!

Not my weekend

Sitting in somewhere near the top 10 on the first lap, I was feeling pretty good. After a bumpy downhill section which lead to the first water station and some loose granite, my chain falls off the big ring. I get off put it back on loose 10 positions and try to get back into my groove. Then somewhere into the second lap I miss a turn and go back to get on the right course. Not soon after that I get to the same water station and my chain fell off again, this time I go to pedal, but with no chain there to make me go forward I go down pretty hard in the loose granite. Get up put my chain back on, but my rear wheel wouldn't spin... I looked it over quick but I couldn't figure out why. I figured that if I just loosen the rear brake brackets and just ride without a rear brake, but nope that didn't work either (and it probably wasn't a very good idea). So I walked back the the start/finish and handed in my back tag. First DNF of my career, I guess I can't complain since I've had pretty good luck leading up to this. Subaru PRO XCT is next and I will be sure to have everything in line!

Crystal Lake Classic WORS #2

I managed to pull out my best overall finish in my second year as an elite racer with a 10th overall!

With the Rasta Rally the weekend before, I got to know the course pretty good. Although it wasn't the same exact course, most of the trails are the same style.

The course was in perfect condition to start, everything was working out in my favor in the race. Except during warm-up when Jesse Shoemaker and I went into some single track and I cut my tubless tire, we tried to give it air but it wouldn't hold. Thankfully Al Jozwiak from Bikes-n-Boards was nearby and had a spare tube.

The lead out was a long section of gravel two track with a bunch of sharp corners which cause a yo yo effect. I managed to stay pretty close to the front without getting to close to the front, knowing that I shouldn't go out to hard. I think I was sitting in 12th or so on the first lap and hung in pretty good, sharing pulls with a group of 5 or so guys. I had some pretty good climbing legs and hit the hills pretty hard, this got me up to 8th or 9th going into the 3rd lap. The start of the 4th lap the weather turned. Lighting, thunder the first half and the rain hit the last 1/4 which is the slickest part of the course. I was riding with caution, I couldn't let myself crash and screw it up... two guys ended up passing my that last lap.

It was a good feeling to cross the line in the top ten.

Thanks Scott Cole for letting me use your Fork for the weekend!

Preferred Start

Rasta Rally

Today was the Rasta Rally in Rhinelander. Is is a great course and a lot of fun. I went into this race with the mentality to have fun and not worry at all about results. It turned out that I was feeling pretty strong and decided not to waste it. It started off with Ben K, Tyler G and Tom (not sure on last name). Ben and Tyler gaped Tom and I pretty early in the first lap. So it was just Tom and I, and he was slowing disappearing from my sight....

I reeled Tom back in right at the beginning of the 2nd lap. I pulled him through the Boyscout camp up a few hills and realized that I was out climbing him, but he was a better single track rider than me. So my plan was to attack every hill. I managed to pull away and get a good gap on him. I ended up 3rd overall just under 3 mins behind ben and tyler.

Thanks to the RASTA guys for putting on such a great race!