Bonelli Park, Season Opener - Great despite the flats

The 2011 race campaign about to start

For the last three years I had been meeting up with the Kona crew down in SoCal in March, so in that respect there was nothing too novel about showing up in San Dimas, CA for the 2011 season opener at Bonelli Park. But in lots of other ways the weekend felt very fresh. Biggest of all, it was the first weekend 'on the job' with Kona. Demo Dave (new Kona mechanic) met me at the airport on Friday afternoon in the shiny new Kona truck and we drove out to the race venue for a dusk patrol lap on the course before it shut down.

I enjoy relishing in specific experiences before they become commonplace. For example...really, really noticing that I was pulling on the Kona Factory kit for a big race, rolling out the door on the same team as Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon. Lining up for the first race of the season is always exciting. As the fresh meat on the team, I wanted to make a statement during the weekend, but didn't let that distract from being calm, collected, and confident that I could ride a strong race. And that is approximately how Saturday's cross country event was for me, save for a flat front tire with two laps to go during the seven lap race. I had been sitting in 11th with 10th place in my crosshairs when I noticed the squishy front end. After an attempt to re-inflate, the tire mysteriously continued to leak. I was close enough to the tech zone that I resolved to ride it in. It was a gamble, and I ended up dropping back to 16th or 17th, passed by Barry and Kris's group. After getting a new wheel from Dave, I chased back to Barry and Kris's group of 5. We rode as the Kona train of pain for the rest of the lap, until Barry launched a major effort going into the last lap to try and shoot me back into contention for 10th. It was a major compliment to have Barry put in that effort on my behalf. By that time, unfortunately, 10th was out of reach (nice race Stephen Ettinger!), and I bridged to within a few seconds of Troy Wells to finish 12th on the day. That night Barry edged me out by a second in the Super D, me 10th, him 9th.

Before Sunday's short track event, I told myself I would spend time racing at the front of before returning to the office in Seattle. It's amazing how a simple mental resolution can affect a race performance. Simply be confident in a strategy or goal, and it is much more likely to come to pass. And that it did. I had my first taste of leading the big race, off the front early after Sid Taberlay's unfortunate wipe out. I may not have held the pace for the whole race, but while I was up there I felt good and in control. Apparently it was also my opportunity to get ALL the flat tires out of my system before summer hits, as a leaking rear tire made sure that I certainly did NOT maintain my position at the front. Thanks to my friends Liz and Erik who came out to cheer me on despite flatting myself out of the action. Overall, I finished 11th in the Triple Crown, and felt satisfied with a strong start to the season . Sea Otter is still 5 weeks away. The Europe World Cups still 10 weeks away. I've never started this strong, and I'm looking forward to moving up as the season goes on. There was a big sense of camaraderie with our Kona crew, and I'm already itching for Fontana in two weeks. For now, it's back to work at Ridgeline and training in the rain.

Thanks to my supporters at Veolia - here's looking to a good season

#8 to start out 2011

Sunday morning spin with Barry and Kris

Barry

Kris

Dave keeping the bikes running smooth

work clothes back on, 4:45AM commute back to the office

Black Diamond MTB, Dusting Off the Race Bike

cobwebs, gone!

This last Sunday I drove down to Black Diamond, WA to check out the West Side MTB Series cross country race put on by SingleTrack Cycles and BuDu Racing . With the Pro XCT opener coming up this Saturday at Bonelli Park, CA, it was a good chance to wheel-up to the line at a fat tire race. The morning routine was familiar like any other early training day this year except there was sun poking through, always a welcome change. The drive took 20 minutes less than expected, so as I sat in the warm truck cab, looking around at the cold foggy morning and throngs of riders on their shiny new bikes, I thought to myself...back to the start of the rollercoaster. And I mean it in the literal sense of excitement, not to imply the figurative sense of anxiety. The end of the last rollercoaster ride was back in Mt. St. Anne at the World Championships last August, and I was eager to get back on...though the end of last year seemed a long ways away from West Side MTB #2 XC at Black Diamond, WA on Sunday morning.

It was refreshing to be back at a small, local off road event. There were some 40 or 50 riders all together in the expert/open class, and everybody started in waves. Singlespeeders first wave, 30-39 second, 40-49 third, 19-29 fourth. Since the course was 99% narrow, intestinous (awesome) singletrack, as illustrated by this MAP , there was some heavy traffic on the first of three laps. It was good practice in balancing (no pun intended) patience, polite etiquette and swift passing maneuvers. After the first lap I was in the clear and well in first place, so my goal was to ride each lap faster than the last, which was a good challenge due to the relentless turns, dips and slippery roots. I rolled to the finish after 90 minutes of racing feeling much more spry on the mountain bike than when I'd started, grabbed a banana, thanked the race promoter for a good event, and saw that a group of friends back in Seattle were gearing up for a ride at Duthie Hill , so I promptly jumped in the truck and spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the sun and tacky dirt. I'm glad this rollercoaster is off and rolling again.

Enter 2011

With the momentum of two years on the S&M Young Guns program, 2011 is off to a strong start - no races yet, but no shortage of big plans and big news. This is my first post as an official member of the Kona Factory Team Cycling News Article.

The concept of racing for a professional cycling team has been a dream of mine for a long time. I’m excited to pull on the Kona jersey for the first big race of the year on March 12th at Bonelli Park, CA. I won’t be wearing the S&M colors in 2011, but I’ll be going about things with the same S&M attitude. As such, I’m still balancing a full-time position at Ridgeline Energy as GIS and Permitting Specialist.

Over the winter I shared with Ridgeline my intention to pursue a campaign for the 2012 Olympic Long Team (yes, the big goal for 2011!!). In order to chase the UCI points necessary to achieve such a goal, the company is allowing me to reduce to a flexible part-time schedule for the summer months. It's an incredible offer, and motivates me to continue working as hard as I can to perform my best at cycling and work alike.

I’ve got the full schedule lined out through September. Like 2010, I’ll be following the entire Pro XCT circuit. In May I’ll head to Europe for the Dalby Forest, GBR and Offenburg, GER World Cups. The World Cup makes two stop-overs in North America (Mt. St. Anne and Windham), and Nationals is in Sun Valley, ID in July. In general I’ll be chasing UCI points and focusing on strong performances in order to make the list of 10 riders named to the Olympic Long Team. In 2012, only three will progress to the Olympic Games in London.

In the meantime, stay tuned for much more to come this year. Below are some shots from the Santa Barbara trip and off season.



Zing Supreme - trusty training steed - fit with new PowerTap hub

Last weekend I spend a long weekend in Santa Barbara, CA with Seattle's Keller Rhorback cycling team to get in some big miles [in the sun]. Despite the fair-weather beach photos, we managed to find the only weekend where the climate matched Seattle (50s and rainy). Despite a few spells of rain, 40mph winds, hail, and snow (in the mountains), we packed in 5 days of amazing rides and quality training. I was on my Zing Supreme the whole time, but I paid a quick visit to local Kona dealer Velo Pro Cyclery Velo Pro Bike Shop, Santa Barbara, CA and confirmed that the local off-road riding is just as stupendous as the hard-top riding. Next time I’ll be sure to bring the fat tires along.


Quick stop at Refugio State Beach


Open road...

The best loop of the trip was just above Santa Barbara - the Gibraltar Road climb - around 4800' in 7 miles. So good we had to do it twice, once in the bad weather, once in the sun. We still managed to find snow on top both times.

View Larger Map

Hanglider launching off the top of the Gibraltar climb


Ice cream prevents bonking


Straight from SB to American Falls, Idaho for Ridgeline's Rockland Wind Farm pre-construction kickoff meeting with project landowners

Off-Season Amusements -


Crystal Mountain Silver Basin, so good Sarah and I hiked it 6 times in a row.




Sleeping Beauty Tour w/ Dad on New Year's Eve day

Young Guns finish 'cross

Photo by Young Guns Teammate Patrick Means - See Gallery: http://patrickmeans.blogspot.com/

The 2011 came to a close in Bend, OR this last weekend accompanied by raucous crowds three rows deep and a rad 'cross course through the Old Mill District. Sean, Alice and I(and Erik, too) gave it one more go...actually, that does not apply to Sean, who is currently on his way to Europe 'Cross Camp after a strong 14th place finish at Nationals, and several top 15 finishes throughout the 2010 season (Cyclingnews Article: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/meet-the-euro-cross-campers-for-2010-2011). Be sure to check out his results on Cyclingnews through the Holiday season. Way to go Boobs for a breakout season on the National Cyclocross tour and on being selected to the 'cross camp crew. He is one of four elite men and several other U-23 and Junior riders selected to compete against the world's best.

Alice and I, on the other hand, are done racing until next year. I'm hoping to do lots of skiing. Alice...is probably going to try to fix her car, Ol' Red, who gave us an entertaining spell of coolant leakage, black smoke and steaming on the drive back to Portland. Alice had a solid race in Bend, nearly finishing 11th before a crash set her back to 14th (still great). There was an inappropriate dearth of blogging these last several weeks, inappropriate on account of not exclaiming Alice's amazing 6th place finish at the USGP in Fort Collins this November.

Alice owning it...



I totally surprised myself with a 12th place finish on Sunday. I've never done that well in a 'cross race, much less at Nationals. I think I finished in the 50s last year and got lapped...same with the year before that. It was all thanks to learning from Sean and Erik how to race my 'cross bike. A good way to cap off the 2010 season.

Talking with Erik after coming across the line...


Mom & little brother Michael post race:


running the barriers at the USGP Finals in Portland, OR the weekend prior:

trail blazin'

On one of the last weekends before the snow started to fly in the Cascades, my housemate Sarah and I ventured south to explore some new trails just south of Randle, WA. As proud as I was of myself for scoping out the ride on new trails, I couldn't believe I was only just discovering this area as a place to mountain bike. The area around Blue Lake is primarily a moto destination, but the potential for mountain biking is huge. The trails are not easy by any means. We plowed through 9000' of climging in just 30 miles. It was like backcountry ski tour meets mountain bike ride. In a day when shuttling has become the norm, it felt like somewhat of a novelty to spend 7 hours earning the downhill the hard way. There were so many exquisite details about the ride, all adding up to an unforgettable day. It finished with 8 miles of eye-watering fast, religious experience good downhill straight to the car. A Saturday well-spent. The biggest highlight of the day was that Sarah, having only started mountain biking this spring, piloted her new Kona Kula Deluxe all the way and was ready to come back for more! Most people with four times her experience would not even attempt what she did. Can't wait to go explore this place next season.


On top of Juniper Peak


Kona 120 Supreme, shredding

...and speaking of shredding...

my MOM did her first 'cross race ever on a mud filled day at PIR. Mom, I'm so proud, I don't even know where to start. Here she is mashing the run-up:

Watch out, she's fast, and she even got on the news! http://www.kgw.com/video/featured-videos/Muddy-cyclocross--half-marathon-105679478.html


In other news, I've been hitting the cyclocross scene, starting with the Boulder Cross Cup this last Halloween weekend in CO. That's Tonkin chasin' me down. He couldn't catch me on Saturday, but he got be back on Sunday. After a good break from serious racing and training after worlds, I'm looking forward to 'Cross Nationals in Bend, and hopefully nabbing some UCI points in the meantime.


Muddy day at PIR Cross Crusade. 3rd place after a broken seat clamp on the 2nd lap.

World Championships 2010, Mt. St. Anne, Quebec

There it was. The 2010 MTB season. World Championships in Mt. St. Anne Quebec was business like any other race, with all these years of racing and learning to make me feel confident and focused on the race. But it was still my first elite World Championships, and there was an undeniable sense of thrill the whole time I was in Mt. St. Anne. After a week of recovery from Windham, practice on the course and getting to know the US Team, I was ready for go-time on Saturday morning.

I started on the last row of 84 riders, race plate #76. My adrenaline had already kicked in before I rolled up to the start line. Hurricane Earl had blown into town, making for a wet and foggy morning.



We would complete two start laps (nearly 2/3 or a lap) followed by 6 full laps. I would have to stay within 20% of the leader's pace in order to complete the race. At Windham, after cramping badly on the last lap, I finished 13% down. Still, the slippery and much steeper and technical course at Mt. St. Anne would make this very hard. I knew that as soon as the gun went off, my strategy would be all about keeping my head up and making up as much ground as I possibly could. The crowd was screaming and slamming on the course banners as the clock ticked down to the start. The melee ensued as soon as the gun went off. It was cyclocross mode for the first start lap. By taking the creative running lines followed by fast accelerations back onto the bike, I gained nearly 30 positions in the first 8 minutes of the race. I was glad to by riding on 120mm of suspension on my Kona 120. By the end of the second start lap, I could hear people yelling that I had moved up into the top 40. Not sure if their count was right, but either way, I had gained a lot of ground.

Things were less frantic after completing the first full lap. By looking at the clock, I was maintaining a position around the top 50. The climbs were steep insanely hard. I ran a 1x9 setup with a 32t ring up front. It was easy enough to turn the pedals over, but the pace was full gas in order to not lose time. After that, any bobble on the technical single track cost precious seconds. It was a wild balance of riding at the limit without wasting energy, staying smooth and focused ahead. Everything was ticking. It seemed like a top 50 was definitely in the cards.

Then my rear tire found something sharp and slashed wide open. My heart sank. All the air rushed out and I had to leap off the bike before rolling off the rim. The cut was too big for the Stan's sealant to manage, and also too big to hold a tube in...even with a gel wrapper to line it. This was all a fast assessment trailside. I knew I would need a new wheel to keep riding. I was over a mile from the pit. All that was left to do was run as hard as I could. Even while running I remained as focused as before, but people were blowing by me. 5, 10, 15, 20. Soon I was dead last. I got a new wheel and jumped back on, my legs pretty gassed from the sustained run. I never gave up, but I knew my chances of finishing were done. I fell well outside the 20% margin during the run and was pulled. The race was over faster than it had started. It was a bittersweet way to end, but that's mountain biking.

Regardless, it was still the race of my life. Having everything come together to finish on the leader's lap would have been icing on the cake. Had I stayed in the race, I am confident I could have done so, finishing in the top 50. Based on the progression of this last season, and the fact that Worlds had been such a pipe dream coming into 2010, the biggest success of that day was that I made it to the race, and that I held my own while I was in it. My family and friends were there and took the torch for best cheering squad. They even got their photo in Velonews:



Thank you to everyone, family, friends, Team S&M, Kona Bikes, Ridgeline Energy, Team Keller Rhorback, Stan's NoTubes, and more who have been a part of such an amazing season. Here are some more pics from the trip. Can't wait to see you all soon. Looking forward to some R&R and 'cross season.

Windham World Cup

All the major elements came together on Saturday for a fairly solid day on the race course. The gun went off for the elite men at 2:00pm. Starting 100th out of 102 starters was hectic, but nothing beyond expected. By the end of the first lap I had moved up into the high fifties, or so I was told by people counting riders going by. It had been almost two years since I had competed in an international event, and even with several big domestic races under my belt this year, World Cup level is still different. There is such a higher percentage of high caliber riders at the start line of a World Cup, you can't ever give an inch.

http://singletrack.competitor.com/2010/08/uncategorized/windham-world-cup-2010-photo-gallery_10031?album=74&gallery=218&pid=3093

In the US, it's common to spend a large percentage of an off-road race in no-man's land, whether you are out front or tailing from behind. In a World Cup, you are almost always surrounded by riders, always a chance to pass or be passed. Starting in the back puts you at a disadvantage from the start, as the riders up front (who are already the fastest) have a clear track in front of them, whereas the riders in back experience the cattle-herd effect once the course enters the first section of trail. I lost 2.5 minutes on the first lap, almost half of which was spent standing or walking my bike through a clogged section of the course. It all opened up by the second lap, and I focused on moving up as far as I could. My goal was to finish top 50 on the leaders lap, and at least as the seventh American to prove my position as one of the elite team members for Worlds. Several riders experienced flat-tire misfortune on the first lap, including Amerians Adam Craig and Todd Wells. Going into the fifth of six laps I was the fifth American, somewhere near the high 40s. I felt strong and consistent until the last lap, about 2min slower per lap than the leaders. It was enough to finish definitively on the leaders lap, but I started to experience strong leg cramps on the last time up the climb and was an extra two minutes slower. ouch! With World's in mind the next weekend, I did not want to induce any unnecessary leg damage. Carl Decker caught me at the very top and I followed him in through the finish. 54th on the day. I'd give the day a B+. I'm not sure what I could have done to avoid the leg cramping, but I think a finish closer to the top-40 would have been more satisfying. Regardless, I have never finished on the leaders lap in a World Cup. I've always been lapped before finishing, so at least now I have a home-base performance margin.

More pictures to come. Today was the first practice day up at Mt. St. Anne. It felt great to pull on the USA kit for the first time. Kept things extra entertaining with a severely taco'd front wheel - result of avoiding a rider who fell right in front of me on a steep descent (pic to come). Opening ceremonies tonight, and a week of practice before the big race on Saturday. Looks like rain is coming.



Best friends ever! There was a huge crew that came out to cheer on Saturday's race. l-r Sage, Lizzy, Will H, Will C, me, Joe, Scott, Caitlin, Emmy/Dooky. Thanks everyone! My dad and Will C's parents were also at the race. Will C's parents cooked up a delicious feast after the race, served tail-gate style.