USAC Cyclocross Development Camp

Tour De Rimouski was my last road race of the season. Once I got back home it was time to start preparing for cyclocross season. My cross bike from last year was a size 52 (centimeters), so I put together Dad's cross bike (Thanks Dad!), which was the next size up, a 54. After a few days of being home we packed up the car, put a cross bike and a mountain bike on top and headed out to Montana with broken air conditioning in the VW.

The drive out to Montana was relatively uneventful, if extremely sweaty. Dad decided to drive through the night so we wouldn't have feel the heat the next day. We cleared out a area in the back of our Jetta wagon so I was able to sleep flat. I woke up to the beautiful mountains of Montana. The reason we were headed out to Montana was that I had been invited to the USAC Cross Development camp in Helana! The camp was put on by Geoff Procter.

Once all the kids arrived later that evening we all got together in the classroom and Geoff did his introduction
The purpose the camp was #1 to prime riders for the up and coming cross season, #2 To teach high level cross skills to the riders, on and off the bike and #3 to serve as a way for Geoff to get to know the riders. This is important because Geoff puts on another camp called Eurocamp where he takes a even more select group of riders to Belgium and race World Cups. He stressed the fact that he would not not judge the performance of the riders at this camp because it is not at a time when we are rested up and race fit. As a result the atmosphere was fun and professional.

On the first day of camp we woke up bright and early at 6:15 to go running. The sun was just peaking over the mountains and the air was fresh and chilly as we started our run. We just did a short 15 minute run and headed over to the bleachers to start our strength work. We did several rounds of bleachers and several different strength routines before heading back to the dorms to shower. After everyone showered we all walked out to the cafeteria to eat. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food, it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been at Rimouski. After we ate, we headed back to the dorms and got dressed for our first ride of the day. There was two rides each day, one an hour and a half long and the other three hours. The first ride was skills practice. We rode up to the mountains to a cross course and practiced all kinds of skills. It was really fun. After we rode back and showered up it was designated nap time. I was quite tired and fell asleep right away. After a half hour nap I got up and got ready for our long ride.

Be Pro...eat Pro...

Dorm life...

The first part of the ride was a blast, I was having lots of fun on the brutal, hilly little jeep roads with all the other juniors. We did tar roads, dirt roads, jeep roads, two track and single track. After going down a sweet single track descent we hit a tar section. As we were going down the mountain side I looked down, for what reason I do not remember. The rider in front of me hit the brakes and I hit him. I slammed on my brakes, to late as my wheel skidded out and I was slammed to the ground with the force of sledge hammer.

To put it in perspective, Imagine stripping down to just your shoes, underwear and T shirt. Then jumping out of a car at 40 mph. I rolled several times, crushing the back of my helmet in the process. I flew into the ditch and got up to my feet almost immediately. For a split second I thought I made it unscathed when I look at my wrist. Broken, twisted out of place.

I freaked out quite a bit on the way to the emergency room, but Geoff was really supportive and I calmed down once I got to the room. We had to wait about 40 minutes before the Doctor arrived. I received a pain blocker shot and he popped my wrist back into place. It hurt far more then anything I have ever felt, but it was much better once it was in place. My wrist was still broken, so he put my arm in a cast.

After I got back from the hospital, I asked Geoff if I could still stay at camp, "of course!" he said. Staying back at the dormitory for the three hour ride was hard and going to the cross practice and watching everyone was even harder. I still had fun though. After the first day of having my cast on I continued to attend the morning run and bleachers/strength work. As I said before I still went to the cross practice and watched everyone. It was tough, but I'm glad I did as it held a lot of important lessons. Also, I went to the evening class each day. We talked a lot about Cross there, analyzed videos, learned from Geoff, and had a pro mountain biker come over and talk about racing in Europe and being a pro.

Chillin' out at the Cross Course

I learned a lot at cross camp and am very grateful for the opportunity to go there. Thanks to Geoff for putting on this awesome camp!
Read the Cycling News article about camp HERE

Read Cyclocross Magazine article about camp HERE

Read Helena (local paper) article about camp HERE

Photos by Tom
website:  http://www.tomrobertsonphoto.com/

Tour de rimouski

The Tour de Rimouski was the biggest learning experience I have ever had. First off, just being in the race was incredibly fun. Despite coming out of this race exhausted, hurt, and frustrated I knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life.

First off, I should probably explain what it is. Le Tour de Rimouski is a international 15-16 stage race in Quebec Canada. A stage race is different from one day race in that it has multiple stages. It also differs from a Omnium (like TOAD) because the overall classification is determined by time, not points. Your finishing time each day is added up to a total. At the end of each stage the person with the lowest total time is awarded with the yellow jersey. That rider then wears the yellow jersey the next day to symbolize him being the race leader and depending on his time, may or may not be awarded it again. Whoever has the lowest time at the end of the stage race wins the race. A important rule in stage races is that you finish with the same time as the first rider in the group you finish with. This is important because the race leaders do not have to get involved in the dangerous sprints for the stage win and fight for every last second. So how do you win a stage race? A mixture of consistency and making the right moves.

There is also two other main jerseys, the King of the Mountains (otherwise known as the polka dot jersey, on account of it being white with red polka dots) and the sprinters jersey (otherwise known as the green jersey) both are points competitions. For the polka dots there is KOM (King Of the Mountain) points at the top of some of the bigger climbs. For the green jersey there is two or three sprint flags out on the course, usually on a flat. Plus there is points for the top three winners of the stage, as long it's a flat finish. The top three riders to these areas get points, and the rider with the most points wins.

I was invited to go to this race by the Mt Borah development team. The team is based in the Midwest, so I know almost everyone on it including the director Larry Martin. There was three teams, a women's 15-16 team with Danielle Mullis, Zoey Reeves, Racheal Jehnsen, and Hannah. The men's 15-16 team was Myself, Micheal Gaines, Ian Mcshane, and Alec Porter. (all of which are good friends of mine) and the women 17-18 team with Emily Elders, Karen Brocket, Emily Bramel, And Corey. The men's 17-18 team raced in L'abitibby.

At stage 1, things were very high strung. Whoever won this stage got to wear the yellow jersey. This is also the first opportunity to establish time gaps. Last year at Rimouski, the race winner soloed off the front, finished first with a time gap and ended up winning the overall classification. Because of this, riders who want to win the race (which is pretty much everyone) have to make sure that if a break-away gets clear of the peleton , or if a split happens on a hill, that they're in it.

The first stage was a Point to point, fully closed (which means no traffic) road race with a caravan (cars in front of and behind the race, mostly officials and team cars). All things I had never done. I had little warm up for the race, just seven minutes. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but there was a extremely steep hill just one and a half kilometers into the race and I wanted to be prepared for it. After the commiserre (french for official) jabbered out the race rules in French, we started.

I was immediately struck by the sound of a 90 some rider pack stretched across the entire road, the sound of almost two hundred wheels spinning, 90 riders breathing, the light buzz of French with a few English words, and a complete lack of wind noise. The result of all these elements, plus the fact that we were going 25-30 mph, was downright eerie. Entranced as I was by this incredible environment, the kilometer and a half passed by quickly and soon we were on the first hill. As we hit it I hear the sounds of everyone shifting all at once and the pace drops. My apprehension of this hill is unneeded though, I was more than strong enough to stay where I was in the pack.

The fist 15k or so goes by and all the sudden everyone starts accelerating. At first I think nothing of it, this has happened a few times. I'm in 30^th or so position and too far back to see the very front, it's probably just a rider attacking. How ever, the acceleration continues. We are going about 50 kph and still accelerating! All the sudden it stops, and a see a green flag flash by. It was the first sprinters points.

About 30 minutes later, it's 10k from the first KOM. I want to try and go after the polka dots, so it was time to get to the front. However, this is easier said then done. Everyone was completely packed from white line to white line, just a few feet apart! The only way to move up is to be aggressive. Up at the front of the race is a completely different environment. There is a thin trail of riders who are working at the front to keep the race fast and react to attacks, then a slow widening until the pack covers the entire road. It's a violent place of attacks and wind. A few kilometers from the KOM a attack is launched. I react, thinking that this might be the move that gets the points. We established a small gap and began the climb.

Here is where I made my mistake, I based the speed we would be going up the climb on the speed we had been going up all the other climbs and thus thought this attack would stick. What I didn't take into account was that this would be the first time all the good climbers would be going hard. They passed us like we were not even moving, the entire pack strung out as the non climbers struggled to stay in contact. After just putting out a good effort to get in the break and stay in it I was even less prepared for the acceleration and found my self struggling at a break in the group. I made it to the top and at the acceleration through the top I knew this was the point where I would either get dropped, or not. There is no try. I made it back on.

Another thirty minutes later and it's raining. I'm sitting good in the pack, where I want to be and feeling strong about the finish. Allow me to change the subject and say something. There is two sounds that a bike racer dreads more then anything. The first is the sound of people hitting the ground in front of you. The second is the horrifying hiss of a flat tire. Put-hissssss. As I hear this sound, my first thought is a desperate hope that it was some one else. But I soon felt the literal sinking feeling of a flat tire and scream, “$#&@!”. Part of me was shocked that something so incredibly unfair would happen to me, and the other part was already in over drive. Hardest gear, right side of road, hand up, skewer loose! Because there is a race caravan, I can get my flat wheel changed with another, non flat wheel by our mechanic Oscar. After what seemed like ages of waiting, but what was only a few seconds I see our car pull over and Oscar run out with a wheel in hand. He changes the wheels and pushes me off in a matter of seconds, So I am still in the caravan.

The next 15k or so was a blur of cars, rain, and pain as I worked my way back up to the pack' drafting cars along the way. I saw many broken riders drifting back after the last KOM, to weak to get on my wheel. At two kilometers to go I finally see a group. Its not the lead group, But its something. I catch onto the back of it and see two of my team mates, Ian and Micheal. We are heading into the last corner, a sketchy affair being high speed and wet, when everything goes wrong. I don't remember much of the crash, or who's fault it was. I just remember hearing a scream and then hitting the ground, hard.

I get up and hear the sound of a rider screaming in french. He doesn't have any blood on him though. The rider, who I later met, escaped with nothing but three small scratches on his ankle. He said he had been screaming about a leg cramp. Covered in blood, clothes ripped and handles bars bent I got back up and finish the last kilometer, two minutes behind the leaders. I later found out that besides my severe road rash I had a hole, down to the bone, in my right elbow as a result of the other riders spoke stabbing me. I am fine though and so is my bike

Later in the evening, It's raining again and time for stage two, the team time trial. I'm all bandaged up and feeling ready to race. The TTT is short at just 7k and doesn't count in the overall classification, just the team classification. This makes it a good race to test my injuries and see how I feel. This will be my first TTT, which is different from a regular Time trail in that you start with your team mates instead of doing on your own. Your time is based on the third person across the line (since we have 4 people, its to the third. It would be different if the team was larger). Because we can draft each other, a TTT is much faster than a TT. It's also much more sketchy because we are all on aerobars which are much more difficult to handle on. Our team didn't have much time to practice beforehand but we all are good time trialists. The TTT went well, I felt fine from my crash, Ian and Micheal were both strong, Alec was feeling a bit sick and had to drop back, but we still did really well. Our result was farther back than we thought it would be, just in the top half of the 25 teams but we were still happy with our performance.

The next day was the hard stage, Stage three. Another point to point road race, this one with far more hills. We didn't start till 1:00 pm, so it was a pretty relaxed morning. I went over to medical and got my bandages changed. The hole in my arm was infected, I would need to start taking antibiotic cream. I got to the start line and listened to more incomprehensible french rules, then we started. The first 15k were flat and twisty, turns can be sketchy in a large pack so I stayed near the front. I started to really get the hang of moving around in the pack and was having a blast.

We neared the first KOM and I positioned myself on the polka dot jersey's wheel. As we reached the bottom I realized just how brutally steep this climb was. I drifted a good ways back on the climb, but stayed in the pack to the top. It hurt a lot and that was just the first climb. The next 20 minutes were the most painful of my life. We had about a kilometer rest, then went back up again. Another 1k of flat, another pitch. 6 times the road pitched up and 4 times I got dropped, then caught back on. My infection was sapping the strength out of me, I didn't have enough power to climb these incredibly steep pitches. At the very top I fought my way back into the group and took a look around. Just 40 or so riders were left, it was becoming a select group.

But the hills were not over. 10K later we hit the bottom of another hill. I was exhausted, but this hill was not as steep so I stayed at the front. We crested the hill into a down hill and I stopped pedaling and tucked as we broke 90kph (I hit 57mph).

I got to the bottom of the next hill and tried to pedal. Nothing. My legs were completely seized up from not pedaling down the hill. I got dropped, completely. After a few minutes by myself, I ran into a few riders and worked with them. On the last climb 2 riders and I broke off the front of this group. We finished as the first group behind the pack, five minutes back from the leaders.

Stage 4, Individual Time trail. The next morning I'm feeling a little better. My infection has gone down significantly. The TT is even shorter than the TTT at just 6k, so I'm not worried about losing much time. However, I still feel rather lacking in power, and I don't do all that well. I finish 30 something. However my team mate Ian has a much better day and finishes 20^th, which is a good result.

Later that evening is stage five, a Criterium. This is familiar territory, something I know how to do. I have a bad starting position though and the first few laps are insane. First off, we are going very fast. So fast that we are spinning out our biggest gear (52-16). Second off, The Canadians suck at Crits. It sounds like a horrible thing to say, but it's true. The reason is there is almost no criteriums in Canada, where as in the USA that's a majority of the road races. A Crit is scary to the newcomer, you're almost constantly taking corners, going very fast in a big group for a short time. As a result every corner consisted of everyone slamming on their brakes, then accelerating out of the corner. It was the scariest, sketchiest, and still one of the fastest Crits I have ever done. Starting from the back made it worse, but by flying up the outside of the corners and risking getting forced into the curb, I was able to get to the front. The rest of the race was uneventful. We were all too spun out for any real attacks too happen, so it was just pure speed. I came into the last lap well prepared in 5^th wheel, But got slammed into by another rider and lost momentum. I finished 20 something.

The final stage, number six, The circuit race. I was very very nervous for this race. It was a short loop, just 11k, but right after the start was a huge, super steep monster of a climb. The first section looked like a wall it was so steep. Plus it had a KOM at the top every time. Going to the start line and waiting there I was very nervous, I knew that it would hurt a lot, I just didn't want the shame of getting dropped again. The start was very chill, so I quickly positioned my self on the wheel of the yellow jersey and waited as we rode up to the massive wall.

The things I didn't take into count was that one; my infection had cleared up and two; by this point everybody was tired. The first three times up the hill I stayed with the group. It hurt SO much, but I stayed with it. Each time up it I thought I would get dropped and I didn't. The fourth time up was the hardest, I knew if I made it up I would only have to do it one more time. I made it to the top in the front group. Leading up to the final climb I looked around, there was only maybe thirty riders remaining from the once 90 man pack. I knew everyone was tired and that I could do this one last time.

I have gone back and replayed that final time up the hill a hundred times in my head and asked myself if there was anything I could have done better and each time the answer is no. Half way up the hill a split formed right in front of me. About 12 of the strongest riders were riding away, and I couldn't bridge the gap. I knew it would guarantee a top 15 finish, and maybe even top ten, but I just couldn't go any harder.

My group still had a lot of strong riders in it, but we didn't catch the front group. I finished with my best result, 21^st 30 seconds behind the leader and was very happy, but I still can't forget that nagging feeling that had I done a little bit better, I could have had a top ten finish. I ended up 36th overall.

Thanks to Larry for putting together the team and taking care of EVERYTHING! Thanks to Oscar for being the best mechanic ever, and of course, thanks to my parents and coach.

Tour of America's Dairyland 2012

The Tour of America's Dairyland is a very big race. In fact, It's the biggest road race series in the USA by raw number of entries. A whoppin' 3000 people pre-registered for this race series and I'm sure many more actually raced. TOAD (as it's called for short) is a incredibly well put together and serious race that is immensely enjoyable and competitive for all racers, from Cat 5s to Pros, Masters to Juniors. All the categories have large fields from the very first day. The numbers keep on increasing until the final two days where most hit their cap. That is, the amount they limit the entries to. It's also very long, 11 days of racing for the Pros and 10 for the amateurs. Each and every one of these days have professional commentary, lots of prize money, plenty of vendors selling food and souvenirs, and a surprising amount of spectators. In short, it's flippin' awesome!

Last year, I got dropped on the first race and by the last race pulled a top 15. It's a incredibly effective place to learn how to race because there is so many people for so many races. You make a mistake, then when you think of what you can do different you know you only have to wait until tomorrow to apply it!

This year was also a big learning experience. I think I came out of this race with a much stronger grasp of what I can do and when is the best time to do it. I had a lot of good results, some frustrating days that taught me a lot, and a really good overall result. Between Cat 4's and Juniors I did 13 races! In stead of recapping each and every one, I will just go over the ones I feel are important to mention.

The first race I want to cover is the Giro d' Grafton Cat 4 Criterium. This was the second race of the series, and after East Troy (the first day) I was sitting 6th overall. I came to the start with a plan. Attack on the slight uphill during the last lap. Half way through the race, I decided to test out my plan on a preem (the announcers offers money or a prize to the first one across the "line" on the next lap. They announce during the race so you never know when the preems are going to be.) and see if it would work. Work it did, I came through the start finish line and won a $25 preem, out front all by myself. Of course, I didn't stop there. I don't sit up when I have a good 10 second gap. I solo-ed it for about two laps when another rider bridged up to me. We worked together for a few laps, when I thought I saw my dad telling me to back off. I sat up, then heard the announcers telling us there was a $50 preem. I looked at the other rider and said, "Let's go for it!". We picked up the pace again, but our gap was to small and the field brought us back in before we hit the preem. I sat in the pack for about two laps then a attack was made. I jumped onto the rider's wheel and heard some one in the pack say, "Let them go, they won't make it." BIG mistake. We worked together for about 5 laps, I won a $100 preem and with one to go we were still away with a 10 second gap. Unfortunately, Richard, (who later beat me in the overall for 1st place) a strong rider, went to the front and pulled us back right before the final corner. I had about thirty seconds to recover from my long huge break away effort before the sprint begin, I was exhausted but still managed to pull off 12th place, $125 richer.

Jump forward three days. I'm 7th overall after taking a day off and doing mediocre in the road race, but this is my race, Schlitz park. The course is a square, start, corner, uphill, corner, flat, corner, downhill with four corners in it, then the finish. The uphill is steep and the downhill is technical, It's perfect for me. The field gets whittled down almost instantly. It goes from 50 riders to 12 in the first two laps. After that its more or less stable, two more guys get dropped over the course of the race. I feel good up the hill every time, I'm not really in any difficulty going up it, and I can see other people definitely are. So about halfway through I attack coming into the hill and see if I can get away. I feel good up the hill but I'm not 100%. The road race the day before was very difficult and took more out of me than I thought it did. I can't quite fully open up the throttle and I can't manage to get away and stay away in the head wind sections. I keep the pace high up the hill a few more times to see if I can drop some more riders but to no avail. I realize this race is going to come down to who comes out of that downhill into the finish positioned top three. So I sit back and conserve. Coming into the final downhill, I position myself and try to get second wheel. Myles beats me to it and I'm forced to choose between third wheel or first. I have tried gapping people off my wheel on the downhill and I never quite managed it, so I take third wheel. I figure Myles is a good wheel to be on for the sprint anyways. We come around the final corner and we all sprint as hard as we can, Myles comes around the guy in front and I come around Myles. I see the second place guy sitting up and bike throw at the line to try and get him, Myles beats me by a few feet. I didn't quite manage though and ended up third place. After the race I realize to my dismay that I broke my rear Zipp wheel and that I sprinted with a rubbing rear wheel!

Two days later, I'm in 4th overall. It's time to do Sheboygan. This race was my best result last year, I'm excited to do it again this year. I have already done my first junior race a hour before and I'm all opened up, ready to race. The first half of the race is pretty uneventful. I tried to go for a few preems and failed. With 15 laps to go The announcers throw out a $50 preem and Inokennty, Kesha for short, attacks. Kesha is only 5 points behind me, so I can't let him go. I attack as well and start bridging up to him. He wins the preem and sits up to wait for me. I catch him and we start working together. Every lap I come through and dad shouts splits a me. 10 seconds, 12, 18, 22, 26, then 23! I am determined not to get caught, so I ramp up the pace. 24, 26, 25, 22, 27, 40! We have two laps to go, and 42 seconds. I'm starting to get nervous. I will either get second or win this. Kesha is worn down, but so am I and he is a much stronger sprinter then me. I cling to his wheel and make him do the work. we come around the final corner and he starts to sprint. I stay on his wheel until the final 50 meters, I try and come around him and crack. I have nothing left, I used it all making sure we stayed away. Kesha wins the sprint and I happily take second.

It's the final day, the Madison Capitol Criterium. I'm in third overall, and six points out of first and second, who are tied. Up until today I have felt better after every race, but in this mornings junior race I was very tired. I'm not overly concerned about it though, the junior races are faster than the cat 4s. I am just going to have to play it Conservative. I race smart, marking the two riders ahead of me in the overall and Kesha, who is still close behind me. Two riders attack when I'm off guard and get away. I don't chase them though, I missed the initial jump and I don't need to waste my energy chasing down riders who are not in the overall. Because they're not in the overall, none of the overall contenders chase them down and the get away to get first and second. I have a really good sprint and end up 7th. This puts me in 2nd overall since one of the two ahead of me finished at the back of the pack. the other one finished on spot behind me though, so I'm still 5 points out of first.

2nd overall Is a great result and I am really happy with my racing. As I said before I learned a lot and raced hard. Now I am looking forward to Tour De Rimouski, A international 15-16 4 day stage race in Quebec. http://www.tourdelareleve.ca/tour-releve-en.php

Check out some GREAT photos at XTR Photos...GARY does an awesome job!
http://www.xtrphoto.com/albums/2012/Tour_of_Americas_Dairyland

Quad cities weekend 2012

Quad Cities is a three day weekend of awesome, unique, races that a lot of racers like Kevin Livingston, Christian Vandevelde, Jason McCartney, Bjorn Selander, and Cole House who later would become pros came through here and raced juniors well. The Junior fields that come to this race are some of the largest in the Midwest, often numbering above 50 riders of 15-16 and 17-18 racers. There is also large fields in the other categories, the pro/1/2 race often numbers around 150 riders. My dad did this race several times a a cat 4 and 3 when he was in his twenties. The first day is the infamous Snake alley.

This beast may only be 12 percent, but with its brutal corner pitches and bumpy cobbles It is painful even for the pros. It was made in the late 1800s, and is the crookedest street in the world. Because of how hard this course is being mainly uphill and downhill, it has little strategy. Except for at the front of the juniors and the pros, most of the race simply consists of going as fast as you can up the "snake" and keeping your speed at the bottom of the downhill. Also because the snake is relatively thin, people can get choked off in the corners. As a result the start is almost as fast as a Cross or MTB race.

 We had eight Juniors for the 15-18 race, Kaleb, Pete, Max, myself, Garret, Joe, Theo, Matt, and Sam. For the 12-14 race there was Simon and Alex. Earlier in the 10-14's Simon got on the podium. I was the third row to be called up. When the gun went off, I stumbled getting into my pedal and had a bad start. As we went into the corner, I saw Brian Gaines and Pete tangle up and go down! That was bad, he was one of our strongest riders. Fortunately, he ended up fine and finished the race. I started farther back but moved up 4-5 spots every time up the snake, moving up to Max and Garret up the road. I finally managed to get to the front of the second group and was pulling up to the front group with Max and Garret right by me, when I mechanical-ed. My chain some how got stuck in between my cassette and chain stay. My dad ran down the hill to help me get it out. Once he did, I continued the race and moved from dead last to mid pack at 33rd. Garret finished 16th, Max 17th, Kaleb 22nd, Joe 24th, Matt 31st, Theo 32nd, Sam 43rd, and Pete finishing despite his crash at 46th.

The next day was Melon city. the course is oval with a tight corner out of the start, a downhill, a speed bump, a uphill, and a 180 degree corner into the finish. It is a rather technical and high speed course. I am tired after doing Snake, so I decide to do only one race, the cat 4, which are later in the afternoon. I get to sleep in till about 9 o clock. I hear that my team did good in Juniors, Max got 3rd, Pete 7th, Kaleb 8th, Theo 19th, garret 27th, Matt 28th, Joe 37th, and Sam 45th. Alex also did well in 10-14 with a 3rd place, and Simon 6th. The 4's race was fast right off the bat, and I used up to much energy chasing things down when I could feel my legs were not good. As a result I got dropped with 4 to go on the slight uphill. I still finished 22nd.

The last day was Rock Island.  A flat, figure-eight course with lots of corners. This time I got up early to do Juniors. At the start line it was sunny. We started, and immediately three riders went off the front. I ignored it and concentrated on positioning myself. Eventually one of them, Richard Rainville, got away from the other two. Then it started raining. The laps were incredibly fast, which only makes sense, as there was multi-time National Champions, cat 2s, and people who went to Euro camp in the field. When there is rain, on corners, and on cross walks people crash. And crash they did! As I sat on Garret's wheel, I listened to the sounds of carnage behind me. Every time I came around I was grinning. Eventually after sitting third wheel for a while, I ended up in front. So I took the opportunity to drill it. I felt fantastic and was in my element! After a lap of that, Kaleb came to the front to chase down the solo break of Richard. I stuck on his wheel, with Garret and Max on mine. IScorp had a really good train going there for a while, it was awesome! Eventually, another Junior named Rudy came to the front and drilled it, and I stayed on Kaleb's wheel. Coming into the last lap I was on Kaleb's wheel, in a select group of 20 or so riders, the only ones left of the original group of 60. Things started to get really fast, so I made a aggressive move on one of the corners to gain positions and I crashed. I only slid on the oily pavement and I was fine, albeit frustrated. I got my bike untangled and finished. I still got 5th in 15-16, and about 20th overall. Kaleb killed it for first place 17-18, just a foot or so shy of winning overall to Richard. the rest of them I am not quite sure since they still don't have results up but I think Max got 4th and Theo 8th, no clue on the others.

After the juniors I did cat 4's. I positioned myself well the whole race, but in the sprint for positions on the backside of the course, I was to tired, and fell back. As a result I got stuck behind a crash and had to put my foot down. I still got 17th.

The entire weekend was a ton of fun, and while I had some bad luck, I learned a lot and had a blast! IScorp killed it, Thanks to Lowell, Mike, and Billy for keeping all us boys fully operational, my team mates Kaleb, Max, Garret, Joe, Theo, Matt, Simon, and Alex for racing strong!

Two towers RR and Wheels on Willy Criterium

Hilly. That one little word pretty much sums this race course up. So many hills, It makes me cringe. Two laps of pain in the cat 4s. This is the most well suited race I have done so far this year, and I'm a little nervous. Nothing like the all consuming, flat out fear I used to experiance. But I do recognize that I have a good shot at this. I wait at the start, anticipating the pain I will experiance, and the pain I hope to inflict.

Right off the bat, it's a downhill. A good downhill, fast, but not too steep, and no really dangerous corners. It's a good warm up and we soon end up on the only "flat" section on the course. The pace is not slow but no one wants to do anything drastic, this is the only place on the course where no one will be in pain and everyone wants it to stay that way. I don't hear as much of the usual chitter chatter in the pack, everyone is looking at the first little hill in the distance. It's only the first hill, but some one decides to drill it anyways. I quickly react an place my self in second wheel right behind him. The hill is short and soon over. The racer backs off and sinks into the field as we roll through the last remaining flat stretch.

We approach the corner, and he attacks again. I react too slow. As we come around the corner and up a short rise I bridge the gap. I grimace, It's going to be a long day. The rollers come one after another. Short, steep, brutal affairs that punch you in the gut. Each time over the top some get back up, and some don't. After the last and worst roller, we get a long slightly uphill drag into the lap/finish hill. A rider with a yellow jersey (who later introduced himself as Andrew) goes to the front and drills it. It's a leg breaking move and lasts for a long time. He lets up just before the finish/lap hill to survey the damage.

As we hit the hill, Two strong riders go to the front and I sit behind them. This hill is way more suited to me than the others but still really hard. The leading rider attacks and after a short hesitation I follow. I've been watching him and he is one of the strongest climbers in the group. If he gets away we won't catch him. Despite my effort, I fail to catch him before the top of the climb. As soon as we get too the downhill I get to the front and drill it. I don't want him getting away without me and I certainly don't want a dropped riders catching back on. However I'm on junior gears and no matter how fast I spin I can't catch him. We reach the bottom of the hill and roll into the flats.

The climbs proceed much the same on this lap. Andrew gets on the front at the top of every hill to to keep the pace high. Soon there is only about a dozen riders left in the group. as I look around while we come into the finish, I reflect that I know many of them. I raced David in cross last year and lacrosse. Chris, a fellow junior has been at almost every race I have done this year, And I know Everett from junior development camp.

We hit the bottom of the hill, and to my surprise David goes to the front. I hang on his wheel as the last remnants of the pack is shattered. In the chaos, I make my move to soon and blow up with 200 meters to go. I finish 8 in the sprint, 9th place because that guy stayed away and won.

The next day it's a criterium and I'm doubling up. The first race is Juniors. I'm excited to race with my team! Its super high speed right off the gun. The pace yo-yo's back and forth as attacks are made and chased down. after a while Max and Pete get off the front, and Theo bridges up. Its a short race, only 25 minutes long. The finish is there before I know it, and I lead out my team mate Garret to round out the top five. IScorp got 1-2-4-5 and super preem. I finished 8th out of 20 or so.

The next race is 4/5s. I'm tired from juniors but once the race starts and my legs warm up I start to feel really good. My Dad is racing with me this time. Part way through the race two riders attack and go off the front. There Is preems being thrown out left and right, and I manage to get third in one. Then, there is a crash! I look back, Dad went down in it! He ended up ok, but dropped out of the race and did better in the Master 35+ cat 4/5s. I come around the lap next time and the announcer tells us there is going to be a preem, I decide I am going for this one, so I position myself. We come around the corner and I go for it! I win the sprint and start to back off, Then hear Max and garret screaming at me from the sidelines to "GO FOR IT! you got a gap, get that break!" I get in to gear and go.

After a few laps, I have shattered the field, only 3 riders managed to stay on my wheel. After a lap or two of me driving the pace (without help from the others) we catch the break away of two. After that we start working together well, and establish a large gap from the field. Being in a break of 6, knowing I have a good chance at winning was pretty crazy, almost surreal. With two laps to go, I held back and did no work. I positioned myself second wheel coming into the corner. The guy in front, who had been in the break away, stood up with a vicious acceleration and I was forced to start sprinting before I came around him. The other guy who had been in the two man break, Andrew, came around me as I fought to accelerate into first. I bike threw at the line for third place. My first cat 4 podium!

Life on the farm

It’s spring and things are gettin’ going out here on YKer Acres. There are starter plants in the house, seeds in the field, chickens laying on eggs, and a field that’s ready for piglets. That’s right, I live on a farm. An organic vegetable farm. It’s a CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture. Basically how it works is you buy a “share” then we come and deliver you delicious veggies every week at a drop off site. There are a lot of veggies on this farm. Heirloom tomatoes, onions, carrots, beets, potatoes, cucumbers, brussel sprouts, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, winter squash, summer squash, parsnips, rutabagas, melons, corn, turnips, asian greens, kohlrabi, broccoli, eggplant, beans, peas, kale, radishes, ground cherries, and huckleberries.

It’s not a farm without farm animals, right? We have those too. I raise chickens as a hobby, and for my summer job I raise pastured pigs. The money I earn from the pigs all goes straight to funding my racing season. Parts, entry fees, gas money, clothes, etcetera. My chickens are completely free range, and roam around the yard, keeping ticks and other pests away. I feed them supplemental grains, but they mostly forage for food. My pigs are raised in 300 by 300 pens out in the field. Once they are done with one, we move them to another, that pen will be used to grow vegetables in the future, as it is the most fertile soil on the farm, and the pigs are VERY good weeders. Like my chickens, their major food source is foraging. We also plant grains like oats and barley in their field for them to eat.

It’s a cruel fact, but pigs are very intelligent and do have feelings. Part of our philosophy is if we are going to eat meat, we want those animals to live the happiest and healthiest life possible. Most meat you buy at the store is raised in confinement, shoved into a space too small for the pigs to even move. “Cage-free” just means that they are free to roam around in the tiny building, but still are packed too tight to move. “Free-range” means that they have a door to the outside opened in the last few weeks of their life; however most are too scared to go outside. Even “organic” only means that their food is grown without pesticides, which is great, but they still wallow in their own feces with a thousand other animals for their entire life.

Animals love being outside. It’s also by far the healthiest way for them too live. Everyone who has had my pork or eggs says it’s the best they have ever had in their life. Which makes sense, my pigs have access to all kinds of vitamins and minerals, free range pigs eat up to five pounds of soil a day, which makes their meat EXTREMLY vitamin and mineral rich. Plus they run around and exercise every day. Which would you rather eat, a obese, depressed animal that has never seen the light of day and has spent its entire life wallowing in its own feces with thousands of others, or a happy, lean pig that has been eating grasses, bugs, roots and dirt, running around, and rolling in the dirt for its entire life?

Eating organic vegetables, pastured pork, and free-range eggs has taught me so much about good nutrition. The food I eat gives me the nutrients I need to recover from my training, build up for my racing, and grow faster and stronger!

You can find more information and pictures about my pigs and our farm on face book, at Yker Acres. I still have many pork shares available, and will deliver wherever there is a good Cyclocross race. I will be traveling to Cincinnati, Madison, Fort Collins, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Iowa city, and all over Minnesota. Please help support me in achieving my bike racing dreams, while feeding you and your family healthy food!

La Crosse uphill Time Trial and Criterium

It's later in the day after the Road race, I just got up from taking a nap, and I'm ready to crush it. There is a Time trail now, it's short and uphill. The course goes up a brutal hill called grandads bluff. This photo doesn't do the hill justice, but it does give you an idea of just how hard it is.

 
We are staying with some people who live just a few blocks away from the bluff, so we ride over to the course. Its raining, and there is a chance of thunderstorms so the judges postpone the start by a half hour. My warm up is is screwed up a little bit by this, but nothing I can't handle. I'm racing cat 4's and I'm the first one to start. I still start after all the juniors though, so one by one I watch my team mates go. Finally, it's my turn, and I come up to the line. I tensely wait as the official counts down. 30 seconds... 15... 10... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!

I concentrate on getting my momentum up, and in my focus to get going I overshoot my speed a little bit. I look down and my speed is at 28kph. Too fast for my sloppy warm up to handle, so I sit down and reign in the pace a little bit as my legs start to burn. After I get over the first little steep section and around the corner I start to speed up again. It's down to about 5-6% now. I feel like I'm pedaling boxes though, so I stand up. Still feels a little bit funny... I shift into my big ring and everything clicks. I go from 22kph to 25kph (12-15mph). I feel really good, I'm completely in control and this hill is perfect for me. I keep on increasing my pace, trying to see how far I can push it before it starts to hurt. It still doesn't hurt, I wonder if maybe I'm not going fast enough... so I keep speeding up.

As I get closer to the top, I can hear people cheering loudly. It's the corner by the bar, and a lot of slightly intoxicated people are making some noise. I come into the corner, and pound up the steep 10% pitch, still in my big ring and spinning. I get to the top and in to the roller section. Downhill, accelerate! 30k, 35k, 40k!  I come into the next rise and concentrate on keeping as much of my momentum as possible. I accelerate off the top again. I see some of my team mates, coming down after their race. "GO JOSEY!" "Aiiiieee!" they shout. Soon I can see the finish line, I put a HUGE effort in and pound it into the finish, going 52kph on a slight uphill! I look down as I cross, 9:14. The record time (set by a national Time Trial Champ) is 8:20! I come back down, feeling very good about my time. Later I find out that I won cat 4's! I also would have placed 6th in cat 3's. The results had my time down as 9:19, which is a little longer than it was, but that's ok.

The next day was the Criterium. I felt a little tired from the previous day, so I did a good long warm up. I lined up with my one team mate in cat 4s, Joe. The official runs us through the rules, and its go time! right off the bat, on the second lap there is a attack. I chase it down, I don't want anyone getting away unless it has me or Joe in it.

At first I'm a little slow to respond on the attacks, but after a while I start to warm up and feel good. Every lap I come around in second wheel. I want to stay up here where I have the most reaction time for attacks, and where there is less chance of crashing. The rest of the 40 minute Crit goes well, I feel strong and reacting to the attacks is easy. A few of them are particularly fast, and I have to dig deep, but I soon recover. Coming in with three laps to go on the 1 mile or so course, it starts to get chaotic. Everyone wants to be in the front, but no one wants to go fast enough to string people out. I try to choose the right wheel, but get boxed in. Coming around the final corner I manage to get a few spots, and I gain a few in the sprint to get 10th by a tire width. However, Joe managed to win the sprint!

Thanks to Joe Horvath for the awesome picture, here is his website.