2012, it's a wrap!

Eight years I have been waiting for this season. For eight years I have wondered. When's it gonna happen? When am I gonna make that jump? When am I gonna grow? It started like any other year but by the end, I was a different rider. A different person. I started the season with a goals list, I didn't know if I could do any of them... six inches, three category jumps, tens of thousands of miles later in the car, on my bike, and in a plane I have achieved almost every one and beyond. My goals were:

#1: To place 1st overall in the cat 4 series at ToAD, I placed second overall by five points.

I did however achieve my first Cat 4 road win at Lacrosse

#2: To win a Cat 3 Cross race

And later went on to podium in several Cat 1/2 races like here at State championships.

#3: To top five at Short and fat, I placed 7th in the group sprint for 2nd.

 #4: to bunny hop barriers consistently

And #5: to Place top ten at Cross Nationals, I placed 6th, losing the sprint for 5th

I dreamed about going to EuroCamp but thought it was to big of a goal so did not put it on my list. Neverless, I was able to go to the tenth anuall EuroCrossCamp!

I also was on the Midwest team for Le Tour De Rimouski cadet race.

And attended Geoff Procter's USAC Cross Development camp.

Thanks to a ton of very generous people for making everything possible this year: 

My team IScorp, HED cycling, WCJ Pilgrim, Doug Close, Scott & Angie Rake, Amy Weik-Bonebell, Trek, Enzo's Button, The Crossniacs, Ski Hut, Thirsty Pagan, people who bought t-shirts, all the generous donations, and of course my parents!

2013 Cyclocross National Championships

After five days being home from Belgium, I left for the last and most important race of the season, National Championships. I was nervous coming into Nationals. Not because it was a super important race, although that was contributing factor. I was nervous because I had been sick since I got home. A sinus infection, otherwise known as the Belgian crud. I had been fighting it since my second race in Belgium, barely holding it off. The long, stressful plane ride accompanied with the dry air, and low quality food in the air plane finally tipped me over. I took good care of myself while home and managed to get healthy. The thing I was nervous about was if it would affect my race. Because I was sick, I only rode twice from the time I arrived home till I left for Nationals.

In order to open up my legs, I decided to do the non-championship under 29 B race on Wednesday. The conditions were fast and slippery, the surface was a mixture of wet frozen dirt, half melted ice patches, and packed snow. As I expected my legs were blocked up and my start was lackluster, I took me most of the first lap to figure out how to ride the slippery conditions at race speed and get my legs fully opened up. Despite some shifting issues, I placed second to a Canadian u23 rider named Micheal Vandenham and my teammate Max Ackerman had a great ride to 5th place.

On the day before my race (Friday), I rode over to the course to cheer on friends that were racing and ride on the course. By then, the temp had risen above freezing and a inch of rain had fallen. The course had inches of slippery, slimy mud, and patches of ice underneath. There was no wind, it was foggy, and the temp was just barely above freezing. In short, the conditions were absolutely perfect for me!

The morning of nationals I woke up early enough to pre-ride the course before my 10:30 race. It's a good thing I did because the conditions were completely different. There was a very strong, icy cold biting wind and it was as cold as it could possibly be without freezing. The biggest change though, was the mud. Over night it had thickened into what is referred to as "peanut butter mud". Thick, power sucking stuff, requiring little technical skill. At first I was frustrated. This stuff was not bad for me but I had still lost a huge conditions advantage. However, as it got closer and closer to my race, the sun came out. The warmth began to thaw out the partially frozen thick mud and the consistency became more loose. It wasn't the slippery mud of the day before but there was now a line through the mud, right next to the tape. By riding as close as possible to the tape and spinning, you could go faster than slogging through the deep mud in the center. The technical part about it was you were running a very high risk of getting tangled up in the course tape, or worse, hooking a post and flipping.

I warmed up and rode over to the start line. It was very cold, I had a thermal Skinsuit, two base layers and Enzos Button embrocation on. I lined up second row on the left. I lined up on the very outside. The gun went off and we sped towards the first corner. Then some one slips on a ice patch on the inside and starts a massive crash! I slam on my brakes and slide to a stop just in time to avoid falling into the pile up. I stand there for a few seconds in what seems like a eternity as I try and escape the pile up. by the time I finally do, I'm forty seconds back on the top five and in the thirties.

Later my dad ask's me if I was frustrated then. To be honest, I do not remember feeling any emotion. If you look at photos of me in the race you can see my face and mind were a expressionless void focusing on one single thing:

Racing my bike as fast as I can.

I don't remember much from the first two laps of the race. A few disjointed images with little thought attached to them. After the race my dad told me I was 30th when I hit the dirt, 25th coming through the pits on the first lap, and I was 17th by the first hill. I was on fire, having the race of my life after complete disaster!

A video of thee first lap at the pits. the first rider to go through is 4th place. I appear at the end

By the end of the first lap I could hear people shouting at me: "That's top ten right there! Go! GO!". I moved into 11th. Then 8th. into 6th. 5th place ! For the first time in the race, I felt an emotion. I smiled. This was my goal, top five! I wasn't going to get it easily though. There was some one on my wheel, Anders Nystrom. The last lap was a blur of pain as I tried to drop him. He passed me right after the pits, I put in a huge acceleration and passed him back before the hill. Little by little I started to open a gap. I was concentrating everything I had on not making a mistake. Which of course, was my mistake. On the final uphill coming into the downhill into the finish, my front wheel caught something. I fell down. I got back up quickly and ran up the last bit of the hill and got back on my bike. It was a tiny mistake, but it was enough. Anders caught me, sat on my wheel and then attacked me as we hit the tar. I struggled to hold onto his wheel to try and make some last attempt to beat him at the line but I had already burned my all my matches. I crossed the line in 6th place, four seconds down on the podium.

I had a amazing Nationals. I had the ride of my life right after disaster and I did it when it counted. I was the only rider in the top ten who got suck in the crash. My ride was not without flaw but I am proud of it. Now that I have done the last race of the season it is time to rest so that I can return for road season, hungry for more.

Thanks to Roxxanne King (@CyclingRox) for the awesome photo and the Bonebell for the video!

My Belgium adventure, a conclusion.

After two weeks in Belgium, I find myself looking at things differently. Something changed while I was battling the mud in Belgium. I see things differently now. Not in a dramatic way, but subtle change is apparent. I grew in Belgium, physically, mentally, and emotionally. A seed was planted, one that will grow with time in such a way that can not be averted. I learned a lot in Belgium, but what resonates with me the most is Geoff's quoting of Aristotle;

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."

My trip to Belgium was a realization of our struggle for excellence. To me EuroCrossCamp embodied that struggle. What it takes to become a professional cyclist is really seen while over there. Adverse conditions and talented fields show how good you truly are through repeated and demoralizing defeat. If you are disciplined and tough, you see what your weaknesses are. You see who you really are. Geoff did an excellent job of making this camp a great learning experience. The riders are cared for through the camp, but not coddled. It becomes opportunity to see the connection between dedication and results.

Despite being a race camp full of very competitive people, friendship and team work was very prevalent through out the two weeks. Riders (for the most part) from different teams and parts of the country filled the roster but while in Belgium, we were team EuroCamp. Whether preparing for a race or just doing the dishes, we had each others backs from making sure things weren't misplaced, to taking the chore load if some one was sick, and helping each other work on bikes. In that way and others, EuroCamp was the most professional camp I have been to.

I have tried to sum up what this experience was like with pictures and posts on both Twitter and Blogger. What it was like to ride around in a different world with roads tight and twisty and neat hedges. How the food tasted. What it was like to hardly ever see the sun and hear an almost constant sound of rain drumming on the rooftops. What the people sounded like when they spoke such a guttural language. How tough the races were with deep mud, sketchy descents, and brutal hills. Most importantly, what I learned. Hopefully, I have succeeded -at least to a  degree- so that all the people who so generously helped me understand how grateful I am. Understand how much fun and learning a kid can have playing in the Belgium mud.

IN the News!

 EuroCrossCamp 2012 a Success (12.31.12)

Weik, the youngest rider at the camp, who turned 16 only days before embarking for Belgium, said that despite the challenges, he is already hoping to make a return next year.

“I’m having a blast; this is the best ever,” he told VeloNews after a 34th-place finish in Loenhout. “Despite just getting my head pounded in today, I was having fun the whole time. It’s all super fun, a super big learning experience. Namur, the first race I did here, was by far the most fun I’ve had on a bike. I was scared, but it was just a blast.”

Velo News: EuroCrossCamp 2012 a Success





  The Road 'Cross the Ocean (12.30.12)

Josey Weik gets a taste of Belgium Cross

"The riding was fun. Close tight, windy roads, and bike paths with interesting sights and a fair amount of traffic kept us on our toes."

CyclingNews Article HERE





  Missives from the Motherland

-EuroCrossCamp through the rider's eyes

They published Josey's first blogpost of his Belgium experience, 
"Beginning in Belgium" (12.21.12)

I arrived in Brussels with David after a nine hour flight with little sleep at 9:00 AM. The Brussels airport was surprisingly painless and we found the baggage claim with out a fuss, with plenty of people saying things like:
“You here for Cyclocross?”
“Yeah!”
“Very good, what races are you doing?”
“Namur, Beernem, Loenhout, Diagem, and Baal.”
“Oh good! I cheer for you, eh?”

Tuesday, December 25

Josey Weik shares his Namur race report:

"Three hours later, we walk out of the car having arrived at the course. It’s on top of a huge hill in the middle of town, the site of a old fort. Everything is sloped, especially the windy road that brought us to the top. My state of mind turns from a surreal, anxious anticipation to a sort of frantic, hyperactive state of overdrive. Things run through my mind at high speed. Gotta get my bib, do I have my passport? Don’t lose the passport. Get your number. Find somebody to pin you number! Quickly, it’s time to ride! Get your bike. Dial the pressure. Find some to to ride with. Get on the course. No one is taking care of you now, there is no room for error."

EMILY MAYE

12.31.12      Josey Weik 

He wasn't the first rider on course. And he wasn't the biggest in the Junior race, but Josey Weik rode the whole sand pit at Diegem while most couldn't. The Belgians noted this.

EMILY MAYE BLOG 

Tom Robertson

Tom Robertson 

 
Tom Robertson Portfolio of Namur, Belgium HERE 

The Road 'Cross the Ocean

I began the season with a goal. Make it across the ocean to race cyclocross in the motherland of the sport, Belgium. Rainy, muddy, brutally honest and terrifyingly revealing, this is where you go to race the best in the world. To be honest, I didn't think I would actually make it. EuroCrossCamp was a long shot. Don't get me wrong, I knew I could do it, but I also knew I would have to improve by leaps and bounds in order to reach the level to make it. Having a high goal to shoot for has always been good for me. In order to achieve this, I think I pushed myself farther, and was more focused than I ever have been.

After the first few cross races I started to believe that maybe, just maybe, I could do it. I did a big fundraiser to make it out to the qualifying races in Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky. Thanks to a ton of awesome people I made it out, and shocked myself on my performance. I started to think that I could actually make it! On thanksgiving morning, I got the email inviting me to the tenth annual EuroCrossCamp. Thanks to a ton of very generous people: my team IScorp, HED cycling, WCJ Pilgrim, Doug Close, Scott & Angie Rake, Amy Weik-Bonebell, Trek, Enzo's Button, Crossniacs, Ski Hut, Thirst Pagan, people who bought t-shirts, all the generous donations, to those select special people (you know who you are), and of course my parents, I was able to seize this amazing opportunity!


A few weeks later, I left from the airport in Chicago with my friend David Lombardo. Taking the plane to Belgium was surreal without my parents. I didn't really comprehend that I was going to another continent across the ocean, until we arrived in Brussels. The airport didn't look very different, but once Jim picked us up and we got on the road, it was immediately apparent that we were in a very different place.

The roads were tiny, so thin they looked like they were a one-way. There was bike trails next to almost every major road and the ditches were incredibly steep and deep. Everything seemed close together and squeezed in. We got to the house relatively quickly, considering we traveled across half of Belgium. Of course, that is relative as Belgium is very small. After we unpacked our bags, ate lunch and got settled into our room we went on a easy spin- our first ride in Belgium! I couldn't shake the impression that I was in a Harry Potter movie. There were so many hedges and all the yards were extremely well kept. I did not so much notice on the first day, but you almost never see the sun. In Belgium it really does rain, all the time. When there is sun out though, it becomes a big deal.

The riding was fun. Close tight, windy roads, and bike paths with interesting sights and a fair amount of traffic kept us on our toes. Once we got back we settled into the routine that would define the rest of camp. If it is a non-race day we get up at eight 'o clock and eat breakfast. Then we get dressed and go on a ride. We come back and make sure our bikes are in working order, then take a shower, and eat lunch. After that, depending on the day, you're either responsible for the breakfast chores, the afternoon chores, the dinner chores, or it's your day off. After relaxing with your legs up, hanging out, napping, and playing pool for the rest of the day you eat dinner, attend the meeting, and go to bed.

Racing at Namur photo by Matt Shriver

After a few days at camp, getting adjusted and settling into the routine we did our first race, the Namur World Cup. Pretty much the craziest cyclocross course there is! Words cannot do this course justice, other than that it is vertical- when it's up, it is UP and when it's down, it is DOWN. Along with it simply being extreme, the course was muddy (of course). I don't think I have ever had so much fun in a race. Sure, my eyes were rolling back into my head the entire time, but the course was just so cool! I placed 11th out of 30, and fellow EuroCrossCampers Logan and Curtis placed a great 1st and 2nd.


The second race of EuroCrossCamp was the only double race. Four of our juniors, five of our U23's, and our Elite rider did the Zolder World Cup. Myself and two others (it would have been four others but two were sick) did the smaller, provincial championships in Beernem. The small local races in Belgium are very brutal and straightforward. This one was tight, so much so that it reminded me of a mountain bike race. With it's narrow (only five riders instead of eight wide), long start stretch, twisty track, and actual single track with little passing opportunity. I started last row out of forty riders and placed a decent 15th right behind Nick, our top finisher at 14th. Logan placed a great 2nd place at the Zolder World cup.

Fellow EuroCrossCamp kids showing a little USA spirit!

After Zolder/Beernem we started the race every other day schedule. This changed the routine a little bit, and made it quite a bit more difficult for our super staff, Geoff, Jim, and most of all our mechanic Dave.  It made it extremely important to be on top of everything. The next race we did was Loenhout. For me, this race was the most brutal with many long, straight, almost axle-deep-mud-power-sections, and interesting with BMX-style whoops, and a huge flyover. It was also the biggest race yet with about 60 starters and crowds... the crowds! Beer tents, Frite stands, people screaming everywhere!

Josey with a Belgium Fan!

It was really amazing racing with such a big crowd. The start was long, and starting from the second to last row with 60 some riders was tough, but really fun! I had by far my best start yet and moved past over half the pack on the first section. The rest of my race wasn't quite as good, I had a few issues with running into the course tape, but I pulled through for a very muddy 34th place. It was not a bad race by any means, but I was having a tough time in the long mud stretches. Some of the other kids had really great races though! Logan placed 2nd, Curtis 3rd, and Stephen 7th.

Warming up before Loenhout photo by Tom Robertson

 I'm now resting up for the race in Diegem tomorrow, and after that the final race in Baal. This camp has been a methodical whirlwind of experiences so far, and I am amazed by the level of racing and the dedication of the staff here keeping us together. Big shout out to all the people who have helped me get here and have this amazing experience! I will continue to post updates on my Twitter (Bikerboy_weiker) with race reports, pictures and more. Cheers, Josey.

Belgium Tasties

Supporters Club in Belgium

Wrenshall's Weik is biking toward the BIG time

Kevin Pates of the Duluth News Tribune wrote a great article about Josey on December 23, 2012. You can read it HERE

OR SEE BELOW...

Josey Weik has watched the Oscar-nominated 1979 movie “Breaking Away” and, yes, he bears some traits of the cycling-devoted lead character, Dave Stroller, played by Dennis Christopher.
Stroller grew up in a small town and dreamed of riding professionally for an Italian cycling team.
Weik, 16, lives on a 16-acre organic vegetable farm in Wrenshall, is homeschooled, raises pigs and dreams of riding in the Tour de France.

He’s adept at mountain biking, road racing and cyclocross, a unique sport combining road biking and cross country running while carrying a bike. This week Weik is in Vorselaar, Belgium, for Eurocross Camp, a United States development program for elite cyclocross riders that began 10 years ago. He’s the youngest member of the 16-athlete contingent.

“I’m completely dedicated to cycling. It’s my passion. I can go for days just thinking about cycling,” Weik said recently while traveling to Bend, Ore., for a cyclocross competition.
In reality, he rarely has time to daydream.

Weik, an only child, is up at 7 a.m., does some stretching exercises, has breakfast, feeds the chickens on the family farm (named YKer Acres), waters and feeds his pigs (approximately 20), rides his bike, has recovery time, does school work and is in bed by 8:30 p.m. He’s able to train on family land or nearby on the Willard Munger State Trail.

His sophomore classes are split between his mother, Sara, who, for instance, teaches math, and his dad, Matt, who teaches physics. Four years ago Weik chose raising pigs to support his cycling.
“Josey has been very responsible from a young age,” says Matt Weik, who grew up in Brainerd, Minn., competed in Nordic skiing and attended Minnesota Duluth.

“He’s typical of a lot of endurance athletes — he’s dedicated, high achieving and has good athletic ability,” he added. “And he enjoys spending the time needed to train and get better.”

Watching televised coverage of the Tour de France got Weik to ask for a bike at age 7. He now owns three bikes worth about $4,500 each, has a coach based in Boulder, Colo., and enters 60-some races a year. He trains about 6,000 miles annually and receives some sponsorship from ISCorp, based in Mequon, Wis.
Cyclocross is his discipline of the moment, popularized in Europe, where crowds have reached 60,000, with races held in the fall and winter. Junior riders, Weik’s age, compete for 40 minutes on looped courses that have barriers, unrideable hills and stairs, and often muddy conditions and snow, requiring riders to dismount at certain points and carry their bikes on their shoulders (average bike weight is about 15 pounds). Riding speeds average from 16-22 mph.

Interest in the sport in the United States has more than tripled from 2005-11 to nearly 100,000 participants, according to USA Cycling, the sport’s official governing organization.

“Josey has amazing skills for his age,” says Jeanne Fleck, 47, of Proctor, one of Minnesota’s best female cyclocross riders. “He’s not afraid of anything. I’ve seen him crash in a race and get back up and chase the leaders down. He has a good blend of fit and fast. He’s going to be a force in the sport.”

Earlier this month, in the Minnesota Cyclocross Championships, opting to move up to the Pro 1-2 Category, Weik was fourth. A week later, on the road with his dad in the family’s 2008 Dodge Caravan for 1,800 miles to Bend, he placed sixth in the junior men’s division of the U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclocross.

Weik was selected for the 10-day Eurocross Camp in November and has since sought to raise $5,000 for the trip to Belgium, noted as the world’s cyclocross center. While there, he’ll train and race under the direction of coach Geoff Proctor.

“Cycling is something I’ve wanted to pursue, it’s healthy and an adventure, and my parents have allowed me to do this, and they give me time to be a teenager,” said Weik, who is 5-foot-7 and a lithe 109 pounds. “But I work to support myself. Raising pigs is my business and it requires a lot of energy, and it’s very rewarding.”
After returning from Europe, Weik’s schedule includes the U.S. Championships on Jan. 9-13 in Madison. The UCI Cyclocross World Championships, held outside Europe for the first time, are Feb. 2-3 in Louisville, Ky.

Fleck also will compete in both events.

FOLLOW JOSEY
To contribute to Josey Weik’s Eurocross Camp trip, go to his blog at joseyweik.blogspot.com. He will tweet his experiences and results from Belgium the next 10 days at @bikerboy_weiker.

Tags: sports, wrenshall

The first race: Namur, Belgium

After being in Belgium for a couple of days, it was time to race. At five 'o clock, eight bleary juniors stumbled from their beds and began the process of preparing for the first race. For some of them, like me, it was the biggest race yet. I had packed everything the night before, so I started by making breakfast for my self and trying to get my head wrapped around the fact I was going to race against a world level competitive field on arguably the hardest cross course on the circuit.

Three hours later, we walk out of the car having arrived at the course. It's on top of a huge hill in the middle of town, the site of a old fort. Everything is sloped, especially the windy road that brought us to the top. My state of mind turns from a surreal, anxious anticipation to a sort of frantic, hyperactive state of overdrive. Things run through my mind at high speed. Gotta get my bib, do I have my passport? Don't lose the passport. Get your number. Find somebody to pin you number! Quickly, it's time to ride! Get your bike. Dial the pressure. Find some to to ride with. Get on the course. No one is taking care of you now, there is no room for error.

It's just now getting light now at 8:30 in Belgium. I race at ten, so it's time to ride the course. I know this course has a lot of hills and a lot of drops, but I am unprepared for the sheer audacity of its blatant brutality of it. You start up a cobbled climb about a minute and a half long and shift into a down hill/technical section. You go past the pits, then drop off the edge of the world. Then you do it again. And again. And again. With a nasty off camber and the mother of all run ups. I opt to ride my HED Ardenne wheels with Challenge Limus tires. The aluminum braking surface was braking much better and the wheels were solid enough to take hits from the numerous rocks on the course and the tires were the highest traction I had. They hooked up perfect!

I will admit, I was scared for the start of the race. The course was insane, but the real thing was I didn't know what to expect... I didn't know how fast everyone was going down the hills, or up them. I was pretty nervous when I lined up, the last out of thirty to be called up.

The start was going ok until I tried to pass some one up the gutter. It was cobbled and wet so my real wheel skidded. I was dead last up the first hill. I raced hard though and despite losing four spots, finished 11th. Logan and Curtis had great races with first and second place! Congrats to them and thanks to Geoff, Jim, Dave, and all the other Eurocamp staff.

There is a ton of awesome pictures of the race by Tom at:

Tom Robertson Photos of Namur HERE