Making the Transition

Photo Credit: Cody Stephenson

Alright, well, I'm back in school, not being a fool.

Right.

More like, making the transition back to the cross bike. Track season is over, the bike is up and sitting on a box. Still in pieces, but for the most part, still intact. Our team (Fort Lewis College) cross bikes came in today, and i was able to grab mine, get it built up, and now, waiting for someone to help me with the cables and housing. I've been mountain biking and running, yeah, I've been r u n n i n g. So out of character. BUT. It's cyclocross. I am so excited for cyclocross this year. I love it! So much fun. 

Our cycling team manager puts on a cyclocross series in the fall, which is what i will be racing in. After elites, i was hoping to have some cash left over for boulder cross, possibly the usgp of fort collins, and jingle cross, but as it is now, i have ordered some new shoes, because my feet shrunk, or my shoes just stretched out. So, in place of doing some extended traveling this fall, ill be chilling in dtown until nationals.
But, I've got some new mountain and road shoes on the way, and i have a long list of things for sale throughout gear trade and ebay. So go buy something!

And I'm also really excited to go home for thanksgiving! That's right, I'm flying home.
 It will be nice to see my family, and see what all has changed in the great town of Alexandria, MN while i have  been gone. It has been a really long time since I've seen my family. I bet my little bro isn't so "little" anymore, since he wasn't that small when i left anyways.

So, not much is going on here, just the usual, going to school. I should be sleeping right now, so that's what I'm going to do. Mtn bike ride with the team in the morning. Can't wait for my new shoes! New shoes are more important than going to some out of town cross races at this moment. Proper fitting shoes are essential!

So, off i go. I hope you all have a lovely day tomorrow/today/whatever it may be for you.

Ciao!

Photo Credit: Sarah Sturm

Elite Nationals-

Collegiate Track Nationals [check]
Elite Track Nationals          [check]

Back to the real world, as some would say. Last night i spent my sleeping hours in the far side of the A terminal in the Denver airport. Backpack on my back, and my tt helmet under my head, curled in a ball on the floor. If there is anyone who is familiar with this part of the A terminal, you would agree that its a bit chilly. After flying in around 11:30pm, i woke up around 3 freezing, got up, moved towards the main part of the terminal, and fell asleep for another 2 hours. At that point, people started arriving, and it was game on from there.
It's amazing how different airports look when they are empty. It's almost haunting. i can't imagine what abandoned ones look like. But i must say, i was very happy with how friendly and frequent the security guards were. Definitely helped me sleep a little better.

So, how did the rest of Elites end up? Well, apart from throwing up saturday morning, failing on my 200m, and being ready to go home, it was fun. Maddie Godby and I the team sprint on Sunday. Maddie is one of the most talented young girls i have ever ridden with, and i feel honored to be part of a team with her. She is so incredibly fast, and she's only 18 years old. She's got a huge future ahead of her, and I'm excited to see where she goes in the next few years. I had a really strange starter for the team sprint. Maddie was in the gate, which i am very glad for, because if i was, it would have been a complete knightmare. I false started on the first run. I wasn't expecting the extra bump or "push" i got from the holder, which made things a little more interesting. But on the second run, after almost getting dropped by 2 people on the start, we were off and running. Maddie took off with incredible speed, like usual, and i, with every once of fast twitch muscle i had, tried to keep up with her and keep the momentum going. We ended up 6th overall, which i know she was disappointed with, but hey, we did what we could, as fast as we could, and the only thing we can do is come back next year and prove that we are faster and better, stronger, and more dedicated.

Photo by Pat Benson

Photo by Pat Benson

Photo by Pat Benson

Next up for the day was the Women's Madison. I still wasn't feeling well, but after much deliberation, i decided to go along with it and give it a go. Megan Hottman (DFT/Treads) was my partner. We had practiced some at Colorado Springs in the middle of September, just to get ready for Nationals. I feel slightly proud to have been part of the first USA women's madison national championship. This was the first year this event has been run for the women as a national championship, which is awesome. It was scary at times, I made some mistakes, which i take full blame for, but we kept the race safe as possible. I was never in a position where i was in serious danger, which i am happy for.  A little less than half way through the race, Megan was on relief riding the rail and slipped out through the corner, crashing down the bank, right in front of the pack. Prior to this, i was really starting to get hang of the race! I was digging it! But because of this, our team was left down to me, and after talking with some officials they decided that it would be best just to sit it out. Which was ok with me. Our team wasn't in the top 5 at the time anywho, and i was just doing it for fun. Madison is by far one of the coolest races on the track. It's confusing, dangerous, and would probably have my mother on the edge of her seat, completely terrified, and completely and underly sick to her stomach. And I'm pretty sure my dad and bro would dig it.

After the races, Cari Higgins was so gracious as to drop me off at the airport, but first we managed to load her car up to the brim with all our bags, bike box, and whatever shenanigans we decided to bring along with us, hit up chipotle, and indulge after the racing. Cari is one of my greatest heros. She rocked it. She's got enough national championship jerseys to clothe an entire high school football team. And she deserves it. So happy for all her achievements. Such a sweetheart, and i owe her.

So, about 40 minutes until my flight leaves, I have 8% battery power let in my computer, and I'm almost home. The flight back to Durango is 45 minutes, the drive to the college is about 30, and then it's saying "hello" once again to the dorm mates, and then it's....CYCLOCROSS SEASON!

I'm sure the 'mates will be happy when i bring, yet another, bike into the picture. 

Elite Track Nationals-Racing Day 1

Alright. I've been here in LA since Monday,  and it's been awesome. I flew into LAX Monday morning, equally about 8 hours of travel time, and was picked up by the Godby family. Maddie and her mom have taken me under their wing this whole week and I am forever thankful for it. They are my... "non-related family"...so to speak. With my road bike already waiting for me in the big COS traveling RV, and my track bike in the back of the car, we departed off to the velodrome, where i got my first taste of a "real" track. 250m wood. And it is, indeed, beautiful. We dropped off the track bike, grabbed the road bike, and headed off to Grandma's house.

Once inside, i think i slept...maybe 2 hours? Let's just say, i was tired. Really, really tired. Coming fresh off collegiate nationals, i was...tired! I think, as a total on Monday, i got about 14 hours of sleep. It was spectacular.

3 weeks on the road.

Maddie and I ventured out for a ride along the beach. The house we are staying at is 12 blocks from the ocean, and it's absolutely beautiful. I love the smell of the water. And i forget how many crazy people live in LA. Characters for sure.


The next few days we went to the track and got used to the wood, steep banking, and how things work around there. It's different from COS and Indy!

Scratch Race:
haha. SKETCH! One of the most dangerous races i have ever been in. Absolutely crazy. But it was a great experience, and I'm glad i did it. I don't see myself as an "endurance" track racer anymore, and not that a scratch race is an endurance race, but it was a great race, and definitely helped me work on my bike skills!

Maddie and I before leaving for the beach! 

Keirin:
3rd 1st round, meaning i was in the rep, which i was 2nd in, meaning i went to round 2, where i was last, which meant that i went to the 7-12th final, where i finished 2nd, putting me in 8th place!
Wow, yeah. That's what happened! I love the keirin. Absolutely love it.

So, next on tab for the weekend are the match sprints tomorrow, and then the madison and team sprint on Sunday. Maddie and I will be doing the team sprint together, and I will be doing the Madison with Megan Hottman.

So, it's off to bed now. It's late. My stomach is full, and ready for a flying 200m tomorrow, and hopefully qualifying for some match sprinting! AFter a 2nd place in the sprints at collegiate nationals, I'm hoping to gain some more experience here at Elites.

Sleep well world!

Collegiate Track Nationals

500m Podium

Italian Pursuit

Points Race

Match Sprint Podium

What a complete switch of style.
Last year...2nd place in the points race. This year, i got lapped in the points, came back the next day, and was the 1st 200m qualifier, and got 2nd in the match sprints.
Outstanding. Complete change, switch around.

As I sit here in the Indianapolis airport, i can't begin to explain the week I've had. It's been so much fun. The Fort Lewis Team that we brought to nationals was outstanding. Such a great group dynamic, and this year, we had our coach Matt Shriver join us, for his first track nationals ever.

The crew consisted of: Coaches Matt Shriver and Ian Burnett, Dana Alia, Cody Stephenson, Griffin Easter, Andrew Llewellyn, Brian Morra, Ryan Cleveland, Allie Johnson, Sarah Sturm, Lauren Taylor, and myself. We also had David Llewellyn there, driving the Uhaul truck around with our bikes, bags, rollers, and everything you can name. We couldn't have done it without him.

The first day, we had the 3k, 4k, 500m, and 1k. This year, i placed 4th in the 500m with a time of 39.3, which is a whole 1.6 seconds faster than my time last year, which gave me 7th place.

We placed 5th in the Italian Pursuit this year, but we also had to do it twice because of a mechanical on the first lap of our first race.

Our girls team pursuit finished 3rd place.

And the most important race of all was the match sprint, where i placed 2nd. It was awesome. My first real match sprint experience, and i am extremely happy with that result. I qualified first for the 200m with a time of 13.06 which was .3 seconds faster than the next qualifier. And as the rounds went, i won the first and second round. Then we had an evening break, which then resulted in the semis and finals, which were both a possibility of 3 rides.

In my semi, i was matched against Stephanie Torres. She won the first ride, and i won the next two, sending my onto the finals. Then in the final round, i was paired against Jennifer Purcell, resulting in her winning the first two rounds. But it was a great ride, against a really fast and accomplished rider.

I finished up 4th in the individual omnium, which consisted of my 4th place 500m, absolutely horrible points race, and 2nd place match sprint.

So, now, my parents keep asking me, where are you now? What are you doing? Where are you heading? What exactly are you going to do about school? haha. Well, to answer those questions...I am in Indianapolis, i am heading to LA for elite nationals, and I'm going to work my butt off when i get back to Durango, just so i can start riding that cx bike :)

Italian Pursuit Team

Match Sprint Final

Individual Omnium Final

Not a bad nationals :)
(500m, team pursuit, italian pursuit, individual omnium, team omnium, and match sprint)

FLC Girls Pursuit Team

Never Hesitate

Recently, as far as going to school, driving, racing...the whole shebang...I've discovered, no matter what it is in life, never hesitate.
Well, if you are going to say something stupid, please hesitate.
But if it's passing a car on the highway, if you want to pass, just do it. Don't hesitate. When you hesitate, that's when the oncoming car appears, and it's too late.
When you're racing and someone goes for it, go! Don't wait, don't ponder that one last second. That last second is what is going to cost you the win.

So, now that i am less than a week away from heading to my third collegiate track nationals, i go in with this mindset. Never hesitate. I have more confidence in myself this year than i have ever had in anything else. I have the same feeling I've had going to the line in my junior dragster as a teenager, knowing that my car is so dialed, i know exactly what it is going to run, and i can cut the best light on the tree. That confidence has been instilled in me, from being on the track, from achieving so many of my goals this summer.

Never hesitate.
Never stop dreaming.
Never, never, never give up.