I have been on the road for about two weeks now and I am loving the amazing weather and riding that I have had the opportunity to take advantage of so far. To Sum up the first couple of days in LA, I felt like I was a kid who got thrown into the deep end of the pool and didn't know how to swim. I had been really busy with finishing up high school and I hadn't raced since late July. After the initial shock of the long rides, hot weather, and thousands of feet of climbing every day I began to feel better and better. By the end of the trip I felt great and I could see a huge gain in my fitness. Besides the fact that I suffered a bit in the beginning, the trip was a ton of fun! We got to ride with Phil Gaimon who just signed with Garmin for the upcoming season and we went to a great restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. I found it funny that this was the first year that I lost weight over thanksgiving compared to the usual tradition of eating a ton and passing out later.
As the last day of camp arrived all of my teammates were packing up to go back home to the frigid Midwest, but I was excited to pack up for Tucson, AZ. Gord Fraser, who directed my team at the Tour de la'Abitbi over the summer and lives in Tucson connected me with his friends who offered to host me for two weeks. These first couple of days in Tucson have been amazing. My host family is super generous and welcoming. They have truly made me feel at home. The riding here is also great. There are bike lanes on all of the roads and there are so many different routes to choose from. I am very confident with how my training is going. I am working very hard and I know that this will be great year for me.I am also really learning about what it takes to take cycling to the next level, everything from eating right to maximizing recovery.
Thanks for reading
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Day by Day
It has been too long since my last blog post. Life has been going good and I have been enjoying the beautiful scenery that the fall season in Michigan has to offer. Sadly, the fall weather is turning into the cold and miserable weather that we call winter. This past weekend I finished high school by taking the GED. I lasted two months in public school before I realized that balancing the two proved to be too difficult. Public school was not all that I had hoped it to be. Many of the students at the high school had been together since first grade and had their cliques sorted out. I only had two friends that went there going in and I didn't have classes with either of them. I had trouble "breaking in" to the social scene. Don't get me wrong though, I met many nice people during my time at Franklin and enjoyed being around others my age. I have struggled through all four years of High School battling depression and never being able to participate in the school's activities due to training and travel. The GED offered me a way to end my high school career early and still be able to get into all of the colleges that I am interested in. I will be starting College in January by taking two or three online courses through a local college to start earning credits. I am excited to start a new chapter in my life.
In other news, I am going to LA later this month for a ten day training camp with some fellow friends and teammates. After the training camp, I will fly from LA to Tucson, AZ for two weeks of climbing Mt. Lemmon. I can't wait to be in the Sun and to get some high quality training in. The season's start will be here before I know it.
Thanks for reading,
Richard
In other news, I am going to LA later this month for a ten day training camp with some fellow friends and teammates. After the training camp, I will fly from LA to Tucson, AZ for two weeks of climbing Mt. Lemmon. I can't wait to be in the Sun and to get some high quality training in. The season's start will be here before I know it.
Thanks for reading,
Richard
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Off-Season
Wow, this summer has gone by fast! I had a decent second half of my season with a 20th place in the road nationals time trial and a 22nd place overall at the Tour de l'Abitibi (the largest junior stage race in the world). I flew straight to Pennsylvania from the Tour de l'Abitibi in Quebec to race track nationals and hopefully qualify for the world championships. My legs said different though and apparently they didn't want to race anymore. I can't blame them, I had been racing the whole summer. Sadly my season goal of making it to the world championships was thrown away. After having been on the bike every day of the summer, I only spent 3 days at home from early June to the beginning of August, I decided to end my season early and enjoy the rest of the summer.
Ending my season early turned out to be a blessing in disguise, I was able to take a 10 day vacation with my dad to our cabin in Montana. This trip included a lot of hiking, napping, eating, and swimming at the hot springs down the road. As a younger kid, I would go to my cabin in Montana every summer with my parents, but these past summers I haven't been able to go due to the cycling schedule. Knowing that I will be off into the world next year as a man it meant a lot to be able to have a fun father/son trip.
This past month I have been taking a break from riding the bike in order to give myself a mental and physical break. It feels amazing to play video games and watch a lot of movies, but I am excited to get back to training in a week. There are some very exciting races on my schedule for this upcoming year.
Also, I am starting public school this Tuesday. I started high school at a private all boys school in Detroit, then I became homeschooled these past two years to accommodate cycling better. Homeschooling did not give me the social scene that I needed, so my parents and I worked very hard to transfer me into a public school for my senior year. I am very excited to make new friends and to experience something different. I am super happy that this will be my last year of high school!
That is all the news that I have,
Thanks for reading
Ending my season early turned out to be a blessing in disguise, I was able to take a 10 day vacation with my dad to our cabin in Montana. This trip included a lot of hiking, napping, eating, and swimming at the hot springs down the road. As a younger kid, I would go to my cabin in Montana every summer with my parents, but these past summers I haven't been able to go due to the cycling schedule. Knowing that I will be off into the world next year as a man it meant a lot to be able to have a fun father/son trip.
This past month I have been taking a break from riding the bike in order to give myself a mental and physical break. It feels amazing to play video games and watch a lot of movies, but I am excited to get back to training in a week. There are some very exciting races on my schedule for this upcoming year.
Also, I am starting public school this Tuesday. I started high school at a private all boys school in Detroit, then I became homeschooled these past two years to accommodate cycling better. Homeschooling did not give me the social scene that I needed, so my parents and I worked very hard to transfer me into a public school for my senior year. I am very excited to make new friends and to experience something different. I am super happy that this will be my last year of high school!
That is all the news that I have,
Thanks for reading
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Turning A Corner
The first half of my season has not gone well for me, but I think that things are starting to turn around for me. The season started off in Arizona at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race where I flatted early in the road race and then had to drop out later due to heat exhaustion. Besides having some bad races, I was also battling depression. I had no energy to get out of bed and no motivation to do anything. It was hard on my body as my psychiatrist tried to figure out why my medicine wasn't working and what dosage of medicine would work best for me. I felt hopeless.
But I have kept on pushing through and I have weathered the storm. Two weekends ago I went to Iowa to race with my team. I had a great weekend of racing despite crashing at the race where I was hoping to defend my title. I had one of my best races ever that weekend when I finished in the field in the pro race on Sunday. There were about 100 riders in it and many big names were there. It was very fast, but I fought to keep my position throughout the race and I showed that I can compete with the best in the U.S. This was a big moment for me because only 3 years earlier I looked up to these guys and never imagined that I would be on their level someday. Hard work pays off!!!!!!! I also finished second in last nights local race. It feels good to be back on the podium.
During these next two months I will be traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for road nationals, Quebec, Canada for the Tour de la'Abiti, and Pennsylvania for track nationals. I am feeling very strong going into these races and I am expecting big results. I am happy to finally be feeling better! Thanks for reading!
But I have kept on pushing through and I have weathered the storm. Two weekends ago I went to Iowa to race with my team. I had a great weekend of racing despite crashing at the race where I was hoping to defend my title. I had one of my best races ever that weekend when I finished in the field in the pro race on Sunday. There were about 100 riders in it and many big names were there. It was very fast, but I fought to keep my position throughout the race and I showed that I can compete with the best in the U.S. This was a big moment for me because only 3 years earlier I looked up to these guys and never imagined that I would be on their level someday. Hard work pays off!!!!!!! I also finished second in last nights local race. It feels good to be back on the podium.
During these next two months I will be traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for road nationals, Quebec, Canada for the Tour de la'Abiti, and Pennsylvania for track nationals. I am feeling very strong going into these races and I am expecting big results. I am happy to finally be feeling better! Thanks for reading!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Gotta Love California
This past week I have been in L.A at the Home Depot Center velodrome training for track nationals which take place in Pennsylvania in late July. My goal this year is to qualify for the junior track World Championships by doing well at track nationals. The training consisted of a lot of intervals (hard efforts) and motor pacing (racing behind a motor bike, check out my fb page for video). Besides riding, I went to the beach a couple times and also got to see a stage of the Tour of California, one of America's biggest professional cycling races.
Don't get me wrong, I had a blast on this trip, but I have never felt this tired before. My body is excited to go home tomorrow to get a day or two off. I gave it my all in every training session. After each workout I got some recovery food in me and then passed out in my hotel room bed. I feel stronger than ever though and I am confident in my ability to have success in my upcoming races.
I have to say that my favorite part of this trip was being able to get coached by Andy Lakatosh, a very high level track sprinter who has accomplished so much in his cycling career and still has bigger goals that he is working towards. He is the nicest guy and I have learned so much from him. The biggest thing that Andy has taught me is to believe in myself and that anything is achievable with sweat, sacrifice, and hard work.
Alright, it's my bed time, thank you for reading! Finally, I would like to thank my awesome mom for taking me on this trip!
Don't get me wrong, I had a blast on this trip, but I have never felt this tired before. My body is excited to go home tomorrow to get a day or two off. I gave it my all in every training session. After each workout I got some recovery food in me and then passed out in my hotel room bed. I feel stronger than ever though and I am confident in my ability to have success in my upcoming races.
I have to say that my favorite part of this trip was being able to get coached by Andy Lakatosh, a very high level track sprinter who has accomplished so much in his cycling career and still has bigger goals that he is working towards. He is the nicest guy and I have learned so much from him. The biggest thing that Andy has taught me is to believe in myself and that anything is achievable with sweat, sacrifice, and hard work.
Alright, it's my bed time, thank you for reading! Finally, I would like to thank my awesome mom for taking me on this trip!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tour of the Battenkill road race
A lot has happened since the Valley of the Sun stage race in Arizona in February. I have been working on school and training a lot. I went back to Arizona a week after the stage race and then one more time over Easter break for the official team training camp where I got to meet all of my teammates and get all of my cool team gear.
This past weekend was the first official team race in Cambridge, New York. The Tour of the Battenkill is a one day road race that is 65 miles long and includes a lot of climbing, gravel roads, and beautiful scenery. This is a big and important race which many juniors show up to. I arrived on Saturday at noon after a ten hour car ride that my family split into two days. I got my number, went for a ride, and then met with my teammates for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant to get some fuel in our bodies and to talk over strategy. After dinner, I went back to my hotel to get a good night's sleep.
The morning of the race was very cold, but it looked as though the sun was going to come out soon. My teammates and I rode to the start line and it was time to go. The race started off very slow and the hills were the only hard parts. Everyone knew that the real action doesn't come until the final hills within the last 7 miles. My teammates were great and set the pace at the front. At mile 40 I saw my chance to try and bridge up to the two man break up the road. I soloed for the next ten miles and I made a decent gap for myself. I only could reach within 25 seconds of the two riders ahead of me though. At mile 51 I got caught by a raging field that was getting ramped up for the finish.
By this time, I only had one teammate left in the group, and I did not have that much energy left inside of myself. My objective now changed to helping him have the best possible chance at taking the win. I went to the front and took pulls with other teams to bring back the breakaway. After a few hard pulls, I was done and the next hill shot me off of the back of the group. I rode in the last 4 miles with six others and got third in the sprint. I finished 18th overall out of 58 starters.
This was a very fun weekend and I am so proud of how my team did. My teammate David Lombardo got sixth in my race! We couldn't have done it without the rest of our teammates. They worked their butts off! I am feeling in great shape and I am excited for the bigger races in July. I would like to thank my parents, ISCorp/Intelligentsia Cycling Team, Trek, Bontrager, Spy sunglasses, and Billy Jones for all of their help and support!
This past weekend was the first official team race in Cambridge, New York. The Tour of the Battenkill is a one day road race that is 65 miles long and includes a lot of climbing, gravel roads, and beautiful scenery. This is a big and important race which many juniors show up to. I arrived on Saturday at noon after a ten hour car ride that my family split into two days. I got my number, went for a ride, and then met with my teammates for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant to get some fuel in our bodies and to talk over strategy. After dinner, I went back to my hotel to get a good night's sleep.
The morning of the race was very cold, but it looked as though the sun was going to come out soon. My teammates and I rode to the start line and it was time to go. The race started off very slow and the hills were the only hard parts. Everyone knew that the real action doesn't come until the final hills within the last 7 miles. My teammates were great and set the pace at the front. At mile 40 I saw my chance to try and bridge up to the two man break up the road. I soloed for the next ten miles and I made a decent gap for myself. I only could reach within 25 seconds of the two riders ahead of me though. At mile 51 I got caught by a raging field that was getting ramped up for the finish.
By this time, I only had one teammate left in the group, and I did not have that much energy left inside of myself. My objective now changed to helping him have the best possible chance at taking the win. I went to the front and took pulls with other teams to bring back the breakaway. After a few hard pulls, I was done and the next hill shot me off of the back of the group. I rode in the last 4 miles with six others and got third in the sprint. I finished 18th overall out of 58 starters.
This was a very fun weekend and I am so proud of how my team did. My teammate David Lombardo got sixth in my race! We couldn't have done it without the rest of our teammates. They worked their butts off! I am feeling in great shape and I am excited for the bigger races in July. I would like to thank my parents, ISCorp/Intelligentsia Cycling Team, Trek, Bontrager, Spy sunglasses, and Billy Jones for all of their help and support!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Valley of the Sun Stage Race
This past Wednesday I flew out to Phoenix, AZ with my parents to compete in the valley of the sun stage race. This is a 3 day long race consisting of a time trial, road race, and a criterium. This is one of my favorite races of the year because it gets me out of the Michigan snow and allows me to test my fitness against some of the best riders in the country. This is also a very important race to me because many national team coaches were here and look closely at the results.
The time trial on Friday went well for me. I had a good warm up and felt confident. I started off at a good pace and I was able to hold it for the rest of the 14 mile distance. I finished up in seventh place for the day with an average speed of 27 mph. The goal was to be top 5, but I know that I gave it my best and I will accept my placing. Also, fellow Michigan junior Rudy Peterson had a great time trial finishing in 8th place!
Yesterday was the 62 mile road race that consisted of 4 laps around the desert. 7 miles in I flatted after hitting a pothole and I had to wait a while for the wheel car. I tried to stay calm and when I got a new wheel, I hopped back onto my bike and began chasing. I made it up to another rider who I worked with to make it back to the lead group. This effort took a lot out of me and the rest of the race was just trying to hang on through the brutal crosswinds. At mile 56 my body completely blew up on me and could not take any more. My body started shaking, cramping, and felt very nauseous.I found a ride back to the finish where I was taken into an ambulance that gave me a lot to drink and monitored me for a while.
It disappoints me greatly that I was not able to finish the road race, and therefore was not able to start in today's crit. Cycling is like life, we all have our share of good and bad days. It is how we deal with the bad days that really makes us who we are. I am not going to allow yesterday's bad race to drag me down, I am going to let it motivate me to have an amazing next race.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who made this weekend possible for me including: Daniel Sterling for being an awesome boss and letting me borrow his bike box and wheels, Brian Adams for being the best physical therapist in the world, Lucas Wall for being an amazing mentor and coach, IS Corp Cycling for providing me with the best team ever to ride for, and all of my friends and family that are always cheering me on! I am leaving back to Michigan tomorrow with confidence knowing that I am in great shape and that I have many more races left to compete in. Thank you for reading!
The time trial on Friday went well for me. I had a good warm up and felt confident. I started off at a good pace and I was able to hold it for the rest of the 14 mile distance. I finished up in seventh place for the day with an average speed of 27 mph. The goal was to be top 5, but I know that I gave it my best and I will accept my placing. Also, fellow Michigan junior Rudy Peterson had a great time trial finishing in 8th place!
Yesterday was the 62 mile road race that consisted of 4 laps around the desert. 7 miles in I flatted after hitting a pothole and I had to wait a while for the wheel car. I tried to stay calm and when I got a new wheel, I hopped back onto my bike and began chasing. I made it up to another rider who I worked with to make it back to the lead group. This effort took a lot out of me and the rest of the race was just trying to hang on through the brutal crosswinds. At mile 56 my body completely blew up on me and could not take any more. My body started shaking, cramping, and felt very nauseous.I found a ride back to the finish where I was taken into an ambulance that gave me a lot to drink and monitored me for a while.
It disappoints me greatly that I was not able to finish the road race, and therefore was not able to start in today's crit. Cycling is like life, we all have our share of good and bad days. It is how we deal with the bad days that really makes us who we are. I am not going to allow yesterday's bad race to drag me down, I am going to let it motivate me to have an amazing next race.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who made this weekend possible for me including: Daniel Sterling for being an awesome boss and letting me borrow his bike box and wheels, Brian Adams for being the best physical therapist in the world, Lucas Wall for being an amazing mentor and coach, IS Corp Cycling for providing me with the best team ever to ride for, and all of my friends and family that are always cheering me on! I am leaving back to Michigan tomorrow with confidence knowing that I am in great shape and that I have many more races left to compete in. Thank you for reading!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
ACT and stuff
Wow, a lot has happened since returning from LA a couple weeks ago. Since then I went back to Tuscon, AZ with my team for 5 days and got in a lot of good training. I also competed in my first race of the year that was held on the University's campus. It was a 40 min long junior crit that my teammate Garret and I worked together in. I ended up with 4th place and Garret in sixth. Not bad for our first race and having ridden 3 and a half hours the day before. I am not satisfied though, the wins will come soon.
After ariving back from Arizona last week, I took the ACT this past weekend. I was very nervous, but I did my best. The worst part about the test was having to sit in a seat for 5 hours and having to fill in little bubbles. I am glad to have it out of the way though.
This wednesday I am leaving for the Valley of the Sun Stage race in Phoenix, AZ. This is a very important race on my calender and juniors from all over the country show up to it. I am in good shape and I am excited to measure my progress from last year.
Life has been very busy, but I am working hard and doing my best. I have big goals this year and I know that I can acheive them. Believing in yourself is the first step towards success!!! Thank you for reading!
After ariving back from Arizona last week, I took the ACT this past weekend. I was very nervous, but I did my best. The worst part about the test was having to sit in a seat for 5 hours and having to fill in little bubbles. I am glad to have it out of the way though.
This wednesday I am leaving for the Valley of the Sun Stage race in Phoenix, AZ. This is a very important race on my calender and juniors from all over the country show up to it. I am in good shape and I am excited to measure my progress from last year.
Life has been very busy, but I am working hard and doing my best. I have big goals this year and I know that I can acheive them. Believing in yourself is the first step towards success!!! Thank you for reading!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Update from LA
I'm currently in Los Angeles, California training at their world class indoor velodrome. I am making the most of my short time out here and I can feel my body getting stronger. My main goal for this season is to represent the USA at the junior track world championships and I am doing everything I can to reach that goal. I have done a couple time tests to see what I need to improve on which is very valuable info to me.
On top of getting in some very good training in, I am meeting great people and seeing new places. I have sacrificed a lot to chase my dreams, but I know that my hard work is paying off and I am excited to see where it will take me. Thank you all for your support and for reading my blog. I will be posting regularly now that I have more events in my life to write about.
On top of getting in some very good training in, I am meeting great people and seeing new places. I have sacrificed a lot to chase my dreams, but I know that my hard work is paying off and I am excited to see where it will take me. Thank you all for your support and for reading my blog. I will be posting regularly now that I have more events in my life to write about.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Smell of Racing Is In The Air
Wow, the winter has been going by fast. Lately my life has consisted of work, school, cycling, and chasing after girls. This last week I have been working very hard on school knowing that things are about to change in a week. My first race is in about a month in Phoenix, Arizona and I am starting to get ready. Knowing that my first race is coming up, the intensity in my training is coming up and my traveling is also starting to pick up. Next Saturday I leave for LA, California to train at the Home Depot Center velodrome for a week. I am super excited to see this world class track and to get some very hard workouts in. After returning home for a few days, it will be off to Tuscon again for a couple days of hard work.
Phew, I will be busy this next month. Everything is coming together and I am feeling very confident that this will be my best season so far. I know that my hard work is paying off and I have so many good people behind me. Thank you for reading and supporting me.
Phew, I will be busy this next month. Everything is coming together and I am feeling very confident that this will be my best season so far. I know that my hard work is paying off and I have so many good people behind me. Thank you for reading and supporting me.
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