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!
Monday, May 13, 2013
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.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Team training camp
After spending a couple days in Houston, Texas with my parents and family I was off to my teams first training camp of the year in Tuscon, Arizona. My parents dropped me off at the airport early Christmas morning and I was off. Every day we rode a little more than 3 hours on some of the best roads around. It felt amazing to be riding outside in sunny and warm weather. After riding, I took a shower and then got a massage. I got the all-star treatment. My favorite ride is going up mt. Lemmon. It is a 40 minute ride to the base of the climb and then the climb is 28 miles to the top. I only made it to mile 14 because after that it gets very cold. Climbing a mountain gives me a sense of joy and freedom that I cant explain. Also, once u turn around, the descent is very fast and fun.
The riding wasn't to he most important part of the camp though, getting to hangout with some of my new teammates was the best part. We watched a couple of movies and went out for ice cream one night. I am leaving this camp with new friends, a little more fitness, and excitement for the upcoming season. My first race is in a month and a half which I can't wait for!
I am sitting here at the airport ready to go home and I would like to thank IS Corp Cycling, Billy Jones, Mr. Roth, and my parents for giving me this great experience. Thank you everyone for supporting me in reaching my goals. Happy new year!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)