Bromont World Cup and Vermont US Cup

Photo credit ©Dave McElwaine

Bromont World Cup:

World Cup! It was like a local world cup, that probably doesn't make much sense, but it was small, not like the big venue and lots of people your expect at a world cup, but all the big names were there. out on the pre-ride I got passed by Julien Absalon and Margarita Fullana Riera !

Let me tell you I was a bit intimidated, not necessarily by the competition, (the Canadian girls are quick but I was confident I would be able to hang with some of them) but by the course. Ive never felt that uncomfortable about a course, its not a good way to go into a race.

The start basically shot you up a steep road climb and into some steep wide single track switch backs, they were a little rocky but nothing too technical. Then you go over this bridge thing and right into a short little technical descent. then back up a road for a short bit and some more climbing, then you enter into the trees climb on slick roots, (I ran this section pretty much every time). You emerge from the trees back on a road for the last power up. A short bit of single track led you into what must have been the old 4 cross course. Took a few berms on that then dove into the trees for some muddy slippery fun. This was the section that was giving me trouble, pretty much the second half of the course. It was not quite down hill, it was more a rolling descent, so it was really hard to keep you speed. and it was wet! I was slipping all over the place, even when I opted to get off and "run" I was falling. After that section you got back onto a road for a few peddle strokes and were thrown back into the single track. This section of single track was more manageable for me, still hard, but not quite the same as the earlier part. It was a little dryer. There were two sections where they brought rocks in to make a rock garden. You then crossed a stream, went up a short little hill, over a bridge and then into the finish.

The start was fast, and I was dead last. Up the whole first climb I could hear the sweep moto right behind me, a very demoralizing feeling. Up the second climb I was doing a little better and I caught and passed two girls. But once we got back into the trees I was all over the place, slipping a falling, and at one point I even tipped over a rolled down a hill. One of the girls passed me, and again I felt the presence of the moto behind me (one of the girls had dropped out). I came through the start finish in last. But I could see a girl just ahead of me, and I was able to pass her on the first climb. I was feeling better this lap, more confident. I picked of another girl on the climb, and was riding more and not falling as much through the woods. Coming through the last technical section I could see the third place girl. awesome. I passed her right before the bridge. From last to third in one lap, I was feeling pretty good. Everything was going well on the first climb, then I hit the little descent, and it was nationals all over again, a rear wheel flat! only this time I didnt have two laps to catch up. I was about to cry. I changed it as fast as I could, which was difficult because of all the mud. I got back on and again my friend the moto was behind me. The good thing though was that there were two girls in my sights. Up the last fire road climb I picked off one, and passed a girl walking with a flat. After the 4X part I was 30 seconds off the third place girl. through the technical section I was trying my hardest to catch the girl. but I wasn't making up any time, I was loosing time, by the finish I was about a minute thirty behind. 4th place, not bad with a flat. Just aggravating, I did this in the last two races! I have learned my lesson and now am running tubeless, hopefully that solves the problem.



Vermont:

I LOVE this course! You start off by doing a bit of a start loop, up a fire road into some double track, then a left into some technical trees, and a fun little descent. then out onto the ski run and back down by the start finish. After that its out onto the long part of the course. You start up a fire road climb, pass the feed zone. The road flattens out, and gets pretty muddy, before you turn up a brutally steep loose climb. I was never able to make it up the whole way. At the top you turn into single track. Pretty technical roots that you really have to be focused to be able to ride. You exit the trees onto a road climb, then back into the trees for a short descent. there are a few short punchy climbs before you hit the descent. The descent is so fun! I dont know what is so great about it but I really like it. Its steep enough that you can keep your speed and fly over the roots. There are two short climbs in the descent. You come out on a road at the bottom and traverse around back to the start finish.

I had a terrible start. All the Cat one women started together, and I was in the back half going up the first climb. Going into the first single track was a mess, people weren't able to ride the technical section at the start so I had to get off and ended up running the whole thing. Up the road by the start finish I was picking off people. Kayla and Alicia were just in sight. I wasn't feeling super good, but I was getting into my grove a bit after the bad start. I came through the first lap in 5th. I got up to Kayla and we were kinda swapping positions for most of the lap. I got ahead of her going into the descent, and I made up a bunch of time on Alicia on the descent. I was riding it kinda crazy, always on the edge of crashing. I made a sweet pass, but wiped out right after, so I had to get around her again. The last lap was hard and I was losing steam, I had all three of my gu's and was still felling tired. Kayla was right behind me going into the descent, but I thought I could get enough time on her in the descent to hold on to third. I was wrong, I wiped out in the same place as the previous lap, and on the last fire road section Kayla passed me. I just couldn't accelerate to match her speed, to at least give her a sprint finish. Ended up finishing 4th.

USA NAtional Mountain Bike Championships Sol Vista Colorado

Photo credit ©Dave McElwaine

Sorry this is so late, but here it goes........... National Champs last weekend, as close to home as I think they have ever been! The course was a total Colorado course, lots of climbing, then a sick descent. A super steep road climb to start out, then it leveled off for a bit so you could take a breather before hitting the single track climb. Lots of switch backs, but pretty smooth, a nice climb that you can power up. After about 20 minutes of climbing you come out on a road for the last grunt to the top. Then into the sweet single track descent! The start is fairly flat with twisty turns; you hop over a log and then take a sharp right hand turn into "Wentz's way" triple black diamonds, steep, rutted, dusty switchbacks, with a super steep drop and a sharp left at the bottom. A bit sketchy, but awesome too. Then across a road into some more twisty fun single track. You then have a short steep rise to a bridge that goes over a road, and then under a tunnel into the woodchip climb, short but hard in the middle of the descent. At the top of the climb your back into a turney descent, with another log hop and out onto a road before hitting the last scary offcamber switchbacks to the finish. The Junior women did 3 laps.

The climb on my first lap was awesome; I was able to get on Alicia’s wheel before going into the single track, sitting comfortably in second. I held her wheel all the way up the climb, I was super excited, I hadn’t been able to do that all season. Then I passed her on the road right before the top, and opened a little gap. I was increasing my lead on the descent, I took a stupid little spill around one corner, but I didn’t loose much time. I was feeling awesome. Then over the second log jump, BAM, I slammed my rear wheel into the log and knew I pinched, I rode a bit further praying I hadn’t actually flatted, but of course I had. I started changing my flat, hoping I had gained enough time on the climb that I wouldn’t loose too many places. Alicia rode by, then Kayla, and Essence, Wesley, Lennia, Ellie and Ellen, and A few other girls I didn’t know. But I got the tire changed and was determined to gain some places back. Riding past the start finish I was freaking out, barring myself to catch the lead girls. But I was able to calm down a bit, and just get into a rhythm. I started picking people off, I went from about 9th place at the bottom of the climb to 4th going into the descent. I moved up into third right before the woodchip climb. coming through the start finish I could see the second place girl. people were telling me I was 2 minutes back from first. I wanted to win. I wanted to catch Alicia. I killed my self up the climb, and finally caught the second place girl, and was able to pass her down the steep drop, when she got off to walk. Into the turney single track and I got my first glimpse of Alicia! I was so close. Up the woodchip climb I tried to catch her, but I wasn’t quite able to. Into the last sketchy set of switchbacks, I was gaining on her fast, and on the second to last turn I finally made contact. I just couldn’t get the pass. A sprint to the finish, .48 seconds behind. I would have loved the win but it was an amazing race and I am happy with how I did. I was felling so good, and climbing so well. I surprised my self a little, I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch back up, it reminded me about how mental this sport is, you have to be mentally tough, and believe you can do it and always ask yourself if you can go faster, cause chances are you can.

Saturday I got to go up and watch the Pro Races! They were intense! I got some cool shots, here they are.

Home again.

The last week in Germany went by so fast!

6/30 The whole crew went on a super sweet ride, maybe my favorite of the whole camp. we did an hour road climb to the top of a mountain called Shauinsland, were there was a awesome view of everything. Then we went on a ripping fun descent.

7/1 Was feeling pretty tired, so Lydia Davis and I went on a short ride close to the hostel, we went up a nice fire road, then found some sweet single track to take us back down. that one thing I love about Kirchzarten, you can ride up almost any road and find some sweet single track going back down. After riding everyone was pretty board, so we played this card game called threes, and had 3 rounds of word championship matches, I won the first, Davis stole my title in the second, and Lydia is the current world champion. We also went to core with the German national team again, not as hard as the first time, but still a major work out.

7/2 Went for a ride up to St. Peters and over to the Roscof (Really fun steep descent), with Lydia, Will, Kevin, and Davis. Good ride, fun trail!

7/3 Rest day, so Jimmy took us all to Basel to go see 70 of Vincent Van Gogh's Land scape paintings. It was very cool, you really need to see the originals to get the full effect of the painting, there is just something different about it, then when you see the prints, and alot of them have such thick paint it gives it a sort of texture that would never transfer into prints. It was just so cool to see them. And we also got to go look at the rest of the museum, saw some Picasso, and Monet, and some other artists I haven't even heard of. Very cool, I'm glad I got to go see that.

7/4 Pre race day. went out with the whole crew, Lydia leading us on a ride you chose by looking at her map. up up up a paved road, Lydia wanted to find the trail she was looking for, so her and Bryce forged on, they ended up doing a bunch of hike-a-biking, not the best for for the day before a race, but what ever. Will, Davis, Kevin and I turned around and headed down the paved road. The boys were trying to do nothings (no hand or feet), pretty stupid I think, at least they didn't crash. Then we stopped at the park and took some turns on the zip line.

7/5 Race day! We did a small local race in Frieburg, It was the same day as the German junior and U23 nationals, so there were not many people there. It was still a really hard race!

The course was really fun. It was really, only about 2km, and the pro women only did 5 laps, winning time was an hour. The start was on a little fire road climb that turned into double track, not very steep, but in the sun and really hot. There was a little dip into a creek bed then back out onto a fire road. Short descent on the fire road then a hard left into a single track climb. There was one switch back then a right onto a dirt road that took you into another section of single track (happened to be part of the Roscof, which we had been riding DOWN all week), this was the hardest part of the course, rocky and steep. At the top you got a little break, a single track smooth descent onto a fire road descent, before being shot back into a bit of a climb. At the top of the climb you funneled into a SWEET single track descent! Very twisty, and rooty and steep! You popped out of the woods at the bottom for a short section of road before a tight 180 over a bridge and the final stretch to the finish.

I started off with the elite women. I also ended up being put into the same category placing 6th (last but oh well they are elite) and winning 40 euros!!! It was pretty cool to line up with them and start with them even if they did drop me with in the first 30 seconds. The rest of the race I was pretty much by my self, but always pushing my self to see if I could catch some one, and also to try and not get lapped by the leader. I was so close to not getting lapped, but at the very end of my forth lap the leader caught me, I was finished. I was kinda bummed I didn't get to go out for my last lap. I guess I just have to ride faster. It was a really hard race, it was so short you had to go like you were racing a short track, but there were still some killer climbs, you were just killing it the whole time.

Chloe and Lydia had AMAZING races! Chloe placing 2nd and Lydia 4th about a minute behind.

Don't have pics from our race but I did take a lot from the boys race, who by the way did AWESOME, taking the full podium sweep, with Kevin 1st, Will 2nd, Davis 3rd, and Bryce 4th.

Engleberg Racer Bikes Cup

Engleberg is a sweet place, I could definitely live in that place. It a little town nestled at the base of the Alps. The stream that ran by the course was crystal clear.

It was a very fun course, maybe one of my favorites. Only about 3km. The climb was maybe 10 minutes up paved road that turned into gravel. Then came the downhill, lots of fun, wet rooty twisty awesomeness! You started by going down basically log steps that went into two steep switch backs. Then there was a fast rocky straight that led into another switch back, followed by another rocky straight. Then into the tight turney section, then up a short quick climb before going down some rocky rooty stuff. then there was a short hike-a-bike, it was just a short steep uphill that was too slick and muddy to ride. After that came, in my opinion the hardest part of the course, Chloe said if you got on your bike before you crested the hill you could time it right and make it, but I was never able to do that. You came to the top of the hill and it flattened out for a bit, before a slight downhill, then a wooden bridge shot up at about a 45 degree angle table topped and went back down the other side. The problem was getting enough speed to make it over, because it was super muddy and slick. I never made it over, and by the last few laps I was just running from the top of the hill and over, that wasn't so easy either however, thankfully there were these small wooden strips across the bridge that you could use to walk up, but it was still very slick. After the bridge there was this super fun part down basically down a grassy hill, but it was super muddy, and there wasn't really a line, you just kinda went. You went down and there was a off camber right hand turn then you went over a knoll and down this steep rutted straight, with a tight right handed turn right at the bottom, I was watching the boys race and there were lots of crashes there, but it dried up a bit for our race, making it a bit easier. After that, you dumped out into a field and it was a flat stretch through the field to the finish.

The Junior women did 7 laps, I got lapped near the end of the race so I only did 6 laps. my start was good, and I was getting a gap on some of the girls up the climb. But on the descent some of the girls were catching me. That's how most of the race went, I would catch then on the climbs then they would get a gap on the descents, I probably lost a bunch of time getting over that bridge. It an awesome race, the course was sweet and I had a good race, I was feeling good, its still crazy to me how fast the girls are over here, its a good experience, and it makes me want to get faster. Some of the boys are ready to go back and race American races, but I like the racing over here, lost of short laps, wet muddy rooty stuff. Its a fun change.

Monday: Restday, so Lydia Chloe Jimmy and I took the train down to Freiburg. It is a super awesome city. lots of bikes and people just walking around. There are lots of pedestrian mall type things which are pretty cool. The coblestone is also really cool, there are lots of pretty designs

We went to the big church in the town that is super old. Its being reconsturcted, but we were still able to go in and look around. Pretty amazing architecture and art, and lots of beautiful stainglass

We also walked around the college in Freiburg which was pretty sweet. Its such an interesting city I am going to have to go back there a explore around some more

Tuesday: Went on a super sick ride. It was the whole group, Jimmy, Joey, Chloe, Lydia, Bryce, Davis, Will, Kevin and for some of the time Sundia. We rode up to a town on pavement, then hit some dirt double track, that quickly turned into awesome treversing singletrack. We went all the way to these sweet wind turbines. then there was this sick descent that spat us out right into Freiburg. SWEET TRAIL!!!! It was really cool, the forest was super duper thick, and you were right in the middle of it just winding on through. It was good to get on some trails, its super fun riding around here.

Wednesday: I went for a ride on my own, didnt have much of a plan of where I was going. I ended up just riding some roads up into the hills. I eventually found a road that Chloe and Lydia had ridden earlier and I went to check that out. It was a nice climb that went up into the forest I followed that for a while. There are all these random dirt roads that go off that would be fun to explore. I went up one for a little bit it was pretty sweet.

Last night we met up with the Rothaus German national team and did a killer core work out. We all gathered on the filed at the german olimpic traning center, and did a 45 minute abs session. Im a bit sore today. I think Im going out for a ride soon, and we are debating taking a trip into France.

Winterthur Racer Bikes Cup

Oh boy, the euros are fast! Just got back form the Racer Bike Cup in Winterthur Switzerland, Fun stuff, but super hard. It was a 4.2k course that started out with a short flat section of pavement then shot us up this super steep road climb, it wasnt long, but it wasnt short either. At the top of the climb you turn on to some gravle for a short flat section, before again turning onto a paved climb. The pavement soon turns into dirt double track that is fairly steep. You then go into some muddy twisty single track for a short time. You switch between single track and dirt road descending for a while before going into some pretty sketchey, super muddy, and slick single track, (funest part of the course!). The single track pops out onto a dirt road that is flat and fast. Then back into another section of fun, wet single track, a bit of a dirt road climb, before the super fast,super awesome grassy down hill with a sweet 3 or 4 foot wood drop. Then it was a road sprint to the finish.

I did four laps in 1:33 about 15 minutes down, placing 14th, like I said, these girls are fast. Didnt have a great start and was last right off the bat. On the first climb I was able to catch the group of girls in front of me. I hung with them most of the lap, gaining an edge on the climbs but loosing it in the flats. The second lap the Elit women started catching us, most blew right by, but one of them I was able to hang with on one of the flat sections for a little bit which was cool. By that time the girls I was with had gaped me a little, I had a stupid fall in the single track and lost some time. I could still see them, but I counldnt seem to quite catch them. My third lap was my best. I was climbing well and felling good, got into a rythem and it was awesome. But the girls ahead of me were still just out of my reach. By the forth lap my legs were screaming at me and I was just slowing down, so the girls got a bit of a gap on me and I couldnt see them anymore. Finished up nicely, soring down the last downhill.

It was a good race, lots of FUN! so different for back in Colorado, but still awesome. One really cool thing was that our number plates had our names on them, so all the random spectators would be cheering your name. The spectators were pretty cool. Some of them would be going up up (thats not how its spelled I dont think, but thats what it sounds like) and then when they realized that you were american and spoke english, so they would start saying go go go. It was funny. I am probably forgetting lots of things and this is a bit of a ramble.

City Sprints

Last night Kirchzarten held some city sprints in the pedestrian mall. There were 3 heats of 6 riders and the top 4 advanced into the next round. Jimmy, Joey and Davis raced, Joey even made it to the second round. It was quite an event, they even had a band, and there were probably more spectators there then at any mountain bike race back in the states.

Went for a nice pre-race day ride up some small twisty road, found a cool water fall