Leadville Trail 100

         

The infamous Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, the biggest hundred miler in the US. I was completely stoked just to get into the race but I knew I needed to show up in great shape just to finish, let alone do well in it. My prep period was not as long as I had wanted it to be because of a full XC season up until mid July. I took advantage of the time I had though and did some serious volume. I tried to maintain the snappiness that the XC season had left in my legs but also increase my endurance in a relatively short amount of time. To be able to recover after my long days I always would drink a bottle of Hammer Recoverite and then cool down with my Compex’s Active Recovery program. Along with staying fueled on the bike with Hammer Perpetuem and Hammer Bars, this was a vital asset to my success. The EMS that the Compex offers has allowed me to make huge gains in a little amount of time. The Active Recovery program increases blood flow, flushes out lactic acid, and also promotes the release of endorphins, all really good things for a tough training block!!

My parents and I showed up in Leadville Friday morning to see hundreds of cyclists consuming the town. It was a pretty rad sight! I headed immediately over to registration to get that stuff situated before heading to the riders meeting. The meeting was held in a high school gym which was filled to the limit with nervous riders. There really wasn't much race info given out but I got to hear some inspirational stories and enjoyed the atmosphere, Lance even showed up! I spent the rest of the day getting my nutrition ready and trying to relax. My nutrition plan was relatively simple. I was going to try and drink one bottle of Strawberry-Vanilla Perpetuem along with one Apple Cinnamon Hammer Gel an hour. The combo would give me a total of 360 calories an hour. This is a substantial amount but in my training I have been able to consume this with no GI distress thanks to Hammer’s easy digestibility.

         

             Race morning started bright and early with a 6:30 start. A couple buddies of mine and I went out to the start at 5:00 to place our bikes nearest to the front of our corral as we could. My dad was generous enough to chill with our bikes so we could head back to the house to stay warm. By the time I returned at 6:00 the start corrals had transformed, thousands of riders now were standing next to their bikes. Now there was nothing left to do but take a few Hammer Race Caps and get ready to go!

           I was in the last start coral, about 1200 riders back, so when the gun sounded I stood there for about 90 seconds before I finally started moving. Once I got going though, it was on. I knew I had to move up as fast as I could and started weaving my way through the seemingly endless riders in front of me. A lot of sketchy moves were made on my part but they were totally worth it. Although I passed a lot of riders in the first 30 minutes by the time we hit the first climb up St. Kevins I still had a lot of work to do. I ended up riding a little harder than I wanted to but was able to pass another few hundred riders up the climb.

            By the time I started descending down the backside of Kevins I finally got some open trail. There were still plenty of people around, but I could at least ride the line I wanted to. The descending on the dirt was fun but then we hit a wide open pavement descent. I recovered here and just sat, tucked, and cruised at around 40mph the whole way. Before I knew it though the climb up to the top of Powerline began. With all chaos of the start this is where I really started to focus on my nutrition, sipping from my bottle of Hammer Perpetuem regularly.


         The climb up to Powerline was pretty fun. Large groups were forming so I would bridge from one group, recover, and then bridge again. By the time I reached the top I found a solid group that I knew I wanted to be with going across the flats that were soon to come. Coming down Powerline was super fun. Tons of flow and hardly any sketchiness in the group. Unfortunately at the bottom of the descent my tire went flat. It was a small hole so I just aired it back up and it seemed to hold. I started off again but was in a bit of bad spot. I was inbetween groups going across the flats, definitely not where I wanted to be. I ended up pushing hard and getting back up to the group I was with. Super hard effort but worth it, I sat in for the remaining flat and ate and drank a ton. Rolling into the Twin Lakes feed I was feeling really good. I took a couple gels and bottles from my crew and then started the climb up Columbine.

        I settled into a strong tempo and just sat there. The climb was super steady and smooth so I could just zone out and get it done. The portion of the climb above treeline was where it got quite a bit steeper. Traction was good though and I was able to ride everything. As I reached the summit I made sure to look at the view. It is absolutely beautiful up there, wish I could have stayed up there for a little longer, but I still had work to do!

       The descent down Columbine was my favorite part of the race by far. You could absolutely fly!! My Garmin said I hit 45mph on my way down. The corners came fast so most of the time I would end up foot out, drifting them, which is one of my favorite things to do! Also, getting to see a lot of my friends climbing up was super nice. It was amazing to see a continuous line of a thousand people working there way up.

         Coming through Twin Lakes Feed for the second time I grabbed another couple bottles of Hammer Perpetuem and a few Hammer Gels from my pit. It seemed like I was in and out of the pit in ten seconds, they had everything so dialed! After cruising out from the feed zone I found myself riding with one other guy. He was super strong and really pushed me across the flats, I am really glad he was there. The headwind on this section of the course was strong to say the least. The other rider and myself traded pulls and made it across quickly though. By the time I reached the bottom of Powerline my legs were starting to feel it.


        I started cramping almost immediately up the climb. I was able to push through them though and keep moving. I can't say I like that climb at all. It seems like it lasts forever. I was able to ride everything but it was probably the most painful thing I have done. About three times going up that climb I wanted to stop so bad! When I reached the top I was so tired I really couldn't even be stoked. I cruised down the backside and tried to eat and recover as much as I could. I grabbed a bottle from my dad at Haggerman right before starting the last major climb back up to the top of Kevins.

Photo of me suffering up Powerline!
        A few minutes into my climb I noticed my tire was going flat again. I rode it for a while but I eventually needed to stop and air it up. A couple of guys and Rebecca passed me but I was able to get back up to them by the top of the climb. I was feeling good again and stoked for the descent down Kevins. I flew down Kevins and had so much fun. There was tons of little water drains that you could air off of. I found my flow and went down it fast!!! At the bottom of Kevins the race was definitely not over though. There is still a couple miles of flat and then another climb called the Boulevard. Rebecca was back on my wheel within a few minutes of riding the flats. I knew she had a big chance of breaking the record so I took some really hard pulls to try and help her. At that point in the race, those pulls really hurt me.

       

           Finally I hit the pavement again, topped out the final short climb, and could see the finish. It was a pretty great feeling. I put in a good final effort and finished strong. When I crossed that finish line I was absolutely done, I had left everything out on the course. I could barely stand, and could do nothing but sit on my top tube for a few minutes. When I did gain my composure, I walked out of the corral and got a big hug from my Mom and Shea. That felt pretty great!! I found a spot to sit and just zoned out. I downed a bottle of Hammer Recoverite and ate some food before cruising back to the house to take a shower.

          After sitting down for a little while at the house I cruised back over to the finish to watch my friends come in and finally see my dad who helped me so much all day! It was great to see them come across the finish line, absolutely stoked. Congrats to Charlie, Alex, Pete, Chuck, Jared, Ken, and Tonya! You all did great!!!!

        

          Later that night my friends and I ate some good food at the Golden Burro and then chilled to talk about the race. Got to hear some good stories from everyone! Soon after that I crashed out. Laying in bed, listening to some music, and doing a Compex Recovery Plus Program felt pretty good!

         Awards were Sunday morning at 7:30. A little to early I think but whatever, I was stoked to go. Once again I was in the extremely full high school gym. The atmosphere was a little more chill this time though, its hard not be happy after you just finished the Leadville 100! It was great seeing the champs up on stage and hearing what they had to say. I ended up with a final time time of 7:27:38, winning the U19 age group and finishing 28th overall. Earned myself a big belt buckle along with a cool trophy. Stoked!! After the ceremony I headed over to the Carmichael Training Systems celebration. It was great to meet Chris along with all the other great people at CTS. They have helped me a great deal this year and I really appreciate their support! Thanks Andy Applegate!!!

        My first Leadville experience was one I will never forget. I had a great race and got to be around a bunch of awesome people the whole time. I couldn't have done it without my support crew, AZ Devo, Hammer Nutrtion, Carmichael Training Systems, and my other fantastic sponsors.  I really appreciate all the help! It is truly and amazing event in a beautiful place. I can't wait for next year!

Mellow Johnny's Classic Pro XCT

First national of the season!! Always exciting to get the season underway. A little early but feeling ready. Our trip to Dripping Springs Texas started on Thursday morning, early. Patrick, Travis, my dad and I were carpooling to the race in Patrick's van. It was a pretty sweet set up, big skybox on top, bike rack on the back, so plenty of room in the van to keep comfy. The drive was pretty boring I guess, just flat roads. Zoned out for most of it. Did get to eat at Exit 0, at the border between New Mexico and Texas. Also got to see Juarez Mexico, looking down from the freeway. Saw some gnarly slums which make you really appreciate the USA.

The first night we stayed in Sonora Texas. Small town with a couple stores and a Best Western which we stayed at after a long day of driving. A little before dinner Patrick, Travis, and I got in a small spin on some frontage roads. Pretty sweet ride, with practically no cars and perfect temps. I did manage to flat a mountain tire full of Stan's on a paved road though. Something to check off the bucket list. For dinner we headed to a grocery store and got some leans cuisines, salads, and some chips which actually made for a pretty awesome meal.

Sonora was only a few hours from the venue so we didn't need to hurry in the morning. The course didn't open until two, so we found an awesome drainage ditch near the hotel to shred on.

We arrived at the venue right at two and got ready to shred. I had heard a lot of good things about the course and wanted to get out there. Patrick had to get a spoke replaced after he shredded the ditch at the Best Western a little to hard so Travis and I headed out. The course lived up the my expectations. It was a real mountain bike course, technical rock gardens, a couple climbs, and even some sick berms. On the second lap around I flatted. Two days in a row! I was only a couple of kilometers from the finish so I just walked back to the car because I had a spare wheel ready. After dealing with the flat I headed out a again and put in a much smoother lap. Wasn't worried about the wheel, I didn't ride till Sunday so had tomorrow to make sure it was sealed up good.

We stayed in Austin which was about 45 minutes from the venue. The hotel was really nice and I was looking forward to some good sleep after a couple days of traveling. I wasn't disappointed, waking up Saturday morning feeling refreshed. Travis raced today so he headed out at about 11 to head to the venue. After he headed out I went riding around town for a while to make sure the legs were ready to go for the next day. I could not find any bike lanes at all, which was a big surprise coming from Tucson where it is hard to find a road without one. After my ride I ate a Sprouts Sandwich which was amazing and proceeded with finishing up some school that I had put off for the last couple of days. Travis got home around five, he had a solid race and was pretty stoked. I went to bed early to avoid getting to nervous for the next day.

The day was finally here. I got up, at a solid breakfast and then headed out. I got to the venue, chilled out for a little bit and then headed out on my warm up. The warm up flew by and before I knew it, it was time to head to the line. The organizers did call up based on the Texas State Series standings so I ended up on the second row. I had a descent start though and was able to move up pretty quickly. Soon a group of about seven guys formed and stayed that way for most of the first lap. I wasn't having my best day technically. I couldn't seem to corner smoothly at all. I worked through my issues a little bit by the second lap and turned it on a bit. I passed a couple of guys on the second lap and rolled across the line 5th. It was a solid result. I felt like with the fitness I had I could have done better but nonetheless I was happy.

After the race I enjoyed some good Texas barbecue, which was mandatory before heading home. The drive home was pretty darn long. 14 hour drive all the way back to Arizona. The first few hours were pretty fun though, got to watch a couple of movies, laughed about the races, and ate some food that I definitely shouldn't have.

Valley of The Sun Stage Race

Time to mix it up a bit. I have really been enjoying the road riding that Tucson has been offering up and I wanted to jump in a race to see how it would go. VOS is a really fun race that super close to home so it seemed perfect. It consists of three stages; TT, Road Race, and Crit.

Stage one was an individual time trial, which is definitely my favorite event. For the first year I had a proper time trial bike and helmet. Still working on getting a disc rear wheel, but big improvement from last year. I was stoked, now with proper equipment, to put in a big effort. As it turned out I had a planned recovery week before the race so I was able to go into the race well rested and mentally ready to go, which is important for an all out effort like a TT. I got to the venue a couple hours early to get all the registration stuff done and make sure everything was ready to go. The TT is really important in VOS as it is pretty hard to gain much time in the other stages. I knew my legs were feeling good so I knew I had go as hard as I could. As I rolled down the start ramp I got up to speed quickly and got into a rhythm. It is about a 1 percent climb on the way out so it makes it easy to really push hard. While warming up, I noticed a slight headwind heading North, meaning the usually fast way back would be a bit slower than usual so I conserved a bit on the climb out, knowing that it would be harder than usual. At the 7 mile marker you turn around get a 3 second break as you make the turn. Then its time to lay it down!! I was hurting but felt like I had paced the first half well and had enough left to make it back to the finish strong. I was happy with my race, I improved by over a minute and a half from last year, even with the wind which was awesome! At the end of the day I ended up in fourth with Michael Dessau in 3rd, Ian Moore in 2nd and Greg Daniel in 1st; at 9,15, and 40 seconds.

Day two was the road race. The course consisted of 4 loops of a 16 mile course with one couple mile long hill. My legs didn't feel bad after yesterday so I was ready to go, hopefully make up some time on the guys ahead of me and conserve the gap to 5th. Again I got in a good warm and up and got to the start line about 10 minutes before the start. A couple of minutes before the start we were informed that the Pro/1 field had a major collision with a car and our start would be delayed. Usually a start is delayed 5, maybe 10 minutes but this took nearly 75 minutes. I just tried to stay hydrated and out of the sun and wait. When the road and the riders were safe our race finally got started, but with a shortened race. It was pretty fast right from the get-go. The Garmin Cervelo guys controlled the group well and kept the pace pretty consistent. On the first lap at the top of the climb, which was also the finish, there was a KOM which offered a time bonus. I needed anything I could get so I went for it. I ended up third over the line but only got one second. I was hoping to get in a break but with the shortened race it didn't happen. I sat in the group for the remaining laps, making sure no one got away. On the final time up the hill I felt good and was ready to battle it out. I was positioned well but with about a mile to the finish got a pedal in my rear wheel. I didn't take me down but I found myself now at the back of the pack. I worked my way back up but had to settle with a pack finish.

The third and final day is the criterium in Downtown Phoenix. I didn't really have too much of a plan for the criterium, I was just going to race hard and see what happened. Like yesterday the race started fast and the group split very quickly. I ended up in a lead group of about 20 riders and felt pretty comfortable. I moved up as the laps clicked down and was positioned well. When it came down to the sprint I just didn't feel the kick and again had to settle for a pack finish. I was satisfied though, I stayed safe and preserved my 4th place GC position.

I was very happy with my performance over the three days. I put in a good race and got to ride with a new bunch of guys who I don't usually see. I also got to meet up with some new teammates on my road team, Flagstaff Cycling. We have some seriously strong riders and I look forward to working with them this year. Next is the Mellow Johnny's Pro XCT in Dripping Springs, Texas. I look forward to the next couple weeks hard training in preparation. I am feeling stronger than ever and am excited to kick of the national season with some good form!

MBAA McDowell State Race

So the first race of the season is done. Its a great way to start off the year with one of my favorite courses. McDowell Regional park is amazing, not only are the competitive tracks top notch, but there is hundreds of miles of great trail all over the park.

The race started early, which I really like. I would rather just get it done with, even if it was 46 degrees outside. The race was just over thirty miles, consisting of three ten mile laps which blended the sport, tech, and long competitive tracks together. Even though the race was pretty long I got in a solid warm up because I knew it would start fast. This year they combined the Pro and Cat 1, 45 and under starts so I started with 45 other guys, I got to the line early and was stoked to get on the front line. Its good to practice starting with a bunch of other guys to prepare for the bigger races. The start was fast and I rolled into the single track in 4th. TJ went to the front and started drilling the pace early. In a matter of ten minutes it was down to 5 guys; TJ, Mimo, Zach, Ty and I. Everyone was riding pretty well and we worked well as a group. After the 1st lap it was down to 4 guys, unfortunately Ty flatter towards the end of lap 1. Lap two went really smooth as well. Everyone stayed together and was riding really fast. Our second lap ended up being a couple of minutes faster then our first.

Coming through the feed zone, going into our third lap, the men's beginner field started. Seeing this the four of us sprinted to the entrance of the lap. Unfortunately we didn't make it in time and ended up behind 40 beginner riders. The first ten minutes of that lap was the most hectic racing I have ever experienced, even more hectic than a World Cup! We were passing a couple of guys at a time but it seemed like we never made any progress because one of us would get caught up in a crash every couple of minutes. Unfortunately two guys went down in front of me and I was forced to get off my bike and run around them. At this point a gap had formed between myself and the other guys. I was able to close it down, but at the expense of a lot of energy. As I got on the tail end of the group we hit another group of beginners and I fell off the back. I still finished off the lap strong and ended up about 1 minute behind the Pro Winner TJ Woodruff. I would have liked to battle it out with the other guys but the strongest guy definitely won. TJ was killing it in our group all day. He was at the front drilling it every lap.

The race was perfect to get back in the swing of riding fast. I felt good for this time of the year and look forward to building on where I am at. I finished off the weekend with an epic shred with Chris Grove on Sunday. We went over Windgate pass, dropping us into Scottsdale and then climbed back up to Tom's Thumb. Chris displayed his amazing skills on the way back up the mountain. He rode some sections that straight up amazed me. 25+ years of riding experience on full display! The ride was also the first time I really could enjoy my new bike. I picked up my 2012 Trek Superfly Pro on Friday before the race. I did some quick adjustments before the race but didn't really have time to dial in the new SID 29 fork or my position. I loved last years bike but they found a way to make this one even better. Super stoked to be racing on a Superfly again for 2012!

AZ Devo Training Camp

After enjoying another beautiful week in Tucson it was time for the AZ Devo Training Camp. The plan was to do some indoor testing Saturday morning followed by a mountain bike ride that afternoon. Sunday we would hit the AZ trail south of town for a couple of hours.

Friday everybody started assembling in Tucson, my parents arrived and we did a nice easy spin with the Glyssons on some trails in Dove mountain. Trail was awesome, twisty and fast with no real elevation gain, perfect for a recovery day. After our spin my parents and I headed up to the Ritz where they would be staying for the weekend, my dad gets crazy cheap rates because of his work so we though we would take advantage of them! We arrived at the front doors and were amazed at the beauty of the Ritz, they really went all out. The staff treated us like royalty, felt pretty cool to be in such a fancy place. So after enjoying some time at the Ritz we went back to the real world and met the Glyssons again for dinner to do some eating to prepare us for the next day.

Woke up bright and early Saturday morning, ate some breakfast, and hopped in the car to meet at the CTS facility. After meeting with some new team members it was time to get to business. We got set up on the Computrainers and started the testing. We did some short peak power efforts followed by a one minute and eight minute all out effort, each inducing large amounts of pain. Those kind of efforts hurt out on the road but on the trainer they find a way to suck even more! I had a pretty good test and was just glad to have them done with. I did a little spin, watched some others complete the testing, and then headed over to a nearby by park where my Dad was grilling a variety of beef burgers, turkey burgers, and veggie burgers. I put down a couple veggie burgers and then it was time to get serious again. It was Bike Polo time!

I had never played polo before but had always wanted to try so I was pretty stoked. We teamed up, went over a couple of basic rules, then let it rip. The first couple of minutes were pretty sad, it is much harder than it looks! But eventually everyone got the hang of it and a battle ensued. It came down to a final, tie-breaking point which would decide the game. My team ended up on top which really didn't mean much considering we were just out there to have some fun. After the polo game rapped up we headed out on the mountain bikes towards Redington Road. I took the opportunity to get in a bit of a workout and sat up at the front and put down a good tempo effort. As we reached the bottom of the actual climb the pace got a little spirited and TJ, Ty, Travis and I booked it up the climb. After getting a bit of a workout it was time to have some fun heading back down. Travis is a pro dirt road descender and led the way, drifting every corner and tucking down every straight away. We all traded turns at the front, getting sketchy in the corners and going way faster than we should have. Got keep it fast to have fun going down dirt roads!

After cruising back into town we all said goodbye and returned home for some well needed showers. That night Justin, the Copleas, and the Glyssons met up with us at Cayton's. Travis' mom works at the Ritz which owns Cayton's so we got to sit in a rad private room. The food was amazing; I guess you get what you pay for. It was pretty expensive but totally worth keeping it cheap for the next couple of days to compensate. With full stomachs everyone parted ways, my parents and I headed right to bed after a long day.

Sunday was another early morning, it was about an hour drive out to our starting point. I had ridden this trail a couple of weeks ago during the CTS training camp and was looking forward to revisiting it. To add to the excitment Sam Schultz, TJ Woodruff, and Frosty were joining us on the ride. The pace was really chill and we all just cruised along, enjoying the awesome trail and scenery. The first few miles of the route is really smooth but as you get further and farther in, it gets more and more technical. Other than the thorn bushes, I would have a hard time imagining a more fun trail. Steep climbs with loose, tech descents. Real Mountain Biking! The cruise back was just as fun as the way in. Cal Skilsky and I shredded back in and my parents and I left pretty quick so my mom could enjoy her las day at the Ritz. After eating some good food we were presently surprised as a host at the Ritz presented us with some free passes to the Spa. No free massages or anything but we got to use the steam rooms, private pools, and relaxation rooms. It was amazing, really enjoyed that afternoon! So after the spa my parents and I chilled out by one of the many outdoor fireplaces before calling it a night.

The next morning, to finish off or luxurious stay, we went down to the breakfast buffets. I usually stay away from buffets because I will always eat more than I should but I wasn't going to pass this up. This took fine dining to a whole new level. I don't even know where to start, the freshly made crepes, waffles, croissants, cheeses, fruits, omelets, and more made for one heck of a feast. I walked out of the buffet, five pounds heavier, but extremely stoked. Totally worth all the riding I will have to do to burn all the calories off. I was sad to see the the stay at the Ritz and my parents go but was stoked to get home and focus in on some school and training for the rest of the week.

Looking forward to the first MBAA state race next weekend at McDowell where I should pick up my new Trek Superfly Pro!

Bug Springs and Molino

Amazing ride today with Jeff Frost. Been spending a lot of time on the road bike and was really craving some dirt. I have been talking to some locals and I heard of the Bug Springs loop, start off the day with some good climbing and then rip almost all the way down the mountain. Sounded good to me. To start the day we headed up the Catalina Highway, we settled in and cruised up Mount Lemmon for about an hour and ten minutes. It was cool to see how many people were on the road. Saw a group of 20 riders all cruising and talking as the made their way up the mountain along with at least 10 other individual cyclists. Tucson really is a "cycling community"! So after our climb to the Little Bear pull off we hopped on dirt for a hike-a-bike section of stairs before we started descending. To my surprise, the trail was dry, I had heard that it was probably still snowy. We hit a couple of snowy patches but overall the trail was super tacky. As soon as the trail headed down I got a little carried away and started rippin. That changed a bit as I hit the first droppy, technical section. I realized I should probably take it a little more chill since all of the technical bits seemed to be after blind corners or after cresting a hill. The technical sections were amazing!! Like I said, they were filled with fun stair-step drops but also had big slabs of granite and little man made rock rollers. As Frosty and I reached the pavement at the bottom of Bug Springs I reflected on how awesome the descent was, definitely my new all around favorite. We still had a bit of descending down the Molino Basin trail though so we cruised over to the trail head. Molino was a bit different than Bug Springs. It was much rougher and didn't quite have as much flow but was still really fun. You had to be a bit more "on it", to carry speed than Bug, where you could just flow and pump down the descent. After shredding down Molino we cruised down the rest of Lemmon on the road. Glad to have found such a good mountain loop to accompany the amazing road riding in Tucson. Definitely hitting up Bug and Molino next week!

Living the Dream!!

Not a lot of new things to report on riding wise. Have been in putting in some long miles on the road bike with some interval sets to keep it interesting. I even managed to get in a mountain bike ride today, which is much harder to come by down here compared to Flagstaff. Biggest change is that I have been working a lot more on some mental training. Training, on the bike, is a huge part to success but I have to start taking the mental side of riding much more seriously. I have been doing some exercises and reading sports psychology books to help improve that aspect of my racing. I really feel that investing in this as well as working my butt of on the bike will lead to good things this year.So, I guess, everything is going really well. I am feeling the strongest, mentally and physically, that I have ever have. I am still really enjoying riding my bike and am super motivated about training and racing in 2012. One thing that I have been missing though, other than my family, is shredding some dirt. Luckily tomorrow I am meeting up with Jeff Frost, aka Frosty, to ride Bug Springs Trail on Lemmon. Should be tons of fun, really stoked! I will post some pictures and report on the ride soon.