Next is the Tahoe 100

The day after my birthday, July 21st, is the Tahoe 100 and my goal is to qualify for the 2013 Leadville 100.

2012 USA Cycling MTB Nationals, Sun Valley, Idaho, July 7th, 2012

Nationals was awesome. 

The drive up was not as bad as I thought it was going to be and took a meer 14 hrs. We got up there, checked in and went to sleep. The next few days consisted of Cat 2 and 3 XC racing and Short track racing, so I pre rode the course, made friends and got acclimated. I prerode it 2 times and it gave me a great advantage to most of the field. 

Saturday came and on the parade lap the group hammered it but we grouped back together on the paved bike path. Just off the bike path there was a crash and I was the last rider to make it through without getting held up. The group went from 20 to 12 into the first climb. Riders were falling off the group and found myself in 4th spot with 2 SoCal Riders leading the race 200ft up the trail. With the first climb being about 6 miles and rising 2800ft it separated the men from the boys and the fast descent was to separate the winners from the losers. At about mile 15 I found myself in 3rd due to a rider flatted and stopped. But then a mile from the finish I took a turn too hot and my tire rolled off the rim, with the bike unrideable I stopped to examine the damage and saw the rim wall was bent in and trashed. So I then proceeded to take the tire off the rim and run with the bike, realizing I was losing too many places I rode it with the tire around my neck and went on down the trail on just a front rim.  The next choice I had to made was to take the rock wall and save time or go down the longer easier path. Knowing my rim was toasted and my podium was gone I built up my confidence and tackled the rock garden descent.  It is so rocky and steep that there were many people walking, avoiding and even the pros were crashing on it. Coming around the corner I put on a smile and the crowd went bizerk. After the top of it was maneuvered I let go of the brakes and bombed it. With the crowd going crazy I had a huge smile on my face knowing this was the next best thing to winning.

Coming across the finish line I soon got swarmed with people asking how I did that and CyclingDirt.org wanting an interview.  More poeple came up to me and an employee from Sram gave me his card as he had pictures he wanted me to have. Little kids were in shock and awe as I made their day. Basically the rest of the time I was there I was a celebrity, it was awesome and people knew me as the guy who rode the wall on a rim. Unfortunately I couldn't race Super D since I didnt have a front wheel to race on.

All in all, I had the time of my life up there and would not change anything, well except for a win but next year I will come back for the gold.

Picture of the Day on BikeRumor.com

Short Video Interview Post Race

Race Data

Rim Nordic Series #1 July 1st, 2012

The week coming up to this race I was on the fence if I wanted to race it and risk wearing myself out for MTB Nationals the next weekend but I was convinced it would be a good test and workout.

Waking up I had a horrible stomach ache that would not go away and while warming up I saw a face that looked too familiar, Connor McCutcheon, the same one that is a National road race and TT competitor. He is an animal at the hills and so I knew this race was going to hurt more than expected. At the race start his tire went flat so tactics changed, hammer the first hill and spread the field out to create traffic for him since I knew he was going to be coming for me. 5 miles into the race after the climb he caught up and was waiting for me to play cat and mouse with him.  I went around him but I took a corner too fast and slid out and he was a 100ft ahead. At the lap finish/start line my wheel took a rut and sent me over the bars while doing a bottle swap and the rest of the race I felt sick to my stomach and just wanted the race to be over so I just kept at my own pace and took it easy. I ended up finishing 3rd.


Race Data

CA MTB State Champs Sun, June 17th, 2012

Coming into this race I felt awesome as I was in Big Bear getting ready the entire week prior. As the race started the field flew by me and hammered into the first hill and left me chasing. My heart rate would not get up to full speed but I found myself passing people left and right and found that I passed everyone except one rider, Joel Titius. A junior rider bridged up to me on the fire road and wanted to work together to gain ground be he ended up not being able to pull the same speed I was wanting to go and so he fell back. I caught up the Joel but at the same time Chris Jackson caught up also. The two of them picked up the pace to a level of which I could not maintain and soon they were out of sight. On the last descent I was flying as I prerode it several times the previous week and knew the trail. Soon enough I found myself on Joel's wheel and he started to have mechanical problems. When the trail would widen up we were side by side seeing who would give in and have to push the brakes, knowing I could out sprint him on the flat finish I played it safe and gave in. When it came to the fire road finish his mechanical restricted him from laying the power down and I ended up taking 2nd behind Chris Jackson.

Race Data

12hrs Of Temecula, Sat June 9th, 2012

The past few weeks have been busy so I will catch up as much as I can.

With 12hrs of Temecula I raced the 6hr Open Solo class of which I placed 1st place and the only rider to do 8 laps in the 6 hrs. This put me 1.5 laps ahead of 2nd place in the series. We had a bit of a contest to see who can grow the most ridiculous mustache and that is all I could get in 3 weeks time.

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Race Data

US Cup Series Finally, Sun, June 3rd, 2012

I thought I was feeling good going into this race but on the first climb I was getting left in the dust and my heart rate was higher than usual. I ended up finishing in 2nd behind Dan Bensen but nearly all of my race data showed that I was slower than usual. I am just going to blame it on the bike and too much tire pressure since I was bouncing around.  Ended up finishing the series in 2nd but even if I were to get 1st I would have been 2nd also.

Race Data

Some big races coming up...

In the next few weeks I will be quite busy with the biggest races of the year and possibly my life. This coming weekend is the second 12hrs of Temecula in which I am 2nd overall in the 6hr Solo series. I am feeling really good, went on a 75 mile ride today and when I got home I wanted to continue riding but to resist an overload I called it a day.

The following weekend is the State Championships in Big Bear. This will be a good race since I am going to be acclimated and know the course really well.

At the Beginning of July I will be partaking in the MTB Nationals held in Idaho. I just got word that SDBC will be sending me there and funding my trip, which I would not be able to do without them. Up until I got word of the support I had not even considered such a trip with my dusty college student pockets.

The weekend after that I was invited by Specialized to participate in the Leadville 50 so that I could qualify for the Leadville 100 but I do not have a means to get out to Colorado for such an event. If something comes up I would love to go but right now it is not looking good.

Thank you to everyone that has given me these opportunities of a lifetime. That means you San Diego Bicycle Club, Specialized Bikes, Pink Shorts Photography and all of the team that has pushed me to become faster and stronger.