Nevada Dirt Classic #1 2016

This was my first time at Nevada Dirt Classic in Nevada City. We had a little trouble finding the race venue but eventually found it. I pre-rode the course and found it very fun and very difficult. The start was very steep and led to some great downhill that was very tight and had slick mud in fast corners. The uphills were steep and slick and mostly at the end of the course. There were lots of obstacles like log drops, over tires (optional), riding over a car (optional but I did it once) and jumps.

 Photo credit Robert Lowe

Photo Credit Robert Lowe

My class (Cat 3 15-19) started 2 minutes early and went with the rest of the Cat 3. I don't think I was warmed up enough at the start because I wasn't as fast as I should have been up the first hill. It was very hard to pass on the course because of all of the single track. One kid kept buzzing my tire half way around the first lap, then passed me. Then when I tried to pass him back he would sprint or push his bike up the trail blocking any pass. It was frustrating.

I was happy that I did two laps and got 3rd. I'm excited about racing the whole series.

Sea Otter 2016

Day One 4/14
My family and I went to Sea Otter Classic on Thursday. We arrived in the afternoon and spend the day sight seeing in the vendor area. I also rode the pump track by the Specialized tent about 800 times. Once our half day at Sea Otter was done, we went back to the hotel to change and go out to dinner at Bubba Gumps for my birthday dinner. I didn't feel any different about being 12 but I thought one thing 'I'm a pre-teen.'

Day Two 4/15
Friday was another day mostly in the main, vendor area. We all left our bikes in bike valet, sadly for me. I had an autograph signing with Danny MacAskill, crazy BMX stunt ride (look him up on YouTube). After that I was walking around and saw Ryan Hughes under the RynoPower tent so we stopped to talk to him a little bit. I also got to talk to Howard Grotts, 2015 MTB National Champion with Specialized.

Day Three 4/16
Saturday, my dad and I pre-rode some of the course.After that, we put our bikes in bike valet for the rest of the day. We watched Sara and Janell race CX. They both did really well. When I picked my bike up from bike valet the front tire had a flat. My dad just put a tube in it.

Day Four 4/17
Sunday was race day and it felt like I could have ridden 50 miles with all of the nervous energy that I had. As I got to warming up, I started to think about the start and where to be. I was stressed and trying to find the little post that said 'Junior men 13/14'. Once I found it, I was Johnny on the Spot and on the second row. I saw a kid that I had raced at Bonelli. I had beaten him at Bonelli but he was faster at Sea Otter and in the 13/14 age group. My start position helped me because I was on the outside and then the inside, like I had wanted to be. I was in the second pack and kind of desperate to reach the front group. Two kids' bike chains seized simultaneously at the start of the gravel uphill. I immediately thought about my front tire but then pushed the thought aside.

I hit the road and went into turbo mode to chase a group that wasn't too far ahead of me. I was trying to catch them when a girl passed me and I hopped onto her wheel. We really had to put some power down to keep up. We both bounced back and forth off each others wheel until the single track.

There was a lot of brutal climbing at the end of the course. Luckily we rode down Hurl Hill - named that for a good reason. The hills at the end were very steep. On the last hill I spotted Ayden, a kid I race at Granite Bay, and I pushed hard to try and catch him. I came down the Laguna Seca racetrack and sprinted my heart out.

Overall, I finished 20th out of 48 and was the first kid in the 11/12 USA cycling age group. I was happy because I finished in between two kids that finished 8th and 11th at Nationals in 2015. Thanks to Roseville Cyclery for the sponsorship, bike tune ups and gear. Also, thanks to Julie Young for the training that's gotten me where I am.

Bonelli Park - Kenda Cup Race 2 - 3/13/16

I was very surprised that I was going to LA for a mountain bike race when I got pulled out of school on Friday even though my parents had already paid for the race and we all packed up our clothes. I read my book most of the way there and then played on an iphone until the battery light popped on just before Grapevine.  We stopped, checked what our choices were, then drove back 20 miles to an O'Reilly to get the new alternator for our Forerunner. My dad fixed our car in 45 minutes and we were off again.

We arrived to the hotel around 10:00pm, unloaded the suitcases and the dog, it was 10:25pm and I went to sleep at 11:00pm. The next day was better though. I woke up and ate a delicious breakfast my mom had made and packed before we left. Soon after that we all went down to the park so I could pre-ride the course (yes, even the dog went). I pre-rode the course and decided that I loved it because of the long, steep uphills. I also loved the amount of hills and the technical downhills. Also, the grassy corners at the start/finish.

After my pre-ride, we stayed to watch the cat 1 and pro races. I watched Nathan Barton race his Cat 1 19-23 class and get 3rd - awesome job Nathan! The pro women race was good to watch because I got to see Katarina Nash and Shayna Powless. In the pro men's race I got to see Trevor DeRuise, before he face planted, Todd Wells and Topher Lewis. They all raced really well. I was exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel at 5:00pm. We ordered a pizza delivered to our room and were all asleep by 7:00 (8:00pm daylight savings).

On race day morning, I was so nervous I didn't eat anything except a Nature's Bakery bar and one Chomp. I was in the first row with all of the 13/14, 11/12, and 10U but got shuffled back to a second row start, which made me a little mad. My start wasn't bad but my lungs were burning when I got to the first uphill. I passed a 13/14 racer, he passed me back, and then I passed him again and stayed in front this time. I also battled with another 11/12 racer that rocketed down the hills. I was scared of him and wanted to get a big gap between the other racer and me. I finally succeeded on my second and last lap. I felt great through my race thanks to Julie Young's personalized training plan. I finished and thought I did well. Then I found out I got 1st.

I was really happy. Thanks to Roseville Cyclery for the tune ups on my new bike. Also, thanks to my parents for letting me go.

TBF Race #4 Mountain Bike Madness 2/28/16

I was so excited for race #4 because I had my new carbon Specialized Stumpjumper Hardtail (carbon awesomeness on Strava). Oliver at Roseville Cyclery helped my parents buy me this awesome bike.
I did my usual 4 mile warm up around the oaks. The only thing that wasn't good was that I had gone to my friend's birthday party the night before so I was a little tired. My mom helped me get a front row start again. I had a great start and stayed with the lead group this time. I was almost taken out by a bad crash. A kid wasn't paying attention and skidded sideways into a wooden post, banging into it. We were all going pretty fast but luckily no one hit him.

After that I had to catch up to the lead group of 6-10 riders but we weren't paying attention and missed our turn, ADDING about .2 miles to our race. We were all very confused when we came back to  the middle of the pack. I basically sprinted all of the way across the levy to try and catch the rest of the field. I thought, 'It would be a shame for me to miss the podium for missing our turn.'

So thanks to Julie Young's awesome training, I sprinted (or tried to sprint) the whole first lap. I passed as many Novice High School looking kids kids as I could find. I got into my second lap and sustained a very good pace. I only passed one novice HS kid on my second lap and had no idea how I finished. I rode as hard as I could and got FIRST in HS Novice class out of  30 racers.

Thanks to Roseville Cyclery for sponsoring me, Specialized for the AWESOME bike and Team RC for the support. Also, thanks to O2Fitness for the bike fits and training.

TBF Racing #3 Mountain Bike Challenge 2/14/16

I was very excited that the 3rd race went counter clockwise. I like that better because at the start, I can warm up with a little climb. Also, because there is a lot of technical uphill.

My mom (thanks mom) made sure that I had a front row start. I had a great start and was within the top 15 races I was dropped by the lead group but was still making passes as we got to Oak Alley. Surprisingly, I caught the lead group but was dropped again and was left to just passing other people. that were not in my category. I didn't make it all the way up Little Moab but had a strong first lap.

My second lap was also strong and I battled with another fast racer named Leo. He would drop back, then come out of nowhere and nearly pass me.I had to sprint from the start line, along the beach, to the finish line. I had to do that because Leo was right behind me, catching me really fast. I thought he was going to catch me at the end but I was lucky. I finished 4th out of 39.

 I have to thank Julie Young as my coach because I had the strength to stay in front. Thanks to Roseville Cyclery for always keeping my bike is great shape, Team RC for the support and TBF Racing for the awesome races.

TBF Race #2 MTB Classic 1/31/16

I woke upon Race day and felt great and ready to race. I knew I probably wasn't going to get first because of the high school sport kids dropping down to race 2 laps instead of 3. I got to the race and felt great. I did my four mile warm up since it was cold. Then I waited to line up for the start.

They changed the start order so I ended up almost dead last out of 47 kids. I had to catch up on the levy. It was very chaotic at the start and I had to dodge people. One kid crashed by the recycling bins. I almost face planted because I nearly was shoved off into a picnic table on the first tight turn.

After the levy, I had to pace myself because of the two laps. I did good on my first lap but my second lap was a different story. On every hill my legs burned. Thankfully, my training helped me stay strong on my second lap and I didn't drop too badly. Sadly, right at the end I was passed by two kids. One I was able to go back and forth with but the other one was gone.

 Photo credit: Craig Dvta

 Photo credit: Yi Chen

Photo credit: Yi Chen

I tried my best and finished 7th out of 47 HS Novice. Thanks to Team RC for the support and Roseville Cyclery for keeping my bike in great condition. I'm looking forward to the next race.

TBF MTB Kickstart - 1st MTB race of 2016

When I woke up, I didn't really feel like racing although, once I got to the race, I knew I wanted to be there. It was a nice day and I felt great. I had 27 days of "green" on Training Peaks (greens=completed workouts) so I felt good.

I accidentally lined up behind the girls, so I almost got left behind for my race. Luckily, I got into my class but unlucky that I got a third row start. I got a terrible start but pedaled hard and was able to get to the top five before the start of the levy. I rode very smoothly up to 1st and 2nd. I caught up to them at the start of the long hill to the bench, just off the road. They were stuck behind a big group so I was able to catch them easier. I passed them together before the bench. They both seemed much stronger so I tried to put as many people as possible between us.

Photo credit: Craig Dvta

The Julie Young training worked so well that I felt that I had unlimited energy during the race. The course was crazy smooth and awesome because of the recent rains. I saw a few people pushing or carrying their bikes because of mechanical issues but thanks to Roseville Cyclery, my bike worked great. I felt super good during the race and finished first in the Novice HS class. I was very surprised but happy

I thank Julie Young, O2 Fitness, for the incredible training and Roseville Cyclery for keeping my bike in good shape. Thanks also to Castelli for the comfortable kit. Congratulations to Team Roseville Cyclery racers and the new Placer Foothills HS racers on their first race.