Update

Alright, sorry it been so long since my last report because in the last 4 weeks I have been at my house three days. The rest of the time I've been on the road first going to Sugar Mountain in NC and Mount Snow VT. After I came back I spent three days at home and it was off to a mid-season training camp in Brevard NC. It's not over yet, as I fly to Utah Friday do the race on Saturday and fly back Sunday. I've got to upload some stuff on Training Peaks before I forget so I'll write more when I have time.

Well, I guess I can tell a little bit, Sugar didn't go to well as I got 7th and felt like crap because I was hoping I would get top three at least.

Mount Snow went really well as I started a little slower and ramped it up at the end to almost catch the leader (who finished 30sec ahead of me) and finish 2nd. All I have to do now is get another good result (top three) and I'm on the worlds team. Sweet.

Last week was really cool because Mike and I went up to do some training and help out with a NORBA Junior camp.It was really cool watching the kids develop over the week. Some riders were so sketchy at the start of the week I could hardly ride behind them but at the end of the week some of the kids where hanging though with Mike and I.
Anyway I've got to do some stuff.Later, TC

TNTts Chicopee

Thursday night I did the TNTts at Chicopee. I warmed up a little (about 10 min) and decided to use the first lap as a warm up/pre ride. I didn't have a good start as I missed my pedal but felt good the whole way round. As I came across the finish they yelled out my time but I didn't hear, my watch said 11:56. The second lap was too good when I flatted a quarter mile in, I had to run back to the car and fix it. By the time I got back to the start they were closed. So I was kinda pissed that I only got one lap. But I found out later that I was the fastest lap of the night and no else broke 12 minutes. I also found out that the course record is something like 11:30. That is totally breakable by me because I had no freaking idea where I was going. The last time I rode that trail was three years ago.

SERC Fontana XC

So, the morning of the cross country was OK, had a good sleep and ate some good spaghetti (carbs) and yogurt (protein) the night before. We drove over to the site and I started to warm up when Dad went for a run, I really wanted to have the heart going good as we had to go straight up that massive hill. After a pretty long warm up (45min) I rolled over to the start. Mike was racing Pro so, it was my job to win the Senior Expert. Also at the start, I told Bennet that he was going to win today.

We started and I got clipped in and everything except every one lined up behind me on the hill. I decided to pull some road tactics on 'em. I flicked back and forth across the rode trying to get some one to pull. One guy attacked and I followed with one guy behind me. At the top every one was pretty much hanging on, then I attacked to get to the single track first. Once in the woods, I just put my head down and got into a rhythm. On the second lap I though I had a flat but, it was just my head. Coming around for the last time, I yelled at Dad what my time gap was, and he said: "Like 5 or 7 minuets" I was like: "Hot Damn!" I pretty much rolled into the finish after that, taking no risks and such. Even at the finish, I was still in front by six minuets.
What made the day better was Chad Edwards, a really cool guy that I met from the bike shop, got 3 in his race. Way to go dude!! He was only a minuet behind me at the TNTts and the fourth best time. Michael Bowen won another race in the Beginner Class, good job to him!

What made this week end suckfull was that Mike was kinda fried and got 5th in the Pro race. Don't worry Mike, even when you are feeling crappy you can still kick my ass in a major way. People, watch for this guy next week end at Sugar it's going to be 2 for 2 for Mike.

Peace out
TC
Oh and by the way, Charlie won his race too.

SERC Fontana Pre Ride and Short Track

Whew, its been a long time since my last one. Anyway, this last week end was SERC #6 at Fontana, NC. Brute of a course, the whole time you are either going up hill or down, hardly any flat. It's really technical too.
Dad and I drove up Saturday afternoon. We got there and found that the campsite that we were going to stay at was full. We would have to find another place, I really wanted to go ride so we drove over to the loge and started unpacking the bikes. As I took off to do a practice lap I made sure that I had all of my tools, so many times this I have gone off to ride and gotten stuck on the trail.
During the pre ride, I wasn't feeling very good and it seemed like I was totally anaerobic the whole time I was out there. One section on the course was a difficult climb with several switch backs. As I rode up during the pre ride, I slipped and fell off, there was this kid watching me so I couldn't just walk it up the hill. So, I rode all the way to the bottom and rode it again.
Saturday night, was the short track race. I had never done one before so I was in for a treat. I rode and course several times to get use to the corners and the one short climb. The course was around the ball fields (if you have ever been there) started at the bottom and went around the feild to a climb to the top and back down again. The corners were super sweet, grassy but they griped well so, you could lean right into them. We were the last to go and I forgot that the corners were a little chewed up from the perivous races. So, after I grabbed hole shot, I plowed straight into the ground on corner number two.
After I picked my self up I was able to make it back up to the front of the race where I found that the leader (Ryan Woodall) was about to lap the hole group.
I'll finish it later, I've got to go ride.

OK, I'm back, Ryan Woodall was about to lap the group and I was like forget wining. So I backed off a lot trying to save my legs for Sunday. Dustin Greer came up behind me and I pretty much sat back and I was like I'm going my speed, you just hang out as long as you want. I didn't have a watch so I had no idea how much longer we had to go. So one time up the hill the people screamed out "Last lap, last lap!!" Coming around to the hill the next time Greer put in a big attack and I countered because I thought it was the end. That time up the hill the spectators yelled "Two to go, two to go!!!" I was like crap, I'm totally fried from sprinting with Greer, luckily he was gassed too so I was able to hold on for third.
In the end, I had a ton of fun and I will totally do some more STXCs.

SERC Dauset

SERC .5 Dauset
Well, it started to rain right before the start and held off for part of the first lap. At the start I got a really bad start myself but was able to sprint up to take hole shot. Going in the trees at the very beginning of the lap I went partially anaerobic from the sprint but I calmed down pretty fast, that's when I noticed that nobody, I mean nobody was behind me. I kept looking back through the trees and I could see them but I was expecting them to come up on me really fast, they never did. Finally I got tried of half waiting for them and decided that considering I was in the lead I should probably speed up to stay in the lead. I have no idea how hard I was going because I think some water got into my HRM and it's not working anymore but, I must have been doing 160-170 that whole first lap. Speaking of the first lap, on the last climb it poured down rain. This made it awful the next lap because the mud was now really wet and liked to be flung up into your eyes. My left eye is still blood red and is really sore from all the mud. After the race it felt like someone had punched me in the face. That was the second lap, the third was probably the worst because the mud or rather the water had started to dry up leaving a good 5 inch coating of mud on the trail. I was super happy that I never crashed ever on the slippery course. I had to put my foot down on some of the climbs but never crashed. I ended up beating the guy in 2nd by 3 and a half minuets and third was 16 minuets behind. Everybody else, 20 plus. Small crowd but I still got some more points for the series. And a bottle of champagne

Athens Twilight

Athens Twilight
Oh yeah, the crit. Alright, so I get on the computer before I leave to go to the race and check that the Fat Tire (which I changed my mind about) started at 6:30. Cool. My sister had a race in the morning so I helped out as a course marshal (which I didn't really mean to do-they were really short on people Saturday morning).
5:30 rolls around and I get dressed and start to warm up. Ironically, I get a really good warm up when I don't need it.
I ride up to the course and find several groups of mtb'ers racing around. I was really confused so I tried to find out if they split the field up into Expert/Sport. They had not. Finally I found a ref who told me that there were two different schedules, one with 6 and one with 6:30. So, to compromise, they started at 6:15, 15min before I showed up. The ref said to talk to Gene Dixon if I wanted a refund.

After looking all over the twilight, for Dixon I finally found him right in front of me between corners 3and 4. I asked if he could talk to me really quick. He looked at me and kept on walking past. About 5 feet later he said that I could talk to him while he walked. He was in no hurry, he was just wondering around the twilight. I explained my situation and asked if he knew anything about it. He said yes, and asked me why I didn't get there 30min a head of time. Now who would get to the start of the race 30min before, and have to sit there, cooling down after the warm up.

I then asked him if I could get a refund. He said "oh, you can email me next week."

So, my week end was not very fun, I had a bad race, missed a race, got really pissed off, and got absolutely no sleep.
Good things were: getting 2nd, watching the pro race, seeing Mike at the twilight, and going home to sleep.
I am never going another Gene Dixon thing a again. Like he's going to return my money "sometime next week". whatever, I'm not even going to get it back

SERC Clemson

It was an awful race, we got to the race kind of late after driving straight from Athens the night before and only getting 5 hours of sleep that night (besides only getting 4 hours on Friday). Anyway, it was really cold and there was a long registration line, so I got a really bad, 15min warm up before the race.

The race, it started out really fast, although we only had 9 people! Some dude from FSU lead into the first down hill, I was doing pretty good, I knew I was a lot better on the climbs, but I made a few small mistakes and the gap opened. Coming into feed the first time he had a 30sec lead or so, 2nd lap I had some cramps, and felt pretty bad. So I backed off a little bit, and the next lap he move a little more ahead, one min. So, I was like, I really need to chase, so I hauled butt for the rest of the lap and then I cross the road and Bill Bennet is like "oh yeah he's two minuets in front", and from there it's 3 miles or so to the finish so I just rode in. I only won 60 bucks too. It sucked.

Today, I was just kicking my self because I felt sooo good during the intervals and I knew I could have won that race. The worst part is that I wasn't even going that hard, my average heart rate was 166. I really really want to win the next one at Dauset.

Update

Wow, long time since the last one. A lot has happened, I got my new bike, did two more races, and I'm on Spring Break!!

I guess I'll start off at the beginning, the race in Columbia was a bit hard to figure out logistically, but we got every thing to work out. Sat night Dad and I drove up to Tasha's place and spent the night (thank you Tash for the accommodations) the next morning big sister and I drove to race site. We had to stop on the way to get some gels and ice. We got to the race venue about 9 o'clock in the morning. Big T and I strolled over to the Fontaines RV after having breakfast. Once over there Tash got introduced to every body on the team. Andy showed me my new bike which I have a few pictures posted. Super sweet thing man, Tash and I headed out so I could do a lap on my new bike to get everything adjusted. I probably went a little harder than I should have because I felt it later on the day. Anyway, I got a good warm up in, and rolled up to the start line ready to race. It was freezing cold the whole day but I started without my knee warmers on (which, incidentally I left in Tasha's car). I got a really good start and was top three on the very first flat section before we turn around on to the pavement and loop back into the trees. So, I was behind Mike and this dude who was wearing a GT jersey, we made the turn on to the pavement and then Mike and GT started to just absolutely drill it. I was going as hard as I could and I still could not hold the draft. Then like, 5 guys stream up my left side and all of a sudden I'm at the back going into the woods. That's when all hell broke lose, one guy at the front crashed on a turn and then another guy hit a tree, I was able to get past them, barely. Things got sorted out and I ended up at the back of the pack of about 7 or 8 guys. Mike was up the trail with GT and another dude, so I hung back protecting Mike's lead. I slowly past the guys who couldn't hold the pace and soon I was in a group of four. We hit the last real climb on the course, we started pretty fast up it but, at the top we were going so slow I had to attack, I mean it was like 2 mphs. Crazy. So I attack and spend the rest of the day trying to catch up to Mike who eventually, won the race. I ended up 4th which wasn't too bad. Although I was about 9min behind Mike.

I'm tried of typing right now so I'll take a break and tell the story about the first GSC race.

SERC Columbia

This week end is SERC #2 in Columbia TN. Sweet course, really fast, I hope it doesnt rain because that would make it suckful. The last two miles are really technical.

I just got word today that the team bikes have come in, so on Saturday I get to ride MY bike instead of someone else's. Sweeeeettttt!

I'm riding with Andy up there on Sat and we are going to preride and on Sun I race at 12:30. The last SERC I got 5th, lets hope I can do better.

GA SS State Champs

Ok, the last week end was the Georgia State Single Speed Champs.
I came into the race wanting to win, because I thought it would be cool to be called the state champ and I wanted the fancy jersey that came with it. Race day came and I got in a Ok warm up but I could have been better, it was really cool and windy. The expert class had about 20 or so.
First off, this was the slowest and quietest bike race I have ever been in. I couldn't get up to the leaders and a big group rolled off fast I tried to bridge but it was too late and I was like totaly anaerobic.
So by lap two, I figured that I was sitting top 15 maybe and desiced to use the race for training. The last lap I did pass two people in the last 3miles so I was kinda happy about that.Single Speeds would be OK just to ride but not to race, as Andy said part of the fun of MTBing is you get to go fast, on a single speed you don't. I ended up 10th out of like 20 so that's OK.

TC

SERC Reddick

Sweet, the first race of the year, I was pretty pumped up about it because I I've been really sick of training.
First off I ran the Expert Senior Class which is 19 to 29 year olds. We drove down on Saturday and I was able to ride two laps of the course. The roughly 10 mile loop was fairly flat with a ton of short but with very steep ups and downs. Really dry, although not much sand.

Race day was pretty hot with temps in the 90s. I got in a good warm up and arrived to the line on time. At the start I missed my pedal and got shot out the back of the pack but finally I was able to clip in the got up to about 6 or 7 place going into the woods. From there i tried to hang on to the back but I kept on slipping out of my pedals or dropping the chain off the chain rings. The first two laps were pretty bad as I kept on dropping back and losing time.

On the third lap I passed Dad and he shouted that I might be in 4th place. Then I was like, I better go a little faster to maintain my spot. Everything went great until I dropped my chain aga! in on one of the last climbs and got passed by two guys. I jumped on to the back of them and tried to figure out if they were in my class, I new one wasn't but was not sure about the other one. The course had very little passing places and there was no way I could get around by the finish. So, in the end I ended up 5th and the guy who passed me got 4th.

I'm a bit bummed by the result but, my legs felt great and it was my first Senior race.
So this week end is the State Single Speed Champs that I might do if I get a bike, if not then my next race will probably be in April.
Tristan