As I procrastinated updating my blog, more and more of the season progressed, making for more ground to cover and the post to come that much more daunting. So, here I sit at LAX waiting for a flight and will likely continue this lengthy post in the air, somewhere between Los Angeles and Montreal. But, without further adieu, here it is.
I am unsure of where I left off last, so I will do a brief re-cap. I drove down to Los Angeles to race for a Southern California based U25 development team, NOW MS-Society. Racing began early, with the first criterium on January 25. The level of racing has been high with many American based professionals calling Southern California home. On any given weekend I will line up against at least a few riders representing their respective Continental/Pro Continental/Pro Tour teams. The early season saw racing mostly in SoCal, but travel was in store with Valley of the Sun in Arizona and Merco Cycling Classic in Northern California. Other highlights of the early-early season would be racing through the vineyards of the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara against a full Team Type 1 squad, Ted King of Cervelo Test Team and Brian Vandborg of Liquigas and getting snowed on in the mountains East of San Diego with Floyd Landis and Rory Sutherland among others. That all was a build up to the first big block of the season in March.
Mid-March came around pretty quick and before we knew it, two of the team’s biggest races of the season were upon us. First came the San Dimas Stage Race which would serve as a final preparation for the Redlands Bicycle Classic. San Dimas proved to be an eye opener and a disappointment for most everyone on the team. Only one of us would finish the entire race, the ever-strong friendly giant, Brock Curry. For the two races, Kurt Stockton (former DS of Sierra Nevada/Kodak Gallery and retired professional) was brought on to direct our team. His experience proved invaluable and with his direction I was able to turn around an ugly performance in San Dimas to have a great ride in Redlands. Redlands has a unique atmosphere to it and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was my first NRC level race and was incredibly hard. On the second stage, pushed along by a tailwind on a newly paved false-flat descent I managed to hit 95 + km/h while in the peloton. The speed was incredible and survival every day was the goal. In the end I finished just better than top half of the 200 some field, happy with my ride and the knowledge gained.
In April came the Long Beach Grand Prix which brought the excitement of racing a sinuous criterium through the streets of Downtown Long Beach. It became a party for cyclists and non-cyclist spectators alike. My claim to fame in the inaugural event was flipping through the air and finishing the race sliding on the road across the line. Next was the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey. The reputation of this race speaks for itself although the entirety of it was impressive. With a combination of every form of mountain biking and road cycling, the festival was a cyclist’s dream. The racing proved tough with a large, powerful Bissell team in addition to Levi Leipheimer. I found the legs for a result in the Road Race, but the Circuit Race on the Laguna Seca Raceway took many victims and unfortunately I was one. To elaborate, I believe 15 riders remained at the finish with everyone else being pulled. The following week, I made the long drive to Bisbee, Arizona for the Vuelta de Bisbee. The eccentric town provided a unique back-drop to an exciting race. For once, my appetite for climbing was satiated. This was a first encounter with the Tecos-Trek Mexican Continental team, although I will make a point of mentioning their lack of sportsmanship. Not only did they attack when the Yellow Jersey and a handful of favourites stopped for a brief nature break, but once again attacked through the feed zone. Overall, I felt stronger and stronger after each stage and ended up 35th.
Sitting up on the finish line of the Long Beach Grand Prix
Finally there is one more race worth mentioning, the Ventura County Stage Race. It felt almost like a “home” stage race being so close and having ridden in Ventura a few times. The race had a great turn-out for its inaugural edition. Each of the courses was fantastic and challenging. After an unfortunate prologue, I saved face by riding well in the brutal crit and circuit race stages. In the crit, I managed to survive and settle long enough to be in the mix when the attacks were deciding the race. I was in a move with Roman Kilun (Ouch p/b Maxxis), the Yellow Jersey and a handful of known strong local riders. It looked promising, but we were brought back after a few laps and the counter attack is the one that stuck. Neil Shirley was the instigator of the winning move and essentially dropped everyone who had been off the front with him. My teammate Tyler Locke went with the initial move, but it was only Rudy Napolitano who could ride with Neil. Eventually he was dropped as well and Neil soloed in. The pack that came in after had been reduced to maybe 25 riders. The Circuit Race in Ojai was incredibly tough due to a hard climb and the immense heat. The group fragmented when the screws were tightened, but it wasn’t until Roman Kilun and Neil Shirley respectfully attacked that the final selections began to take shape. I found myself in the largest group on the road, behind 6 riders off the front in various combinations. Feeling strong on the climb, but not strong enough for a bridge to seasoned pros, I bided my time to wait for a suitable time. When it came, I manage to hold a gap for close to half a lap before the catch, but further dwindled our group. Coming to the line, our group consisted of 8 people, still the biggest on the road. With Rudy taking the sprint for 7th, I ended up 12th on GC.
Ventura Road Stage in Ojai
I have only really covered the big races I find are deserving of a mention. I raced plenty of criteriums; a SoCal specialty, as well as a few road races that there is just not enough print room to talk about. Right now I am on my way up to Saguenay for the U23 Nations Cup Ville Saguenay where I am proud to say I will represent Canada in international competition once again. Following that, I will briefly return to Alberta and while there will race the Banff Bike Fest. Then it is back to Quebec for the Canadian Road National Championships. I will travel even more after that. I believe I am in for a cyclist’s summer, aggressively pursuing the future I want for myself. It will surely be an exciting time.
In a break at the Barry Wolfe Grand Prix
