As I have neglected my blog for the past many months, I have some catching up to do. Picking up where I left off, I will need to summarize what I see as highlights of the season. The high point of my season came in June at the National Road Championships where I had a decent 11th in the U23 ITT, but managed to ride my way into the winning break in the Road Race. After 15 km a group of nine riders, 7 U23 including myself, broke away. We rode efficiently and worked well together and at one point held a 12 minute gap over the hesitant and uncertain peloton. The break came apart with an attack on a short hill with 5 km to go. I rode in alone, but ahead of the peloton to take 7th in U23 and 11th in the Elite/overall classification.
Later in the season, I voyaged out to Vancouver to race BC Superweek, which was quickly followed by the NRC Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, Oregon. I held onto some form to finish reasonably well despite racing as the lone NOW-MS Society rider and having some mechanical issues. I found myself in PEI in August for the Canada Summer Games representing Team Alberta. While my form had been great a few weeks earlier, fatigue was noticable and a decent result was scarce. It was an interesting experience, however, with so many athletes competing in different sports and a unique atmosphere. I finished up the season with Track Nationals where I rode aggressively to 8th in the Elite Men’s Points Race and 9th in the Scratch race.
Whew! On to new things and a new season. In the fall I began talks with teams to see what I could organize for the new season. I ended up signing with the Hagens Berman LLP Cycling Team for the 2010 season. Formerly know as Broadmark Capitol, the team has a history of developing riders into the pro ranks and is recognized as one of the best amateur programs in the US. I flew down to Seattle, where the team is based, in November for an off-the-bike training camp and to get to know the team. The team-bonding and season preparation that ensued seemed to inspire each rider like I have never before seen. This season we will take on a mix of regional and NRC races en route to every one of us finding a spot on a professional team in 2011. One of the most exciting prospects this season is that Danish veteran pro Soren Peterson, of Saturn Pro Cycling Team fame, will ride with Hagens Berman, acting as a greatly appreciated mentor to us ambitious young racers.
As 2009 came to a close, I began to look South for some warm miles in the sun. I settled on Tucson due to its reputation as a cycling mecca, teammates training there and a Canadian National Team Camp to be held there in mid-February. So, early January, I packed up my car and drove down to Tucson. I stayed with teammates until I found a room of my own on the South end of town. The weather wasn’t quite the norm for Arizona with the remnants of winter storms that had pummelled Southern California making their way to Tucson a couple of days later. I put in more and more hours on the bike, however, un-phased by temperatures that would be seasonally high for Spring in Edmonton. I settled into the routine and found the weeks passing by quickly with the rest of the season coming together in front of me.
A couple days before I was to leave my homestay for the Canadian National Team Camp, I recieved news that I had been selected to represent Canada in Europe this April, where the U23 team will race for a month. There will be six of us focusing primarily on three UCI U23 Nations Cup races, the Tour of Flanders in Belgium on the 10th, La Cote Picarde in France on the 14th and ZLM Tour in the Netherlands on the 17th. I am excited to head back to Europe, especially with the support of the National Team. This news served to foreshadow the excitement and positive mood that would be descriptive of the National Team Camp a few days later.
