Well, not much to write about, other than the fact that I feel like I did my best. It wasn’t my best race thoughL I placed 14th. I just couldn’t breathe and I had to take it easy even when I didn’t want to, my lungs didn’t work the way I wanted. I had a bad start and I tried to close up to the leaders group after which I just blew up completely. I didn’t know what was going on but my legs where dead and I had some serious trouble breathing. I had to back off and get myself under control and every time I wanted to push harder it was the same thing…pretty frustrating… At least I can say I am proud of my technical ride today. My result is not the one I was hoping for but I know I tried. I really liked the course and I felt really good on every rocky section and descents… Oh well, elevation got me this time.
Bryna had a good race and she was pretty close behind me but she had similar trouble as me. Mattie was 4th . He crashed pretty hard and had to go to medical help to clean up his leg. Tough one.
Tomorrow is the short track. I’m planning on wining my own battle, fighting the weakness J I need my confidence back because it’s hurting L
I keep my fingers crossed for Mike and Scott tomorrow at Pats Peak! Good luck!
Have fun riding,
Aleks
It wasn’t my best race but I guess I should be happy and I have a chance to show some better form tomorrow. I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike today. I like to spend more time pre-riding the course, especially if it is such a short race and every second counts. Oh, well I wasn’t proud of the rocky section and I tried to make the time up on the second part of the single track. I was going pretty fast and didn’t make one of the turns and flew off the trail, oops. I should be happy that I wasn't hurt and I finished in 15th . Forgot that it is not east coast with our sticky ground, it’s pretty loose here so I’ve had my lesson for today. Have to be more careful.
Matt was doing great and caught up to the guy in the front of him. I guess he was doing the same mistake as me and crashed pretty hard. We are not sure how he did overall… you know Matt, he loves to go to races and talk to all the people and I think he forgets hes even racing. He is like a kid going from vendor to vendor getting FREE stuff, jumping for joyJ He almost missed his start. UCI representive was calling him up 4 minutes before the starts but Matt was chatting with people, showing up on the start line 15 seconds before the start with a BIG smile and saying “it’s perfect timing”, angry UCi representive didn’t even say anything.
Bryna was 17th and she didn’t like the elevation too much. It’s hard to breathe. Enough talking about crappy race day…We actually had a good time during the day exploring the area. We went to see Gardens of God and it was beautiful. Check it out some pictures below. There is always a good think about traveling to the races, you always see new places and I love that.
Keep your fingers crossed tomorrow. It’s always helpsJ
Thanks! Aleksandra
I came to the final National US race without Mike. He doesn’t like elevation, neither do I but I try not to think about it too much. Mike is racing at Pats Peak New Hampshire this weekend so we will have more updates on our blog. Im racing in the finals of the US National circus and so far I am in 8th place overall. It will be challenging to hold on to the spot throughout the 3 days racing but I’m really excited because I’ve never raced a stage race. I’m racing time trial Friday, cross country on Saturday and short track on Sunday. Lots of fun J
I came to Colorado with Matt and he is racing as well so it will be exciting to see him at the national level. I really believe he can win his Cat 1 race if his bike stays together. Bryna is also with us and we pre-rode the time trail course together today. It was the worst pre-ride I’ve ever had. The course is fun but were caught in the middle of a major hail storm that hit us pretty strong . It was a little shocking for my poor body freezing today after our last few hot and humid days in NY . I was warming up for the next two hours after that ride and it was pretty miserable. I am always one for wet conditions but this was a bit much.
We will see tomorrow. See ya!
Warm greetings from Colorado,
Aleks
Lucky 7 :) I had a great time in Wisconsin and so far it was the most organized National of the year in my opinion. The course had plenty of single track and also many places to pass but best of all were the tons of spectators cheering everyone through the whole course. I truly believe in the power of cheering and there is nothing better than that, so a BIG thank you to the Wisconsin crowd for a wonderful atmoshere:) We will be back for sure.
I'm really happy with my result. I tried to keep a steady hard tempo through the whole race and I was battling with Chloe Forsman for the first 3 laps. I loved the single track and that was my advantage for sure. I'm still working on my power so when on the last lap I saw Kelli Emmet and Kaitie Compton in the woods I had to ask myself " Am I in the right spot? " suprising myself... Saw Mike on the feed zone screaming and jumping around giving me more of that much needed power - I knew I had to push harder to catch Kelli. Even though I didn't catch her but I'm proud of my last lap which I gained quite a bit of time. I can't wait for the next race.
Mike had a good solid race with kind of bad luck with the final results which happens to him quite a bit on the important races... :( I almost think that he puts too much energy and effort into my races and kind of forgets about himself. Being in the feed zone running around and cheering me all morning in the heat takes away your energy. ... He got 32nd but it was listed as 36th. Famous Seamus finished right behind after riding the whole race together which was great to see them together. After the race we went immediatelky to our hotel to pick up our bike boxes and packed our bikes. We lost the "protest time" and we couldn't do anything about the wrong result. I guess it's good lesson for both of us but I'm still pretty upset about it. We sacrifice a lot for those trips and it would be nice to see an actual correct result posted.
After rewards we drove to Madison to stay with Linnea's family before our departure the next day. Thanks for Linnea, Zoey + her parents for letting us stay in their beautiful and comfy house. Great people and we hope to take care of them one day in Saratoga! You guys are welcome anytime.
Linnea didn't have a good day but I think her time is coming. She is so dedicated and a really hard worker so I'm sure this will all pay off soon. I know it. Her friend Zoey finished her first race ever 2nd overall in the sport class on a single speed against the geared people. Awesome result for her. Bryna is showing great form , she got 14th- she loves her new 29er and she thinks it made her faster. I think she is faster :) but also there is nothing better that 29'' wheels.
Have a great time riding and hopefully to see you on the trails,
Aleks and Mike
Made it to America's Dairyland with no trouble other then one broken bike box. Not a big deal considering the amount of things that go wrong when you travel these days. Seamus "Famous" Powell joined us this time around and he is a great travel companion. Best of all he doesn't snore which is a good thing when sharing a room. We have been able to pre-ride the course twice so far and we all decided the course is alot of fun and has a nice mix of climbing, singletrack, and technical sections. The forcast was calling for rain which would make it interesting but I think its going to be hot and dry. The race is also a bit later then usual with the women going off at 12:30pm and the men at 3:30pm. Cross your fingers.
mike and Aleksandra in cheeseland
The annual William's Lake race has been around for many years but we've never raced it. Usually it's around Halloween time so my season is usually over by that time. We've heard such great things about the race and now that Favata's Bike shop puts it on we decided it was one that had to be checked out. We went down with Scotty, Stevo, and Mabel. Luckily for us the super awesome Powell family watched Mabel while we raced. It was hot and humid but overall a great race. The limestone cave that I've heard about for years is really neat. Its about 100yards long with candles lighting the way. I looked forward to it every lap because the temp went from 85 to about 50. The rest of the course was really fun with mostly singletrack and a couple of nice climbs. Seamus won the pro men's race with me following behind for second and Aleksandra won the women's race. Scotty and Stevo both did very well but I'm not sure how they did because the NYS series won't post the results until 2012. We will definetely be back next year.
mike and Aleksandra
Sunday was a great day for racing. We made it out for the first time to the Domarski family ranch in Ware Mass for the 5th stop on the root 66 calendar. It was a bit on the wet side with the usual New England style roots and rocks but with way more climbing then our normal sunday get togethers. The course was 10miles in length with the pros and experts doing 2 laps. I was excited because I like it when its wet and I like long courses especially. One thing I forgot was maybe I should of changed my SoCal tires for a more sensible tread like a Farmer John or Dart/Smoke combo. I was all over the place. I was leading the first lap and bam down I went in the mud. Luckily I was up and able to stay on the fast guy train of Justin, Seamus, and Adam until the second lap where I fell again in the same mud section. This time the bars were heavily wrapped around everything and in need of adjustment. It took me a bit to get going again and by that time I wasn't able to catch those guys, so a fourth place finish it was. Aleksandra also had a great race winning the stacked womens field that started with the pro men. She is not a big fan of the long laps but the technical muddy non stop fun made it all worth it. She is starting to be more like me when it comes to mtb racing. The more technical the better. In the expert mens field Matty M keeps getting better and better. He finished second this week with a rocking finishing time. Also in racing news Bryna came in second with her new hot bike. What a great weekend and thank you to Chris, Jill, and the Domarski Family.
see you on Bee
mike and Aleksandra
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