3.15.10 Spring Training

Hard to believe that it’s been 6 months since we wrapped up our 2009 campaign! Managing a grass-roots team does not afford a true "offseason.” Once my racing is done, I have to begin working on plans for the following season. This includes recruiting and retaining riders and sponsors. There’s good news on that front, as the team added several new sponsors this offseason. And we’re excited to have Esurance back for 2010.

With the results the team produced in 2009, we were able to keep our core group of supporters, and add a few new ones. The sponsors associated with this team truly provide the highest level of support, and we’re thankful for that.

Since Thanksgiving, I’ve been training for the 2010 race season. Up until about February, my training consists of 6 days a week, including 4 days on the bike and 2 days of trail running. During the cold and snowy winter months, it’s hard to get out on the bike, and trail running provides some great cardio. For the past 6 weeks, I’ve been on the bike full-time, 4-5 days a week.

Spring racing is just around the corner: my first race is April 3!

9.15.09 Fall Classic – Breckenridge, Colorado

The team wrapped up our racing season at the Fall Classic Mountain Bike Stage race in Breckenridge. This race is a true "classic," with a 20-year history. This year, it featured three stages: a circuit race, hill climb individual time trial, and an epic cross-country race.

In order to score points for the overall general classification, competitors had to compete in all three stages. Racing got underway Saturday with cool temperatures and rain. The circuit race was first, a 5-lap affair around the Breckenridge Nordic Center. My start was less than ideal, but I was able to work my way through the pack and finish just outside the top five. Next up was the hill climb individual time trial. This was a 4-mile singletrack ascent to an abandoned mine just above town. I had a good run, covering the 1,000-foot climb in 27 minutes. After these two races, I was cooked. It was time to rest up for Sunday's XC.

We awoke Sunday to fresh snow on the peaks, but clear skies and warmer temperatures. The XC course is 26 miles, with 3,500 feet of climbing. The course winds its way above Breckenridge, and racers are treated to spectacular views as we race pass abandoned mining sites. I had a great race, knocking almost 10 minutes off of my time from last year, propelling me to a 5th-place overall finish for the weekend! All in all, we raced for 42 miles, and climbed just under 6,000 feet.

The team also had a great weekend with several riders finishing on the podium. We secured 3rd-place overall in the Mountain States Cup for the second year in a row!

I am very lucky to be able to pursue my passion for racing, but would not be able to do it without help. To everyone at Esurance, thank you for your exceptional support throughout this season. The team is going to take some well deserved time off, but we
will be back at it in 2010!!

9.03.09 King of the Rockies – Winter Park, Colorado

This past weekend was the Tipperary Creek Point to Point, "King of the Rockies" series finale in Winter Park. This is the race that started it all, some 20 years ago. It is considered a classic mountain bike race in Colorado. The course is 26 miles long, with just over 4,000 feet in elevation gain.

Going into the race, I was tied for 3rd place, and needed a strong finish to maintain my position for the series overall. From the start, I kept the pace high and tried as hard as I could to keep the leaders in sight. I was able to maintain the pace, and in a little under two hours, I crossed the finish line in 4th place! It was enough to secure my 3rd place for the overall, and my highest-ever placing in an Expert cross country event!

After everyone had finished, the team results were compiled and Team Colorado Single Track/Esurance was left standing on the top step of the podium! It was an incredible day of racing for me personally and for the team. This is my highest overall placing in quite a while, and the first time that the team has captured the top spot on the podium.

Over the next two weekends, the team will close out the Mountain States Cup series with stops in Sol Vista and Breckenridge.

8.17.09 Mary Jane Circuit – Winter Park, Colorado

The team was in Winter Park for the Mary Jane Circuit. This race is unlike any other in the Winter Park Series. We first ride the lift to the top of Winter Park. Then the race course consists of 3 laps at the top of Winter Park, followed by a long descent down the Mary Jane side to the finish.

Saturday started with rain and sleet at the top, and temperatures in the 40s. Needless to say, the lift ride up was freezing. I was so excited to start the race and get warmed up! I got a great start, hit the single track in 3rd and finished in 5th place. The multiple lap format really helped, as I was able to make up a lot of time on the climbs.

To date, this is my best finish in a cross-country race as an Expert! In my category, I am still in second place for the overall, and it's going to come down to the wire for overall podium spots.

The team also had a great result with 7 top-10 finishes. Going into the last race, the
team is in 1st place for the overall team competition! We have a week off before the Winter Park series wraps up with the King of the Rockies, the series finale in Winter
Park. We will look to keep our hold on 1st, and several of us, myself included, will look
to close out the series with individual podium spots for the overall.

8.04.09 Crankworx – Winter Park, Colorado

Crankworx is in the books, and the team had a great weekend of racing. Crankworx is one of the largest mountain bike festivals in North America. The crowds were really big, and the week leading up to the race brought unseasonably wet weather. Saturday's XC race challenged us all.

The course was very slippery in spots, with huge mud puddles and wet logs and roots to contend with. I had a strong race and finished in 6th - another top 10! Top finishes for the team included Lou Supino in 1st place and Quade Jander in 2nd.

The team also produced some great results in Sunday's Super-D. After a slow start, I
was able to work my way from the middle of the pack up to the front. I finished in 3rd place and on the podium! My time was also the fastest for the team.

After the dust had settled, the team found itself in a tooth-and-nail battle for 1st-place overall. We are currently only 10 points out of 1st, with 2 races to go!

Next up for the Mountain States Cup crew is Blast the Mass, this weekend in Snowmass, Colorado. The Winter Park crew has a week off before our second-to-last race in the Winter Park Series, on August 15. The team will be looking to continue our strong
results and move into the top spot for the team competition!

7.21.09 National Championships – Sol Vista, Colorado

The National Championships in Sol Vista drew competitors from all over the United
States. Winners in each category received a stars and stripes jersey, along with
bragging rights for next year.

The course itself was a monster. For the start, we climbed and climbed, then hit the
descent. The descent was one of the roughest and longest descents that I've ever
raced on. So, for those that don't know my riding style, the first part of the course
suited me well, but the second half was a struggle. My arms felt like noodles the next
day. I was able finish mid-pack, 12th out of 20. I was very pleased with my result as this
is the first time I've competed at a national level as a CAT 1. I learned a lot, and am
looking forward to next year's race. Top finishes for the team included Jeff Smith with
a 4th, Doug Meegan in 9th, and Lou Supino in 10th.

The team has about 2 months of racing left, and we're focusing on maintaining our
2nd-place overall at Winter Park and our 3rd-place overall in the Mountain States Cup
team competitions. Next up is the Colorado Crank Works event, in Winter Park on
August 1 and 2. This is a full weekend of racing, with a cross country race and
Super-D. There is also a down hill and slope style events, drawing large fields of
competitors and even bigger crowds...I can't wait!

7.13.09 Winter Park Race Series – Winter Park, Colorado

The team had a fantastic weekend in Winter Park. Saturday's cross-country race was
a little over 23 miles, including 2,600 feet of climbing fast jeep roads and single track.
Several team members finished in the top 10. I was able to hang with the top 3 in my
class for most of the race, and finished in 6th place, which is my highest finish to date
in the Expert/CAT 1 ranks!

Sunday was the Super-D, a shorter race involving 5.5 miles of descending with a few
short, pitchy climbs thrown in to keep everyone honest. The race started near the top
of the mountain with a LeMans style start, where racers run to their bikes, then race
uphill for about a quarter-mile before descending to the base of the resort.

Descending is not my specialty, and having never raced Super-D before, I was not sure
what to expect. But I got off to a good start, putting most of my group behind me before
the descent started, and held on for 3rd place! Several others from the team had top-3
finishes, including Gary Kuntz and Quade Jander, who won their respective categories.

At the conclusion of the weekend, Team Colorado Single Track/Esurance is still in 2nd
place for the team competition. After a great weekend of racing, it is time for me to rest
up for this coming weekend's USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Championships. I
can't wait!

7.01.09 Winter Park Race Series – Winter Park, Colorado

The Winter Park XC Super Loop is in the books. Team Colorado Single Track/Esurance
had another strong showing, and maintained our hold on 2nd place in the overall team
competition. I was very happy with my race, finishing 11th and less than a minute out
of the top 10! Top team finishes in their respective race categories (Sport and Expert)
included Quade Jander with a 1st-place finish, Lou Supino in 3rd, Joe Liberatore and
Jeff Smith in 10th, and Antony Bahr and Gary Kuntz in 11th. The team has the 4th of
July weekend off, but we'll be back at it July 11 and 12 for races #3 and #4 of the
Winter Park Race Series!

Hope you have a great 4th!

6.25.09 Mountain States Cup – Crested Butte, Colorado

This past weekend, the Mountain States Cup stopped in Crested Butte, Colorado
for round 4. Top finishers for the team were Matt Wiebe, who nearly cracked
the top 10 in the Pro category with an 11th-place finish. In the CAT 1 40-49
group, Doug Meegan brought home a 16th, while Barry Wiebe finished in 21st.
Chris DeLauro came in 8th in the CAT 2 30-39 field. In the team competition,
Colorado Single Track/Esurance is in 3rd place.

Last weekend was round 2 of the Winter Park Series. The course is a 17-mile
jaunt through the trails of the Winter Park Ski Resort. Both of the Colorado
Single Track/Esurance teams will be in attendance, with the goal of moving up
to the top spot in the team competition.

We're now just a couple of weeks away from the 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike
Championships in Sol Vista, Colorado. I expect the competition to be the most
intense I've ever experienced. I've been training through a very intense 3-week
block of interval workouts and races to prepare for this event, in an attempt to
produce a solid result. The Championships draw competitors from all over the
country, all vying for the elusive stars and stripes jersey!

6.15.09 Winter Park Race Series – Winter Park, Colorado

This past weekend, the team was in Winter Park for the Hill Climb, race #1 in the
2009 Winter Park Series. The race is a 5-mile climb up the resort service road from
the base area in Winter Park, to the top of Mary Jane. Racers climb over 2,000 feet,
to an elevation of just over 11,000 feet. The team had an outstanding showing, with
7 racers placing in the top 10 in their respective classes. I clocked the fastest time
of the day for the team, coming in at 40 minutes, 45 seconds. For the Winter Park
team competition, Colorado Single Track/Esurance Team 1 is in 2nd place, just
5 points behind first!

Next weekend, our Mountain States Cup crew journeys to Crested Butte, Colorado
for the Wildflower Rush, stop number 4 of the Mountain States Cup.

6.13.09 Winter Park Race Series – Winter Park, Colorado

Today is the beginning of the Winter Park Race Series. The series kicks off
with a 5-mile hill climb from the base area in Winter Park to the top of the mountain,
at just over 11,000 feet in elevation. Team Colorado Single Track will have 2 teams
competing in the team competition this year, with 15 riders total. The following
weekend of June 20th is the fourth stop of the Mountain States Cup, in Crested Butte,
Colorado. Stay tuned!

6.07-09.09 Teva Mountain Games – Vail, Colorado

This weekend, Gary Kuntz and I traveled to Vail, Colorado for the 6th Annual
Teva Mountain Games. The course consisted of some pitchy climbs and big, technical,
fast descents through root-heavy aspen groves. After an enormous turnout (almost
80 registered CAT 1/Expert riders) and a mass start, Gary and I both came
away with middle-of-the-pack finishes.

5.31.09 Mountain States Cup – New Mexico

The month of May wrapped up with members from the team traveling to Angel Fire,
New Mexico to compete in the third stop of the regional Mountain States Cup, known
as the Chile Challenge. This big mountain course is in its 21st consecutive year,
and is now a part of the international mountain bike racing calendar.

Doug Meegan continued to display his impressive early season form with a top-10
finish in both the cross country and short track events. Barry Wiebe brought home
a top 10 in the short track as well. After placing 15th in a stacked Pro Men's short
track, Matt Wiebe boarded a plane and is off to Europe for 6 weeks of racing as
part of USA Cycling's under-23 development team. Matt will be kept busy racing,
training, and representing Colorado Single Track/Esurance.

5.9.09 Battle the Bear – Lakewood, CO

As part of the Denver Fat Tire Festival, this year's Battle the Bear course was fast
and furious. In a CAT 1 Men's 30-39 field with over 30 entrants, I was excited to
finish 8th. Jeff Smith finished 12th in the CAT 2 30-39, and Brent Eggers brought
home a 4th-place finish in the Beginner Men's 40+ category.

Next up for the team: Angel Fire, New Mexico, the 3rd stop in the Mountain States
Cup, on May 22. June 4-7 brings the Teva Mountain Games to Vail, and on
June 13, the Winter Park Mountain Bike Series kicks off with the Hill Climb.

Thank you for your continued support of Team Colorado Single Track Racing
during our 2009 race season!

5.1.09-5.3.09 Chalk Creek Stampede – Nathrop, CO

Doug continued his strong early season form with a 3rd place-finish in the Cross
Country, while Quade Jander brought home 4th place and Lou Supino finished in
3rd. In Sunday's Short Track, Matt Wiebe finished a very strong 6th in the Pro
Men's field. Our CAT 1 racers also finished strong with Barry Wiebe finishing
4th, and Doug Meegan bringing home the top spot with another win.

4.17.09-4.19.09 Rabbit Valley Rally – Fruita, CO

Doug Meegan kicked off our race season in spectacular fashion, winning the
Series Prologue (Time Trial) and coming in a respectable 11th in the following
day's Cross Country race.