November is usually the time in the racing season to start to reflect upon how things are going. It’s also the time of the season where you want things to “click” and really be coming together nicely in preparation for the next 6-8 weeks before Nationals. As I am looking back on the last eight weeks of racing, I can definitely say that I am feeling stronger and more comfortable racing harder this season. I can also say the competition just keeps getting faster and for some unseen reason I keep running into a bit of bad luck. So, despite my improvements, my results are not where I would like them and I’d like to shake the little black cloud now, please.

We left a very mild, rainy Boston and arrived in Louisville late on Thursday evening to chilly temperatures and dry air. It was a bit of a surprise to have it so chilly, but the weekend forecast looked mild and dry. Too bad for me as I was looking for some mud to race in because I have only had one muddy race so far this season!

Friday morning we ran our errands to the grocery store and then headed to the venue for a pre ride. By this time I was feeling some of the telltale signs of a head cold coming on, but thought if I just ignored it, it might go away until after the racing was over.

Getting to the venue the day before the races is a really nice thing to do when we can. Not only do I get the oppotunity to see the course with very little obstruction, but we also get to catch up with our cyclocross family. It’s always good to see SRAM Neutral Race Support super-mechanic and good friend Jose and his daughter Piera.

Despite my pre-cold omens, I felt pretty good on the pre ride.  The course would be fast, technical in some sections and promised to be a real fight in the stacked 50-plus-rider field.

That night we headed out to a new vegetarian restaurant, Roots. We had been to another restaurant by the same owner in years past and the new place was delicious Asian food with in-house made fresh tofu.

At the table next to us we struck up a conversation a fantastic guy named LaMarr visiting from Baltimore.  We had a great night sharing stories of our vegetarian travels.  LaMarr is the president and founder of an amazing organization, the Urban Leadership Institute, a social enterprise based in Baltimore, Maryland. ULI aims to empower youth and adults to create and launch their own enterprises, and through these enterprises, to take greater responsibility for their lives and communities.  Take a minute and check it out.  Great people doing great things.

The morning of the race , I knew I was fighting a cold but still was feeling OK on the bike during my warm up. However, after the first lap of the race when I had begun to dig deep, my energy tank was feeling pretty empty. I started to fade back several spots. My legs were achy and sore and despite a good nights sleep, I was feeling tired. I gave it everything I had but was never really able to dig deep, finishing a disappointing 18th place.

That night I took a hot bath, drank a lot of fluids and made dinner at home. I emailed my coach to let him know that I was under the weather and we decided to play the next day by ear and see how I felt.

If I were at home, I would have skipped training in favor of resting, but being at the race venue and coming all that way meant that I would toe the line and at least give some representation to my fantastic sponsors who make it possible for me to do this! Huge thanks to Bob’s Red Mill and Seven Cycles!

Despite a mostly sleepless night, I started the race and had a very good position into the first technical sections. I was able to stay in a decent spot for one lap but quickly faded again. Into the second lap I knew there was very little benefit to continue the race and would only be disappointed that I was unable to give it an honest effort, so I pulled the plug. I headed back to the car to blow my nose for the 100th time, to get some fluids and rest.

I was able to walk around and spectate the men’s race while Matt worked with the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld team.  I took a handful of photos and watched the lines the men took at the trickier sections.  As the race started to wind down, I was getting a bit feverish.  I knew I had made the right call to end my race early.

That night we packed up and had another nice dinner at home before heading out to the movies. It’s something we always say we’ll do when we are at the races, but it’s the first time we actually did it! It was quite a nice way to wrap up an otherwise crappy weekend.

Back at home, I took a sick day from work and rested as much as possible and by mid week, I’m feeling close to 100%.  I’ll have this coming weekend off from racing and I’m excited for a little family get together at my sister’s house. Matt will be attending his first RAAM conference in NYC…stay tuned for more details on his next HUGE adventure!

I love music. As I kid, when the New England weather was really crappy, I roller skated in my basement to Diana Ross and spun awesome 80s hits on my record player. I made mix tapes in high school and college and decorated the tape covers. Now I download music, burn CDs and make monthly playlists.

Listening to music gets my legs spinning and gets me psyched to race! Music also helps me keep what’s left of my sanity when I’m stuck inside riding Mr. Trainer or the rollers when it’s 20 below and snowing outside.

November 2011 playlist:

• Intro: The XX
• Arrow: Tegan and Sara
• Ageless Beauty: Stars
• Kids: MGMT
• Sick Muse: Metric
• Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough: Michael Jackson
• Hidden Track: Scissor Sisters
• Gold Guns Girls: Metric
• Ursula 1000-Disko Tech: Ursula 1000
• Where Does the Good Go: Tegan and Sara
• All Fired Up: Pat Benatar (she’s making a comeback, btw)
• Galang, M.I.A.

Looking for new music? John Richards’ Morning Show on KEXP is a must listen; NPR’s All Songs Considered features live concerts, new artists and old favorites; and Pandora’s Funk station is super fun, especially at dance parties.

Tune in to music—it’s good for your soul.

If you ask me there is no more fun version of bike racing to watch than cyclocross.  Road racing is great if you’re an aficionado or have a really long time to sit in front of the television.  But cross?  Cross is pure magic bike racing fun.  And most likely it’s happening in a park near you all fall long.

What do you need to have a super duper spectator experience?

Boots.  Splendid, warm boots to keep your toes toasty when you are stomping around in the mud and rain.  The cyclocross boot of choice is the Wellington.  Nice tall waterproof rubber boots.  Pick em in traditional hunter green for a classic look or something a bit more colorful if you’re looking to make a statement.  When it’s truly cold and wet look for chemical warmers to put in your wellie’s first.  The racers may be mud-covered and hypothermic but your feet will be nice and warm!  Boots should be worn with a puffy jacket, wool socks and preferably something waterproof.  A hat with a frog on it is always the right accessory.

Cowbell. Cross is about noise. Clanging cowbells to encourage riders up slippery run-ups.  Cowbell to encourage riders up off the ground when they tumble in the mud.  If playing in the mud makes us all feel like kids again then making a ton of noise just adds to the fun.   And of course more cowbell…well just because we all need more cowbell. (Watch how much these cows love their cowbell.)

Quality taunts and heckles.   One of the most fun ways to watch cross is to stake out your territory on the course – preferably at a run up or barrier section and watch the action lap after lap.  After a lap or two you’ll recognize the riders and it’s important to taunt them for encouragement.  See a rider with longish hair ripping the legs off the field?  Perhaps start a chant of HIGLANDER every time he comes through.  Believe me, it helps!

A STANLEY Vacuum bottle / mug.   They’re awesome.  You can take your Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut oats and put them in your trusty STANLEY with hot water the night before the race and voila!  in the morning oats are ready.  Take ‘em on the go and you’ve got a hot breakfast to keep you warm at the races and you’ll be there on time.   Once the oatmeal is done, rinse that bad boy out, fill it with hot coffee and you’ve got hot beverages all day until you are ready to….

…Switch to Beer.  Beer is an essential element of the cross spectator experience.  And no crappy light beers allowed.  Cross is Belgian in tradition – and those Belgians do NOT drink Michelob Ultra.  Find yourself  your favorite tasty Belgian quaff and enjoy.  Just make sure you shut it down in time to get yourself home responsibly.  No wonder this is the most fun type of cycling to watch.

So now you’re armed.  Your belly is full of oats, your feet are warm, you’ve had a few beers and your pity taunts and heckles are at the ready.  You’ve staked out the action during the amateur racing.  It’s time to watch the pros.   Oh.  They’re faster.  Much faster.  And there is a ton of action to catch.  Time for your workout.  Stake out a spot near the first turn – the holeshot.  Watch the mayhem as the riders fight to make it through the turn first AND upright.  Then it’s time to book it to the first interesting course element.  Barrier section?  Run up?  Sand pits?   Race across the course in time to see the race action come through.  Hang out.  Drink a beer there.  Hear a ton of noise coming from elsewhere ?  Time to head in that direction.

…insert serious race talk here… please, please cross the course in pursuit of exciting race action at the pre-determined official course crossings.   They’re there for your safety and the safety of the people racing.  Nobody wants to get clobbered by a racer who runs them over because they’re crossing the course where they shouldn’t….

Check out the next section and the next.  Watching cross is active, kinetic.  You get to run around and check out all the interesting, fun, technical or tactical sections.  Or at the very least, the sections where people fall down a lot.  Have fun.

Suddenly you’ll hear a bell.   If you’re at one of my races you’ll hear ONE TO GO ONE TO GO ONE TO GO.  Time to head to the finish line.   Cheer like mad and ring your cowbell when the mud covered winner comes down the finishing straight.

So. Much. Fun.

And remember:

As I sit here typing this post season report, it is early November (sorry for blowing my deadline, oops) It’s hard to imagine that just two months ago I won my 10^th IL State time trial championship with an average speed over the 33 kilometer course of 28.7 miles per hour.  And then the following week, I teamed up with 3 team mates to compete in a 4 person team time trial of 55 kilometers and we averaged over 30 mph!

I did a 100k ride on Saturday and ran into a racing friend out on the route.  We were riding along at around 18-22 mph and it was genuinely a struggle at times!  It’s amazing how quickly competitive form is lost.  I find it difficult to reflect on the season past without wondering if I’ll ever be able to make a bike go fast again next season or was this the last year that I’ll win a race?

I generally struggle through the winters.  Living in Chicago makes it tough to get much training in other than what I can do indoors.  So, moored to my trainer, I play music sets that I saved from my days as an indoor cycling instructor at fitness club trying to pass the hours pretending I’m not on a trainer in the basement.  Last winter was a record year for snowfall in Chicago.  I get my upper body off season strength training by shoveling snow.  This photo of the alley behind my home will give you an idea.  The city doesn’t plow the alleys so I and the neighbors had to shovel and snow blow the alley just to be able to get our cars out of the garages.  It took 3 days.

At some point in January, I’ve generally had all I can take of indoor training and snow shoveling so I make travel arrangements to head to warmer weather.  I’m fortunate to have a good friend and former team mate as well as my bicycle sponsor Leader Bicycles in San Diego.  Between the two I can generally get lodging and food while I ride my bike up and down the coast and in the inland mountains.  In March I go back out to California.  This season, my March trip was to Ventura where my brother lives.  I was able to log over 600 miles and 30 hours of bike time in 6 days of riding and was beginning to feel like a bike racer rather than a pasty, chubby, Midwestern shut in.

The racing in the Midwest starts in March, but I generally skip the early season races unless the weather is good.  We had an absolutely miserable spring so I wasn’t racing.  Something about racing in two layers of tights, thermal jackets and wearing a balaclava under my helmet is less than appealing.

My racing started in April with a road race in the St Louis area in Southern IL.  My early season training paid off and I was able to break away with 21 time national champion on the track Curtis Tolson and another rider.  We built a good time gap and I finished 2^nd.  A week later I won another tough road race in brutal weather conditions.  It was a good start.

After those two races, my season went into shut down mode as I promote a race weekend in my home town of Champaign and a two person time trial in May.  Those events require a good deal of planning and my ability and time to race was greatly diminished.  Those races were quite successful but my racing fitness was shot.  I am a guy that in addition to training, I need to race a lot to be sharp.  Add in more off time with a Memorial Day weekend vacation with my lovely wife and dog and a graduation ceremony for a daughter who had earned a Masters degree in Education and well, you can see I wasn’t getting much racing in.  In June, I was able to ride to a 3^rd place in the Illinois state road championship which was won by a team mate of mine but I never felt really on top of things.  Then, it was back to off the racing scene with another daughter marrying in June.  Mind, you these are diversions from racing of the best kind and I am so proud of my girls.

I was finally able to get back to racing regularly in July, doing 10 days of the International Cycling Classic in Illinois and Wisconsin.  My best race was a 4^th place finish at the Evanston Grand Prix criterium.

Photo @ Josh Dreyfus

The last week of July, I did RAGBRAI for the first time.  It was a blast to do this and believe it or not, it was one of the best training weeks of my life!  Something about sleep deprivation combined with alcohol abuse and heavy miles for a solid week leaves the body stronger after a week of rehab

In August I won the IL State road race sanctioned by American Bicycle Racing had good finishes in a couple of Pro 1, 2 criteriums and did a 40k time trial on the road bike you see in the photo and rolled a time of 54:06.  This indicated to me that I was on what we call diamond legs.

In September I set the course record and won the state time trial championship and that put a good bookend on the season.  Since then I’ve been playing more golf that riding. So, here it is November again. I wonder when the snow will begin…

This gluten-free cranberry bread is made with yogurt instead of oil and is sweetened with honey and orange zest. Wouldn’t this make a lovely breakfast for Thanksgiving?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Walnuts
• 1-¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Almond Meal
• ¼ cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Bob’s Red Mill Xanthan Gum
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 2 Eggs
• ½ cup Nonfat Organic Yogurt (plain or vanilla)
• 2 Tbsp Honey (I use Sweet Caroline’s)
• 1 tsp gluten free Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tbsp finely grated Orange Zest
• 1-½ cup Cranberries (dried or fresh)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Spread walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in over for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Remove; coarsely chop.

Prepare a bread pan or muffin tin*.

In a medium bowl combine flour, almond meal, brown sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. In a medium bowl or Kitchen Aid, mix (using flat beater attachment) eggs, yogurt, vanilla, orange zest; add dry ingredients. Combine. Add cranberries and toasted walnuts. Combine.

Pour the batter into prepared baking pans or muffin tin and bake for about 1 hour, until sides pull away from edges of the pans, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm. Share with your friends, family and training partners.

*Muffins are great real food snacks for training rides and fit perfectly in your jersey pocket.

Adapted from a recipe in Real Simple, November 2011.

Has another racing season really come and gone already? I can’t believe that I am sitting here at my computer, looking out the window at the snow falling, while thinking back on the 2011 road racing season.

It all happened so fast – I was competing at the Cyclocross World Championships in St Wendel, Germany on Jan 30. Two and a half weeks later I was at training camp with Team TIBCO in Carpinteria, CA. Whoa. A week after camp I was in Washington DC wearing my cycling advocacy hat at the National Bike Summit. Three weeks later the racing season was underway at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

I chuckle to myself when I think of the number of times I have raced Redlands. I smile when I think of all the different families I have stayed with and continue to look forward to seeing year after year. I think of how the race has changed from ten years ago when it was a 6-day event to the 4-day event that it is now. I can remember numerous courses that have come and gone, some that I wish were still in existence, but the two that have always remained the same are the downtown criterium and the Sunset circuit race – two of the hardest races on the calendar all year.

April was a big racing month – Redlands, Sunny King, Sea Otter and SRAM Tour of the Gila. It was a good month of racing in regards to the races themselves, but it was a tough one for the team. Several of our top riders, Ali Powers, Erinne Willock and Carmen Small, were home nursing injuries. As our team leaders, they left a big gap to fill. Luckily the rest of the team was up for the task. We raced hard. We didn’t get the results we wanted, but we didn’t give up either.

May – Joe Martin and Tour de Grove. The team got a win at Joe Martin and we cleaned up at Tour de Grove. We were happy for sure.

June was another huge month of racing. We were at the Liberty Classic in Philly, Clarendon in Washington DC, Nature Valley Grand Prix in MN, and US Road Nationals in GA. Junes was a mixed bag of emotions and results. We had good days, races that went well but didn’t yield the final result we wanted. And we had bad days. Races that just went wrong, days when we just didn’t click. But, that’s bike racing. Things don’t always go your way, but when they do it’s magic.

What I remember most about July is how little I was home. About 5 days total. It was a loooong month on the road. I was all over the place. We started with Tour de ‘Toona, a race that once had been a premier stage race and was now resurrecting itself from a three year hiatus. I was happy to be back in Altoona, PA. From there I went to Sun Valley, ID with my husband, Ben, to support him at US MTB Nationals. And maybe I snuck in a little time on my mtn bike, too. Next thing I knew I was in Bend, my home away from home, for Cascade, one of my favorite races all year. Bend is where I won road nationals. I’ve had some notable cross results there, too, so Bend has a special place in my heart. The team’s results at Cascade were good, not great. We could have done better and we knew it.

The last race of the month and the last race of the season for me was the Presbyterian Classic in Charlotte. It’s a prestigious criterium with a lot of money on the line. My teammates and I did everything we could to get that result that had been eluding us all season, that one BIG result. We didn’t get it.

We may not have gotten a big result, but we did take something meaningful home with us. The day before the race we visited the pediatric cancer ward at the Presbyterian Hospital where we visited with several inspirational, courageous and tenacious kids who may have been sick but didn’t want us to know it. They smiled when they met us. They wanted to watch the bike race. They enjoyed our company. For a little while, hopefully, their sickness was forgotten.

The road season was over. My race season was not. Cross season was a month and a half away. I had a couple weeks off the bike completely, a few weeks on the mtn bike and then before I could say ‘boo’ I was lining up for the first cross race of the season – CrossVegas. But that’s another story…

After returning from the Czech Republic, we decided to take the following weekend off from racing to tackle the chest high laundry pile, get back to my clients and get Matt back into the lab! We had a freak snowstorm over that weekend which meant that there would be really muddy racing in New Jersey. I was torn about taking the weekend off but stuck to it and enjoyed a little downtime and some solid training without getting in a moving vehicle.

The next race I had lined up was the CycleSmart International, part of the Shimano New England Pro Cyclocross Series in Northampton, MA. Northampton had received about 20 inches of snow in the Sunday storm, but I knew by the following Saturday it would be gone. In the 21 year history of the CSI race, it has never rained and it has always been an especially fast, flat race course.

When the weekend arrived, it was sunny, warm and dry. I was ready for some very fast, dynamic pack-style racing, much like a crit, but on grass!

As expected, when we arrived on Saturday morning, all traces of snow had disappeared.  The Nor’easter that clobbered Northampton a week prior was a distant memory.  After I took my customary course inspection, we packed up the mud tires and got my go-to dry condition tires, the Challenge Griffos, ready to go.

I had a good start to the race, mixing it up with the top three riders right off the line.  Unfortunately, I ended up taking a corner a little too tight and clipped my pedal resulting in what was more of a stumble than a crash.

In doing so, I knocked the chain off of the chainring and fumbled for a while to get it back on.  This seemed to take forever. By the time I got it back on I was almost last.  The front of the race was long gone and I would really have to dig deep if I wanted to salvage my race.

The course was already super fast and a pack of five racers was on the front driving the pace. I was able to move up several spots each lap and finally made my way to 9th place by the finish.  I had used up a bit more energy than I would have liked given there was still a second day of racing ahead.

Rather than stay in Northampton for what always seems like a lousy nights’ sleep, we headed back to Boston for the launch of the 2012 Seven Cycles bicycle line.  Matt gave the Mo-Honey a quick wash and we delivered it to the party so all could gawk at it.  Seven dropped the 2012 catalog that night as well.  Like the bikes they make, the catalog is a work of art.

There are a bunch of great pictures of Matt from the Green Mountain Double Century and some of me on my Mudhoney.  You can get a catalog of your own by visiting the Ride Studio Café or by requesting one here.

I was resigned to having a better go of it on Sunday in Northampton.  Although there were some changes to the course from the previous day, it was still super fast and smooth racing. I had a strong start and sat in third place for a few laps.

By the third lap, there was a group of four of us chasing the leader. Although we all tried to pass one another and get a gap in the rideable sand sections, it came down to the last lap where the riders with the most power turned it up.

I finished in 5th place, just about where I expected but feeling a bit of fatigue from the previous days effort. That night Matt had a late time point in the lab so we headed to the lab for a few hours and grabbed dinner at a new local restaurant in the area to wrap up the weekend.

Among my riding friends my deep aversion to cold temperatures is well documented.  I don’t think I have ever been close to over-heating.

I like to be warm when I ride.  This of course poses a challenge come fall and winter.  So my favorite fall gear is not made of carbon fiber.  It’s made of roubaix fleece and merino wool.   Things that keep me warm and cozy as the temperatures drop.

It’s not miserable now.  But cold enough for me to worry about keeping warm especially on the longer rides.  These ¾ length bibs from Rapha rule my fall riding universe.  They’re fleecy in the legs and the bib portion comes up nice and high – giving my chest a nice extra bit of coverage.  Excellent for the cold induced asthma!  The jersey rules too…merino wool blend is the bestest for the cool temps in my book.  It keeps you toasty, it wears great and is breathes really well.  Throw on a merino hat, light gloves; windsocks and you’ve got the right gear for comfortable fall riding.

Boo.  Trainer days are here awfully early this year. On today’s playlist my fetish for 1990’s electronica reveals itself:

• Get the Party Started:  Shirley Bassey
• First Impression:  Haik Naltchayan
• Start House: Haik Naltchayan
• Monaco: Haik Naltchayan
• Love vs Hate: Gus Gus
• Bird 1:  Underworld
• Imperpetuem Mobila:  Patient Saints
• Serpent’s Fruit: The Opus
• Ignoring Pain: Haik Naltchayan
• Baptism: Crystal Castles
• Intimate: Crystal Castles
• Not Going Home:  Faithless
• Feel Me:  Faithless
• Sun to Me:  Faithless
• Dark and Long:  Underworld
• Spoonman:  Underworld
• Suburban Train:  Tiesto
• Played –A-Live:  Safri Duo
• The Rhythm of the Heat:  Peter Gabriel
• Bilko:  Peter Gabriel
• Lift Me Up:  Moby
• Love Game:  Lady Gaga
• Elements:  Danny Teneglia
• Obsidian:  Banco de Gaia
• Apollo:  Alan Parson’s Project
• Dinosaur Adventure:  Underworld
• Moaner:  Underworld
• Time’s Running Out:  Cirrus

Last week we set off to the Czech Republic for the first two World Cup races of the season. I was looking forward to the challenging race courses and the chance to compete against the toughest competition in the world. In addition to our stays at the race venues, we had booked a studio apartment in Prague and planned to spend the five days between the two races training and being tourists. It bears repeating that this trip would not have been possible without the amazing support of our sponsors. Thanks, Bob’s Red Mill ! Thanks, Seven Cycles.

We arrived in Prague a bit exhausted from lack of sleep on the overnight flight. I can’t imagine the parents or the child that cried the entire plane trip felt much better. We stumbled our way through the airport happy to have all of our luggage (two bags, two bikes, and ten wheels!) arrive safely.  We grabbed the rental car and navigated our way to the apartment we had rented.

In spite of the maze-like cobbled streets of Prague, our arrival was a smooth one.  Matt unpacked the bikes and I headed out for a quick ride.  After a little rest, we crossed the Charles Bridge for dinner at one of the many vegetarian restaurants in the city. I opted for the vegetarian take on a classic Czech goulash.

The next day, we packed the car back up and headed to Plzen or Pilsen, home of Pilsner Urquell beer and the site of the first World up race of the season.

On Saturday, we were greeted by several familiar faces as I pre-rode the course. The US had sent a full women’s roster and several men to the event and we were all able to meet up and check in with one another before the racing began. I was also lucky enough to get in a lap on the course with my old friend Tim Johnson and was thankful for the pointers he generously offered. It was going to be a tough course with a lot of pedaling and power and a few punchy hills to really work the legs.

Based on my points from the previous season, my start position was close to the back row, making for an especially tricky start.  It was going to be really tough to get into a good spot on the first lap.

Unfortunately, my start was not as strong as I would have liked and I was in the back of the group coming through the first technical sections. I avoided some crashed riders and began the chase to pass as many people as I could each lap to move into the top groups.

It’s always cool (and motivating!) to hear people cheering your name.  It’s especially cool when you’re racing in the Czech Republic and there are people cheering for you.  Partway through the race I heard someone yell, “Happy Birthday, Mo!”  It was last week. Thanks, guy!

With every passing lap, I was riding stronger and stronger. I was able to pass enough riders to get myself into 20th position by the finish. I was hoping for a top 15 and knew that I’d have to improve my start next week to get into the mix.

In between the World Cups, Matt and I stayed in Prague. Our studio apartment was in the Malá Strana section of Prague with the castle (the Hrad) looming above us each time we left the building.

Although training was a big part of my daily routine, Matt and I still managed to experience Prague by exploring a new section of the city or visiting a museum nearly every day. Highlights included Petrin Hill, the John Lennon Wall, the Kampa Museum and the Museum of Young Art.

After a full week of touring the amazing sights of Prague, training in beautiful city parks and enjoying a few surprise eateries, we headed to Tabor for the next World Cup. I had been to Tabor two years before for the World Championships when it was covered in snow and ice. This time, though, the course was dry and very fast with some leg sapping climbs. I felt confident that I could have a better start and hoped that I would have a better result come race day.

The weather had turned very cloudy and chilly for the start of the race but there wasn’t a drop of rain to be had.  The course was hard-packed and the race would be smoking fast.

Off the line I settled in the top 15 and spent the first three laps swapping places back and forth with several other riders as everyone fought for every single spot and every inch of room on the course.

With two laps to go I was leading a large group of about six riders. Everyone was pushing the pace and trying to create some time gaps. Each time one rider made an error, another one of us would take the advantage until the last lap when the pace began to pull the group apart.

I finished 18th for the day a bit disappointed to not have been able to secure a top 15 spot but pleased with my best World Cup finish to date.

Oh, by the way, apparently my ride in Tabor did not go unoticed. Colt at CyclingDirt named me the “Jump of the Week” in his weekly “Who’s #1″ cross rankings. Check out the video clip here. Thanks, Colt!