Michigan day 2

All I can say about the second day of Michigan Double Cross is Robert is the man. Robert started off racing the junior race on the first day but bumped up into the B's for the second day. Robert almost got the hole shot in the beginning of the B race but was still in fourth place into the first corner. Robert looked awesome during the whole race and ended up finishing tenth in a wicked fast finishing sprint with another racer. Awesome job Robert and it's going to be fun watching him throughout the rest of the season.

I raced the pro,1,2 race again and there were more racers on the second day than the day before. I finished in 12th place the first day and I was hoping to finish better the second day. I had a great start. I was in fifth place for the majority of the first lap and top ten for the next lap. After the first couple laps, the field started splitting up and I found myself with the same group of guys that I raced with the day before. This time, there were four of us instead of three of us. On the second to the last lap, I took the barriers as fast as I could and then attack afterwards. My plan worked and I broke away from two of the riders that were in our group. I ended up finishing 13th, but I was very happy in not getting lapped by top guys in the race. Matt had another dominating race and finished 5th. The day before, he finished 4th. Awesome weekend Matt. I was really happy with my performance this weekend and I'm very excited for UCI Cincinnati in two weeks.

Julie finished 4th in the Elite Women's field, Rudy won overall in the Masters 45+, Nate finished top ten in the Masters 35+. Dad took 6th in the Masters 45+ and looked even faster than the day before. Lots of competition in the Masters 45+, who caught the Masters 35+ right in the beginning, and they started 30 seconds apart. So that shows how fast that race was. It was great watching my Dad and the team race so good this weekend. This is what I love about cyclocross.

Michigan Double Cross day 1

Today was the first race in the Tailwind Michigan Double Cross race. Last year, it was a UCI event, but this year it wasn't. The course was in the infield of a race-car track. There were around 4 dismounts during the race including two sets of barriers, a sandy/gravel part, and the 'ORANGE CRUSH', which was a big orange flyover with steep steps and a fast down ramp. To start it off, Robert raced the Junior 15-18 race and had a little bit of bad luck at the start of the race, but regained his composure and finished strong. Tomorrow he is racing the B field which consist of Cat 2,3,4 racers. I raced the pro 1,2 race and it was one of the hardest cyclocross races I have ever done. It started off super fast, and didn't slow down a bit. I was in a group of three throughout the whole race; battling back and forth. But, around the middle of race, I felt like I hit the wall a little bit. After the next couple of laps, I regained my strength back and raced strong throughout the rest of the race. I finished in 12th place. I was pretty happy with my finish but I felt like I didn't race like I usually do today, so hopefully I will have better legs tomorrow. Congrats goes out to Matt Weeks for another awesome race. He was in the front the whole time and finished 4th. Lets keep it up for tomorrow!

The Master's race and the Women's field was stacked. Nate Loman was in the in the 35+ race and Dad and Rudy were in the 45+ race. Like always, it started off wicked fast and didn't let up at all. Julie had a stacked women's field as well. Dad looked great throughout the whole race. In my opinion, I think this was one of his best races he has done in cyclocross. It was very fun watching and cheering him on. Dad ended up finishing 5th in the Masters 45+. Awesome job Pops. Julie finished 3rd in the women's field. Nate finished strong and Rudy finished great, despite the front flat tire he had right at the last two laps of the race. TLE looked great today and can't wait for tomorrow.

Belated Wendy

Sunday was our first race of the Bike Authority series. Wendy Park is the perfect venue for a cyclocross race and what a race it was. Started setting up the course on Saturday, and finished Sunday morning before the race. It was definitely a faster course this year and less flats. Total amount of racers:146-our biggest yet

The A race took off like a bat outa' hell. It was mayhem to the first corner. I felt really good and I was in the front of the group. Matt Weeks formed an early gap and was gone. Soon in the first lap, I found myself with a group of six and we already had a gap on the others. In this pack was Shawn Adams, Mike Mihalik, Gerry Pflug, Ernie, and two other racers. I was feeling really good during the first couple laps. About halfway through the race, my shifter to my rear derailleur broke, so I was spinning like crazy to try and stay with the group I was in. After another lap, I just couldn't stay with them because they were downshifting and taking off on the pier section, and I couldn't downshift so I dropped back a little bit. I felt great though throughout the whole race and I finished 8th out of a lot of A racers. Dad looked awesome. I saw him a few times on the course and he looked really strong. He finished in the 27th spot. I was really surprised that my Dad and I didn't get a flat this year. Last year we both had three flats each. Great day and great race. Congrats goes out to Matt for taking the overall win. Robert had a great race, finishing 8th in the HUGE B field. Julie finished 3rd in the Women's.

This weekend is Michigan Double cross. I'm pumped.

Miller Paul Marut 5k

Today was the third annual Miller Paul Marut 5k running race. It is a fundraiser for my baby cousin that passed away 4 years ago. My Uncle Jeff and Aunt Jen organized this race, and wow, was it great. There was over 300 people who pre-registered and there were more people who came for same day registration, so there was close to 400 runners in the whole thing! That is a record in Concord Twp. history. The 5k course is great going out because it is all downhill. But exactly at the turn around mark, it is uphill which was going to be very challenging.

When the gun went off at the start, I took off and got the whole shot. Right away, I had a gap on the bunch of racers behind. I felt great when I passed the first mile mark. My first mile was a 5:12. At the mile and a half marker, I heard footsteps behind me and soon after that, a runner passed me and was gone. I tried staying with him, but his pace was flyin'. At the two mile mark, Nick was standing there calling out the times, and he said that I was at 11:21. Wow. I'm really feeling good at this point. After the two mile mark, it was a long gradual hill until the finish line. I really pushed myself to my limit to stay in second place. After the long hill, I came across the finish line in second place with a time of 17:55 for a hilly 5k. I was very glad that since my family organized this race, I finished second and first in my age group. Also, in top spots where Dad and Uncle Scott. They both finished first in their age groups and both had a time in the low 19 minutes. They finished 5th and 6th. Dad said that 5k course was the hardest he has ever raced in. Aunt Carrie raced and finished great, as always. My two little cousins, Brock and Jake also raced and ran awesome. I think we should have a family training run coming up here pretty soon. Now we are ready for some good ol' eatin' at my Aunt's pig roast! Can't wait. Next week is Wendy Park. I can't wait for that either. Bring it on.