#xcrace

New upload: 2021 Swiss Epic Stage 2 | XC Race POV. Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/HfnnByxemdc

Here's a race from the 2019 season I had not published yet. Sea Otter Classic was the 3rd UCI Elite race for Josh and me that year after the Vail Lake and Bonelli Park US Cups. We did the long one-lap course which was a first for me. I was riding blind discovering the trails as we raced. What a blast! The trail network is amazing there just next to the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca track. That day both Josh and I had mechanical issues. His crank came loose and I had a pedal strike that jammed my chain in the crank. But we were both able to finish; Not last!

This time, at race #5, I tried the rock-roll line I used to always ride around, and it's a fun feature! I also tried to stay on Gavin and Julien's wheel at the start just for fun, but I couldn't hold the 500W I needed for that long. I need to work more on my 2-minute power. Because I had to fall back on my endurance pace which I have for days. It's just not the right tool in a race that lasts under 60 minutes. Still, that was good for 5th place and currently sitting in 2nd place overall with one race to go.

I know it sounds annoyingly cliché, but the year 2021 is one where I raised the bar for myself, and that was utterly crucial to me. It seemed like I had been battling a headwind for too long —sometimes thinking of giving up—that I absolutely needed to crush my limits. And holy cow, did I smash them.

I completed my first entire season of XC Marathon, five races with double the Olympic distance. Then leveled up to Ultra Marathon training with back-to-back epic rides, one of which was the 212 km of the Belgian Waffle Ride. All that to prepare for one of the most demanding races in our sport: the Swiss Epic.

It scared me a lot. It was brutal. But with the help of my teammate Peter Wilson, we conquered the Alps! What used to be one challenging race distance, now we could do it five days in a row.

So 2021 is a year I'm proud of. Not just for the cycling part, but also how I applied the same mindset to every aspect of my life.

Southridge Winter Series Race #2 video is up! Watch here → https://youtu.be/BbvegVTrntY