Morgan (my little brother) bunny hopping at Coach Drew's Clinic

Had a great time on Saturday at the biking clinic given by Coach Drew Edsall (Kenda/Felt). Most of the LeRoys/CycleYouth team was there and we even had a couple kids from the Super Cool Bike Shop that participated too. We all took off to Carter Rd park and hit the trails fast and furious. Coach Drew reviewed technical things with us and had us riding certain trails over and over so that we could get improve on our technical riding. Afterward, we went back to LeRoys and played some cool games and grill out. Thanks Coach Drew for all cool Kenda/Felt swag...Love it! And thanks again for taking the time to come out and work with us. 

Riding the drop on Third Finger.

Coach Drew was checking our tires and pedals. 

Going out to ride today with my dad, a couple of his friends, and Cody at Carter Rd. Feeling good and ready to go. My motto: train, train, and train some more. The weather is great and the trails are calling my name. So get out there today mtb riders and tear those trails up...I know I will! Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Markham Park

                 Markham Park was definitely a different type of race. The course was pretty awesome, with tons of technical sections and climbs with plenty of single track, all surrounded by thousands of acres of sugar cane. Thankfully, training on the even more technical course of Carter Road helps, but the trails were still pretty tough. When it came down to racing, the course was not so much fun. FSC#6 is crossed with a series known as the Coconut Cup, so there were twice as many riders. The class before my group, 40-49, had 70 riders, With all of the technical switchback and climbs, the trails got bunched up several times, causing everybody to get off of the bike and start pushing. I was gaining on first place, and at one time was 5 seconds behind him, but traffic and blocking held me up. This allowed third place, who is a great passer and racer to catch me, resulting in a sprint to the finish. At the end of the day I ended up with a third place finish. 

Getting reading to head out for my Juniors class race. 

Carter Road
                 FSC#7 was definitely my favorite race. I new the course like the back of my hand, since it is where I train. When the whistle blew I was second off the line. Before entering the woods we had to make a sharp turn. I took it wide which shot me up to the front leading everybody into the woods. Once flying through the trails and hitting the more technical trails, my coach Chris Burnett screamed that I had nearly 30 second on everybody. As I hit the road back to the trailer, there was a horrific head wind. I tried to find a fast rider to draft off of, but I was all alone. Second place was a big road rider, so he closed the gap on me on the road. I shot my gel, got some extra energy, and took off, making smaller gaps in the more technical sections. As we headed back to the trailer, I realized that he was right on my tail. I started dropping hammers, sprinting as hard as I could. The wind was horrible and he was drafting off of me. When we were about 200 yards from the finish, I hammered the pedals as hard as I possibly could, giving me a First Place Win! I'm qualified for nationals now and I am going to need to train harder and stronger than ever before. I'd like to give a shout out to my coach, Chris Burnett, and sponsor, LeRoys BikeWorks for all their hard work and support. Thanks again LeRoy for the grip shifters! And I'd like to thank my mom and dad for their time and dedication in helping me get to where I am now. 

My 1st place win at FSC #7 Carter Rd!!  Felt great to win on my home course. 

Alva
                FSC#8 was very fun. The course at Alva was extremely fast, a speed course for road riders with a few climbs and technical spots. At the beginning, I was right on the leaders butts, flying through the trails. Once we hit traffic, they shot around a rider. I called out that I was passing to the left, but when trying to pass I was pushed right into a tree. I hopped back on my bike and eventually passed the rider. I caught back up to the leaders, but when it came to turning through all of the corners, I just could not keep up. I started closing the gap, but as I hit another sandy turn, I slid out, causing my chain to fall off. As I fixed my chain, I saw fourth place fly by. I hopped back on my bike and took off. My legs were dead and my chain kept dropping, resulting in a fourth place finish. All in all it was still a good day and I had tons of fun. The course was awesome and I will definitely ride it again. Congrats to my little brother, Morgan, for his 5th place finish in the my class. Morg, you are getting fast!

Had an amazing time in FSC#3. During the solo time trial, I had an awful mechanical which bent my chain and ripped off my rear derailuer. It was very upsetting to not finish, but once it was fixed I was ready to race the next day. I had a great start, but when trying to pass one person I hit their rear wheel, causing me to fall. My chain fell off, but I caught back up to second place and passed him on the hills. My gap between first place went from 2 minutes to 20 seconds in the end. Great race and great trails.

Second lap at Haile's Trails

FSC#4 was awesome. At my second home course, Alifia, we all lined up at the start. I had a horrible start at the beginning, causing me fall back to 12th. I sprinted to front and held my place. I fell twice and once my chain fell off. When I tried to get back on, the chain fell off again. This gave the two leaders about a 1 minute gap. I soon caught up to second place, whose wheel fell off, and eventually passed him on the last trail. As I rounded the corner, I saw the leader about 20 feet ahead of me. I caught up to him ad started to save my energy for a sprint. As we rounded to corner to the finish, I heard gears clicking up. I stood up and pounded my pedals down, trying to pass Michael Mace without falling off the trail. At the end, I finished 2nd place, 1 second back from first. I had an awesome time.

FSC #4 - 1st Place Michael Mace, 2nd Place Samuel Connell, 3rd Place Troy Davis, 4th Place Dustin Zimmerman, 5th Place Ethan Audette

First and second place sprinting to the finish line!

FSC#5 was very exciting. I got to meet Andy, the owner of Cycle Youth. He taught me so many techniques and skills for racing the trails. At the race, I had a great start. I stayed behind Michael Mace and Troy Davis for a while, until I heard Michael Mace's chain fall off. I shot around him and made a gap. I had some trouble with some of the turns and hidden bumps in the trail, which gave Troy about a 30 second gap ahead of me. At the end, I finished 2nd, 30 seconds back. It turned out that this was actually Troy's home course, and Michael Mace broke his chain, causing him not to finish.

Right out of the gate at San Felasco. My brother, Morgan (#509), was really pushing and got the lead at the start. 

Sorry about not posting in a while. I've been pretty busy with school and training. FSC #1 was great. I got a third place win. The trails were amazing. It rained like crazy the day before and trails were literally underwater, but the next day, the trails were in perfect condition. I was in the lead for the longest time in the beginning of the first lap, but as climbing one of the climbs I was pushed to the outside as two other racers passed me. I followed them for a while until I was not able to pass someone. By then I was not able to catch back up. A little more experience on passing will help a lot. I'll post the link to the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXM4c9TXUSA&feature=youtu.be



FSC #2 was crazy awesome. I had another third place. I was yet again blocked by another person from my group for several minutes while my two other competitors rode off. There was no possible way I was going to catch them, but third in the state so far. If anyone as any tips on passing, feel free to comment. I has an amazing time. I can't wait until Gainesville.

FSC #2 - Fernandina Beach

FSC #2 - Fernandina Beach - what a blast! Pre-ride was great. The course flowed really well and it had a fun rocky climb. Felt really good about what I could do on Sunday. After the pre-ride, my family and the Burnett's headed to the beach for some fun in the sun. That was the best time ever! The waves were huge and kept beating us down. Did some boogey boarding and tried the skin board was didn't want to get hurt. Afterwards, we went to eat at Slidders which had awesome food. I hung out with the Burnetts and Karras' and carbed up for the race. 

Didn't get my best start race day. Michael Mace and Troy Davis shot out like rockets with Jordon Karras right behind them. I got caught behind another rider at a tight turn and it took me about a minute to make the pass. A minute might not seem long, but it can make all the difference in a bike race. Was able to pull up to 3rd before the climb and made the climb without a problem. The second lap was a problem, hit a sandy patch and crashed. Luckily, I didn't get hurt and got right back on my bike. Rode like the Devil was chasing me and crossed the finish line in a nice 3rd place. Have a better idea of what I need to work on for future races and can't wait for Gainesville - Hailes Trails!

Want to give a big shout out to Troy Davis for his first 1st place win in the FSC series!!! Congrats, bro! Congrats to Michael Mace for 2nd place, Jordon Karras for 4th place, and Dustin Zimmerman  (not picture - he was down at the beach) for 5th place. 

Another shout out to my teammate Cody Burnett for riding a great race and hitting the podium in 2nd place in the Juniors 15-18. Great job!

FSC #2 - Made the podium again - 3rd place!  

Making the climb

Hanging with my mom and Cody at the top of the climb before my wave started.

Morgan showing us all how it's done going up the climb!

Cody Burnett on the podium - 2nd place!

FSC #1 - Tallahassee

FSC#1 - Pre-ride had me worried because it rained like crazy! Wasn't sure what to expect come race time. But I was completely surprised when we got to the race and it was pretty dry. Made it out the start in 2nd and was able to pull ahead of Troy Davis (in first) and Michael Mace (in third) and maintain the lead for a good part of the first lap. Unfortunately, they got me at a turn and bumped me to third. Wasn't able to pull ahead of either of them but placed a very respectable third. Riding with Michael and Troy really pushes me to become a better rider. They are both wicked fast! Looking forward to FSC#2 in Fernandina Beach. 

Congrats to my CycleYouth/LeRoys teammates for making the podium:  Cody Burnett - 3rd place Juniors 15-18, Adam Cohen - 5th place Juniors 15-18, Jordon Karras - 4th place Juniors 11-14, Ethan Audette - 5th place Juniors 11-14, and Madison McDaniel 5th place Women's Base. All of the CycleYouth/LeRoys riders did a great job! Congrats to my brother, Morgan, who rode a great race!

Crossing the creek

Out of the start gate - Troy Davis in the lead, me, and then Michael Mace 

Teammate Adam Cohen - Juniors 15-18

Teammate Cody Burnett - Juniors 15-18 3rd Place

My brother Morgan - riding like a pro!

Morgan out of the gate

Teammate Jordon Karras - Juniors 11-14 4th Place

Teammate Madison McDaniel - Women's Base 5th Place. Watch out all you female bikers, keep your eye on Madison - she is a tough competitor!

Podium!  Pulled out 3rd place. Michael Mace 1st, Troy Davis 2nd, Jordon Karras 4th, and Ethan Audette 5th. CycleYouth/LeRoys went three deep on the podium in Juniors 11-14!

Great race yesterday in Gainesville, the 8 hours of Labor (San Felasco)...and the name was no joke!  Our team was great: me, Cody Burnett and Chris Burnett. Was a tough race, lots of expert and pro racers, but what a great experience! The day started out hot and then got rainy and humid.  It didn't stop us and in the end we managed to pull out a strong 10th place! The highlight of the day was meeting Tinker Juarez, what an awesome rider! Each race gives me more experience and confidence to dig in deep and show everyone what I'm made of. 

Looking forward to the first FSC race next weekend in Tallahassee. CycleYouth/LeRoys has a strong team and we are ready for some action. Super pumped up! As always, I want to say thank you to everyone that has helped my along in my journey:  my parents, LeRoy (LeRoy's Bike Works), my coach Chris Burnett, my other mother Christie Burnett, and all my teammates. 

Meeting the infamous Tinker Juarez!!!!

The up and comers: Shelby, Morgan (my little brother) and Adrian

On the front line: me, Jordan Karras, Michael Mace and Tinker Juarez!

A Le Mans start

Morgan pulled out First Place in his race!

Me and Michael Mace on the first lap

Strategizing.....

Our ride at Alifia. I'm the second to the right. First man is Stephen Karras. Second is Morgan Connell. Then Cody Burnett, Shelby Burnett, Jared Coker, Frank Coker, David Jones, Jordon Karras, and Chris Burnett.

Yesterday at Alifia was awesome. We pre-rode the FSC course. The course is pretty technical due to all of the rain. Some parts were very sketchy, but most of the trails were OK. We had our maintenance day at the shop. Had to get a new Hawk Racing BB30 bottom bracket. Smoothest bottom bracket ever. Absolutely recommend it.

Typical Saturday

Just another Saturday. Really itching to ride today, so I talked my mom into doing a little road ride. Had a great time riding with her! Pushed out 21 miles and was smooth and fast going up Hayter Hill. Finished up the ride and went on in to work at LeRoys. My life is exceptionally good! Thanks to my God and my family for the perfect life!

When life gives you lemons...make lemonade. The trails are too wet to ride so I figured today would be a great day to detail my bike. Maybe a little road ride later when it cools down a little bit. 

Got a road ride in at FlatWoods in Tampa today with my dad, brother, and Rick Roebuck and his son Jacob. Rick and I made it 40 miles at a pretty good pace. For 30 miles our average was 22mph. I turned off my garmin after for a slow recovery ride for about 10 miles. Had an amazing time.

Training last Thursday was pretty fun. We didn't really kill it at Carter Road, but we a ton of recently fixed technical trails. Only managed to ride about 10 miles, but it was a lot of fun. We found several new lines on trails that were much harder and faster. If you ever want to view my rides, follow me on strava by searching Samuel Connell.

Finishing the first lap with a little fun!

This guy was pretty cool. He played music while he was riding. We came down the drop on the Beast and I heard a loud crash behind me. As I came to the end of the dirt road, he asked me if I heard him crash. It was pretty funny.

LeRoy's Bikeworks

6935 South Carter Road, Lakeland, Fl 33813

If you are looking for a good quality bike or just need your bike repaired, check out LeRoy's Bikeworks. Honest and trustworthy, LeRoy and his team will get you on the bike of your dreams or make your favorite bike even better! Check LeRoy's shop for all your bike needs.

    Today I'm riding Carter Road Mountain Bike Trails with my dad and brother. We're getting pumped for the FSC series.

On Cruddy Buddy at Carter Rd.

Trail to Trail race 2012 Second finger drop