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12 HOURS OF TSALI - BRYSON CITY, NORTH CAROLINA

TEAM TOPEAK/ERGON/HONEY STINGER

The team and Eddie O'Dea at the pre-ride

What a weekend! Drove from Lakeland, Florida to Bryson City, North Carolina to compete in the 12 Hours of Tsali. I was chosen to ride for Team Topeak/Ergon/Honey Stinger under the coaching of Eddie and Namrita O'Dea. We got together on Friday for a pre-ride and so everyone could meet each other. My team consisted of myself, Elliot Baring from Georgia, Carter Anderson from Georgia, and Kathrine Santos from Kentucy - all juniors. The O'Dea's provided us with Ergon grips, saddle, and gloves, and nutritional items from Honey Stinger. I couldn't wait to put my new Ergon GS2 grips on my bike because I knew they would be very helpful in the climbs. The weather was great and the pre-ride gave me a chance to get accustomed to the Tsali trails. I was nervous about the initial climb because I had heard that it was pretty intense, but fortunately it was not as bad as I had anticipated. The trails were still a little wet and muddy from rains earlier in the week, but it was still good and we all felt pretty strong. I was told this was a roadie ride and with all the climbs and long downhills I would have to agree. After some team strategizing we all headed back to our hotels and campsites to rest up for the next day's race. 

Waiting to start my first lap

Well, the forecast for the day of the race was 60% chance of rain and I was praying really hard that it would totally pass us by. We woke up to pretty clear skies and nice conditions. I was feeling very hopeful that my prayers were going to be answered. We got out to the race staging area early and it was getting busy. Eddie and Namrita were already there getting everything ready for us. They were going to be our pit crew. The team line up was: Eliott, me, Carter, and then Katerine. The race was a LaMans start up that initial climb and Elliot raced up that incline like it was nothing! While Eliot was out on the course the rest of the team was getting ready, resting, and having their bikes looked over by Eddie. When Elliot came thru the transition I was ready. I hit the first climb hard, but not too hard so I didn't burn myself out. After making it up that first climb (made easier by my GS2 grips!) I settled into my race pace and hammered it in the downhills. I feeling strong and pedaling hard to make pull out a 47 minute lap time for 11 miles. The transition with Carter went smoothly. Both Carter and Katherine made great times also. We were fighting for the second place spot at this point. My second lap was pretty uneventful.

My first lap - 11 miles - and I felt strong

Then the skies opened up on us. At about the halfway mark of the race the darkening skies let out some heavy rain. I didn't think it would ever end and I knew that my lap was coming up soon. The outside temperature had dropped and I was not looking forward to being cold and wet. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain as I made my way out on my third lap. I was freezing and I felt so much slower than my other laps. The mud seemed to be completely swallowing my tires and every pedal stroke I took made it seem like my back tire was spinning out. The climbs were even more ridiculous and due to the slick clay I was forced off my bike to push it up the most steep climbs.The rain and mud was in my face and it made it difficult to see the course. Toward the end of my lap the rain had pretty much stopped and I finished covered in mud. My time wasn't great, but I made it without any crashes/injuries...better to play it safe in those types of conditions. I was able to make to the warm shower in the campground and started to feel like I was thawing out when Elliot told me he did not want to do another lap. I was going to have to do the final lap and it had started to rain again. I was not looking forward to it now that I was nice and warm. But if that is what I needed to do, then I was in. The rain continued and as Katherine went out for her third lap Dave Berger announced that due to the rain and trail conditions the race would be cut by 1 1/2 hours. Racers out on the course would need to be back by 8:30. I have to admit, I was pretty happy that I didn't have to go back out on that cold, wet, muddy trail! Throughout the race we battled it out for second place with an expert men's team. Our final place: 3rd place Sport class!! I must say I was pretty darn proud of team and how strong we were. Our class had a total of 28 teams and we were the only junior team. I was the youngest person racing.

Just finished my third lap

Special thanks to Eddie and Namrita O'Dea for giving each of us the opportunity to represent Team Topeak/Ergon/Honey Stinger at the 12 Hours of Tsali. Knowing that they had faith in our abilities as individual riders and as a team gave each of us more confidence and made me want to show them exactly what I was made of. I feel very privileged to have been given the chance to ride with a team of excellent riders. Elliot and Carter both ride for CycleYouth, like I do, but they are from the Georgia team. It was great getting to know all the racers and Mr. Eddie and Mrs. Namrita. Thank you  Ergon for the grips, saddle, and gloves. Thank you Honey Stinger for the nutritional items - the waffles are my favorites! Shout out to 

55Nine Performance and Topeak for their support, also. I am so proud to have been a part of this unique experience! 

Me and Carter Anderson

Katherine Santos

Elliott Baring

Our team number - 111

Elliott starting the race

Elliott taking off on his second lap

Here I am running into transition

3rd Place Sport Class

Team Topeak/Ergon/Honey Stinger with Eddie and Namrita O'Dea

Wow! Super excited to announce that I have just been sponsored by TwinSix! If you have never seen TwinSix alternative cycling apparel, you need to go take a look. TwinSix is a unique cycling design company because they use more alternative graphics so that riders can have choices in bike clothing that shout "hey, look at me"! Kits can get boring, but with  TwinSix you have  so many trendsetting kits and accessories to pick from you will stand out in the race line! Plan on hearing more from me about this great company. In the meantime, go take a look at their website: http//:www.twinsix.com.  

The Metal Design - This is a cool kit!

Ergon International

Wednesday near Eagle, CO

Thanks to all the High School mountain bikers who entered ourNational Interscholastic Cycling Association / 12 Hours of Tsali promo during the month of April. We received hundreds of entries and nailed it down to 4 riders who will compete on a 4-person co-ed team with support from Team Topeak-Ergon. The winners are....

Katherine Santos
Elliott Baring
Carter Anderson
Samuel Connell

Stay tuned for a post-race recap and video!

So excited! Was chosen to race on the 55nine/Ergon International/Honey Stinger team at the 12 Hours of Tsali in Bryson City, North Carolina! The team is made up of really strong riders from Florida (me), Georgia (Elliot and Carter), and Kentucky (Katherine). What makes it even more exciting is that Elliot and Carter also ride for CycleYouth! I've heard that the course has some tough climbs and I am ready for it. Been doing a lot of long road rides with some really strong roadies and beefing up my trail riding. A big thank you to all the sponsors and Namrita O'Dea and Eddie O'Dea for choosing me to represent them. I will not disappoint. 

Alafia 6 Hour Classic

Another great endurance race on an awesome course! This year I teamed up with Stephen Karras and Cody Burnett to race the Hard Course Serious Men class. Our name was Team Man, Bear, Pig. Alafia is a course I ride a lot and it has many technical options. I felt really good going into the race and I kept a fast, consistent pace throughout all of my laps. I was really excited to be racing against some of the expert racers. Cody started our race and I brought up the second two consecutive laps and Stephen raced two more consecutive laps, followed by two from Cody. After that, we each raced single laps for the rest of the race. Not only was I mentally and physically ready, I was nutritionally on top of my game. Great lap times! Thanks to my dad for helping me prep for the race and coaching me in a training program that focuses on endurance, strength, and nutrition, I felt great! At the end of the day, Team Man, Bear, Pig pulled it out with Stephen sprinting up to the finish line to give us a 2nd place finish!

Big shout out to my brother, Morgan, for placing 3rd in his first six hour solo race in the Junior class! He dug down deep, overcame some mechanical challenges, and placed on the podium! So proud of my little brother!

Morgan coming thru the finish line in 3rd place!

SERC #1 Santos "The Vortex"

The first SERC race in Ocala, Florida was probably my favorite race yet. The course was similar to the 12 Hours of Santos, only backwards. This meant that there would be a lot more climbing. The course was very technical, and there were a lot of unexpected turns and switchbacks. The trails were in perfect condition. Anyone could nail a turn and know that they were going to hold on.

On the day of the race, I was so excited! This was the first time I was going to race Junior Sport. I knew that I was going to have some very tough competition, but I was determined to make the podium. My teammate Cody Burnett was also racing this class. Since he is 1st in the nation for Cat 3 riders and 2nd for Cat 2 riders, I was nervous. My goal was just to stay on his wheel and make it a sprint finish. I was also racing Michael Mace, who won the 11 to 14 class in the FSC against me and Troy Davis. Since this was his home course, our plan was to stay on his wheel, learn his lines, and then attack.

When the whistle blew, we were off! I was last into the woods due to a bad starting position. With Michael in front, he set the pace. I passed the rider in front of me, John Koch, and tailed behind Cody. The first lap went by fast. We learned Michael's lines and were ready to attack. No lap traffic definitely helped. Once into the second lap, Mike attacked us, but we didn't let him get away. Once into an open section, Cody took the lead place and started setting the pace. We continued fast and furious into the third lap. At the beginning of the third lap, I made my move to second place. We were then able to open the gap. We pushed and pushed. It was between me and Cody. We both sprinted to the finish, I was right on his wheel, and I took  2nd place!

My Niner Air 9 RDO was a sweet ride for this course. It was forgiving where I needed it, and stiff when I needed it. It handled the tight turns very well, and I was able to rocket up the climbs with ease. My Rockshock SID XX World Cup with hydraulic lockout came in handy. I was able to shoot of the starts and hammer the climbs on lockout without wasting any energy. My HEED by Hammer Nutrition was the best drink at the time. It gave me a boost of energy and kept me hydrated the entire race, and it tasted amazing, so I was able to continue drinking.

I had a great race at the 1st SERC. Riding three laps was a lot from race laps I was used to, but I really liked it. Hopefully there will be a Junior Sport in the FSC this coming season.

Second Place Finish!!!!  I'll take that!!

The 12 Hours of Santos

The 12 hours of Santos in "The Vortex" was an awesome race. It was practically a party the entire, with music blaring from speakers and hundreds of people all around. The course was great, with some very technical trails and climbs, and then some pretty fast single track through the trees. It was very rocky, which made it different from other courses in Florida.

I had a great team. Me, Madison McDaniel, Connor Murray, and Marco Newman, a CycleYouth rider from Georgia. We switched off after every lap, and pulled some ridiculously fast times. I felt great during my laps, since each lap got faster into the race. The cold weather help me a lot, and I didn't even break a sweat. Once it was time for me to race my night laps, I was terrified. I had only done two other night rides before and I didn't know what to expect. As soon as I headed out, it felt like the temperature dropped 50 degrees! I was all alone in the dark and was hoping to come up on some faster night riders, but I didn't find anyone.

Loved the climbs!

My team finished 9th out of 19 in the co-ed division. I felt like we did very good given the fact that the 5th place finishers up to the 1st place finishers were pros. I had a great time riding with all of the Georgia CycleYouth riders and learning the new trails. I can't wait until my next 12 hour race!

Night hand off with Marco Newman - man was it cold out!

The hand off from Marco Newman

Oh yeah, lovin' this course!