FSC #8 - ALVA

     Can't believe the race season is almost at an end. Just a couple more races then the FSC is over....sad to see it happen. Was excited about racing Alva because the trails are so flowy with some technical sections. I knew my road bike skills would definitely come in handy here because of all the open flat areas. The day of pre-ride I made sure to only do 1 1/2 laps so that I didn't overdo it. This race was different than the others; one lap was 10 miles so Cat 2 racers were doing 2 laps instead of 3. While that doesn't sound different, when you are out there racing those 10 miles seem endless. The course was pretty cool and one of my favorite sections was in the mangroves and there was a lot of ducking so that you didn't get whacked by the branches. My bike handling skills really came in handy here. After the pre-ride we all went back to the campground and hung out. Got my pre-race haircut, too!!

Pre-race haircut by Mose Howard

Waiting to start

     Race day I was ready to go! I was determined to get a good start and ended up getting the Hole Shot. I pulled the group really hard through the first long, flat open section that had a lot of turns. I made sure in this course to tap my brakes as little as possible so that I could carry my corner speed. Once we got into the technical sections and looking back I could see a gap that was opening up. I came through scoring with a 2 minute gap and felt really strong. That second lap found me by myself in a few areas and it made it

tough to push myself. A couple of times I felt bored. I looked down and saw that my heart rate was much lower than I needed it to be. Those two long laps just got to me.That was what made me get out of my temporary lull and get hammerin' again. The gap was closed on me toward the end but I managed to finish 1st with about a 30 second lead on the 2nd place racer. 

Got the Hole Shot!

1st Place Sam, 2nd Place Cody Burnett, 3rd Place Adam Cohen

     As always, sending out the love to all my sponsors: Bents Cycling & Fitness, TwinSix, Rolf Prima Wheel Systems, SPYoptics, Beljum Budder, RxEquipped, and Cycleography!

FSC #7 - LAKELAND

SHORT TRACK

     It's always exciting to race your home course! I live about 10 minutes away from Carter Road Park and ride this trail as much as I can. You can say that I know the lines like the back of my hand. I had heard from several people that the course was going to be run partly forward and partly backward. This was cool because after pre-riding I realized that it was way faster than running completely forward. So I was super stoked to get this race going!

     The trails had been really sandy lately, but thanks to a cold front on Saturday that packed down the trails they were running super fast. Pre-ride was uneventful and I was looking forward to the Short Track that afternoon. After pre-ride I went home to eat lunch and rest so that I was ready for this fast-paced race. When we arrived it was drizzling off and on which cooled things off nicely. I got my gear on, warmed up, and went to the start line. The entire White Wave was going to be let loose all at once...wasn't sure how that was going to work out. We would see. I made sure to get into the front row of the starting line....and so did everyone else. There were about 55 of us packed tightly together, all ready to take off. When Dave blew the whistle I shot off the line, but sadly didn't get a good start. There were way to many people crowded together and we constantly bumping elbows. I saw that some of the other Juniors got a better start and knew that somehow I had to catch them. I knew passing would be difficult in the single track - it was way too dangerous with the tight turns and so many roots. I knew that I would have to make my move once we got into the open area. And this is exactly what I did. 

     I caught the group at the end of the first lap and immediately hopped up front to lead the entire White Wave. We were told to ride for 10 minutes and when the leader came through finish and the whistle was blown we would have one lap left to go. One of my good buddies, Troy Davis, was on my wheel the entire short track. We started opening a small gap on the other racers and I continued to pull. 

When the whistle blew for the last lap I gave it all I had. But I couldn't shake Troy...that kid is fast! As we hit the flat section toward the finish Troy and I sprinted it out. 

Unfortunately, I took the turn into scoring a little too wide and gave Troy the opportunity to slide right past me for a 1st place win. I came in 2nd for the White Wave and 1st for my class. If I had to rethink this race, I guess would have let Troy do some of the pulling...didn't really think it through at the time. But couldn't be happier for one of my friends to come in 1st! 

Me, Troy Davis, his dad, and my brother Morgan

Race Day

     The next day I was so excited to hit the trails! I was a little tired from pulling during the Short Track, but I knew once I got spinning I would be okay. Right off the line I went into the woods in 3rd behind Adam Cohen and Tyler Mayer. My strategy was to ride their wheel until an open area in the trail and then attack. I followed through with my plan and opened up a small gap. Sadly, my legs didn't have it in me and I couldn't open the gap any more. I dropped back and decided I would just ride behind them until the last lap where I would give it all I had. We were cruising through the trails talking and joking with each other. As we came through scoring after the second lap I attacked as hard as I could 

and tried to maintain it. 

Thankfully, my legs were feeling better and I was able to keep up this fast pace. I had about a 2 minute gap on 2nd and 3rd as I came off the clay road to hit the paved sidewalk and sprint to scoring. And that's when all heck broke loose! I was hammering it down the sidewalk (which was the designated area) at 25 mph when a car turned right in front of me! I literally didn't know what hit me! The bike and I flew (still clipped in) over the hood of the car and landed about 5 ft away. I sat up a little dazed and confused and saw blood running down my leg. I got up, unaware of anything going on around me, and noticed my chain was off. I put my chain back on my bike and saw my parents running toward me. I looked at them and hopped back on my bike and took off toward scoring. With the good Lord as my co-pilot, I made it through scoring and still managed to win my race! Afterward, I went back to where my parents were and laid on the ground realizing what had happened. The paramedics checked me over, and even though I was sore on my right hip, right ribs, and right shoulder, I was okay. I want to thank all my biking friends and their families for their help and concern. Things could have turned out much worse for me. This race turned out to have a lot of carnage in it. My bike shop sponsor ended up in the ICU with multiple fractures and a collapsed lung and other racers endured lacerations and broken bones. But we all know that this is part of racing and we try to race smart and be safe. On behalf of all cyclists, road and mountain, please watch for us when you are driving. 

1st Place Sam, 2nd Place Adam Cohen, 3rd Place Tyler Mayer

     Giving the love to my sponsors: Bents Cycling & Fitness, Rolf Prima Wheel Systems, SockGuy, SPYoptics, TwinSix,Beljum Budder, Cycleography,and RXEquipped. You all rock. Special shout out to my teammates...Team Bents...for all their support and encouragement!!

     To view more race pics go to:

     www.cycleography.zenfolio.com

FSC #6 - ALACHUA

      San Felasco has always been one of my favorite courses. Mostly because it has a combination flowy short track, technical trails, and a lot of climbing.This is good for me since I'm a pretty good climber. The day of the pre-ride the course was exactly what I wanted. It started off with a gradual climb then went off into some flowy downhill single track for about 1/4 of a mile. Then it went back one even longer and steeper climb and open grass field. Then back into some single track with a lot of climbing, but not nearly as tough. I knew that the first two climbs was where I would need to make my move to open up the gap. The trails were awesome. A cold front came through the night before which made the trails nice and tacky. You could literally nail the corners as hard as you wanted without fearing you would slide out. There were tons of lines, as well. On my second pre-ride lap I made sure to have them all memorized. After pre-ride we went back to the campground for a relaxing evening. 

     I woke up on Sunday to some chilly weather and was totally diggin' it. I got to the trails early enough to watch the Yellow Wave and got ready for my race. With this cool weather I was antsy to get rollin' and made sure to warm up a little more than usual. By the time my wave lined up I was ready to rock n'

roll! The whistle blew I jumped off the start, second off the 

At the start line it was me and Adam battling for that hole shot!

line behind Adam Cohen. As we came to the first climb I made my move. I hit it pretty fast but made sure to conserve my energy for the other climbs. I looked back to see that I had roughly a 5 second gap on them going into the single track. I hammered this section to make sure the gap wasn't closed so that by the time we hit the next climb I could open it up even more. As we came onto the next, even bigger climb, I hit it hard and fast without letting loose. I would look back occasionally and see the gap widening. As we entered another single track I had roughly a 10-12 second gap. I knew there was a downhill coming up and it would give me the chance to recover so I could attack the next climb and continue to open up my gap. My strategy worked. I made sure not to let loose during the race so that I would have consistent lap times. Coming through scoring after my second lap I was in a good lead position with about a 1 1/2 minute gap. Going into the 3rd lap I made sure not to slow down and I pushed forward giving it my all. It took a lot of pain and suffering, but I managed to pull a 1st place finish with consistent lap times. 

1st Place Samuel Connell, 2nd Place Adam Cohen, 3rd Place Tyler Mayer

     Thanks to all my sponsors for their support. So proud to be a part of Team Bents! Thanks everyone for the encouragement!

To see more race pics go to:

www.cycleography.zenfolio.com

FSC #5 - SUNRISE, FL - MARKHAM PARK

     The long drive down to Miami was long and boring, but oh so worth it! The course at Markham Park is full of fun, flowy trails with tons of man-made features. Some people call it super technical, I call it tons of fun! 

      It was really cool to be able to camp at the park. The campgrounds were really nice and they had the coolest iguanas everywhere. I was excited to be racing this cool course with some of my racing friends. I pre-rode the course Saturday morning with Mose Howard and Dwayne Allgire where we picked out tons of good lines. I could tell the course was definitely up their alley...they were flowing super good in it, making it difficult for me to keep up with those fast guys! The course was about 6.5 miles of pure fun! I went to do a second faster lap with them to open up my legs for the next day. I remembered all my lines from the previous lap and I felt really good about the course. Afterwards, we all went back to the campground and played an awesome game that was similar to Corn Hole. Great time hanging out with great friends!

      The good thing about camping at the course is that you can get the extra needed sleep before the race. I love being able to roll outta bed and be right there. And that's exactly what I did. I got a good night's sleep and felt great! Sitting on the line I knew that I would have the extra challenge of racing against Adam Cohen and Tyler Mayer since this is their home course. My heart was pounding at the beginning, but when the whistle blew I pushed off the line and got the hole shot! We flew down the first short open road section pretty fast and then jumped right into the single track. I could hear the hubs of my competitors as they were riding my wheel. As we continued through the single track I felt really good and I could feel myself pulling away from the rest of the pack. Cruising through a downhill section I made a really sharp turn on the course. I didn't realize that from the wave before the turn was super slick and rutted out. I endo'd over my handlebars and fell right in the middle of the track. I hurried to get my bottle back in my bike (I've had this happen enough to know better than to go a lap without hydration!) and when I looked up the hill I still couldn't see 2nd or 3rd place. As I pushed off to get back on the course I saw that my stem was twisted and my handlebars were crooked. I hopped off the bike to attempt to fix these issues but sadly I tightened the bolts to the point I couldn't get a fix. And I didn't have a multi-tool (I now know better!!). I glanced up and saw Adam and Tyler bearing down on me. As Adam whizzed by he asked if I was ok. I told him yes, but as I looked back at Tyler as he was asking me the same question I watched fly over the handlebars on the same turn. He jumped up to fix his bike and said that he would wait for me. I realized I had no choice but to finish the race with my bike "as is". All that was going through my mind at that point was to catch Adam. Coming up on a flat gravel road, I used my road bike skills and pulled me and Tyler at 29 mph down the road. Sadly, I came up on a turn way to fast, not realizing it was there...I ended running right through the tape and went off course. Tyler yelled at me that I missed the turn, but it was his opportunity to make his move and he deserved it. I turned around and hopped back on the bike trying to close the gap with Tyler. But with my stem and bars all jacked up, I knew this was not gonna be my race. All I could think about now was that I needed to hold that gap from 4th place. There were times I could see 4th place in the distance and it was starting to make me nervous. So I pushed harder and was able to make it through scoring in a respectable 3rd place. Couldn't have done it without my compadre's, Adam and Tyler! Love racing with you guys...you make it fun!!

      Shout out to Bents Cycling & Fitness for their support and encouragement! Best bike shop around!! Thanks all my sponsors: Rolf Prima Wheels, SockGuy, TwinSix, Beljum Budder, Cycleography, and SPYOptics! And a special thank you to my parents who continue to provide the emotional, mental, and most of all financial support for the sport I love!!

MEET MY NEWEST SPONSOR!!!

     So excited to announce my newest sponsor...Rolf Wheel Systems!! These wheels are stiff and man can they roll! Stoked to be riding wheels that will enhance my training and racing! Check out all of their products at www.rolfprima.com.

             Representing Team Bents and Rolf Wheels at FSC #7 during the Short Track                  

FSC #4 - LITHIA - ALAFIA STATE PARK

     Really excited to be racing one of my home courses, Alafia State Park. One of the best mountain bike courses in Florida because it gives you plenty of fast single track with a wide variety of climbs and wicked fast, steep drops. Pre-ride was great with my coach, dad, brother, and many of Team Bents racers. I was totally ready to bring my game on. 

     Sunday arrived and I was stoked! The weather wasn't the best, hot and muggy...typical Florida! I knew hydration would be key during this race. When the whistle blew I was 4th going into the woods, but managed to take a line that shot me into 3rd. The pace was moderate and I knew I had to hop in front and try to open a gap. When a flat part came in the trail I made my move and shot in front of everyone. I went pretty hard and started to open the gap before getting into the first technical portion on NorthCreek. The lap went by quickly and by the second lap I was by myself. It was pretty lonely out there and that makes it hard to stay motivated. So I dug deep and pushed myself harder to maintain my speed and position. 

     During the second lap I reached down to grab my bottle and came up empty. Darn bottle had fallen out somewhere on the trail...and it was hot out and I was thirsty. I made it through the lap without any hydration and my dad was a welcome sight when I came through scoring to start the third lap. That was the best tasting bottle ever! I pushed really hard this last lap and gave it all I had. Made it through scoring in record time with a 4 minute gap on the second place racer! So proud of my results at this race!

1st Place Samuel Connell, 2nd Place Michael Mace, 3rd Place Adam Cohen

     Thanks to Bents Cycling & Fitness for all they do to keep me race ready! Continued thanks to all my sponsors: SockGuy for the best socks out there! TwinSix for keeping me stylish! SpyOptics for protecting my eyes! Beljum Budder for keeping me comfortable! And last but not least, Cycleography for the awesome pics! Thanks everyone!!

To see more race pics go to:

www.cycleography.zenfolio.com