Alafia Classic - 6 Hour

    Another 6 hour race behind me and I am very happy with my results. My dad, brother and I decided that we would race the Alafia Classic as a family team. We entered the Hard Course Advanced Team under the name "Two Boys and a Neanderthal". First time that we have ever raced together as a team and it was tons of fun!

   We decided that I would go out the first two laps hard and set our pace for the race. The first lap I stayed on the wheel of the leader, Jim MacPherson. Going into the second lap I was on the the wheel of Jim's teammate, Bill Renninger. Stayed on Bill's wheel and feeling good up until the point I got a little too close, tapped his wheel and endo'd over my handlebars. And so the gap was started. Coming through scoring I quickly exchanged baton's with my dad and he took off like a rocket. Unfortunately, that gap that Bill made when I endo'd just got bigger when he handed off to Aussie Jim! But we were sitting nicely in 2nd place. My dad hammered it on his lap with a handoff to my brother, Morgan. Morgan got a great start but during his lap was forced to stop to pull a large amount of moss out of his chainring. This allowed the 3rd and 4th place teams to scoot by him and gain a lead. 

     We continued to hammer it at a pretty fast pace trying to at least make it back into the top three teams. Unfortunately, the 3rd place team had about a 2 minute lead on us. My dad put it all out there on his final lap and I knew that I would have to race as fast as I ever have if I was to close the gap between us and the 3rd place team. I was determined and had tunnel vision trying to better our position. Try as I might, we were about 20 seconds behind the 3rd place team at the end of my final lap. I knew I pedaled my heart out and I had a feeling that I may have beat some of my personal goals. When the scores were finally posted I was excited to have raced the fastest lap out of all of the racers for the entire race! Pulled out a 35 minute 12 second lap (laps were just shy of 8.5 miles) on my 4th and final lap! And I managed to get 6 KOM's!!! 

     This was probably one of my best race days because I was able to spend it racing on a team with my dad and my brother. Working as a team with friends is one thing, but doing it with your family means a whole lot more! My dad and Morgan kicked butt today! We may not have gotten on the podium but it was a great day! Hoping we can do this again in the future. My goal (other than getting on the podium) was to have the fastest lap time...I accomplished this and then some. I am pretty darn stoked! 

     Thanks to my family for racing with me and always supporting me in every way possible! Mom, thanks for reminding me that sometimes you need to not get on the podium to become a better racer and competitor. It puts things into perspective and is a humbling experience. Thank you to Bents Cycling and Fitness for their continued support! As always, Muscle Milk, you Give Me Strength to push myself to my limit and then continue past that!! Looking forward to future races. Coming up:  SERC #4 in Windor, GA!!

MUSCLE MILK

     Thank you Muscle Milk for having the confidence in me to provide for my training and racing nutritional needs. Athletes need more than training to maintain top performance; they also need a nutritional plan that includes supplemental nutrition. Muscle Milk provides the right about of vitamins, minerals, and protein that my body needs to stay at peak performance. It's good for me and comes in a variety of great tasting flavors. My favorite is chocolate. Try some and I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Muscle Milk gives me strength to train hard and perform harder!

#GiveMeStrength

#MuscleMilkOrl

SERC #2 - CONYERS, GA

Silas Moorefield 1st Place, Sam Connell 2nd Place, Cody Burnett 3rd Place
Cat 1 Junior Expert

     I was so excited to race Conyers because it was the US Olympic course back in the 1990's. I had ridden this course once before during a tsunami-type situation with the trails flooded like crazy. Georgia and the surrounding states had already gotten tons of rain and I weather prior to the race wasn't looking too good. Race day called for clear skies with strong winds, but there was rain in the forecast for the days leading up to the race. The trip was along one, 8 hours from our home in Lakeland. We made it up by Saturday afternoon and the skies were gray but the course looked relatively okay. Some areas of mud, but nothing that was out of control. I was feeling stoked about riding my new Specialized Stump Jumper Marathon - first race with this baby! Pre-ride with my teammates was uneventful and I felt good. The trails rode well and I was feeling optimistic. 

     Race day was cold and windy. Wind gusts were up to 30mph and I was so glad I listened to my mom and brought my cold-weather gear. I was excited to be racing once again alongside the pros and some Juniors I hadn't raced with in some time. Cat 1 Junior Experts was taking off with the pros again and I was going to try to maintain their pace for as long as possible. 

I had a feeling that it would be tough hanging with the pros and extremely hard given the first climb was super difficult, especially for a Florida rider. When the whistle blew the pace was ridiculous off the line. It was much faster than the first SERC at the Vortex. We were flying through the trails and I noticed that the pros and I were opening a gap over the other Junior Experts. As we got about half-way through the first lap we hit the first climb. I dropped my chain down to the little ring and went as hard as I could. Sadly, it wasn't hard enough. The pros kept a crazy intense pace up that climb and I found it was hard to keep up. Toward the end of the first lap I noticed another Junior Expert rider had caught up to me.  Silas Moorefield, a junior from North Carolina, was hot on my wheel. 

    The second and third lap was a battle between myself and Silas. Silas was super strong up the climbs and it really benefitted him. He was able to take the lead and keep it about half-way through the fourth lap. Silas made it through the finish line roughly a minute before me. I was satisfied with my performance on a course with two extreme climbs. Silas was riding strong and I realized that I will need to work harder on my climbs. Not too bad for a Florida boy! Congrats to Silas for his first place finish...well deserved. I felt great about my second place finish. 

  Thank you Muscle Milk for providing my nutrition during my training and before/after races. I understand that getting stronger doesn't just take training, it takes the proper nutrition...and that's what Muscle Milk gives me. Thanks to Bents Cycling and Fitness for their support and encouragement! And to my parents - the money, time, and energy you put into my racing is really appreciated!! Looking forward to racing Windor, GA in a few weeks!!!

SERC #1 - SANTOS - "VORTEX"

     The first race of the SERC series was bound to be a good one! Racing at Santos in the Vortex is one of my favorite venues. It has plenty of technical portions, as well as smooth, windy trails. It's the best of both worlds! Going into this race I wanted to start strong and maintain a pace with the pros. Got to the Vortex the day before with my dad and set up camp. The weather was perfect and the course was riding nice. My pre-ride consisted of an easy lap followed by a harder, faster paced one. I met up with my teammates and we hung together on the trails. I was feeling good about this race and very excited to race Cat 1 Junior Expert. 

     Race day and my legs were feeling awesome and mentally I was totally there. Did a warm up with my teammate, Alex Meucci, and the excitement was mounting. Great thing about racing Cat 1 Junior Expert is that GoneRiding allows us to take off with the pros. This is a plus for me because it gives me the opportunity to push myself even further. At the lineup there were only two of us in the Junior Expert class; but fortunately there were a ton of pros racing. My goal was to keep up with the pros for as long as I possibly could. 

     The horn blew and we were off. I was fifth going into the woods behind the legendary Thomas Turner of Team Jamis. We flew through the trails and I was feeling so strong. Surprisingly, I felt really comfortably at the pace the pros were holding. I knew that without any mechanicals/crashes it would be tough, but possible, to hang with them my entire three laps. As luck may have it going down a long technical descent my front wheel clipped a rock and endo'd me over the handlebars. I lay there watching the pros fly out of my sight. I tried to quickly hop back on my back but the area I crashed in made it impossible to just jump back on it and climb an immediate steep climb. That being said, I did what any mountain biker would do...I ran it up the hill. That's when I realized that all it takes is a split second and pro racers will leave you in the dust! Hanging with them is one thing...closing a gap on them is another! I pushed hard to close as much of the gap as I could but my wrist was killing me. 

     Coming through the end of the first lap the pro leaders had about a 30 second gap on me. I continued to push hard on the second lap and wasn't really getting anywhere as far as keeping up with the pros was concerned. I continued to have a few spills and then mechanicals. It was not turning out to be the race I had hoped for. Long story short, fitness-wise I felt amazing; but my bike and I just didn't have our usual connection. Regardless how I was feeling I still managed to pull off a first place finish. I felt a bit down on myself initially, but my parents reminded me that not every race is going to be your best race. Even the pros crash and have mechanicals. Sometimes being taken down a notch or two is what you need in order to become better at what you do. 

  As always, thank you Bents Cycling and Fitness for all you do for me! Your support is invaluable. Thank you to my sponsors and most of all to my parents for giving me everything I need to be the best racer I can possibly be. 

     

2013 FLORIDA STATE CHAMPION!

CAT 2 JUNIOR SPORT

1st Place Sam Connell, 2nd Place Tyler Mayer, 3rd Place Cody Burnett

Final race of the season was held at Santos Mountain Bike Park in Ocala - one of my favorites to race! I was really excited to end the season here and anxious to ride the course. The day of pre-ride I headed out with my teammates where we encountered a course filled with a lot of technical trails, as well as some flowy single track. I was feeling good after the pre-ride, buy understood that I needed to race hard, but safe. There were so many areas that could physical and mechanically take a rider down. Knowing that I had a significant first place lead going into this race, I knew I only needed to finish the race and I could maintain my first place win. But it's so hard to hold back when you are in a race. The race was going to be interesting for the other racers in my class because of the tie for second place. I knew I only needed to race smart and all would be good. 

Race day came quickly and the entire family was excited and ready to go. My brother was racing for a second place season finish in his class and like me he had a big gap that he just needed ride a nice, safe race. The weather was great and the atmosphere was charged! At the start line I was ready to get the hole shot...unfortunately, it didn't happen this race and I ended up third going into the woods. I stayed in 3rd for a while until the more technical sections where I decided it was best to make my move to the front of the pack. Knowing how potentially dangerous these technical sections were, I wanted to get in front and stay out of the way in case other racers had problems. It is these kind of areas that can cause a racer to lose precious time and maybe even a win. On the second lap I decided I needed to attack hard so that I could open an even bigger gap. My goal was to decrease my second lap time by one and a half minutes and I was able to do just that. This gave me an even more comfortable lead over 2nd place. Toward the third lap I started getting caught in race traffic in the technical sections which slowed down my lap time. I was able to come through scoring on mine final lap with an almost 3 minute gap over 2nd place. My goal this season was to push myself and I am proud to say that I did and I became the 2013 Florida State Champion - Cat 2 Juniors! 

My brother Morgan racing on the Tom Brown Trail

Once the race was over the real fun started at the GoneRiding 2013 Banquet! Dave and Terry Berger do a great job all season and the banquet was icing on top of the cake! We all had a great time hanging out and cheering on the racers as they received their racing awards. I was really surprised when I also received the Most Improved Junior award. Team Bents made a phenomenal showing this year with multiple state champions and podium finishes, as well as the 1st Place Team Award for Team Bents Sleepers! 

I want to thank everyone that has given me so much support and encouragement! Especially my parents for their coaching and financial support, Bents Cycling & Fitness, Mose Howard and Dwayne Allgire, all of my sponsors: Bents Cycling & Fitness, Twin6, Rolf Wheels, SockGuy, Cycleography, RxEquipped, Beljum Budder and SpyOptics, and my Bents family. To everyone who supported me,

Me and Adam Cohen laying down the hammers on Tom Brown Trail

 gave me words of wisdom, and checked out my blog - a big sincere THANK YOU! Looking forward to next season!!!

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

FSC #3 - HARDROCK CYCLE PARK

OCALA

I was so excited to be racing at the HardRock Cycle Park in Ocala! There hadn't been any mountain bike races there in many years so it seemed that everyone was ready to test out their skills on a motocross course. I had heard some awesome things about the course and how it was technically better than Hailes Trails; but I had to see it for myself, since Hailes Trails was one of my favorites. Got there Saturday morning and the first thing I saw was a motocross track with huge climbs! I couldn't wait to pre-ride! 

Hitting the motocross track in the Team Time Trial

The start of the course was a big climb and I knew that would split up the group in the race. After the climb there was a huge downhill that would give everyone time to recover. Right off the bat there were climbs....and then there were more climbs. And I'm not talking about short little climbs, I'm talking steep, long motocross climbs! I could imagine a dirt bike having some problems getting up some of them. I knew I had an advantage on this course because I was riding with two gears on the front, while most of my competitors were running one gear on the front. The course continued to be hard and fast. It had some awesome drops that made those dreaded climbs worth it! Just when I thought I was done, I was hit with that motocross track I noticed when we first got to the park. The climbs weren't particularly long, but they were killer! While it seemed like the course went on forever, it was really only about 5 miles long. I knew I was going to have to rest up to do it again a few hours later for the Team Time Trials. 

Going into the Team Time Trials my team, Team Bent's Sleepers, was in the lead. My team consisted of myself, my brother Morgan, Gary Chambers, Tarek Hatoum, and Michel Timmermans. We shot off the line at a pretty good pace with Morgan and Gary leading the pack. I rode in fourth position behind Tarek. My position was important because if something happened to one of my teammates in front I would have to move foreward and take their position.

Team Bent's Sleepers moving in on the first really big climb


The course was even tougher this go around because everyone was beat from their pre-ride. Ended the Team Time Trial without a podium finish but happy to say that Team Bent's Sleepers is still in the lead...and by an impressive eleven points!

Race day! I talked to my dad, Mose Howard, and Dwayne Allgire to strategize on how I would work this race. I knew I needed a top three at the start so I wouldn't be held back on the climbs. Our strategy worked as planned. Making the first climb I was in third place but managed to pass the second place racer, Dylan Drake, on the next climb. We were riding single track, cruising along, when the leader made a small mistake in a sandy section causing me to endo over the handle bars to avoid hitting him. Third placed crashed into me bending my rear rotor. I hopped up as fast as I could to get back on my bike because now I was in last place...and because there were millions of ants everywhere! At this point the leader, Michael Mace, had a huge advantage on me. But I couldn't move, mine and Dylan's bikes were attached - his handle bar through my wheel and my pedal wrapped around his cables. As soon as we could get them free I pushed hard to close about a 35 second gap on the leader. This would be difficult because I was going to have to pass everyone else in my class to gain back my position. Eventually, I was able to close the gap and get back into the second place spot. Dying of thirst in the 100+ degree heat, I reached down for my water bottle and came up empty. Darn thing had flown off in the crash. Now I had to finish the lap without any hydration. I came through scoring about 20 seconds behind Michael and was never happier to see my dad in the feed zone. I grabbed my bottle, took a swallow, and pushed on. I was able to catch Michael at the beginning of the second lap. I knew he had pushed hard to keep his gap, so when I reached him I attacked. I opened up a gap and continued to dig down deep and push harder. Going into the motocross track on the final lap, Dwayne Allgire let me know I had about a 1 min 45 sec gap on second place. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the other racers in my class coming in strong and closing my gap on the motocross track. Coming through scoring I had gotten my second wind and felt like I could do another lap. This was a tough course on a brutally hot day. Pulled another 1st place podium finish. 

Congrats to 2nd Place - Tyler Mayer, 3rd Place - Adam Cohen, 4th Place - Dylan Drake, and 5th Place - John Michael Koch! You guys are awesome to race against!!

Congratulations to all the Team Bents racers and the great job they did at the HardRock! Big shout out to Cadence Howard for her 5th place finish in Women's Base ~ what an awesome accomplishment for an 11 year old girl!!! Cadence, you rocked it!!! Congrats to my brother, Morgan, for his 2nd place finish in the Cat 3 11-14 class ~ that kid is fast!!

Cadence Howard owning the podium!

Special thanks to my bike shop, Bents Cycling & Fitness! You guys are the best - thanks for all your support! I am so proud to be racing for you!!! Thanks to all my sponsors: Cycleography, TwinSix, Beljum Budder, SockGuy, Spy Optics, and RxEquipped. 

Looking forward to racing one of my home courses, Alafia! 

Making it down the big drop

To see more race pics go to:

www.cycleography.zenfolio.com

FLORIDA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES #1

TALLAHASSEE

A few of the Team Bents racers: Mose Howard, Morgan Connell, me, and Dwayne Algire

And so the fall race season began with the FSC #1 in Tallahassee on September 13th. I was so excited to start this season off with a bang. I had been training hard all summer in anticipation of racing in Cat 2 Junior Sport. The drive up to Tallahassee was miserable...it was long and boring, but well worth it. Once we arrived at Tom Brown Park on Friday and set up our camper we all went out for a leisurely pre-ride. The course setup was outstanding, about 6.5 miles long. It was very flowy with a few open dirt road sections and downhills where you could really get up some speed. There were a few steep climbs that if you rode hard enough would knock the breath out of you. The final portion of the course was a super cool BMX track. 

When I woke up Saturday morning I threw on my clothes and went for a last pre-ride lap with my teammates, Mose Howard and Dwayne Algire. This helped me loosen up my legs for my Individual Time Trial that was going to be held later that afternoon. After that lap I went back to check out two different lines I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with. Then it was downtime for all us as we waited to be called to the line for our ITT. After a few hours I started my warm up and was called up to the line. I was so anxious to get going. I knew I had prepared well and was ready to show everyone what I was made of. The Individual Time Trial course was the second have of the race course - about 3.5 miles. At the countdown I was ready. Once they gave me the go ahead I blasted out as hard as I possibly could. I whipped through the turns and hopped over roots and it didn't seem as if it were humanly possible to go any faster through the trails. When I made it to the BMX track I knew that it was almost over and I was in a pretty good place. I was breathing so hard I felt like I was having an asthma attack. I pushed even harder and made it over the finish line with my own personal record. There were 184 racers participating in the Individual Time Trial. I finished 10th overall, 1st in my class, and 1st overall all Cat 2 with a 14:37 lap time. I don't think I have ever pedaled that fast before! I rode as if the Devil himself were chasing me through the trails! I felt really good about my standing in the ITT - especially since my company in the top 10 were all Cat1 and Pro racers!

Morgan getting some air on the BMX track

Mose Howard tail whipping it during the Individual Time Trial

Dwayne Algire doing his thing during the Individual Time Trial

Me and Tyler Mayer starting the first lap

Individual Time Trial on the BMX track

Sunday morning the sun came up bright and early and I was ready to go. I felt so good about my ITT results that I was confident I would hammer it during the XC race. My class was slated first to go out at 11:30 and it couldn't get here fast enough. This is the first year for the Cat 2 Junior Sport class in the FSC and I was excited to be racing with many of my friends. On the line I took up my position between Tyler Mayer and John Koch and got ready to rocket out of the start. Unfortunately, when the whistle blew I had enough power to kick off but not enough skill today to clip in. That resulted in a second to the last rider in the pack. I knew at that point I had to use more energy to make it into the top three. When I hit the dirt road section about 1/2 mile in I started to pass as many racers as possible. I moved up into third place going back into the single track. As we started to go down a descent we realized the course tape had been tampered with and moved. We all slammed on our brakes and turned to go up the nearest dirt road hill. As we got to the top the tape had been moved there also. We then realized that someone had messed with the course changing up the tape so that we were riding in a circle. We hopped off our bikes as if we were racing cyclocross and ran down a hill carrying them the entire way. We hopped off a ledge and were able to make it back onto the trail again. All the effort I had used to move back into third place was wasted at this point. The course swap put me into sixth place. As we came up to another open uphill dirt road section I moved my way back up to third by hammering it up the hill. As we moved into the single track I noticed the first place racer was slowly opening up a gap. I passed the second place racer and immediately closed the gap between myself and first place. The first place rider, Michael Mace, and I started to open up on the group until we made it to a twisty section and Michael slid out in a sandy turn. I didn't want to have to make my move half-way through the first lap, but I had no choice. I went for it and pushed the pace a little faster than what we had, knowing that I still had to finish this lap and two more. As I whizzed passed scoring I saw Michael out of the corner of my eye and knew I had roughly a ten second gap. Again, I pushed the pace a little harder and as we got onto the dirt road I started to go wide open up some of the climbs. My legs were on fire. The road wasn't too steep but for some reason it felt worse than some of the steeper climbs. At that point I went as hard as possible through the single track, recovering on the downhills and in the turns using my momentum. Pulling through the second lap my gap had increased to about a minute over second place. Crossing the creek my coach, Mose Howard, was standing there encouraging me to push it as hard as possible on this section. Coming out of the trees he told me I had gained another minute. During the third lap I was starting to get caught up in race traffic and really had to utilize my passing skills in order to maintain my lead. At this point, I was confident I was in the lead and pedaled over the finish line knowing I had accomplished my goal: 1st place finish! It was exciting to watch the battle between Michael Mace and Cody Burnett for 2nd and 3rd place. In a heated sprint, Michael was able to hammer his way into a second place finish with Cody on his wheel. Adam Cohen came in fourth and Tyler Mayer fifth. Great to see my friends on the podium with me!!

I was so pumped up and really looking forward to the FSC #2 in Fernandina Beach, but my body was thinking otherwise. By Tuesday after race I started feel bad with a bit of a sore throat. By Wednesday, I was running high fevers and my throat and head were killing me. I was diagnosed with strep throat and started on antibiotics. This, I knew, was going to be a problem as far as racing at Fernandina Beach. I knew it was just to close to the race weekend and that I would not be physically capable of doing my best and I would be putting myself at risk for getting sicker. I was totally bummed out, but I understood and am super thankful I can drop that race. So, while my dad and brother are in Fernandina Beach, my mom and I are hanging out at home while I recuperate. Thankfully, there is a two week break between races and I will be in fully race mode come Hard Rock! 

Big congrats to all of Team Bents for some awesome results! Mose Howard - 3rd in the ITT; Alex Meucci - 4th in the ITT; Gary Chambers - 1st XC-GM2; Dwayne Algire - 1st XC-1 (40-49); Steve Bent - 3rd XC-GM1; and Mose Howard - 2nd XC-1 (30-39)!! 

Thanks to everyone who supports my racing. Bents Cycling & Fitness is an awesome sponsor and bike shop and I couldn't get to where I am at without their continued support. My new sponsor, Beljum Budder, proved itself as an awesome chamois cream!! Racing the ITT and then three laps, I knew I would need some protection and it did the job! My SpyOptic sunglasses held up and protected me from the glaring sun and dusty trails. I can always count on my SockGuy socks to keep my feel looking and feeling amazing. And a big thank you to Cycleography the awesome pictures! You can view all the race photos at http://www.cycleography.zenfolio.com.