Disappointed to Over joyed in 24 hours.

Saturday, Koksijde 

It was pretty amazing to race on such a legendary and historical course. More then anything it was a learning experience. This course is interesting, and definitely favored the riders with the ability to ride sand. I liked the course a lot, however it wasn't my day. 

I had a good start, top 5 for the first half lap, but then it began to fall apart. I was making mistakes right and left that I couldn't recover from. Before I knew it I was 12th and I didn't have the power I normally do to close down gaps. I made my way back to 7th but was passed back and finished 11th. 

Though it was disappointing to not race my best it was still incredible to be apart of something that historical. American Gage Hecht rode a brilliant race to take the win. Amazing result for his first CX race here in Belgium. Congratulations man! Also good job to the other Americans. I know how intimidating it is to line up for the first time against these guys. It only gets better from here!

I also had several supporters at Koksijde which was awesome. Thanks for coming to the races and cheering for me every weekend. You make even the hard days enjoyable!

Sunday, Superprestige, Francorchamps

 I loved this course. I think the power of positive thinking goes a long way. I had good conversations with my coach and my Dad the night before and I was mentally ready for Sunday. I took all the stress of getting a result and decided I was going to race because this is what I love to do.

We arrived to Francorchamps and it was a beautiful area. Sweet knowing about all the Formula 1 racing that has happened here. My dad had been asking me to read a book about Ayrton Senna and I recently finished it. It mentions this track several times. Funny to be here just a few days later...

This course has everything. Climbs, drops, Run Ups (so hard they called it.. And I quote.. "The f*****g wall") power sections, and lots of fans. A beautiful course. 

The start was a 200 meter downhill into a killer 18% climb. So the race starts. I'm having a decent holshot (or so I think). Seconds before we hit the climb I was swarmed by riders from the left and right. (You can see it happen in the highlight video.) I found myself go from top 5 to top 30 in seconds. Crazy.

 

I've learned not to panic when this stuff happens. This is euro cross and if you mess up you pay the price. The best thing to do is just stay calm and race smooth. Coming up the start/finish  Climb into the second lap I put out a big effort and went from about 20th position to 8th. I took a little time to recover then it was back on the gas. 

Coming to the end of the third lap I was able to catch top 3 which was a Fidea rider and Gage Hecht. It was funny because I didn't know where I really was until I heard the announcer say "And here are the 3 chasers going for 2nd position"  

I tried to recover once I caught them but the attacks didn't stop and it was a brutal last two laps. 

With 1 to go the Fidea rider had gapped Gage and I by just a few seconds. Moments later Gage got off his bike and started running. He flatted and had to make his way to the pit. Big bummer for him but the race wasn't over and I was doing my best to catch the Fidea rider.

I made contact with him with half a lap left but made a few mistakes and couldn't rejoin. I focused just on just staying clean and doing my best to secure 3rd.

The last time through the pits I looked at Tom Segers and we both smiled. It was a very special moment because I knew I was about to do something we both have worked so hard for. I crossed the line for third. This is the biggest result of my career so far and I can't explain the emotions I felt. It was an amazing moment. That feeling alone has motivated me to make this happen again, and maybe even a step or two higher on the podium next time.

I want to thank all my sponsors for making this possible. The support I have been given this season through the good and the bad has been more than professional. I want to thank my Parents for believing in me and letting a high school student travel the world doing what he loves. The segers for letting me live here as if I was one of their own children. My coach, Matt Weik, for getting me to this level. Everyone back home supporting me via social media. It's all a dream come true. Thanks again everyone.

Flowers for Tom Segers Mother because she has been like a grandmother to me. Cooking for me all the time during the week and we work on puzzles together. She's awesome :)

Cincy 3 race reports

Before I get started I want to say this weekend was awesome. The courses, organizers, and crowds were amazing. Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible. It was a blast! 

     Saturday, Kings Wood Cx,

     I started 4th row, as I didn't have any UCI points but I wasn't too worried because 45 minutes is quite a bit of time to move up. Especially on a course as hard as this one. The hardest part for me was a section near the end of the course where you went up a steep hill 3 times in a row with only seconds rest, when coasting down one side before going up the next. 

 

    I stayed patient and made my way to the front but by the time I was there, Gage Hecht was already 7 seconds up on me. While that gap was small I couldn't close it down. Gage rode an amazing race and was simply too strong for me that day. 

     I attacked out of the chase group in a sand pit section and was able to finish second behind a very strong Mr. Hecht. Great race man!  

        (It was a cold podium)

      Sunday, Pan American Championships,

       One of the more technical courses I've ever done, this race was awesome! I had a better start position and good legs, so I was pretty excited to see how things went. I had a good start, 4th in the holeshot and felt fine. I stayed there for a lap and then tried making an aggressive move on a sick decent which ended in a hard crash. 

     I took a bit of time to recover, maybe a little too long, but I was worried about my ribs as I landed on my chest in the fall. I went back to just outside the top 10 and took a lap to get my head together, then it was back on the gas. My plan was to catch a guy, rest for a couple minutes then attack and move up to the next group/guy. I knew I could get back to the podium after a couple laps of this. 

     I moved into top 4 with 3 to go, and rode with Lance Haidet for half a lap then continued my surge. Then soon I was with my buddy Spencer Petrov with 2 laps remaining and didn't rest that time. Spencer is a strong racer and I just wanted to keep maintaining a fast but smooth pace.

       (Christopher Blevins and I on the last lap)

     

     Finally I caught second place on the last lap (Christopher Blevins) and attacked him immiedetly. I had a small gap going into a hard little climb with lose dirt. I messed up and he caught back on. At that point we had half a lap remaining and I decided to take my chances in the sprint. Chris picked the pace up going into the remaining minutes of the race, trying to get rid of me. I was questioning his tactics but later found out he had a problem with his pedal and couldn't pull up hard without coming out. So he was doing everything he could to avoid a sprint. I accelerated around him into the last corner and sprinted out of the corner for second place. Great ride to Chris, finishing with only one working pedal. Way to finish with a mechanical! Once again Gage was the best of the group and deserved his win. Excited to race with him and others in Europe soon!

Thanks for reading!

-Gavin T

Thanks to Kent Baumgardt and Christopher Schmidt for the pictures!