Road to Cyclocross Nationals

    Our local Cyclocross Season has sadly came to an end. Its kind of bittersweet to me I don't race but,  I am there with these peeps every weekend cheering them on like they were my own. I have watched a great group of people accomplish so much and I am gonna miss it... 

    We are officially on the Road To Nats. J-man is training hard and pushing for podium. To be a 14 year old child and be so passionate about something the way he is about cycling makes me jealous. Jealous because when I was his age I wasn't that passionate about well.... anything. Unless it was the mall or my friends. We officially have 19 days until Nationals. BOOM! I am so nervous for him. I know he will do great, there is no doubt in my mind. He has some tough competition and he has raced against these kids before. They all are very talented young men so the 15-16 Jr Boys race is gonna be unforgettable this year. We are making our journey to Wisconsin on Wednesday, January 9th. I checked the weather there this morning and it's a lovely 18 degrees with a low of 4 degrees. This is not gonna be a cake walk for anyone. Personally I hate cold weather and I almost skipped out going this year. He went with a great group of guy's last year and I could have easily sent him this year with them, but he's doing so well that Momma had to be there. 

    This past weekend we traveled to Hendersonville for the NC Grand Prix. Saturday was a 2/3 field and Jordan was excited to race with some of his DIY teammates. For the most part he is pretty calm before a race, but lately he has started stressing over his tire pressure. He goes and asks everyone around him what he should run. Of course people of different weight and height run different tire pressure and depending on the course, etc. These are all factors that he personally just has to work on. He rode 30psi and I believe it affected his riding. He slid out in a few different places and the course was dry. He finished 13th out of 68 riders. After Saturday's race there was a Cross Clinic hosted by Adam Myerson, a pro rider and cycling coach. Before I go any further I just want you to understand this was a FREE clinic that he took time out of his day to provide for several Juniors and other riders and even non-riders (me). Pretty impressive, it's a rare occasion for someone at his level to offer their expertise, so thanks Adam for giving your time. Jordan learned several things in this clinic, one very  important thing he was taking a particular corner way too fast. One would think that you wanna go as fast as you can, but not at the risk of sliding out or hitting that tree. We walked away with some knowledge that J used the following day and will continue to use in future races. I on the other hand was just trying to stay upright. 

Which is faster? Running or Riding?

Jordan and Nolan

    Day 2 of the NC Grand Prix started out cold and cloudy. J's start time was 3:05. Great if you wanna sleep in but that never happens so at 8:30 we were at the course and setting up the EZ up for some projected rain. Last race of the day and it was already a muddy, slippery course. These conditions are a dream for this kid. Not much for the mom chasing everyone around with my camera, but a cx racer loves it. In this race was a huge group of Junior Boy's who kill it in cycling, whether it be road, mtn or cx their names are known in the cycling community. It was one of the funnest races I have watched in a long time. To see these group of young men get out there and ride their hearts out in the pouring rain and mud was very impressive. Nolan Tankersley took the win! I am pretty sure I haven't seen him smile this much in awhile. He killed it! All in all it was perfect cross conditions and we got to watch everyone slide down the muddy wall. 

Nolan sliding up "The Wall"

Grayson Brookshire, Connor Tankersley, Colton Brookshire, Jordan Lewis, Nolan Tankersley,  Byron Rice and Blake Johnson

     Remember the names above if you don't already know them. These boys will have and will continue to make an impact in cycling. 

    Unfortunately we don't have any races this weekend but I am looking for a few before Nationals.... Stay tuned. 

P.S. Trying out new colors and layout for my blog so it may be crazy for a few posts.