Well I'm back in Bend shortly before heading back over the pond to Belgium and Switzerland. The past month has taken me on many adventures and brought me some great results.
It started with the Cascade Cycling Classic right here in Bend. It's a home town race so I wanted to have a good race. I had a good time trial which lead me to eventually finishing 3rd on GC.
After Cascade I was looking forward to having a little down time before putting in one last final push before nationals. However plans always change and I got a last minute invitation to the Tour de L'Abitabi in northern Quebec Canada. I couldn't turn down the offer and quickly packed and got on a plane heading east. I was a long trip as I few into Milwaukee where I met the team and the got in a car and continued to head NW for twenty hours to get to the Small French speaking town of Val d'Or. The Tour de L'Abitabi is the largest junior stage race in North America and if not one of the Biggest in the World. Here there was a very international field of riders coming from countries such as; France, Japan, New Zeeland, Kazakhstan, and many more. The races where fast and dangerous, with large crashes happening all the time. I made the whole length of the race unscathed. I had another good time trial here which carried me to a fourth place GC finish. It was by far my biggest ever result and the most fun race I have ever done.
The time trial was the highlight of the race for everyone as we started 800ft under ground in a gold mine. I was a race that I will always remember just because of its wildness and scale.
Another twenty hour drive the long flight back to Oregon gave me time to rest and recover before my next big adventure, Nationals. This year the national championships were held in Southern California. Four days after I returned from Quebec I was back in a car this time heading south. My first race was the time Trial which was a course that suited me very well. I finished second seven second behind Adam Leibovitz. The next race was the Crit in which I rode at the front a lot trying to help out my other teammates. Jacob had a supper strong ride and finished fifth after being off the front earlier solo.
Then Sunday brought the road race, it went by fast as groups would go up the road and then get brought back. Finally I was off the front and it just happened to be the one that would stay away. It started with just three of us then more people bridged up until we had a group of seven. In the final sprint I died and took sixth, not as good as I believed I could do but there is always next year.
I'm off the Europe next Monday; I will update my blog as much as possible.
Talk to you soon
Ian
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