Event Recaps

Ted Hanes, Momentum Endurance athlete since ’07, was the fastest amateur racer at the 48 mile Ore to Shore MTB race thus earning rights to the Golden Bike. In a field comprised of the fastest regional riders Ted finished 8th overall, right in the mix with the pro licensed riders. This Ore to Shore went down in history as the fastest one yet.

Coming off of a recent Lactate Threshold training block Ted was able to establish himself near the front early on (without the luxury of a preferred start) and stayed there for the full duration of the race. His dedication to training has really shown this season with consistently stronger results.

As the Golden Bike winner, Ted will have the chance to compete all expenses paid in the Landmine Classic at Hingham, MA on September 13th. This will be the final stop of the Gold Bike Series so it’s sure to be a hotly contested race. Here’s to Ted’s excellent Ore to Shore result and his chance to race for the bike once again! Congrats,

MTB Nationals at Sol Vista Resort near Granby, Colorado was a great event for Momentum Endurance riders. Erica Zaveta showed that her skills are equally suited for mountain biking as they have been for road racing this season with a couple of 5th place finishes in the U23 XC and Expert STXC races. Perry was off to a great start with his XC, but unfortunately his race ended prematurely due to an untimely mechanical.  I tried my hand with something different in the singlespeed race and came home with 2nd place.  A lot of energy goes into racing the National Championships and it’s gratifying when this translate into results. I’m often most impressed with the preperations and the hard work riders are willing to do while aiming for their goals. The dedication leading up to an event often speaks more than the final outcome.

Erica in the STXC

It was great to see numerous juniors in attendance for the weekend. There was a buzz about the further development of high school leagues and races since Colorado will soon be adopting a model similar to that used by California. Seeing numerous riders reach new levels with their results was inspiring. Having Adam Craig blitz the high altitude guys (at 8400 ft) to win the STXC was a victory for all of the sea level riders who suffered like never before. These are just a few of the great stories within mountain biking and the sport seems to be alive and healthy. Cyclingdirt.org has done a great job with interviews and video clips all season long. Check out some of my favorites from Nationals:  Heather Post XC win, Adam STXC win,  Chloe & Amy U23, myself post-singlespeed

Momentum Endurance athletes competed at the US Mountain Bike National Championships at Mt. Snow, Vermont July 17^th – 20^th.  Each had unique goals for the weekend and a lot of focused training was done in preparation for the weekend.

Chloe Forsman of the Luna Women’s Professional MTB team successfully defended her U23 XC National Championship title. Shortly into the race Forsman established her lead and it grew each lap until the finish.  Excitement and satisfaction were the emotions after scoring a hard-earned champion’s jersey once again.

Perry Roper of Richland, WA placed third in the Expert Men 45-49 XC on Saturday. Not resting on his strong XC result Roper went on to finish 2^nd in the Expert Men 30+ STXC in a race that came down to the very final lap. Though a championship jersey eluded Roper, he was pleased with his performances, knowing that his training efforts proved to be fruitful. With some added motivation for 2009, expect to see him racing even faster.

Dan Smiley of Burlington, CT competed at the National Championship in his first-ever year of competition. Racing in the Beginner Men 50+ category, Smiley came through successfully with his top ten result.  Mt. Snow’s course is more demanding than any other and Smiley showed that he’s catching on quickly with his skill and fitness. At 53 years young, we still haven’t found a limit to his progression. With a balanced plan of hard training and ample recovery Smiley continues to love what he does while improving every month. A strong finish at the National Championships was a rewarding confirmation that the training can keep him young and enjoying the bike more than ever.

With motivation stemming from the successes of my athletes, I went on to finish a personal best 22^nd place in the Pro Men’s XC. It was an excellent day and a bit of redemption on a course that’s had me struggling in each of my three prior attempts. It’s very rewarding when everything comes together for one of the season’s biggest events.

You can full results from all of the US MTB National Championship events here. Thanks keeping up with Momentum, -Coach TJ

The 2^nd annual Serotta Cycling Science Symposium in Denver, Colorado was a great opportunity for researchers, coaches, physical therapists, and bike fitters to gather for a three day conference of lectures and presentations applicable to cycling performance. Presenters shared their scientific endeavors and provided us industry folk with some extremely valuable and applicable information. I was able to take notes on cycling issues such as knee pain, low back pain, dynamic bike fitting, and saddle pressure amongst several others. It was valuable to gain insight from those who have studied such issues first hand and have great amounts of experience to share. As a coach, much of the conference further reinforced what I already do, but of course I picked up a few new skills too. It’s great that I’m able to use some of these new skills here in Tucson with our 3D Dynamic Bike Fit services.

To read the full write up, check out the CTS Tucson blog at: trainright.com/tucson