Balance

I've been injured, out of work and away from my family for extended periods of time.  Thankfully not all at once, but I know all too well how just one of these components puts my life and well being out of balance.  It's also rocked my family chemistry.  I strive to find balance in my life. 

At a time of year when lots of folks are giving thanks and counting their blessings, I wanted to thank each of the juniors for their weekly posts to the team blog.  Almost 52 weeks of thoughts, feelings and emotions poured out to our cycling community in hopes of giving back to your support. 

Being a top level junior cyclist is quite a challenge.  Pressures with school, family, friends and cycling time are not always in harmony.  They sometimes collide.  We've got our December team camp coming up after Christmas and it's been fun to pull together the curriculum and activities.  We'll spend some time reflecting on the challenges that training time puts into our lives, share some tips, time management and coping techniques. 

Thanks for following the Team Specialized Juniors!  Larry Nolan

Variety

          At different times of the year I am a totally different athlete. My summer is normally dedicated to road and mountain cycling and the fall is my bmx season. These two sports have few similarities other than the fact that they are on a bike. My training is far different, as bmx is explosive and road requires endurance. I have bmx raced since I was 5 and it has given me the bike handling skills to help in all types of cycling. Every year the window of my bmx season shrinks a little bit. Sean is another bmxer turned roadie and I'm sure he agrees it gets hard to train for both. My focus is definitely shifting over to road as I get older. I am not built like the prototypical bmxer, as the professionals are often built like football players. As I get older the competition keeps getting bigger and this makes it hard to keep the same power as I am built like an endurance athlete. I have been transitioning to road the last few years and it's been a natural transition. Bmx has helped my road cycling in many areas. Each one has also helped the other for me. This variation throughout my year and during my road off season is refreshing and fun. I will always enjoy bmxing even though I won't continue it at a high level years from now. These two types of cycling are so different and it's the variety that is so special in my life.

-Christopher

The Transition

     At the end of my 2012 season, I had achieved my long time goal, World Champion in XTERRA off-road Triathlon in the 15-19 age group, as well as Overall Amateur World Champion. Although I had been training to be a triathlete ever since I was 5 or 6, I found that my performance on the bike was superior to that in the water or running. 

    Leading into the 2013 season, there were many people who thought I should continue being a triathlete.  I was even offered pro status, but I knew that my time as a triathlete was coming to a close.  I had decided to focus on cycling.

     When my season started in the Nor Cal High School Mountain Bike series I had no idea that it would escalate to me racing on the National team in 4 different countries.  In the beginning of the season I had not yet decided to focus on mountain biking, so I decided to try out some local criteriums.  I continued to race on the road and on the World Cups including Germany and the Czech Republic.  I then realized I would have to spend more time focusing on the mountain bike rather than on the road for a little while. 

     Although I knew mountain biking would be my main focus for the season, I could not keep myself away from the thrill of racing on the road for half my season until I received the message from Marc Gullickson.  He offered me a position with the Junior MTB National Team in two world cups.   Not long after coming back from my first two world cups, I entered the Nevada City Classic Criterium and won the junior race, then followed it up with Leesville Gap Road Race (elite cat 3/4s) and won the day in a sprint to the line with 4 other men.  Well, after a fourth place finish in the Mont Saint Anne World Cup in Canada, I finished up my 2013 season with Cross Country MTB World Champs in South Africa.

     This brings me to today, finishing my High School cross-country running season with state champs, in which I placed 8th place in the division 2 varsity race and ran a 15:29 5k. My main focus is to have an outstanding season on both the Mountain and Road Bike.  I am so excited and grateful to be a part of the Jr. Team and I am really looking forward to working with my new teammates and coaches.   

Give thanks and grow the pie!

Thanksgiving weekend not only has me thinking of ways that I can be more appreciative, it's also got me thinking about pie.  You see, fighting for ones slice of the pie has been and will continue to be one of life's challenges.  It's human nature to be competitive and reach for more than you have.  A related challenge to this equation is to view the slice of pie that you are going after to be a part of a bigger pie.

I travelled to the California State High School Cross Country Championships at Woodard Park in Fresno yesterday.  Team Specialized Junior Neilson Powless competing plus my cousin had just become a grandmother.  Coincidentally, she's been a teacher in the Fresno school district for a few decades and was part of the State Championships becoming an annual event in Fresno.

Cross country running is such a beautiful sport.  No "little league" parents to be seen, just a bunch of "best efforts" by every single athlete.  Lots of cheering and the team scoring format is the BEST!  (Top five for each team score, 6th and 7th runners help the team if they can score ahead of the other teams 5th scorer)

Yesterday - 1000+ high school cross country runners competing in five divisions for both boys and girls!  Organizers, volunteers, coaches, parents, siblings, and friends helped to fill the whole park.  What a sight and what a buzz as the waves of runners set out onto the 5km course competing for their respective titles. 

At the end of the day (end of the year), there were 10 individual and 10 team champions.  The size of that pie won't change anytime soon.  The part of the pie that I'm referring growing are the 1000+ runners.  Criky, what if we could get 1000 runners to try bike racing?  How quickly could our cycling "pie" grow?

Congratulations to Neilson for his personal best 15:27 5km time over a rolling dusty course and for his very fine 8th place finish.  He's only a junior so there's still the 2014 season ahead of him!

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized

 

LAGP

Last week I drove down to Los Angeles, where over three days I competed in the LA Grand Prix. This was not only my last race as a junior but what I am pretty sure was my last race where I had the privilege to represent Specialized.

I arrived on the Thursday where I met up with Larry at the track for a final spin before the competition started the following day. My goal was to be the top 5 in the omnium and just see what I could do in the Madison and Scratch race. Being up against the likes of Bobby Lea, Hilton Clarke and Zac Kovalcik was a shock at first but I managed to calm my nerves for the first event. We had a full roster of 24 riders, the most allowed on the track at any time so I knew I was in for a good event. In the first event flying lap, I held the fastest time for 12 heats with a time of 14.589 and a new PB.  I finished 10^th.  The next two races were the points race, followed by the elimination race both of which I had bad luck in.   I missed the winning break away in the point’s race and in the elimination I got pulled with 10 riders to go.  My fault was sitting too close to the back and not realizing that there were two riders behind me instead of just one.  With the first three races and the first day done I was in 13^th place which was not ideal and I was far from happy.

The second day was my day, with the Individual pursuit and kilo on the same day I knew that I could make up for the poor performance of the previous day. My pursuit was slower than my planned schedule, however I managed a time of 4.49.229, 2 seconds slower then what I had set out to achieve.  I had a lot of ground to make up in the scratch race if I wanted to get into the top 5. My plan was simple, attack the field until I get a lap.  That’s exactly what I did.  I launched two attempts in 12 laps of each other but none succeeded.  Unfortunately my second move was countered and 3 riders slipped off the front which left me and two other top riders to do the chasing. The three riders managed to take a lap but this did not bother me because I knew I still had 26 laps to get one myself.  I tried for a third time but was caught once again, it wasn’t until the fourth time with 9 laps to go that I launched a huge all-out effort  and managed to break free from the group.  I almost lapped the field in the 9 laps but just didn’t quite get there, I held off the front solo for fourth which moved me into 8^th on the overall standings coming into the final race. The Kilo is a flat out no holding back killer event, my favorite.  I had a sluggish start but managed to bring it home strong finishing with an overall position of 7^th.

So no, I didn’t achieve my goal of a top five finish which was a bit disappointing, but the competition was solid, so I’m happy with my efforts.  It’s good to set goals for yourself and I think even if you don’t make them it gives you the determination and eagerness to do better, train harder and achieve whatever it is you set out to do.

I’d like to thank Larry for helping me and watching me on the Friday evening, also to my teammates Sean, Jules and Nick for coming and watching me. I’d also like to make special mention to Dave McCook, my stand in coach when Larry wasn’t available.  Dave helped me with whatever it was I needed, he helped supply wheels for my timed races and gave some great coaching and racing advice. So to everyone who supported me in LA…thanks!

Owen Gillott

Mountain Bike Crash

For those in the mood for a good gory allegory, this is for you.

 In August of this year, after Road and Velodrome nationals, I went up mountain biking at Snow Summit Resort. It has a lift that takes you up to the top all day long and you get to ride down all of the mountain's different trails. I've been going there for 3 years and have loved every moment, even if I did occasionally crash. 

Anyways, it was a normal weekend and I was going down the same runs I always go down, when suddenly OOPS, my right hand slips off the handlebar! The bike skids out of control, rocketing down the hill with no back brake, and BAM, I superman into a bunch of sticks and woodchips. I stagger up and look down at my body. "ARRGGHH" I scream! My right thigh is a bloody mess, an avulsion full of debris and splinters. It looks like lasagna fresh out of the oven. I can't even feel pain because I'm in so much shock. Luckily, there's a group of riders behind me that come to my aid (it is a well travelled trail). One of them have a small medic kit and he tells me to sit down; I do and they call mountain patrol to take me down the mountain. While we we wait for the mountain patrol to arrive, they cover the wound with a thin cloth. The patrol eventually comes with a truck and they have me sit in it. We bump and roll down the mountain with my moans of pain in the background.

 Finally we reach the bottom and my mom drives me to the closet Emergency Room. After we make it to the hospital, I have to wait about 30 minutes for pain killers because there is so much paperwork to be filled out and approved. The nurse tells me to calm down on several occasions because I am freaking out from pain. Then, finally I am allowed painkillers and once I am injected, I immediately feel my eyes become heavy from the relief of the pain. I feel like a cloud wafting off to slumberland.

 They then fully put me to sleep and operate on the wound. After I wake up, I learn that they had surgically removed a medium size stick that had penetrated and broken off in my quad muscle. 

Wow, what an injury! I had to take about a month and half off the bike and struggled with walking for a while. I had to sit around a lot, and all I could think of was riding my bike, or doing anything other sitting around all day like a couch potato. I really came to appreciate what I have during that long road to recovery. 

My first ride back was amazing and I was so glad to be back on the bike. I definitely learned to appreciate my well being and realized that bad things can happen in a blink of an eye, yet can affect you for a long time.

I am really thankful for my parents helping me through this troubling time in my life. My dad literally gave me a shoulder to lean on. 

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Jules

OTC

Before I get started I would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays.  After a some what
successful season, I got the opportunity to go to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista
CA. I have been there before in years past to race BMX, but not for the reason's I was there
this time. I was there for National ID Camp.  I was one of 27 people to get invited and I can
tell you it was a great experience.  Over the five days I was there I got to meet new people,
and meet up with a few of my friends, such as Eric Oien, Nathan Rico, Christian Husband,
as well as my Teammates Nick and Jason.
     
My Dad drove Nick and I down to the OTC, upon arrival we signed in and got our rooms. Some of the guys had to put their bikes together, after everyone had settled in we were to meet up and go for our first ride.  Later that night we had classes as we did every night ranging from tactics, nutrition, usada etc.  Eric's brother Justin Oien showed up to talk to us as he had just gotten back from racing at the JR Worlds.
    
But what we were really there for was to be tested on our fitness and abilities.  Billy,
Barney, Michael had several tests to find out our power to weight ratios and such.  We had
a team race where we were teamed up with other riders to test our racing skills.  That was
some of the hardest racing I did all year, as everyone was trying their hardest to show the
staff that we had what it took to be the best.  These guys are good they are some of the best riders in the country.

Not having ever been to a camp like this I knew it would be hard and boy was it. When all was said and done I had a better idea of what it takes to try to become the best rider one can become.  I had a great time, and feel very grateful to be one of the lucky ones to have been invited. 
    
In closing I would like to say Thank You to Billy, Barney, Michael and the rest of the staff
for everything they did for us. I feel very thankful for being invited to the camp it was a learning experience something I will remember the rest of life.

                                         Till next time
                                                               SEAN


 
    

Basics of a Cyclocross Race

A cyclocross race is probably one of the most intense hours anyone will ever experience. From the wall to wall sprint to get the holeshot at the start to the bike changes to the last lap effort. The sport is extremely physically and mentally challenging. Before the start of the race the officials herd the riders into the start grid. Soon after the whistle is blown and the flood gates are opened; the sea of riders fly toward the first corner, jostling for positions that could decide the race. After the race slows down to a pace slower than a sprint the groups are spread out. In wet conditions the riders have begun to start switching bikes out so that the bike they are on is performing at its best. These bike changes require the rider to ride into the pit and drop one bike then taking another. The exchange requires two bikes that are set up similarly and a strong pitcrew. After the rider has taken the clean bike, the mechanics will work to get the original bike back into racing condition in three to four minutes (when the rider comes back through the pit a half lap later.) In many races, tactics, though not used as much as it in road racing, are a very important aspect a of the race. Typically most of the winning moves of the race take place the last few laps. This is also the time in which the riders are the most exhausted. It takes both the riders' mental and physical preparation to prevail.  Thanks to Team Specialized, the NCCF and all of my other sponsors for the support and encouragement this past year.

Time Management

You might find it ironic that the guy writing about time management is the same guy who's blog post is two weeks overdue. Believe it or not, usually my time management is pretty good. But as you all know, its a hard thing to do. Throughout our lives trying to balance everything can sometimes be an impossible task. Us cyclist have many hours of training every week. We've also got our family, friends, wives, girlfriends, school, and jobs. All of which are very important. I hear it from my friends all the time that school should always be the most important thing on the list, and a lot of the time I tend to disagree. I don't disagree that school is extremely important but I think that in some cases our priorities may change. An example of this is, maybe its around VOS, San Dimas, Sea Otter, or another big race you would like to do well at, should you study an extra hour on that math test or should you take an extra hour on the bike? That's all up to you. But I believe that our priorities change to the occasion and sometimes you need to put back something else to strive in another. If you think of it as an equilateral triangle (where all angles are 60°'s) and you have your social, physical, and emotional health all equally balanced. This would be the perfect example of someone who is giving the same amount of time to each activity, making them 60°'s or balanced. But the life of a cyclist can usually be something more of a 45°, 45°, 90°. I don't know if this is just me, but a minimum of 15 hours a week on the bike doesn't leave a ton of free time. I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all, I love what I do and that's the reason I ride after school, and I wake up early on the weekends and ride. My point is that as cyclist with busy lives we have been taught to manage ourselves accordingly.

Sorry for being so overdue,
Grant McElroy

What I Do It For

In February of this year, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was the week going into the teams first target race of the year, Valley of the Sun, when I found out about this. Fast forward to today, October 26, my moms birthday. As I reminisce on this past year, I realize how much this year really meant to me to be victorious in life. With my mom going through treatments all year long, she still managed to support me with everything I do. It has made me realize that this is another reason why I race my bike. It has taught me to help me face challenges in life just as she has. I thank her everyday for what she does for me. Today I thank her even more for all that she has done for me. Happy birthday mom!

 

-Nick Castellano

Off Season

The off-season will look different for each rider.

 

That's important to understand, whether you are a junior or a professional, and everyone in-between.  October may be your time off the bike, or you may have already taken time off the bike (like a good friend of mine who coached baseball in the summer).  He simply shifted his "race season".  Your favorite professional may adjust their season depending on their (and the team) goals.  Spring classic riders train quite different than Grand Tour and world champion contenders.

 

I just wanted to wish you well in your off-season whether you are on the couch reading this, racing a full cyclocross schedule, or laying down the biggest base of your life.

 

Training wise, here's a reminder to not forget a) the five components of fitness or b) the six components of skill related fitness.  Why?  because we all rely on about two square inches of tire contact to help us enjoy this sport we all love so much!  Also, cycling is a sport that requires symmetry and balance.  In harsh words, cyclists are pretty good with #1, 2 and 3 in the first list and #2, 4 and 6 in the 2nd list.  Why not work on your Fitness weaknesses during your off-season?

 

Five Components of Health Related Fitness

1- Aerobic Endurance

2- Muscular Endurance

3- Muscular Strength

4- Flexibility

5- Body Composition

Six Components of Skill Related Fitness

1- Agility

2- Balance

3- Co-Ordination

4- Power

5- Reaction Time

6- Speed

Cheers, Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Junior Director

 

 

2008 USA Cycling Camp

My Season In Review

I would like to start by saying thank you to everyone I interacted with during my 2013 season for an outstanding year. I enjoyed every minute (there may have been some seconds that weren’t so great though) of racing and training whether in sub 30 degrees or 100+ degrees.

I want to say thank you to Team Specialized for all of the support and the great memories. We shared the “successes” and the “failures”, the glory and the pain that make cycling the sport we all love.

Thank you to Specialized, Sram, and Zipp for the bikes and components. Thank you to Clif for fueling all of our riding and shenanigans. Thank you to the NCCF for funding it all. And thank you to Larry for making it all possible.

This season taught me many lessons, from teamwork to how to truly put my head down, grit my teeth and suffer to the importance of preparation. Each of these lessons have their own story or stories, which could be whole blog posts in and of themselves, but none of it would have been possible without the support I received from the team, our supporters, and the guy who decided to spend 20 minutes of his day, and create a traffic jam driving behind me and shouting encouragement while I did hill repeats.

The season saw me learn the importance of dedication, humility, flexibility (both kinds), etc. The season saw me get into countless (respectful and half-joking) arguments with my P.E. teacher on any given Monday, when I tried to explain why I couldn’t and wouldn’t run the mile. The season saw me ride on two continents, four countries, and five states. The season saw me ride for over 600 hours and 10,000 miles.

As I enter my offseason and continue to reflect on my 2013 in preparation for 2014 I am excited and intrigued for what lies in store, as I know that 2014 can only be better.

Again, I want to thank everyone that was involved in my 2013 season, especially my teammates and supporters on Team Specialized. Here is to all of the pain, learning, fun, victories, losses, and joy that the 2013 season brought and that 2014 will bring.

See you all during the offseason or next year, I will be wearing the same shit-eating grin on my face and the same Specialized “S” across my chest, so wave, say “hi”, or if you happen to be in a car spend part of your day driving behind me, honking, blasting music, and shouting.

Jason S

Growing Up Stinks

Famous basketball player Michael Jordan said it all when he said, "In reality, I never want to grow up." At 16, I can say growing up sucks. I realized this as I rode the Grizzly Century this year. I've ridden the Grizzly many times before. I first did this ride when I was only 12. I was the little guy surrounded by many young mentors. These mentors were all young, single guys just out for some friendly competition. In 4 years so many things change. Now those young mentors are all married and becoming fathers. I'm no longer the little guy who needs a push up the climb. I'm now the guy to chase up the climb. My parents no longer have to take me to the rides, I'm now driving the carpool to the rides.

Things change, circumstances may change, but somethings will always be. Team Specialized will always be a part of my story. I grew into the person and rider I am today because of Team Specialized. I learned how to have fun both on and off the bike from Larry Nolan.

 I learned how to race with integrity, dignity and competitive intensity from the masters on my team.  I made mistakes over the last 4 years (remember our first Snelling Road Race, Matt?)  but I also shared some of the sweetest victories with my team, the most notable victory  happening in July when Matt and I won the Madison at Track Nationals. Matt and I practiced so much, I thought my arm was going to fall off.

 Besides winning the Madison, the other victory I'm very proud of was when  Matt won the state crit in 2010. We surprised everyone with a leadout out of  the last turn. Matt won and I got 10th. That was the sweetest 10th place ever.

Things may change, but the fact remains that I will be forever grateful to Team Specialized for giving me the opportunity to be a part of a racing family that helped mold me into the person I am today.

More than just the Bike

Cycling entails a grueling work ethic, and countless of hours on the bike. Throughout the year the team travels all over the nation to race, yet what many people may not know, is that Team Specialized is involved with a lot of charity rides. One of the many charity rides that our team is involved with every year is the Cure The Cycle Ride for the Urea Cycle Disorder Foundation. The first time I rode this ride was in 2010 in San Francisco and I was able to ride again with them last August. UCD is a rare disease and the UCD Foundation uses the Cure the Cycle Ride to raise awareness and money for families that suffer from this disease.

The importance of charity rides teaches Team Specialized riders to be grateful for the opportunity to race their bikes, but also to be thankful for the lives they have off the bike. Our life outside of cycling is sometimes overlooked as we spend most of the year racing, but it is just as important to be thankful for the friends and family that support us in whatever we live to do.  

Matt Valencia 

2013

To explain the past racing year you first have to realize that my 2013 journey started in 2012. In the early part of June 2012 my family and myself were gearing up to move to America. In between packing and the generally stressful ordeal of moving houses, I came into contact with Larry Nolan, to us he was just the NorCal junior selection coach. We kept in contact and in early July 2012 our family made the initial move to America. It wasn’t until I finally met Larry at the Davis Criterium that I realized how strong the junior Specialized team actually was, from that moment I knew I wanted to spend my final junior year on this team. During a short visit in July I competed in the Little City Stage Race and the Junior State Championships all of which Larry was watching me, it wasn’t until late October that I was offered a contract with Specialized for the 2013 season.

I spent November through January and into early February in Adelaide racing the Australian National Track calendar, so when I landed in the states for the 2013 season I had good speed with me. I showed this by winning my first race at Cherry Pie, fresh off the plane, with Jet Lag in my legs. I followed this up with a string of wins from Snelling to Land Park and Copperopolis. Then in July this year the team provided me with the opportunity to achieve my first big international win, this was in the Junior Tour of Ireland. I then followed this two weeks later, with a win at the Tour de l'abitibi. My string of wins kept up all the way to the Elite State Champs two weeks ago where I logged my 77th race and achieved my 22nd win of the year, I have 40 podiums and 59 top ten places out all my starts.

These wins ranged from State champs to UCI level races, I wouldn’t have ever achieved such a good season without two people that have been so crucial this year. Firstly my coach Larry Nolan, without him believing in me and coaching me I never would have been able to do the things I have. Larry has provided me with all the support and mentoring a good coach should, but he has also provided me with something I never expected, an amazing role model, both on and off the bike, Larry conducts himself with a dignity and authenticity I haven’t experienced in an official coach. The second person is my Father Ian, Most of you know him but some of you don’t. He has been coaching me on and off the bike for the last 8 years of my racing career, he supports everything I do and this year became a founder for Specialized. Even though he has fully committed the last 8 years of his life to train and educate me he is still finding ways to help me and my team to do the best we can.

Being part of a young development team is such a big learning curve, it’s a time when the riders have to learn how to be a “team”. This program helps to develop racers in so many different ways, by showing them how a team functions and should race, by creating training plans that the riders can set themselves, learning to cook and live away from home. This team lets you experience every different position on the team no matter what your strengths, it also allows you to bond with your team mates, and that is something I can take away from this year. My team mates this year were something special, they all helped me do my very best and I hope I brought out the very best in them. I thank all the riders on this team but especially Matt Valencia, Matt and I were the only two riders in the 17-18 class. Matt helped me out more times than I can remember and I would like to say how grateful I am for his help. If I you don’t have team mates to call your mates then what is the point of being a team?

As an 18 year old I am too old to continue in the 2014 season with Specialized, so shortly I will be graduating the development program and moving on to a new U23 team. I would like to especially thank Wyatt Weisel for all his help in the time I have known him, and the sponsors for our team. Because without the sponsors of this amazing junior development team riders like myself would never have the chance to develop and achieve their goals.

Thank you to the parents and to all involved with the Specialized junior development team.

Regards

Owen Gillott