Reflection on 2013!

Wow! What a great year! My first year on Team Specialized was definitely something to remember. Through the races, training, and support, I've progressed as a racer and human being.

 I started off the end of 2012 with cyclocross races and trained all the way up to Cyclocross nationals in January of 2013. Boy, was it an experience! My first time racing in snow was definitely the sketchiest thing I have ever tried to accomplish on my bike. Slipping, sliding, crashing, skidding. I eventually just had to through away my glasses in the middle of the race because they were so clogged with mud! I finished the race 13th, but man, was I glad to be done!

Here's a little video of my last race before cross nats.

After a bunch more training on the road and more less significant races, I come to another one of the highlights of my 2013 racing season. My first Cat. 4 win at Rosena Ranch! 

That's me out in front! Sorry if it's upside down.

Fast forward to April, and BAM, the stairs trip me on purpose. Just like that, I'm out for about a month. My left foot is fractured and I have to get a cast. 

But, I still got a little training in :) 

After I was out of that predicament, I had a while to train before road and track nationals (thankfully). But, first came track states, and just like the last few years, I won! I shaved out my last omnium points by half a wheel in the points race.  

The Langster Pro out-throws the competition!

At road nationals I placed pretty darn well and got 5th in the crit (Sean won all three events :o). I learned a lot about breakaways in the road race and crit at road nationals, which helped me greatly at track nationals.

So track nationals soon arrived and I decided to race very aggressively. I broke away in both mass start races and was barely nipped at the line on both of them. Larry had enlightened me before the races that sitting in the pack and waiting for the sprint at the end might get me on the podium, but most likely not a win. So that in mind, I brokeaway! Thanks Larry!

After a successful racing season, it was time to relax. I went up mountain biking at Snow Summit, a ski resort transformed into one for mountain biking in the summer, almost every weekend. Then, an unfortunate turn events occurred out of the blue one weekend. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and my leg gushed blood.

Thank God there were people behind me to help!

I received an avulsion from falling superman style on some sticks. Once again, out for a little over a month! My family was a huge part in my recovery and I can't thank them enough.

My leg recovered nicely, and I was back on the bike doing base miles and more mountain biking :) Great to be young, am I right? It was base mile training all the way up to the December 2013 Specialized camp (and I still am doing base miles for a little while more). 

Through the good and the bad, 2013 made me a stronger person and I am glad I experienced all of it. 

Thanks for a great year Team Specialized!

-Jules