j’adore ça ici

Correct me if you speak French, but I think that means “I love it here.” It’s been years since I spent time in Europe, and it really is addicting. I’m sitting in the Zurich airport now, waiting to board my flight back to the U.S. and already scheming how I can come back and spend…

Living my best life

Last fall, as I was recuperating from shoulder surgery, I started dreaming about the potential of making a road trip to the Pacific Northwest to ride and race. I knew that the North American Enduro Cup happened in late June in Kellogg, Idaho, and that it was a race I wanted to prioritize in 2025….

Finding Balance

That title sounds like I’m about to write some kind of self-help blog, not a race report, but c’est la vie. One of the mantras (in addition to the ever-present “stay curious”) that I’ve added to my top tube this season is “Balance.” In one of my skills lessons earlier this season, Harlan (of Take…

Party Laps Forever

Three weeks before the start of Trans New England, all of my best laid plans blew up. The UCI changed the date of the XCM World Championship from the previously published Saturday, September 21st to Sunday, September 22nd–a minor change, unless, of course, you were planning to drive from West Virginia to New Hampshire for…

Partiu! Partiu!

The 2024 XCM (Cross Country Marathon) MTB Pan-American Championships took place in Goianá, Minas Gerais, Brazil this past weekend. After racing in Colombia last year, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect as far as checking into the event, the pre-race team manager meeting, and the race itself. Myself, Mark Kransz, and…

A season to remember…

I started 2023 with aspirations of building my race experience and skills to qualify for the 2024 XCM World Championship at Snowshoe, WV. Never did I imagine that I’d have the opportunity to race at the 2023 XCM World Championship in Glentress, Scotland… or for that matter, the Pan American XCM Championship in Colombia. By…

World Championships!

Where do I even start? Just the realization that I raced in an Elite World Championship race seems a bit surreal.  The “pipe dream” that has been motivating my race schedule for the past year was to qualify for the 2024 XCM World Championship, to be held at Snowshoe, in WV, but even as I…

¡Bienvenido a Colombia!

When I got the e-mail saying that I had been selected to be a part of the 2023 Pan American XCM Championship team, I immediately envisioned high mountain singletrack and stunning views. I got one part of that right. The 2023 Pan American XCM Championship took place in Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia, a small…

#LoveWhereYouLive

Almost a year ago, I moved to Roanoke, Virginia. Why? Mountain biking. Little did I know, that my move to Roanoke would be about so much more than just glorious trails and ample gravel roads for training. It would deliver an incredible community, a city replete with culture and food destinations, and all sorts of…

Summer Come; Summer Go

I love summer. Its my favorite season. I love the sunshine. I love the long days. I love the heat. The only part I don’t like about summer is that it comes so late and leaves so quickly. Already, on August 18, when I’m writing this, I am entering my second week of teaching sixth…