top of page

About

I'm a Wisconsin boy living in New Mexico. Pursuing some Western wanderlust while racing bikes. I'm also a working man doing psychiatric research while training and traveling as much as I can in the pursuit of 'cross glory. What does glory look like? Hmmm. Maybe a UCI point or seeing the front of a Pro race, however briefly. Or maybe going on a spin with his Svenness. All of the above would qualify. 

During the 2013 season, several consecutive years of training and experience paid off with solid results. I achieved my first top 20 in a UCI race at CXLA, and I won the New Mexico Cyclocross Series and the State championship. In 2014 I repeated my State Championship win and also cracked my first top 15 at a UCI race - this time in Dallas. For the 2015/2016 season, I will again focus on UCI and National Calendar events while maintaining a solid presence in New Mexico and the Southwest. 

 

My primary goals for 2015/2016 will be to finish in the top 20 of Elite Cyclocross Nationals in Asheville and gain my first UCI point on the way there.

 

I also race on the road with a team called Nero Veloce, which is an elite amateur team based in Albuquerque. We dabble in some regional racing with our biggest event being the Tour of the Gila, a 5 day stage race with mass amounts of climbing at altitude. If anything is going to get me fit in the off-season it's surviving 5 days of Cat 1-2 climbing. 

 

Lastly, I'm an avid mountain biker, although I scaled back my mountain bike racing for several years from the days of smashing (and getting smashed at) WORS (Wisconsin Off-Road Series) and Midwest Collegiate Mountain Bike races. I came into racing through a part-time job at Fond du Lac Cyclery during high school that blossomed into a passion for both working on bikes and racing them. I worked my way up to the Elite Category in WORS and carried some form into college at the University of Wisconsin, where the freshman 15 set me back a few months. Eventually I got into shape enough to get humbled at Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals in Pennsylvania in 2004. This past season, after a couple good results at USAC national-level amateur events (a win and a 3rd place), I gained my PRO upgrade! Looks like the passion for the big knobbies has returned. 

 

For two years in 2005 and 2006, I took a break from racing to do a Masters in Counseling Psychology at the UW and then a move to New Mexico for my first 'real job'. Oddly enough, New Mexico is where I fell in love with cyclocross. The scene here, albeit small, is super vibrant and super friendly to newbies. I love the fast, sandy, and grassy courses and 'cross quickly became my favorite discipline. 

 

I raced my first elite national championships in 'cross in January 2011 in Madison and was blown away by the level of athleticism. I was pulled at -5 laps down. Anyone who has raced cross knows 5 laps down is way, way down on the leaders (Jeremy Powers took his first national championship win that year). Basically, I raced about 20-25 minutes of an hour long race before the officials decided I was at risk of getting lapped. Ouch. Nonetheless, at that moment I decided I wanted to finish nationals on the lead lap someday. I estimated with consistent hard work and pushing my limits as an athlete, I could take one lap off for each year of training, thus giving myself 5 years to reach my goal.

 

My best finish is -2 laps down the past two seasons at nationals, but this last season (2014/2015) in the now infamous Austin mud, I was in the mix for the lead lap until I had a crash and broke a shift lever about midway through the race. Point being, I think I had the fitness to be there or thereabouts on the lead lap or at worst -1 down. So, 5 years on, January 2016 Nationals in Asheville is my 5th attempt - and lead lap (which will equate to a top 25 finish, roughly) is my lofty goal. Stay tuned.


 

 

 

 

bottom of page