New Team Announcement

As many of you know who have been following me over the past year you can see it’s been a learning and trying year. It’s one of those years people deem as an off year or a bad year. For me I don’t believe in that. It’s all about perspective and looking at it as a year of learning, paying your dues, and getting tougher mentally and physically. I reflect on this year as a new season is about to begin and realize this has been my most important year to date. I have matured as both a rider and a person while proving to myself I can get through the toughest times.

With that being said, this year I starting off with a bang as I am happy to announce that I will be riding for the Industry Nine Cycling Team for the 2012 season. I am am blessed and privileged to be part of such a great team/family and wll be looking forward to the upcoming year. Thanks for reading and I hope you embark on another season with me.

Thank you,

–NW

 

Georgia Tech and Breakdown

Interesting trip to Georgia Tech this weekend. Started off ok for the first three hours then a loud thumping started coming from our team bus. After pulling over in Anderson, SC for an hour or so some mechanics showed up and told us 2 of our wheels were about to fall off. Solid!!! Apparently the last people yo do the brakes didn’t put the frikin wheels on tight enough. So we ended up staying the night there and missing the short track race the following morning. After we got settled in our hotel, we went out for an evening ride ( at 11pm) where I flatted bunny hopping the curb. So the following morning I spent an hour at the bike shop getting all the shifting dialed in and tires switched from tubeless to tubes.

After finally arriving here at the Olympic mtn bike course in Conyers, GA, our gravity team got to compete in the dual slolom while our endurance guys cheered them on then we went for a recon ride of the XC course for Sundays race. On the last powerline climb at the end if the ride, somehow I snapped my derailure hanger and severely bent my rear derailure just climbing leaving me bike-less for today. So instead of racing I will be feeding the team and handing out bottles during the races. I’m just happy I get to help out my team in some way.

Hopefully we will have a solid race today and we also have our #1 rider, Kerry Werner, back from worlds which is exciting. I am anxious to watch him and the rest of the team race. Then we are back to Banner Elk, NC to wrap up our second trip to Atlanta, GA in the last 10 days.

–NW

 

Post Track Camp

What an uneventful weekend on the bike. Friday was filled with instruction regarding how to ride the track and basic drills. BORING!!!!! And thanks to my stupid mistake of not having my coffee combined with a little dehydration, I suffered from an extreme head ache by the late afternoon. It’s sad I know but only after several Cokes, multiple coffees, and water did my head ache go away.

We stayed at one of our teammates grandparents house who were gracious enough to feed us as well. I must say after months of travel and caf food, some home made meals were just the ticket.

The following day was rained out leaving me with no way of getting in 4k pursuit to qualify for nationals which was a bummer. So we went back to our host house and watched movies and did lots of homework. The following day we made the trip back to school only to be turning around in a couple days to go back to Atlanta for mountain bike racing.

I’m very excited to head back to Conyers, GA where I had success winning the SECCC Men’s B STXC conference championship and taking second in the XC. This year will obviously be much tougher as I am racing A’s and the XC race will be 2 laps longer. This is a little frightening to me as I remember last year only doing 3 laps and dying. So we will see what comes out of this weekend. I plan on mountain biking the rest of the week to work on some technical skills as well. As always, will let you know how this weekend turns out.

–NW

 

Track Camp

Well that was an uneventful weekend. Our team took advantage of an off weekend of racing and head down to Atlanta, GA to do a team track camp and some racing to determine our nationals team. After a long 4hrs the first day, our final two days were rained ou and we are currently on the bus headed back to LMC only to turn around and come straight back to Atlanta at the end of the week for mountain bike racing.

The trip was not a total bust in that we got to spend some great time together as a team and a little swim in one of our riders grandparents private lake. A big thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Rhoads for housing all 22 of us this weekend and for cooking all our meals.

Until this weekend….

–NW