U23 Nationals

A week after I got back from Europe round one, I went to Augusta, Georgia, for U23 nationals. After being in rainy, cold Europe, the temperature was stifling. I had really hard time adjusting to the hundred degree days that we were racing in. But, I raced hard, and on the first day, ended up 4th in the criterium. Here are a few choice photos:

This is me almost crashing in a corner. 

Late race break with my teamate Jeff Perrin

The finish, you can see me on the right side, pretty far back. 

The next day was the U23 road race, which was pretty uneventful for me. After missing the break, I rode in the group that I was in for the rest of the race to finish around 20th or so. I had the legs to do a much better race, but often it is the tactics that decide who ends up on the podium.

The last day was the Elite road race, which is just for category one riders. I dat in the field all day to finish 12th in the sprint, but it was awesome, because my teammate who had been in the breakaway all day actually won in the sprint! That was cool to be a part of.

After Augusta, it was nice to get home after being on the road for so long. A few days after I got home, though, I heard that I got invited to go back to Belgium for another month! I was excited for round two, and got ready for another go at it, this time knowing what to expect.