Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Mars Hill Cycling Camp Day 1 & 2

COACH ADDY!!!


 It's been a great, yet long, 2 days of MHC Cycling Camp.  We start every morning with a nice yoga session with Andy Crater, a pro cyclist and yoga instructor.  From there we head out to the parking lot for a couple hours of skills and drills with Coach Leslie Meadows.  She was the coach at a USAC camp I did a few years back, and she is still doing a great job on teaching kids skills!

Below a rider attempts to puck up a water bottle.
 The juniors focused on trying to get low and hold a straight line wile picking up a cone!
 Leslie teaching how to go through a feed zone!
 Madison (age:12) barrels through a narrow path while accelerating out of the saddle.
 Isabella Brookshire (age:12) giving her first interview to a local  news report about the cycling camp!


Corina (age: 10) practicing her skills!
 Weaving through the cones.
 Bumping and touching wheels drill.  This is one of my favorite drills, coming from a family of a lot of brothers, the boys don't notice how aggressive I can be, and it's great learning for them!
 Practice crit, working on counter steering and fast cornering.
After all the skills and drills, we went had lunch and headed out for a endurance ride.  The kids got to pre ride the road race course for the French Broad Omnium race this weekend and experienced the 3 mile finishing climb!

These kids have so much energy, it's crazy, but some don't mind the occasional push from the back to help them get up and over the climb.  I am building my arm strength this week, for sure!  Having lots of fun being 'Coach Addy'.

Stay tunned for more cycling camp updates!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Forever A Junior!

 Above is a photo of me in 2005; I was 10 years old.  I was doing a charity ride with my dad called 24 Hours of Booty, then, it was a fairly small event where the cycling community came together to raise money for cancer.  Now, it brings together the whole community of Charlotte and people from around the nation, raising money for cancer and awareness of bikes in the Charlotte area!

You might notice I have a stars and stripes jersey on, maybe someone passed down to me, and I wasn't a national champion then, but I dreamt about it.

Eight years later, I am capping off my final year as a junior.  Never did I imagine winning 5 national jerseys, obtain a national track record, and a handful of medals.  With the help of so many people like Robin Farina, Uptown Cycles, NOW Pro Cycling team and of course my parents, I am able to have achieve so much in just the start of my career.

They, among many others, have helped me achieve my dreams and now I move from the big fish in a small pond to a shrimp in the ocean!



Above is the podium for the 2k Individual Pursuit at the Junior Track National Championships last week. 

 The next day, I competed in my last National Championship event as a junior with the women's team pursuit with Alexis Ryan and Nadia Latzgo.  I pulled on my 5th jersey with excitement, and remembering all the hard I have put on and off the bike to become a National Champion.
 I stepped off the stage with joy and a bit of sadness, knowing it was my last Junior Nationals.
 Because so many people have helped me through the years, why not inspire/ mentor as many young girls as I can?  Isabella Brookshire from Asheville, NC starting her scratch race (10-12 age group).

She is a champion in the making, winning 3 bronze medals this week!
Above, keeping her calm before she starts the 500m Time Trial.

 On the last night, I decided to make and event for junior women by getting as many junior women who were competing at the championships to celebrate success by having an Ice Cream Party at a local creamery shop.  About 15-20 girls showed up and we enjoyed the night talking and sharing experiences of bike racing, school, and  much more!


 It was a great feeling to have all the competitors together making friendships, eating ice cream, and having a really good time.  I encouraged all the girls to train hard for next year and come back to T-Town, PA and have another ice cream party!

I hope to impact some one's life where they can be inspired to be a champion, not matter if they win medals or not!


My good friend and 2011 Track World Championships team mate, Jen Valente.  She won the the 2011 Junior Scratch World Championships, a true world class athlete. We chatted all night about how we can encourage young girls to race their bikes, have fun, and become champions.  We want to change junior women's cycling for the better by showing how dedicated we are to the sport, how hard we are willing to work and how we want to grow the sport for girls!

Great ideas to come! I may be leaving the junior field as a racer, but I will never leave the junior field as an ambassador!

What am I doing now?

I am currently at Mars Hill, NC for the Mars Hill junior cycling camp.  I am a camp counsellor, here, empowering kids the potential this sport gives and teaching kids how to be a great bike racer.  In the past, I have been to so many junior camps, as a camper.  Now, being a counsellor, it feels so different, but I love the role!


  Isabella Brookshire (age 12) and Sophia Brodwell (age 13)  are getting ready for the first group ride together!
Most of the juniors of the camp.  So exciting to be able to mentor the next generation of US cycling! 24 boys and 4 girls!

Stay tunned for more junior cycling camp updates! Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Junior Track Nationals

Where am I?

I am in Trexlortown, PA at a GREAT track cycling center!

I am competing in the Junior Track Nationals this week and I couldn't be more excited!

I am doing the Individual pursuit on Thursday and the Team Pursuit and points race on Friday.

Last year, I won my first national championship in Frisco, TX in the individual pursuit, and won again the next day in the Team Pursuit along with Jacquline Denny and Kate Wilson.  We set the national track record together and qualified for the Jr. Track World Championships where we placed 6th and broke the national track record again by 3 seconds!

This year, I am doing the team pursuit with my partner in crime Alexis Ryan and Nadia Latzgo.  I hope to accomplish more this time around (as my last year as a junior!).  Our team name this year is the Viking VanGarderen Wonder Women (pronounced like vonder vemen). 

When you put a group 17-18 girls together, you great names like this!

Anyways, cheer me on Thursday morning and Friday night!
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More updates to come.