The Robbie Report is a weekly feature on MTBracenews.com. Robbie Squire is the 2008 Junior National Champion and the newest member of the US National Team. Just two years ago Squire was racing as a Sport. In '08, his first year and only year as a Junior Expert, Robbie won the Junior National Championship. In '09 his first year in the senior ranks, the Utah resident will be racing with the U.S. National Under-23 Team. Each week Robbie will share his experiences with us. Join in as the 19 year-old Junior National Champion and first year Pro travels across the United States and Europe racing his bike and living out a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This weekend I was in Salinas, California for the Sea Otter Classic cycling extravaganza. This was the largest cycling event I’ve ever seen. Teams and companies packed into this small valley creating a city of cycling bliss. I only went into the expo twice to hang out in the shade at the Specialized tent and couldn’t believe how many people had come out to see the races and browse new product lines. All of the commotion reminded me of being in a big city like New York where you can hardly move without bumping into someone.

Being a Specialized sponsored rider I was given the privilege of sitting under their tent and almost being a celebrity. I got to sit behind the table with posters and swag while people came up to the booth and checked out my bike: my bike has fans now all I need is my own fans.

The racing started with Short Track on Saturday. This would be my first short track race in the Pro field so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew that a good call up would be key to any shot at a good race and to my delight I was on the second row. There were about 75 people in the race and to be called up 10th out of such a field is a real ego boost.

The race started fast with every person risking it all to pass. I have been in chaotic starts before but I wasn’t expecting the level of intensity from these guys in a Short Track. I was getting pushed, bumped, elbowed, and cut off as I battled for position and ended up well down from my starting position. As soon as we hit the hill I was able to make up those positions and settled into a group about 2 laps into the race and then held that position for the majority of the race. I managed to finish 18th which isn’t bad for my first Short Track but it definitely wasn’t the best race I’ve had. The most important thing to me in a race is how I feel. I didn’t feel like I was riding at my limit and that my muscles weren’t opened up. It’s tough because I would be more satisfied with feeling stronger and having a poor finish than feeling terrible and having a descent finish. It wasn’t all bad though, the short track provided me with a good warm-up for the main event the next day, Cross Country.

The course wasn’t the best suited for me but it was pretty close. It consisted of one 19-mile lap and one 10-mile lap, the promoters decided to shorten it from two 19-mile laps because of the intense heat. It was around 100 degrees out when the race started so that means that on black tarmac the race started on it was about 110.

Aside from being dangerously hot, the 145 rider field made for a dangerous start. My call up wasn’t as good as Short Track so I started in the back which wasn’t a big deal because we road along a car racing track for a mile or so before we hit the dirt. However, 145 people gunning for a good position caused a lot of chaos with several crashes and lots of yelling. I just tried to keep away from the middle of the group where all of the problems manifest, and get a descent position heading onto the dirt. I was somewhere in the 30-40 range onto the dirt which wasn’t as good I wanted but not bad nonetheless and the wide trails made it possible to do a bit of passing.

About 20 minutes in I started to have some mechanical problems. I was sitting in the teens and steadily moving up and thought that I would just ignore the problem and finish the race with the mechanicals. It turned out that my crank arm was loose and caused me to have to run into the tech zone. I had thought that I broke the crank but after a mad search for tools the mechanic managed to tighten the crank and I was off again. This had cost me a lot of time and I drifted back to the 50-60 range. Although I was out of the hunt for the high placing I was determined to finish the race despite the problems I had and would have. The mechanical problem was reoccurring and caused me to have to stop in the tech pit each time to re-tighten the bolts. Luckily for me the support in the pit was very good and I was able to finish the race. I ended up finishing 34th and the 5th Under-23 rider. Although it wasn’t the result I was looking for I was content because I still managed to finish high enough to earn 1 UCI point. I’m looking forward to coming to this race again so I can give it another shot.

Now it is off to Offenburg, Germany for round #2 of the World Cup. This will be my first ever World Cup and I’m excited for it, nervous but excited.

Rob Out