I’ve had my share of ups and downs throughout this season of mountain biking and this last week’s world championships was a good way to cap it off. Canberra, Australia, was the site of this years worlds and it did not disappoint. The course was really interesting compared to others I’ve raced this season in that it was all man made. The course was really fast and fun with an entire downhill section that had berms, gaps, and even a little dual slalom section.

Unfortunately, strong head winds and little passing made for a very difficult race. My call up position was fairly poor because it was based on UCI points which I’m really lacking and most of the other U-23s are doing quite well in - the number one ranked guy is also ranked 2nd in UCI points overall. I started 50th out of 80 or so guys and wasn’t able to move up much going into the first singletrack section. Like many of the world cups I’ve done, the singletrack section forced a bottle neck and forced everyone outside the top 20 off their bikes and running up the opening climb. The track was really narrow and tough to pass but I managed to move consistently throughout the race. After a lap, I found myself in a group of 5 guys consisting of several different countries and my teammate. Going into the 5th (out of 6) lap I started to fade a bit and got dropped from the group I was riding with. Turns out I wasn’t drinking enough and once I got through the feed zone I felt much better and was able to turn it up and catch the now shattered group of guys I was previously riding with. With less than 5 kilometers to go I managed to pass a few guys and ended up 32nd. It wasn’ the result I was hoping to get but I’m totally satisfied with that finish. Although I finished 32nd, I was the top placing North American which made me feel good.

After my race I spent some time watching the other races, mainly the elite men and women cross country races. It is crazy to see how fast the top guys are in person versus watching on t.v. or reading about in an article. I don’t think the course allowed riders to really exhibit their strength because of the head wind but it was impressive to see none the less. The Elite US men and women had pretty good races with Willow Koerber landing a podium in 3rd place and Todd Wells riding into the top 10 from a poor start position.

Canberra was a great place and out of all of the places I’ve traveled to this year I liked it the most. The area was surprisingly similar to Utah in that it was dry and arid. The wildlife on the other hand is very different, for instance the local bird population consists of cock-a-toos and parrots. Another oddity was that all of the animal crossing traffic signs warned against kangaroos instead of deer. I think that the plush accommodations added to my good experience in Canberra with all of the meals being cooked by good chefs and an overall friendly association with all of the Australians I encountered. One of the highlights of the culture was eating kangaroo steaks the final night I was there. Definitely a good way to finish off a week in Australia.

That was the final race of my 2009 mountain bike season and I’m more than happy to end on that note. I think that despite getting really ill in the middle of the season the year has been great. I’ve been able to travel around the planet and race my bike in some of the most prestigious races in the world. Of course, none of it would have been possible without the great support I had from numerous different sponsors. The support I had throughout the season from USA cycling and Specialized was absolutely great and once I qualified for worlds I couldn’t believe how much of the local cycling community came through for me.

Now that worlds is over it is time to just relax and try to figure out what I’m going to do next season. The US National Development team that I’m on is ending this year so I’m trying to find a new team and sponsors for the 2010 season. Although nothing has come up, from the support I received this year I’m hoping that I’ll be able to find a good deal for next year. Looking to next year I want to try to expand and start racing more on the road in stage races as well as more international races.

In addition to trying to find a new sponsor for next year, school has really picked up and it seems that I’ll be pretty busy this fall without worrying about training. As I found last fall it is tough to balance school and cycling; basically balancing school and anything is difficult so it is nice that there is no pressure from anything else right now and I can focus on school. Last year the mountain bike season ended a little later and that really threw things off for school and took me the entire semester to straighten out.