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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A gaggle of Bend cyclists competed on the Cyclocross Junior Nationwide Championships this month.
The boys did nicely, and overcame some surprising challenges.
Cyclocross is a problem itself. The game’s a mixture of street biking, mountain biking and cross nation.
If that is not arduous sufficient, one of many racers crashed simply days earlier than the race, however he didn’t let it sluggish him or his teammates down.
Tyler Morgansen, a 16-year-old cyclocross racer for the Cascadia Jr. biking staff, completed thirty seventh at this 12 months’s Junior Cyclocross Nationwide Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.
“I had a blast — it was a extremely enjoyable course,” Morgansen mentioned. “It was just a little muddy, in order that was form of enjoyable, to slip round within the mud.”
He and his teammate, Jack Billowitz, have been comfortable to race towards different children, versus the grownup races they do in Central Oregon.
“It was form of enjoyable to battle towards children my age from all throughout the nation,” Morgansen mentioned.
The third Cascadia teammate who made the journey to Nationals is Zane Strait.
He’s not house for the vacations, as a result of he’s competing in Eurocross — with Staff USA.
Strait completed 18th at Nationals and was chosen to compete in Belgium the remainder of the month.
Billowitz, the youngest of the three racers, competed in a “non-championship” follow race earlier within the week, to get acquainted with the course — and he received.
Simply two days earlier than the true race, whereas coaching along with his coach, he crashed.
“There was a pole,” Billowtiz defined. “It snuck up, he didn’t see it, he swerved round it and I hit it.”
He critically broken his finger, needing instant surgical procedure.
“I have a look at it, and I simply see it’s coated in blood, it appears to be like prefer it won’t be absolutely hooked up — and I’m similar to, ‘Holy crap! What is going on?’” Billowitz mentioned.
An harm like this one definitely can influence his using capability.
“It is fairly big,” Billowitz mentioned. “It undoubtedly … I used to be instructed to not race. In the long run, I needed to race as a result of cyclocross is cyclocross, and you must go on the market and have enjoyable.”
Regardless of the harm, Billowitz completed fifteenth out of 66 racers.
“I undoubtedly discovered to remain centered, by no means quit,” Billowitz mentioned. “Something can occur, basically, so there’s at all times an opportunity.”
Billowitz remains to be a number of weeks away from being absolutely cleared to race, however he’s proven nothing will cease him from hitting the paths.
Congratulations to all of the racers and better of luck to Strait as he retains competing with Staff USA.
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