Updates from Drew Edsall

Off season. Working and making money for next year...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:45:57 GMT

Off season. Working and making money for next year!

Early Season Results at The Sea Otter Classic and ...

Wed, 06 May 2009 21:20:56 GMT

The year has started off great! Moving to Durango, CO to help pursue my dream of competing with the top caliber Professional Cross Country racers in the US has proven to be an excellent move on my part! In addition to that, Scott bikes, Wilderness Trail Bikes(WTB) and Magura, have helped me put together a sub 20 pound hardtail for racing this year. The year couldn't have begun any better then it has.

In my first race of the year in Fontana, CA, I lined up with 105 other Pro riders. I was very anxious to see where my fitness was, but also nervous considering there were plenty of other very strong riders sitting on the line with me. At the start of the race, I was agrressive which put me in a top 25 position for the first half of the race. My power was there which was a first, but shortly thereafter my lack of race fitness began to show as I dropped back to finish in 34th place. A decent start, and I was very happy to see that my power was much better then the previous year. When I first moved up to Pro last summer, I could tell that I had a lot to do in order to stay with the top 25 riders, so to sit there for the first half of the race was a huge confidence booster! The good news was that was just the start of things.

The next big race I went to was The Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. This would be a true test. The competition was there, and my race fitness had progressed after racing in two more "training" races. The weekend began with the Short Track race on Saturday where 80+ Pro riders showed up. In the short track I hung with the top 20 riders for the first 10 minutes and then dropped back to finish 22nd in the race. This surprised me because I have never had the power to hold on to the front pack of the Pro Short Trackj riders. A good result, but the true test still remained on the next day with the XC race.

There were 153 riders lined up in the XC race on Sunday. It was also very, very hot reaching the mid 90's at one point. The start was hectic with the larger field, but I managed to hold my own and pulled into the top 50% after the first 10 minutes. From there I got stuck behind many riders in the first two single track climbs, and wasn't able to push the pace too hard.......this was something I thought was bad at the time, but given the extremely hot conditions it worked to my advantage. About 20 minutes into the race I wasn't overheated and felt very good. I was able to break away from the riders I was with and started to push the climbs. Riders were dropping out like flies due to the high temperatures, and I continued to move up in positions. By the time I hit the half way point at the feed zone, I was sitting in the main chase group of about 6 riders which put me in contention for the Top 10!!!! I was, once again, very surprised. From there, though, things began to fall apart. The heat and faster pace began to play a tole on me and I dropped from the chase group, and then dropped back some more. The heat forced me to slow down along with many other riders. Luckily I only had 10 miles to suffer prior to the end of the race! When I finally finished, I was sitting in 25th place. A top 25 finish! A very solid effort, and one that will be remembered.

A very good start to an early season! I surprised myself. Much of it has been due to the constant support from my girlfriend, my sponsors(Scott Bikes, WTB, Magura), and my coach(Doug Bush of Endurance Factor). Much thanks goes out to them. On top of that, Durango, CO has the best trails around and is sitting at high altitude. A definite plus in my books! So now it's time to get back in the saddle and push the limits so that my fitness continues to grow and I can hold off that top 15 position for the entire race! Looking forward to it and hope to see many of you at the races!

Walk and Wheel to School Day

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:51:54 GMT

This past Wednesday I had a great opportunity to wake up early and give back to the community. A few local Pro XC riders along with myself joined up with the local school district to celebrate the annual Walk and Wheel to School day. The event was started in Denmark back in the 70’s and now has spread worldwide in an effort to encourage kids to walk and bike to school safely. There was a great showing to the event which included a walk and ride around the local school where we demonstrated proper bike safety to the kids including wearing a helmet and obeying the laws of the road. I had a great time along with the other Pro riders.

You can also find more pictures along with a thorough run through of the event at the following link: http://www.durangoschools.org/

I hope that this event continues to grow throughout the US and kids become more active and safe at all times.

Riding with the Legends!

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:42:33 GMT

This past weekend I had the opportunity to compete against some of the legends in the sport of mountain biking. I didn’t expect too much when heading down to Farmington, NM for the 2008 Road Apple Rally, but when I rolled up to the line there were two very familiar faces next to me. Ned Overand and Travis Brown, both residing in Durango, CO, decided to show up to the race. No longer was the race a “training race”. It was now an epic moment where I had the opportunity to race against some of best known racers in the country!

A year ago I would have never dreamed of lining up and competing against guys like this. A lot of training under Doug Bush, and moving part time to Durango, CO, has made some unreal things happen. Another example; this past weekend after the epic Saturday race with legend Ned Overand, I went out for a nice long 4.5 hour ride. About 30 minutes along I ran into one of the top Pro’s in the Nation, Kenda/Titus racer Andy Schultz (had two top 5 finishes in National races this summer, also brother to Gary Fisher/Subaru racer, Sam Schultz). I was lucky enough to have met him a few weeks ago, so we rode together and talked about racing, training, local Olympian Todd Wells, other local athletes such as the two top collegiate mtn. bike racers in the nation and now residing in Durango, CO also, etc.! It amazes me how packed Durango is with amazing top caliber athletes! You never know who you will run into.

So I will leave you by saying this. One year ago I was living in Fort Myers, Fl, with one 10 mile mountain bike trail and high expectations. Now I am living and competing with some of the top Pro’s and legends of the sport and have hundreds of miles of mountain bike trails. Talk about getting better, show up to the local short track once a week and compete against the top Pro’s in the nation! That will make you better if it doesn’t destroy you in the process! On top of that, I get to choose from many different trails to ride every day. If you ever get the chance, drop by Durango, CO for some of the best riding in the nation along with the possibility of meeting the legends of the sport! All I can say is the possibilities to improve in an atmosphere like this are endless! High altitude, endless trails, top competition, and a great coach to guide me along the way! Bring it on! I can’t wait to see what I can do in the 2009 season! Bring it on!

Upgrading to the Professional Mountain Biking Stat...

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:58:22 GMT

In the past two weeks I have been releshing the new Pro XC license I received. I worked very hard this year with countless 10-20 minute Lactate Threshold intervals, and plenty of lung basting races in Califonia, Georgia, and Florida. In addition to that I just made a move to Durango, CO. Both of these steps put me that much closer to great results in the mountain biking arena.

I have always followed the saying, "You are only as good as the Tennis players you play against". By moving to the Professional level, I see myself improving faster and at a higher level. The only downside to it is that every rider at the Pro level is very, very good. There is no playing around!

The move to Durango is another step to improvements. Living in Florida the last 3 years(since I started racing mtn bikes) has always made it hard to put the quality hours in on the bike. Now living in Durango is epic! The motivation to ride and competition here is incredible. Last week Ryan Trebon, Travis Brown, Tad Elliott, and Troy Wells were all at the Wednesday shorttrack that is held by DurangoDevo(youth cycling program) once a week.

So in the next few weeks I will be preparing for the highest of competition that I will see in the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge(July 4th), the NMBS race in Windham, NY, and finally the National XC Championships in Vermont. I hope to see many of you at these races.

Drew Edsall

Last two months of racing; getting sick, recoverin...

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:56:33 GMT

It’s been about two months since my last blog, and a lot has gone on since then. I have seen my share of ups and downs on the National and local race circuits.

To start off I went to The Sea Otter Classic for the first time. The event was full with very strong riders and I came into it in very good shape and a lot of confidence. However, I was very unfortunate in both the short track and cross country races. In the short track race I got overconfident, took a turn a little too fast, and fell early in the race. That caused me about 20 seconds. By that time I was far from the leaders and decided to sit in and hold back for the more important cross country race the next day. The cross country race started off very good for me. I got in a strong pack of four riders just 30 seconds back from the leaders for the first lap(out of two total), but then found myself on the side of the course trying to repair a cut sidewall. After going through two 16 ounce CO2s, I was forced to abandon the race and have my first DNF of the season.

The bad luck streak didn’t stop there. In an act to make up for the bad races at Sea Otter, I pushed the next week of training hard to try and build my fitness for the next NMBS #3 a month later. Included in that week was a race in Winder, GA. I came into that race feeling a little sick, but managed to pull off a 4^th place finish against the top Pro’s and Semi-Pros in the South Eastern Region. A very good result that I was happy with considering the way I felt in the race (sick!).

And sure enough I was getting sick. That race sent me over the edge and I was sick for a full week coughing up mucus, and extremely weak. I must have gotten 10-12 hours of sleep a night, but still was forced to only 3 hours of training for the week (very little compared to my normal workload of 10-16 hours).

At the end of that week I headed off to another race in Ducktown, TN. I felt recovered, but wasn’t sure how I would feel after a tough week of sleep and no play. I felt completely flat in the race. My legs had no power! I struggled on hills that normally I would fly up! I finished a disappointing 9^th place. It wasn’t a terrible placement, but I knew I had much more potential.

That week led to my last two weeks of training and the NMBS #3 in Santa Ynez, CA. I worked hard the past two weeks to prepare for this NMBS and wanted to pull through with a top 5 finish in the Cross Country race. My original plans were to fly in on Thursday, pre-ride Thursday and Friday, and then race on Saturday. That would give me sufficient time to learn the course and prepare for the race. The airlines had different plans though. They decided that all my luggage would arrive a day late included my bike! I sat in the car all Thursday while the other four riders with me rode the course and prepared their bikes for the race. So I only got to pre-ride the surprisingly tough course one time before the race. The course was very tough with steep climbs that tested your fitness to the max. Included with the tough course were blazing temperatures that rose into the triple digits. Putting those three factors in to place made for a tough race.

I got a great start that Saturday in the Cross Country race and sat in 10-15^th place for the first half of the first lap, but at about that time I hit a steep climb that I thought flattened out after the 100 feet or so of 20%+ grade that we had to climb. To my surprise the climb kept on going for another 10 minutes………I went over my lactate threshold and started to feel a burning sensation in my legs. Typically I would recover from this within 5-10 minutes of moderate-easy riding. With a long 5 minute downhill at the end of this climb, I figured that I was in good shape to bounce right back and power up the next few climbs to put myself right back with the top 25% of the Semi-Pros. My body had other plans though. The heat was so brutal that it took me over 20 minutes to fully recover and start to feel strong again. By that time I was already towards the back of the pack, but I hung in there and started to pull riders back in the second half of the race. I managed to put a negative split (i.e. faster second lap then first) on the second lap and felt very good. I pulled off a 21^st place finish which was far from the top 5 finish I wanted, but given the circumstances I was happy that my second lap was as strong as it was.

The next day was the short track race. I felt much better in that race and stayed within the top 5 for almost the entire race. With two laps to go I had reached my physical limit and had to back off the extremely fast pace the leaders were setting. I tried to hold my own for the last 10 minutes and went through excruciating pain to keep the pace. I came through the finish line in a respectable 11^th place.

So the last two months of racing have been good, but far from great. The season started off with a bang when I finished top 5 in my first National in Arizona and won a race in Macon, GA the week before that. From there things have gone downhill. I have learned how far I can push my body before it gives up and gets sick. I have also learned more about my limits during a race and the importance of pre-riding a course prior to racing it. Finally I have learned that it is very hard to train for a climbing course when living in Florida.

My plans within the next few months are to go to Durango, Colorado, train a lot, and then head up to the next few Nationals including the National Championships in Vermont and take a shot at another top 5 in the National Circuit.

Top 5 National Mountain Bike Series #2

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:03:57 GMT

This weekend I set off for my first visit to Fountain Hills, Arizona for the NMBS #2. I didn’t know what I was getting into until I arrived in the hot, dry and desert like climate that Arizona is known for. I looked around and all I saw was desert. At the race venue there was absolutely no shade in site. The sky was clear, the air was dry, and it was dusty. The “perfect” day for a race…..or at least that was what the announcer was saying! I was more intent on racing in 60-70 degree weather that had a little more humidity to it. But, I was there to race, and that was what I intended on doing whether I liked the weather or not.

The race was setup as an omnium where there were three events that scored together to place you overall for the entire NMBS #2. The events were the Super D TT, the Short Track race, and the Cross Country race each occurring on different days. The latter event was what I went there for and was the most important event in my eyes. However, I wanted to do well in every event.

I came prepared for a hard, technical Super D with tight singletrack and steep downhills. I even packed a spare wheelset just for the Super D because I was worried my new Stan’s ZTR Race wheelset would be put in jeopardy down a technical fast course. However, what I was presented with was a slightly downhill TT race that seemed more like a road TT then a Super D event. I went with the flow and gave the race my all, but was disappointed with an 18^th place finish out of the 42 some Semi Pro racers. Not the greatest start, but I was motivated to make up for it in the Short Track the coming day.

On Saturday the Short Track event took place. I felt prepared, was very confident and motivated to do well. After a great start putting me in 6^th place, I realized that I went out above my ability. I tried to hang on, but I was already over my lactate threshold and was forced to slow down 10 minutes into the 25-30 minute race. This being my 2^nd short track race, I was anxious and adrenaline filled my inexperienced body. I fought and fought down to the last minute of the race where, once again, I found myself at a disappointing 19^th place.

I went to sleep that night telling myself that tomorrow was the day that I had to redeem myself. I went to sleep early, and woke up motivated and ready to have fun and ride in the event I was waiting for the entire weekend; the 30 mile Cross Country race. I went into the race telling myself that I have to do whatever is necessary to win the race. That being said, I started the race and played the first 2 out of 3 laps very smart. I sat in around 20^th in the first lap drafting and watching the lines in front of me and then moved up to 7^th going into the last lap. That’s when the race really started. There were about 10 of us in the front pack. At that time the pace was picked up and fatigue started to settle in on many of the riders. I pushed it and found myself making time on the top 5 riders and slowly moving up to the point where I was in 3^rd place by the end of the toughest climb in the race. I was very motivated and wanted the win so I pushed it some more on the downhill and moved into 2^nd place with about 3 miles to go with about 15 seconds to the 1^st place rider. The 3 riders trailing me were very smart though and kept me in sight. I needed a gap and worked very hard to try and get one, but couldn’t shake them more then 5-10 seconds off me. About a mile 2 miles later came the turning point in my race. The prior 2 days of racing had accumulating fatigue hitting in and I hit the wall pretty hard. The other 3 riders passed me and I struggled to maintain a very respectable 5^th place in the Cross Country race.

I was very happy with the 5^th place result which also moved me to 9^th place overall in the omnium. Not too bad for my 2^nd National race as a mountain bike racer. Even better yet, that 5^th place Cross Country placement puts me one step closer to the Professional license that I am fighting to get by 2009. It would be great to achieve that goal much earlier then expected! I have plans on attempting to achieve that in the biggest race of the season in two weeks; the Sea Otter Classic. If you get a chance come on out and cheer on the many cyclist competing in the multiple events throughout the week in Monterey, CA. I hope to see many of you there and wish the best for all the competitors.

1st place finish; feeling and performing great pri...

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:31:28 GMT

This weekend I set off to the first Georgia State Series race in Macon, Georgia. I packed my small Mazda 3 Hatchback with four Florida racers and we headed off to what was one of my best races yet. The weather was very decent hovering at around 55 degrees, which is what I consider almost perfect. It is cool enough to keep me from sweating, but warm enough so my legs don’t freeze. The course was filled with short 2-3 minute climbs and a good amount of solid and fun singletrack. There was a decent turnout of 17 riders in our Pro/Semi-Pro/19-29 class. After two solid weeks of long interval work focusing on raising my lactate threshold, I came into the race confident and anxious to win.

I took a commanding lead of 1 minute off the second rider(Michael Cummings) and 1:30 off a strong 3^rd rider for Sobe Cannondale(Shey Linder) in the first lap. My legs felt great and I pushed a strong pace. I slowly kept gaining to where I was about 3 minutes off Cummings coming into the 3^rd lap. I pushed the climbs hard, and played it smart on the downhills. The Scott Spark I rode was set up perfectly weighing in at only 21.8 pounds. The 1.9 Larsen TT tires added to the low weight and low rolling resistance and sent me into the climbs confident and flying. I continued to lengthen my lead and pulled away with a solid win just under 4 minutes ahead of Cummings and 5 minutes ahead of 3^rd place(Shey Linder).

This coming Thursday I will be off to the NMBS #2 in Fountain Hills, AZ. This race has given me the confidence I will need to have a great finish there in the Semi-Pro Cross Country and Short Track races. In addition to that I am going to have some fun and race my first Super-D race. From what I have heard the Arizona course is very similar to the conditions and courses I am used to. I am very “pumped” up and excited about the race and hope to pull off another stellar finish.

Tough start to a great season; SERC #1

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:19:40 GMT

South Eastern Regional Championship #1

The first race of the season turned out to be one of the hardest races I have raced. The semi-pro / pro field was stacked with some of the best mountain bikers on the East coast including Andy Mills (Southeast Trek/VW), Andy Johnson (KHS), Ryan Woodall (Powerbar), and Robert Marion (Kenda/Titus). Among them were many other strong riders from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. It was the perfect stage to see where I was at earl in the season.

The course was smothered with short explosive climbs mixed into tight, windy singletrack. Temperatures were in the mid to high 80’s. After building a very solid base this year, I was confident that I could compete with the best of the best in the South East. This race was the first race to see exactly where I stood early in the year.

The start of the race was brutal. It was an all out open sprint running straight into three fast and short singletrack climbs where technical skills were a must. I started very well settling in at 5^th position for the first lap out of five total. Unfortunately, I was on the edge at that point and was forced to drop the pace and “settle in” or blow up. Being smart, I settled in as the four leaders (Matt Kinsley, Ryan Woodall, Victor Alber, and Andy Johnson) slowly pulled away. Within the next five miles I was passed by two others(Robert Marion and a Cannondale rider), but began to feel stronger from then on. I pushed the pace hard and then even harder. Every time I had a chance I pushed it. But I made little to no ground to the closest riders about a minute ahead(3 total). I was anxious, and gave it all I had, but little came out of it. The final lap I was hurting bad. The short explosive climbs had taken it all out of me and I struggled with near cramping situations throughout the rest of the race. To make things even tougher, the 8^th rider caught me with about two miles left to go. I pushed and pushed, but he stayed on my wheel. Every chance I knew he had to pass, I accelerated to the best of my ability and kept him behind me. We were back to back until the last section where we cut into singletrack before the sprint. There he attempted to make a pass on my inside, and I, being defensive and the front rider, cut him off. His decision not to slow down put him right into the bushes only 5 feet away. A close call to what would have been a disappointing ending. But as it turned out I ended up on the high side of that situation and came crawling to the finish line in 7^th place.

7^th place……not exactly where I wanted to be, but a solid finish this early in the season against both semi-pro and pro racers. The six racers in front of me consisted of all pro racers besides a sensational semi-pro rider named Victor Alber. Victor has come a long way and showed his excellent ability to compete on the bike with a 2^nd overall finish. I was happy with my result and feel very confident that when the more important races (NMBS #2 and Sea Otter Classic) come around that I will be in great race shape. The next few weeks are going to consist of some serious high intensity training that will hopefully bring my fitness level right to where I need it for those races. Hope to see many of you there and good luck with your racing!

Start of the season

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:01:33 GMT

The first race of the season is right around the corner and I am more confident than ever in a solid performance at the Semi-pro/Pro level. The race takes place in Gainesville, Florida and is the first race of a series of nine in the South Eastern Regional Classics. The course is very unlike Florida. It has a lot of elevation change with some short climbs that will test everyone’s’ early fitness level.

I am coming into this race ready as I will ever be. I have spent the last 3 months preparing for the season with many hours on the bike including some long steady rides and a few team races. So far the New Year has been the best yet, and I look forward to expanding on that with some solid finishes in the upcoming races. I have gotten many new sponsors including Scott, SRAM, Dedicated Athlete, and Rudy Project. So far their products have impressed me. The Scott bikes are ultra-light and very stiff. The best bikes I have ridden so far. The true test will come in the upcoming races though.

I hope to see many of you at some of the SERC races. If I don’t see you there I am sure I will see you at some of the National caliber races in California, Arizona, and Vermont.

Alva Time Trial

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:26:37 GMT

The third TT of the year happened last night at the Caloosahatchee Regional park here in Fort Myers, FL(check out mudcutters.org for details). There was a decent turn out of about 20 people for the mountain bike night TT. For you all who haven't ridden Alva, it is a pure single track trail that is extremely fast and windy in certain sections that has the occasional short and steep uphill. It has it's sections that test your technical skills, but also has sections that test your fitness levels. A great trail for time trailing on the mountain bike.

Last night was the start of what should be my best season yet. I won the TT with a time of 35:05, just over a minute ahead of Mark Gerard who gave a solid effort also. I am happy not only with my result, but also with Mark's. He and I will both be competing together in the 12 Hours of Santos 2 weekends from now on a 4 man Open Category team. It is good to see that both of us are in great shape at the start of the year. I felt the best I have since my college years back in 2000-2004 while competing in Track and Field. My body and legs feel loose and powerful. Considering I am only at the start of the year and have only starting building my Lactate Threshold level, I am very confident in a strong showing at the Nationals and SERCs starting a few months from now(check out http://www.goneriding.com/ for details on the SERC). Hope to see many of you out at the races. The 12 hours of Santos should be a great race so I hope to see many of you there in 2 weeks.

Fitness falling, but there is hope in the future

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:25:35 GMT

One of my goals these past few months has been to have fun and keep my motivation up. My training volume has dropped and most of my rides are less organized and "fun" rides. So I have been enjoying time off the bike during the week and racing most weekends during the fall. A good thing to do every now and then, but it comes with a sacrifice in fitness level. Keeping this in mind, I have expected a drop in my fitness level and this past weekend was a perfect example of exactly that.

The race took place in Belleview, Florida. I had a good start off the line and was able to hold my own, but when the top 5 guys took off, I found myself powerless! Pacing myself was the only option. I pushed it hard for the entire race staying positive as much as possible. Most of my lap times were exactly the same, but the lower fitness and power output resulted in a 6^th place finish.

I was not disappointed with the result at all. The guys who finished in front of me are well respected and strong mountain bikers. A 6^th place result with a lower fitness then in the past is a great result. That being said, I am very excited about the higher training volume and high intensity workouts that are just around the corner. Just one more month of hard work at the JOB and then 24/7 biking! Those are the fun times…….lots and lots of time on the bike with plenty of rest to reap the benefits of the hardcore training. I look forward to it and hope to see some of you in the 2008 racing year.

Oleta State Park cyclo cross and cross country rac...

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:22:51 GMT

This past weekend’s races were in North Miami, Fl at Oleta State River Park.

Saturday consisted of a flat and road-like cyclo-cross race. A decent turnout consisting of primarily road bikers showed up for the Cat 1-4 race that I was competing in. I was looking forward to the new competition and went into the race very motivated. The two mile course was almost completely flat with some technical areas. One of which was a slalom BMX track with tight turns a slight elevation gains and also some log jumps that forced you off the bike for some running action. The competition included two Florida Cat 1 racers. One of which won the cyclo-cross series last year.

I went into the race set on these two riders and put my focus towards a podium finish. The race started with an intense first lap with constant fighting for position. I came around the first lap (out of 10) hurting, but slowly settling in to the race pace. By the third lap I had settled in just behind the two Cat 1 leaders. Paul Kavan, last year’s Florida cyclo-cross winner, took off putting a gap on both me and the other rider, Alex Gutierrez. I struggled to maintain a strong pace but was able to maintain a 10-20 second gap on the Alex in 2^nd place. The last 6-7 laps were a blur to me. I was constantly making a few seconds here and there on Alex, but then losing them on the next lap. Our pace was very fast to the point where me, Paul, and Alex all lapped the entire field. My legs were hurting, I was struggling, but on the verge of catching Alex so I kept on pushing to the point where I got within 6 seconds of him. I was convinced that I would catch him. However, at that moment I took a fall that would cause me that 2^nd place finish. Going into the final lap he was about 15 seconds ahead of me pushing just as hard as I was. At the finish I gave it one last go and sprinted the last 300 yards, but he still managed to beat me by about 2 seconds.

All together this was one of the toughest races I have raced in. The intensity was never let off and I pushed it to the limits. With this in mind, I still had a Semi-Pro / Pro mountain bike race the next day. So I set off to pre-ride the course as a cool-down from the cyclo-cross race.

The mountain bike course was filled with fast fire road mixed in with technical, rocky, and very rooty terrain. I went into the race ill-prepared for what I was about to face. The cyclo-cross race took a lot out of me, and on top of that my bike was set up with ultra thin tires and improper pressures in the fork, rear shock, and tires. However, I still felt confident that I could do well and focused on having fun on the tough course.

I started the race in front of the pack feeling surprisingly good, with little to no fatigue so far in my legs and this continued throughout the first two laps. But, within the second lap I suffered a flat tire and bent my derailleur hanger. Ok, not a big deal and I went along fixing them losing only a minor 1-2 minutes. That was only the start though. Fatigue started to hit me hard in the third lap and to top things off I got another flat that was not repairable. A sure way to DNF. I walked off the course extremely fatigued and hurting from the two days of competition.

The lesson I learned from this was to be prepared for each and every race. The mechanicals and bike setup I had did not match the courses conditions and were the direct cause of my DNF. That in combination with my fatigue from the prior day made this past weekend an extremely difficult one that has left me less enthusiastic about the sport and the rest of this year’s racing. The good thing is I only have two more races to do before that big thing called work hits peak season putting me on the job 24-7. A forced off the bike resting period is the best way to put it. After that I will hopefully be more then motivated to get some long and hard training days in to prepare for next year’s SERC and NMBS races just around the corner.

I hope to see some of you at the last few FSC races and possibly some of the SFC races also. Have a good one and see you all around.

Another strong finish

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:23:38 GMT

Another day, another race in hot and sunny Florida. The race this weekend was in Brandon, Fl on the trails in Alafia State Park. The course was mostly flat and fast, but had some newly cut short and explosive climbs that were tough and forced me along with many other riders to push the limits.

My confidence and motivation were very high coming into this race. On top of that I have been really enjoying myself in the series this year. All of this has added to my success including a top 3 finish in this race. That being said, this race was fun, interesting, and tough all at the same time.

The start was on pavement which made it fast and breathtaking to say the least. I was able to pull myself together and go into the single-track in 3rd place, which was right where I wanted to be. However, about a mile into the race I made a huge mistake by slipping on a root allowing the front leaders to gap me and the rest of the group by about 30 seconds. This forced us to pick up the pace and make up for the lost time. At this point of the race I was hurting, and made one more costly mistake that sent me back to about 10^th place forcing me to settle in, re-focus, and pace myself. By this time I was about 20 seconds behind the leading group of 5 riders.

So I settled in and started a comfortably hard pace, but still didn’t feel like I had what I needed to finish strong. However, about 10 miles into the race a drastic change occurred in my strength and mental state. This occurred when I, once again, saw the now 4 leaders only about 15 seconds in front of me. My confidence shot to the roof and I felt great. I slowly began to pick the pace up to where I found myself right with them going into the 3^rd lap. What a great feeling that was!

Now the true racing began. Kevin Hoffman, followed by Victor Alber, attacked just after I joined the group. A strong attack, but only enough to shake one rider off the group leaving four riders left in the lead group. Me and Ryan Woodall slowly made our way back to the two leaders and met up with them on a fire road section. As soon as we met up with them I attacked immediately with confidence setting a strong pace. This was just enough to put Kevin over the edge, but Victor Alber hung on my wheel while Ryan Woodall was just behind. I held the pace knowing that both Ryan and Victor were both extremely strong riders leaving no room for mistakes.

I came into the 4^th and final lap in the lead with Victor still hanging on and Ryan only about 5 seconds behind. I wanted the win, but it was now about who wanted it more. I attacked and attacked and attacked hoping to eventually shake off Victor and keep Ryan with a gap. This worked until we came into one of the newly cut technical sections. That’s where Victor strategically attacked and left me struggling to find strength in my legs. Closely following this was Ryan who also passed me. All I could do is hold on as much as possible and give all of what I had left. I came around the final turn in 3^rd place. I was happy at the placement, but disappointed that I didn’t have the strength to pull it off.

This was a great race and victory for Victor Alber. Ryan Woodall has been on a winning streak for the past few years and has been almost unbeatable in the local series. I was also happy with my result and hope for similar results in the future. The Florida State Championship Series has so far been very interesting with some extremely strong riders racing. I look forward to the next few races and hope that positive results and fun races continue to follow.

A big thanks goes out to Goneriding for putting on a great series so far. Take a look at their website at goneriding.com for more details. Other then that keep on riding and I hope to see some of you out at the next race in Miami, FL which will also include a cyclo-cross race on Saturday.

Testing my fitness level and pushing it to the max

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:24:27 GMT

Gainesville, FL Florida State Championship #4

After a solid month of fun on a single speed bike, I decided it was time to see where my fitness was at by racing my geared bike with the top mountain bike racers in Florida. The race was in Gainesville, FL and it was the fourth Florida State Championship Series race for the 2007 season.

I was very confident and motivated coming into this race. The course was extremely entertaining with some longer climbs, for Florida that is, and short explosive hills. On top of that I was coming off a very strong finish in the previous race on a single speed bike.

With that being said, I had a strong start off the line in this race putting me in second place within a half a mile. The pace was tough, but I was able to hold my own and felt confident with the pace. However, about three miles into the first loop my hopes of staying in that position fell when I heard my chain fall off and get stuck in between my front chainring and crank. I was forced to stop and get the chain back into position.

About a minute and 30 seconds of yanking at the chain, I was able to hop on the bike and get moving. By this time I was behind the entire pack. The best thing for me to do was to start to pace myself and slowly pick off the stragglers. I used this to my advantage and settled in at above average race pace as I slowly picked off racers and built my confidence up.

By the fifth and final lap I found myself in sixth place and slowly creeping up to the fifth place contender. After keeping such a high pace for the first four laps, I was in excruciating pain on the climbs. My legs wanted to seize up with every hard push on the pedals, but I could see the rider in front of me and kept on pushing. Halfway through that lap I caught him.

I passed him hard and fast to see what he had left. He jumped right onto my wheel and the race was on. I pushed a very hard pace and attacked a dozen times trying to get a large enough gap to where he would be forced to slow down. But he held on and wouldn’t let go. We were moving so fast that we were creeping up on the third and fourth placed riders. In fact, we passed the fourth rider with about two miles to go and came within fifteen seconds of the third rider. But, to my demise, the “wheel sucker” was able to stick to my wheel until the finish line and pass me within feet of the line putting me in fifth place at the finish.

So the race was exciting to say the least. I was surprised with my fitness considering the lower volume of training I have been doing for the past two months. I also pushed myself harder then I ever had and left nothing on the trail. Overall, the race was tough and fun at the same time. Something that is not easy to come by.

Jacksonville, FL FSC #3 ; a trail or a river?

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:16:42 GMT

After a success in my first single speed race two weeks ago, I decided to give the single speed a go in the Semi-pro / pro class. Some people may think I am crazy, but there were three reasons for my choice: first of all the course was almost completely flat with lots of twist and turns with little need for a large gear choice, also the course was filled with large sections (10-20+ feet) of 1-2 feet of water that I decided I was going to run through and carry my bike, and at only 19 pounds the bike had a large advantage in terms of weight and acceleration. On top of that it was easy to throw the bike on my shoulders and literally sprint through the puddle sections.

In terms of the race course it was, to say the least, flooded. One of the sections was about 4 foot deep with water and almost impossible to ride through. So going into the race I just wanted to have fun and enjoy Florida’s unusual conditions that we were presented with.

At the starting line I was almost sure I would be out sprinted considering the single gear selection that I had. However, surprisingly, the lightness of the bike and 44-20 gear ratio shot me to the front of the pack and I was able to go into the trail in 5^th place. Once entering the trail I immediately hopped on my bike and starting running. I passed two more people and found myself in the top 3 early on. I was surprised and kept the intensity and running consistent. I was interested to see if I really could stay with the top guys on a single speed. So I kept the pace up and slowly started to pick off the other two riders in front of me to the point where I found myself in first place leading the semi-pro / pro class about 5 miles into the course. I pushed the pace as much as possible, but found little to no ground on the 5+ riders behind me. But then we hit the largest flooded area on the trail. There I jumped off my bike and sprinted pushing the limits of my fitness level. I managed to gap the group by about 15-20 seconds and came around the first lap in first place.

I was very excited and surprised to say the least. I was wondering if I could keep this grueling pace up and was quickly answered with burning pain in my legs. I pushed it a little farther until my fitness gave way. I came to the front section again and jumped off my bike, but my legs didn’t want to run anymore. I was forced to stop and recover from what was too high of a pace for me.

However, I was able to recover and get back into the race slowly. I stayed positive, had fun, and I started to pace myself for what was a very, very tough race of running and biking. I came around the 22 mile course in 6^th place. A very respectable position considering the circumstances and bike I was running.

Overall that was one of the most fun races I have been in. On top of that it was a huge learning experience. I hit the wall hard, blew up, but recovered and pulled off a decent result. This will be a race to remember. Next time I will plan ahead and bring the wetsuit, some running shoes, and maybe a snorkel or two.

Thanks to all my sponsors for the race. They keep me going and on top of my game 24/7.

Stay tuned for some more crazy Florida races in the next few months and good luck to everyone in their races.

Drew Edsall

A successful first ultra-endurance race

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:50:57 GMT

Success at my first 13 hour race

At the peak of my fitness and with a month of altitude training at my back, I decided that it was time to try a true endurance race in Florida. The race was the 13 Hours of Santos; located about one hour south of Gainesville.

The race consisted of a nine mile course that was extremely fast with very little technical trail. There was a strong turn out of around forty 13 hour Solo riders. Among them were two strong endurance riders in the Southeastern region with much experience behind their backs; Bear Naked Cannondale member Bob McCarty and Kona member Eddie O’Dea. Last year’s winner, Chris Janiszewski, also decided to defend his title after winning by over a lap in last year’s 13 hour race. I knew that it was going to be a long and tough day of racing.

My plan for the race was to get ahead early and put as much pressure as possible on the other riders. By putting out consistently fast laps, I was hoping that I would eventually take away all chances of any other riders catching me by the time the sun went down.

My plan worked very well except for the fact that Bear Naked team member Bob McCarty decided to do the exact same thing that I had planned. He and I went back and forth throughout the entire race. We kept a blistering pace just below that of a cross country race. He would be ahead of me for a few laps and then I would catch him and be ahead of him for a few laps. Stops at the feed zone were literally non existent due to the constant pressure we were putting on each other. But things changed 6 hours into race.

At the time Bob and I were back to back when we came through the feed zone and saw a fierce lighting storm approaching the trail. We both realized the danger and knew that the race could be cut short with that type of a storm.

We went into that next lap as if it were the last lap of the race. We both knew that this lap could determine the winner of the race so the pace was raised. At that point the closest rider to us was last year’s winner Chris Janiszewski. But he was 20 minutes behind, so the race was now just between me and Bob.

The storm hit us hard and fast about half way through that lap. Lightning was all over the place and the rain came down hard covering most of the trail with about an inch or more of water. At that point Bob pushed the pace as hard as possible and I held on for as long as possible. With about three miles to go we started to approach some riders and needed to pass. At the time I was about a bikes length behind Bob and he managed to squeeze by a rider on a section where the trail was expanded and then went back to single track. That was the deciding point of the race. I was stuck behind an aggressive, slower rider and was not able to pass for about 10 seconds. It was a short period of time, but enough for a large gap to be formed by Bob.

I pushed and pushed to catch Bob, but he was nowhere in sight. I came across the finish line to find out that the race had been cut short and that I was second in the 13 hour race. It was a disappointment, but also a feeling of accomplishment at the same time. I was happy to get 2^nd place, but desperately wanted that top podium spot.

After evaluating the race and recovering from the excruciating pace, I realized that my fitness was the highest I have seen it. I felt that if the race would have kept on going then I would have come out as the winner. Being that this was my first ultra-endurance race, I felt that a 2^nd place finish was a great start in that discipline of mountain bike racing. I hope to go through an entire 12 plus hours of racing in the future and hope for a solid performance in my next ultra-endurance race.

Florida Boy attacks NMBS Finals

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:58:13 GMT

After a solid season of several top 3 finishes and upgrading from expert to semi-pro, I finally found myself at the event of the year; the NMBS finals in Snowmass, CO. Being a “Florida boy” I had almost no race experience with long steady climbs like I found at this race. In addition to this, it was my first race where 40+ riders showed up to the line at the start. The race was, to say the least, very tough.

The course had two endless (20-30 min.) climbs that tested your fitness level to the max. Along with this was the 9,000-10,000 foot mountain that you started and ended on. This was a race to put in the books and to be remembered.

I started off the line in a solid 8^th place and paced myself with the front group with intentions on finishing in the top 10. All went well until about half way up the first 30 minute climb where I found myself gasping for air. Apparently my fitness level was not as high as I had hoped at that elevation and grade of climb. I was passed by almost the entire field and found myself in pain and struggling to maintain an upright position on the 8-10% grade climb. By the feed zone, about six miles into the race, I was already six minutes behind the leaders. I knew what I had to do; I needed to get into a rhythm and finish the race strong. I was only a third of the way through the race and needed to put my legs into gear.

After the 2^nd endless climb, my gears were set and I was recovered after the blow up at the beginning. The next 12 miles consisted of passing, passing, and more passing. A great feeling after having the exact same thing happen to me only 30 minutes prior. The race was on and by the final descent I found myself in 21^st place with 2 riders only 30 seconds in front of me. I screamed on the downhill and caught them within a mile of the finish. However, passing on this downhill was nearly impossible with speeds around 30-40 mph.

I finished the race still in 21^st, but very happy with what I had done. I now know what I need to do to get to the top; get up those long steady climbs faster! The next year is going to be set on doing just that. Being stuck in Florida will not make it easy, but nothing ever is when you are competing against the best athletes in the nation.

This race was a good starting point to the next steps in my career. It is always said that you learn the most by losing; I can vouch for that! This race has set the stones in place for what will hopefully be a long and solid career of mountain biking at the professional level.

I wish all good luck with the remainder of the season, or wherever you are at the time, and I hope to see some of you at the Florida State Series coming this fall. Check it out at goneriding.com for more details. Thanks,

Drew Edsall

SERC Finals....a great way to finish the series

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:21:10 GMT

The 2007 SERC series was by far a great experience and one to remember. The series ranged from Florida's humid, technical(yes Florida is technical), and hot trails to North Carolina's fast and flowing uphills and downhills. This was a fun series and one I recommend to anyone in the Southeastern area. Check out www.goneriding.com for more info on the series.

The finals were held in Anniston, AL. The course was rocky, but had a tremendous downhill section followed by a tough series of climbs back to the top. A great course with a strong turnout in the pro/semi-pro field. I felt good and was able to pull off a strong 5th place finish behind 3 pros and 1 semi-pro rider. A great way to end the SERC and begin to get ready for the NMBS finals.

I am now off to Durango, CO for some serious climbing workouts and kick ass workouts! Hopefully I will see some of you at the NMBS finals in Snowmass, CO. Good luck to everyone in the upcoming races.

Toughest race of the year, SERC #7

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:54:34 GMT

SERC#7 Fontana Dam, NC

If you are looking for a hard race look no further, becuase it doesn't get much harder then Fontana Dam, NC. After finishing 7th place in the Semi-Pro / Pro class, I came to the conclusion that my experience of pain on a mountain bike had only just started. The race began with a very steep climb on asphalt that lasted for about 10-12 minutes. Following this were deathly single track trails that were very tight and difficult. But it didn't stop there; the entire race was filled with small, steep climbs here and there and fast, rocky decents that were a blast, but left no time for any rest. It was work, work, and more work. My legs cried for a rest, but I only encountered climb after climb after climb. This was one race that I was extremely happy to be done with. Next year it is on though. I know what to expect and I will bring everything I have to this race. If you haven't been there, try it out. Hard, painful, and challenging.

The ups and the downs....here's on the downs!

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:04:02 GMT

Bump and Grind Race 06/05/2007

Without bad days, how would you know what a good day was! That’s exactly what I heard myself saying this weekend after riding in what was one of the toughest and unpleasant races I have ever competed in. It was, to say the least, an incredible venue with a 16.5 mile loop and very picturesque scenery. But after driving for 12 hours followed by a series of crashes within the past week, I was on the verge of burning out.

Everyone that is anyone in the Southeast region showed up to the Bump and Grind race to try for a shot at the $700.00 1^st place winnings. I came up to the semi-pro / pro starting line seeing very familiar faces and I knew it was going to be a very, very fast race. Within the first 7 miles I was huffing and puffing and far over my threshold level. Within minutes I was being passed by riders who typically I never see within the entire race. A painful experience that I am determined not to let happen again. I fought my legs the entire race. They had little to no power. Agony spread through my legs with every push on the pedal. However, I was able to stick it out and finish 16^th out of the 18 riders that finished in the semi-pro/pro class. I was happy to be done, but disappointed in my results. This was an unhappy ending to what was a very solid 5 races in a row! Now it’s on to the next race at Fontana, NC. I guarantee the training and nutrition within the next week will bring me back to the upper level of my class! They always say that many of the top performers hit rock bottom before bouncing back and finishing at the highest of highs. That’s the plan and I will stick with it and stay positive. So look out for the next races results because I am on the way back to the top!

First cross country win and state criterium champi...

Tue, 22 May 2007 06:36:44 GMT

This past Sunday was a very tough and intense day of cycling. With an important AMBC race coming up next weekend I wanted to get some great training in along with some fun racing. So I decided to race a very technical mountain bike trail and follow that with a Cat 3 Criterium (State Championships).

The mountain bike race was a lot of fun. The locals absolutely kicked ass on the technical areas, but my fitness level gave me an advantage. I went back and forth with one other racer for the first and seconds laps, but was finally able to shake him off in the last lap to pull off my first cross country win of the year. I was so stoked about my win. The endorphins were kicking in and I told myself I couldn’t stop there and went directly to the Cat 3 Crit State Championships which started about an hour after I finished the mountain bike race. I was dehydrated, sore, and very close to bonkingl, however, I knew that the benefit from the extra race would pay off in the long run. The Crit was, to say the least, painful. I positioned myself in 10^th place coming into the last corner where I met a steep uphill followed by about 100 meters of flat section to the finish. I stood up planning on sprinting and did so for most of the hill, but then my legs just gave up. The prior race took out almost all the power I had to sprint with. So I ended up finishing in 26^th place. Not too bad considering I won a race about an hour prior to starting that race!

So this past Sunday was a very good training day that has left me in pain that will probably last throughout the middle of the week, but it has more then prepared me for what is to come this next weekend in my second race as a semi-pro.

Semi-Pro Debut

Wed, 09 May 2007 11:25:48 GMT

SERC #5 Ducktown, TN

Coming into this past weekend’s race I was almost sure that we were in for another mud fest. So I prepared for the worst and packed my car as full as possible. Saturday met all my expectations with foggy, rainy conditions which made for an interesting pre-ride of the course to say the least. However, after spending at least an hour and a half cleaning my bike that night and putting new brake pads in, we were pleasantly welcome by a sunny and great racing day on Sunday.

I was more then prepared to do well in my debut as a semi-pro. I was familiar with the competitors on the starting line and knew what had to be done to do well. I did have my doubts though including some tough climbs, and believe me they were tough especially for a native Floridian. I got a great start and headed into the first 20 minutes of climbing. I settled into a solid 2^nd place not knowing how my body would react to a faster then normal pace that was also up a 2 mile climb, something we never get in Florida! I blew up about 15 minutes into the race and was passed by 3 struggling individuals putting me in 5^th place. When the climb was over I had lost about 2 minutes on the leaders. A brutal burning sensation sat in my legs the entire first lap. At that point in the race I never expected to pull through with a good finish, but I knew that my fitness level was very high and that anything was possible. So I stuck with it and was able to get into a solid rhythm halfway through the race. I made up 3 positions and watched as I passed the racers that had originally passed me in the beginning. I had a very good feeling seeing that I sat in their exact same positions only an hour earlier. I was able to hold a good pace on the last lap and drop a minute off my previous lap’s time. I came through the finish line in 2^nd place in the semi-pro / pro class. I was very happy considering this was my debut at the semi-pro / pro level. Overall a great course and finish at Ducktown, TN that had its share of challenges along with some very fast and fun downhills.

Ready to race

Tue, 01 May 2007 11:08:46 GMT

After training hard for a solid 2 weeks, it's now coming down to that time of racing. The car's getting loaded with three bikes, 2 friends, and a bunch of bikegear for a long 12 hour drive to Ducktown, TN. I'm looking forward to new competition in the Semi-Pro / Pro field seeing that this will be my first race at that level. Come join in the fun and let's see what you got!

Great products..getting it done the right way

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 06:53:33 GMT

I am very happy with the sponsors I have this year. Their products have helped me accomplish my goals and I look forward to riding and representing these products for the rest of the year.

One of the best products I have used yet and I proudly represent is the SDG I-Fly ti-railed saddle. I have been using the I-Fly railed seatpost on my hardtail Carbon Scott Scale 10. At 145 grams, it is light but suprisingly very comfortable. When I first put it on my bike, I wasn't sure what to think of it. It seemed smaller then my old SLR saddle, and tended to have a more raised back end. These features were a huge plus once I got use to them. My weight is more distributed on my sitting bones and I am able to produce more power through my legs with less saddle in the way.

On another note, the Sun Ringle wheelset I have been using is very smooth, light, and durable. Besides the frame, I consider the wheelset the next important bike component. Sun Ringle wheels represent one of the best wheelsets I have used. The dirty flea hubs run great and have been maintainence free so far throughout the SERC series and the DS1-XC rims are light and durable. I run these with Stan's No Tube rim strips and Stan's Solution. The combination minimizes rolling weight, provides great cornering, and gives me that much more of an advantage over the competition.

The El Camino Hayes disc brakes I have been running have worked great and been problem free since they were put on my bike 3 months ago. In Bryson City, this years extreme mud fest, the brakes held up well. Many of the other riders lost their brakes early on due to the extremely muddy and wet conditions. I was able to keep solid brake performance throughout the race. Most of this I contribute to the El Camino brake system. It slows you down when you need it the most.

Now when it comes down to looking good, Freestyle watches knows what they are doing. Their watches look good and are made of expensive, long lasting materials. I am very proud to represent their product. It looks good, fits well, and is a great product.

On a final note I would like to thank all the sponsors I have had so far. Their products have been great and have helped me accomplish my goals early on.