2012 Olympic Long Team

enCompass Racing is proud to announce that Maddie was selected by USA Cycling to the Long Team for the 2012 London Olympics!

View the official press release here.

A little thought from Maddie on the selection: "I am honored to be chosen to have the possibility of representing the US in London next year, and would just like to thank the amazing sponsors of enCompass Racing such as Mix 1, and all of the people who have helped me along the way!"

Astana World Cup

I love to read. A lot. There’s just something about being transported into another time or another place and experience life through someone else’s eyes. Not that I don’t enjoy life through my own eyes, I do, but I can’t meet a gun-toting outlaw or ride dragons through the clouds. See what I mean? So to compensate for not being born with magical powers, I am doing the best I can to raise the excitement level in my own story. I recently started the most current chapter with a bang. Thirty-one glorious hours of travel to, literally, the other side of the world. I was slated to participate in my first Track World Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan for USA Cycling. This was my first time up to bat in the big leagues; I had better come prepared. Following an already tough racing block with US Nationals and the Pan-Am Games I was beginning to get tired, but the excitement was starting to bubble through me as athletes started filtering in from all corners of the globe. These were riders whom I had always looked to as role models and athletic goals, and here I was, about to line up right next to them.

Warming up on the rollers

The track was beautiful. The team was motivated, and I had several good days of openers before racing started. The first day arrived and all morning I did my best to just focus and stay calm for our team sprint in the afternoon session. I also made sure to fill up on Mix 1 before I left the hotel in order to fuel me for the races, seeing as I was having an adverse reaction to the food. It all worked out in the end, as Mix 1 is the most amazing pre and post race food around. I got to the track, put in a good warm up and was ready to go. Coming off of riding a national record in Mexico I was hoping for another fast time, unfortunately we rode an average time of 35.9 seconds, which was good enough for 15^th place. My next race was the 200 meter qualifier for the match sprints, I carefully chose my gear, wound it up just like every other time in training, and concentrated on keeping the power flowing through my legs and into the pedals. My time was 12.0 seconds, slotting me into 31^st place after the 40+ girls finished. It was a new sea-level PR for me, but not as fast as I hoped I would go. Not bad for my first race on the senior international level. But I wanted more. It has been said that you have to lose before you learn how to win, and that fire was instantly lit.

200 meter qualifier

Overall, my racing in Astana was disappointing, but you have to start somewhere and just concentrate on working your way up the ranks. I took all of the lessons that I learned from my first World Cup and have them saved, ready to use on a day that I might need some extra motivation when I want to throw up after a motorchase team sprint, or all of my muscles are screaming after setting a new max in the weight room. Then I will be able to look back, and know exactly where I have to move forward and be able to push through that last effort despite all of the pain.

A New National Record

USA Cycling HQ confirmed that the team sprint team comprised of enCompass Racing's Maddie Godby and her partner, Liz Carlson set a new American record during their qualifying ride at the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico!

http://www.usacycling.org/forms/records.pdf

Liz leading Maddie out as they get up to speed during the team sprint.

Photo from ESPN.

Pan-American Games Recap

Maddie just returned from representing the USA at the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. She raced in the team sprint with her partner Liz Carlson, with whom she teamed up with to win a national title with two weeks ago.

Here is Maddie's race report:

Traveling to Mexico was a fantastic experience! We were staying in the Pan-Am Village with people from 42 countries and a multitude of different sports, so the Olympic atmosphere was very infectious and my partner and I were very excited to stretch the legs against the other teams. We had two days of training before we raced, and both of us were feeling good.

Race day finally came and we were sitting on the line listening to the countdown. Off we went and our qualifying ride felt fast and smooth. Liz was the starter and I finished the team sprint as I was riding 2nd wheel. When I crossed the line I looked up at the scoreboard to see what our time was. 34.788 seconds. The US women's team sprint team had only ever gone as fast as 35.8, so to take over a second off of the best time and break into the 34 second range was amazing! We couldn't believe it! However, we qualified 4th so we were in the ride for the bronze medal against the team of Mexico, who had qualified 3 tenths of a second faster than us, so we quickly got refocused for our ride in the finals that night. I filled up on my stock of Mix 1 that I brought along in the bottom of my bike box in preparation for the final because they provide the best pre and post race nutrition.

When our final came we were both ready to go, and the stadium was at an insane noise level, being that we were up against the hometown team. This ride didn't feel as clean, and our time ended up being a 34.993, which was still .3 off the time of the Mexicans. We were both disappointed to miss out on a podium spot, but it was a good learning experience and there will be some valuable lessons taken away from this race. Although, for some consolation, our time was the fastest on record in the US, so Liz and I are the new national record holders in the women's team sprint!

Overall this trip to Mexico was very positive, and the US Olympic Committee and the people of Guadalajara did a wonderful job of staging the Games. The US team had a very fun time, but now on to more races! I want to thank all of the sponsors of enCompass Racing for their support, Mix 1, FOCUS, and Schwalbe tires, and hopefully more great things will happen in the future.

I leave next week to participate in the first round of the UCI Track World Cup series in Astana, Kazakhstan where I will be racing in 3 events, including the team sprint. Stay tuned for more enCompass Racing race reports from all over the world!

Liz leading Maddie out during the team sprint on the track in Guadalajara

photo from ESPN

Elite Track Nationals

This past weekend Maddie proudly flew the enCompass Racing colors while she raced around in circles at Elite Track Nationals in Carson, CA.

Maddie's Race Report:

What a weekend! Nationals was the first race of the season, seeing as track cycling is a winter sport, so it was good to race away the nerves, and just go out and have some fun on the bike. All of the training that I have done this year definitely helped me come into the race prepared. The first race of the meet was the 500 m TT. This is a 2 lap race from a standing start, and I went out and rode as hard as I could, which was good enough for 4th place! I was happy with my time, and it was a good opening effort. I had an off day in between the 500 and my next race, so I went out for an easy ride and spent the day resting up for the Match Sprints.

About to start the 500

Sprint morning! We had the 200 m qualifier in the morning, and I just wanted to put out a good time and get as far up the seeding as possible. After my coach pushed me off, I wound the gear up, and just went as hard as I could. When I finished there were still quite a few riders to go, so I hopped on the rollers to spin my legs out. By that time, everyone had finished and it was announced that I had ridden the fastest time, so I was qualified as first! We raced the quarter finals in the morning session and I progressed through to win that round in two rides. Then the evening session came, and I was in the semi-finals. In both rides it came down to a photo finish, but unfortunately I came up short, so I was put through to the bronze medal final. I got refocused and came up with a plan with my coach on how to win those two races. I was patient and executed it perfectly, coming away with a bronze medal!

200 m Qualifier

The staring contest at the line

The last and final day of Nationals was the team sprint. This is the race that I was most looking forward to, seeing as it is what I had qualified to ride in the Pan-American Games with my partner, Liz Reap Carlson. We were riding Nationals as a warm-up for Mexico, and to practice making our ride and transitions smooth. She was the starter, and then I would finish the race as the 2nd rider. We got a clean start, and then she dropped me off and I concentrated on pushing hard on the pedals to keep my speed up, which earned us the fastest qualifying time and a spot in the gold medal final! We had about an hour before the final, so I put in my iPod and got motivated for our second ride, while pretty much living off of Mix 1 to recover and get ready for my 2nd 500. Similar to our first ride, we rode perfectly together and pulled out for the win! It was a good confidence builder heading into Pan-Am's as the fastest American team sprint team, and it was exciting to earn my first elite national title!

Start of the team sprint in the final

On the top of the podium!

I am happy with the way I raced, but it is back to the boards for another hard training block before leaving for Mexico in two weeks time! I want to send a big thank you to all of our amazing sponsors that keep us going with the best products, FOCUS, Mix 1, and Schwalbe!

It's that time again...

Cyclocross season has now officially come barreling down upon us and enCompass Racing is enjoying some down and dirty 'cross racing! The air now rings with the deep clanging of cowbells cheering racers on to go faster, and morning start times now warrant legs warmers and the thermal jacket makes it's grand entrance for the season from the back of the closet. Tim has been flying the enCompass colors for the last 3 weeks, but this past weekend he rode a strong race that placed him on the podium in 3rd, at Boulder Racing's Xilinx race!

Running over the barriers.

Tim's Race Report:

'Cross season is now upon us...the racing is intense and so much fun! There are so many levelers in cross that keeps every rider honest. During the short length of a cross race, you push yourself further than in many longer events. It is the most anaerobic endeavor in which I have ever participated.

Racing with the beautiful Boulder flatirons in the background.

After a pair of 4th's the last 2 weeks, I moved up a spot in today's race and made the podium by finishing third. It was fun to be a part of the front of the race as the top 3 riders today rode together by separating ourselves from the rest of the field and trying to figure out how to beat each other. Unfortunately I bobbled the last set of barriers and paid for it with a 2 second gap...lights out! I was not going to get the lead 2 riders back but was happy in finishing third. Certainly what makes this possible is @mix1. It provides excellent nutrition for hard efforts before the race and great recovery afterwards. I love my mix1's on race days like this one!

Tim in 3rd place!

Colorado Track State Championships

The weekend of September 4 and 5th enCompass Racing headed down to Colorado Springs to race in the state championships. Despite being in a hard training block, Maddie zipped up the speedsuit and put on the race wheels for a dress rehearsal for Elite Nationals. She raced the women's 500 meter time trial and was recruited to be a starter for a men's team sprint.

Race Report:

The 500 m went off first, and the goal of the ride was to see where I was time-wise, seeing as I haven't ridden a 500 yet this year. Since I am riding second wheel and consequently a 500 in the team sprint at Nationals and the Pan-Am Games, this would be a good practice run for the upcoming track season. The gun sounded and I pushed the gear over and just kept winding it up as fast as I could. When I came into the infield to ask my coach what the time was he just looked at me. I had taken 1.1 seconds of my previous PR, and the time was good enough to win by over 2 seconds! In track racing where races sometimes come down to thousandths of seconds, to take over a second off is a very good thing and bodes well for my future racing.

500 m podium (the 3rd place finisher was MIA)

I had a while until the team sprints so I just relaxed and hung out. When it was time to go I warmed up on the rollers and made my way to the ready area. I was to start and my two teammates were to follow me with one of us pulling off each lap until the last person completes a lap by himself. By this time the wind was starting to pick up, but we all stayed in a tight formation and held out for the win!

On the top step of the podium!

Men's team sprint podium

Look for more updates as the track and cyclocross seasons start to heat up!

¡Mexico!

USA Cycling announced today that Maddie has been nominated to represent the US at the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico in October! She is very excited for her first international competition at the senior level and along with the many people who have helped her get to this point, she would like to thank the sponsors of enCompass Racing, Mix 1, FOCUS Bikes and Schwalbe tires, for providing the best products.

Here is the official press release from the USA Cycling website.

World Bicycle Relief

enCompass Racing has achieved its goal of raising funds for one bike from each member through World Bicycle Relief! That's 3 bikes and $406 of race winnings earned that will go toward helping others achieve a better life through bicycles.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who has donated in support of our team, every dollar helps!

If you would like to donate and help fund a bicycle at $134, or any partial amount, here is a link to our fundraising page.

We look forward to helping raise money to help World Bicycle Relief's mission in the future.

July Recap

It has been awhile and we apologize for our lack of posting! There hasn't been much racing going on but July 14-17 Tim and Zane headed up to Sun Valley, Idaho for Mountain Bike Nationals.

Tim's Race Report:

MTB nationals…Sun Valley was beautiful, the weather was idyllic, Focus bikes, Schwalbe tires and mix1 nutrition was perfect! Everything was all set for some epic racing ascending straight up and then descending straight down the ski resort. The category 1 course went up some cool single track, and the descending was curvy, but fun. Given the conditions, I rode to the best of my abilities and finished 8^th on the day. I was hoping for a top 5 but happy with a top 10. Zane’s XC race didn’t go well, and he finished a disappointing 32^nd. However, he had a great start in short track XC was riding a super strong fifth position, but unfortunately finished 9^th on the day. We didn’t quite get the results, for which we were hoping, but we had a fun trip and glad we raced the championships as a way of representing our sponsors and seeing other riders from around the country.

Zane going down the rock garden during the XC race

Tim racing through the woods in the Masters XC

Zane cornering during the 17-18 Short Track

Getting some air during short track!

After a restful week at home Zane flew up to Helena, Montana for the inagural Cyclocross Development Camp hosted by the National Team U23/Junior Coach Geoff Proctor of USA Cycling.

Zane's Experience:

Most of the up and coming top juniors were there on the basis of getting ready for 2013 when Worlds come to the States. On one of the local properties Geoff and all the Helena locals had a cyclocross course set up and it was a great opportunity to work on all of the necessary skills.

Zane on one of the many group rides

Zane showing the campers how to bunny-hop the barriers

Meanwhile, Maddie was supposed to race the FSA Challenge in Portland, OR and the Marymoor Grand Prix in Seattle, WA but a bad crash and a concussion sidelined her 3 days before departure so she spent a couple weeks off healing and is back on the bike training heading into two busy months of track racing! Look for upcoming posts on her many fixed gear adventures.

Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic!

This past weekend Maddie headed up to Blaine, Minnesota to race at the National Sports Center Velodrome in the Fixed Gear Classic portion of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. The promoter and velodrome staff always put on a good race for the racers and spectators alike, and is such a fun race to attend! This year there was not only a larger field, but a much better, more experienced field that made the racing that much better!

Maddie's Race Report:

Day 1: Match Sprint Day!

The women's 200 meter qualifying was the first thing up, and I was first off. It was cloudy, wet, and cold so the times were going to be slower, but I rode a 12.6 second 200, which I was pretty proud of because I qualified first! Then the clouds decided to open and the officials had to call the racing off for the night due to the track being unrideable from the rain before I got into any of the rounds so that was all I raced on Friday.

200 M qualifier

Day 2: Marathon Day! Match Sprints, Keirin, Madison Kilo

With the remaining Friday schedule and all of Saturday having to be raced today it was going to be a long day in the chamois, 11 hours to be exact. I pretty much lived on Mix 1 that day, because it gave me everything I needed to keep racing, but it was easy to digest and didn't interfere with my racing, so thank you Mix 1! Well back to racing, I won my semi-final match sprint after receiving a bye in the first round. That put me in the finals again Cristin Walker, a multi-time national champion and national team member. I raced two races that were tactically very good and am continuing to learn how to be more aggressive and use more of the track. My legs just didn't have the speed to get around her so I ended up 2nd, but I am happy with the way I rode. After a 45 minute break between Friday's schedule and the start of Saturday. I then went to the keirin qualifying heats and qualified for the final comfortably. Before the final, however was the Madison kilo. A kilo is 1 kilometer race, or 4 laps on the track, and is a time trial. To make it a madison two people start and do at least one exchange. My partner was Megan Hottman, who is an endurance racer from Colorado. She got me up to speed and led me out, I did the first two laps, then we exchanged and she finished the final two laps. I never found out what our time was, but we ended up winning it! Then I had to muster up the legs for the keirin final because by that point they were definitely getting tired. All the girls sprinted for the motor after the gun went off, and I ended up at the back of the line, so I sat at the back until 3 laps to go when the motor pulled off and I sprinted up to the front of the field to get better positioning for the final sprint. When the sprint came at 1 lap to go I was ready to go and almost managed to come around Cristin's wheel at the line but she held me off for 2nd. Again I was very close to getting the win, but I raced aggressively so I was happy with my 2nd place.

Watching in the Match Sprint Finals

Megan leading me out

In second place in the keirin qualifier right after the motor pulled off

Day 3: Handicap, Team Sprint, and Madison

Now my legs were seriously starting to feel the past two days so I just warmed up and tried to open them up a little before the Handicap race. A handicap is where the riders are given start positions however many meters out depending on their past results and have to race 3 laps. Cristin and I were both placed at scratch, or a 0 meter headstart, and had the whole field to chase down! Everything came together about one lap in, so it turned into a mini drag race for the line. I messed up my positioning going into the final sprint but managed to hold on for 3rd. It was definitely the opener my legs needed to get ready for the team sprint! About 30 min later Cristin and I teamed up together for the team sprint, and I was the starter, so mentally I was prepared to push myself to ride the fastest opening lap I have ever done. We ended up winning with a time of 36.3 seconds! Then for the last race of the day, the Women's Madison, my partner for the madison kilo, Megan Hottman, needed to do the madison to hold her place in the women's endurance omnium so I agreed to suit up for the 60 lap race. I know, a sprinter doing 60 laps is crazy, but I thought it would be fun! We hung in there with Megan placing in the sprint laps to finish 2nd! It was definitely a fun race, but my legs were SO tired after holding on for dear life for 60 long laps!

Starting the team sprint

At the start of the madison

Due to my high placings in the sprint events I ended up 2nd in the Women's Sprint Omnium!

2nd place Sprint Omnium Podium!

A big thanks to all the people who worked hard to put on a great race at the NSC Velodrome!! I will definitely be coming back next year for even more fun! Also, thanks to Mix 1 for the great race day nutrition, and FOCUS Bikes for a smooth, powerful ride!

Teva Games

enCompass Racing spent the weekend up in Vail for the Teva Games, and participated in the mountain bike cross country race on Saturday, then brought the pain on again with an uphill road time trial on Sunday! On the mountain bike Zane made his way on to the podium in the expert category with a third place, while Tim raced his way on to the podium in the 45 men with a bronze as well. On sunday Zane raced the juniors for the time trial and climbed into a gold medal! Not to be outdone, Tim again made his way onto the men's 45 podium with a second place effort.

Tim flying on the descent

Zane holding speed through a corner

Tim's Race Report:

The Teva Games were huge…thousands of people everywhere and a big crowd for the mountain bike race! The course was mostly fire road and presumably easy. Wrong! With many feet of climbing each lap, it was comparative to racing up Flagstaff Mountain each lap! And then there were short sections of single track in the high-speed descent that kept a smile on your face. Thank goodness for grippy tires from Schwalbe and good nutrition from mix1 that kept the whole thing going. Teva Games was a fast-paced mountain bike race that was a whole lot of fun! Oh yeah…then there was that road thing the next day up Vail Pass.

Tim on the podium

Zane on the podium

Mid-Week racing has commenced!

This past Wednesday was the first in the CU Short Track series after the previous two weeks have been rained out. There are very few races that are better than short track racing in the heart of Boulder put on by passionate collegiate racers, and is one of enCompass Racing's favorite races! Both Tim and Zane suited up to duke it out with the Men's A's, which contains many of the top pros who reside in Boulder, making it a hard race every week. Zane made the select lead group of 4 riders after getting 2nd in the holeshot, and ended with a strong 4th place finish!

Zane in the field at the start

Tim on the "bowl"

Looking ahead

Out of the saddle on a steep riser

1 day later and 100 miles south, Thursday Night Thunder in the Park commenced down at the velodrome. With Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic coming up in one week it was good to get some racing in. After a hard day of training, Maddie raced with the women's open field in which she won the 1 mile and placed 2nd in the 5k points race.

Superior Morgul Classic Weekend

enCompass Racing participated in the second annual Morgul Bismark race in Superior over Memorial Day Weekend. This race is one of Colorado's most famous courses dating back to the Coors Classic in the '80s with riders such as Andy Hampsten and Davis Phinney participating.

Battling high winds in the criterium, Tim was 16th in the Masters 45 men, while Zane threw down for the podium with a 2nd place effort in the Cat. 3 men!

Cornering

In the field

Cat. 3 criterium podium!

The next day riders had to bring their climbing legs to tackle the plethora of climbs including the feared "Wall." Both Zane and Tim placed 9th in each respective category.

In the road race

In the middle of the field on one of the many hills

With their strong performances out on the road, Zane powered to a 4th place overall omnium effort, while Tim raced to 8th place in the omnium.

Photo Credit: Tim Hancock

Louisville Criterium in Pictures

This past weekend was the downtown Louisville crit sponsored by Sonic Boom Racing. Although we may be biased living in Old Town Louisville, it was an awesome race that really showed all the hard work by everyone who worked to put this race on! enCompass Racing is looking forward to racing this race for many years to come!

In the Masters 45 Men, Tim was active in the group and eventually ended up in 10th place. Later in the day, in the Senior Men Cat. 3, Zane rode in a breakaway of 3 then eventually by himself for about 40 minutes before being brought back to the field, then ended up 8th in the final sprint.

Cornering on the backside of the course

The straightaway on Main Street

Cornering in front of the Louisville Historical Museum

Cornering on the backside of the course

Mix 1 is the best recovery!

Track Season has Begun!

The 7-11 Velodrome in Colorado Springs has officially opened! Maddie is now a frequent visitor on I-25 in preparation for her first race, the Fixed Gear Classic in Blaine, Minnesota, on June 10-12.

Uni Hill Crit

Crit Racing returned to downtown Boulder! It was a very technical course that was either going up or down. The 45+ master men were scheduled for the morning but due to rain, Tim decided to race the Cat. 3 men with Zane later in the day after it dried out a bit.

Zane's Race Report:

The Uni Hill crit is one of the most fun crits that I have ever raced! The course was straight up, and then you descended right back down. On the up hill there were a lot of attacks, and that really selected out the race. The cat 3’s raced for 60 mins. And when were at 30 to go, there was only a group of 12 or so riders left. Whenever the group would go down the hill I would always try to be the one on the front so then I could stay safe. But not only did I stay safe I could pull away from the group, that was because of my tires. The Ultremo ZX’s were the prefect tire for all the high speed, off camber corners. When it came to the last lap it was one of the fastest times I went up that hill! But when it came to the last corner Michael Dessau beat me in to it. So he was the winner, and I got second. Once I finished I went straight to our car to get my Mix 1. It really helped me recover from the hard effort.

Here’s a shout out to Hannelore and Yannick Eckmann. Hannelore for all the awesome pictures. And Yannick for yelling at me to get up the hill! Thanks guys.