Team Athletic Mentors News
Team OAM NOW XC Ski Clinic- It Really Did Snow This Year!
February 4th, 2016 by Kaitlyn PattersonJanuary Michigan Cup Racing Highlights
February 1st, 2016 by Kaitlyn PattersonNordic Immersion- Watching, Writing, and Racing
January 13th, 2016 by Kaitlyn PattersonMichigan Tech did an amazing job hosting the event with limited snow and skiers from all over the U.S. and Canada converged in Houghton. I enjoy watching races almost as much as I enjoy competing and I got to see some great battles. I also had a chance to meet some really impressive, down to earth athletes and coaches including another Caitlin Patterson of the nordic ski world who had a great weekend and won both distance races (together we confuse a lot of people). Our hotel was filled with skiers making for a fun and quirky place to hang out. Basically the week could be best described as doing quirky things in a quirky place with quirky people. And it was great.
On my “days off” from race reporting I got to enjoy some of the best skiing in the Midwest at the Michigan Tech trails. We also had amazing weather with temps between 15 and 30 degrees and a couple days of sunshine! Finally the day of the mass start freestyle event arrived. It was a great field and I was excited to watch the race up front and see what Alex could do. The day didn’t disappoint with an impressive win by Tad Elliott who came back from a rough couple years battling mono and Epstein-Barr virus. Alex moved up from starting position 76 to finish 43rd against a talented field of collegiate and professional athletes. After watching races all week and feeling great skiing, I was itching to race. Alex planned on racing the 42k event at the SISU Ski Fest in Ironwood two days after his 30k. After working out some logistics, I decided I could join him and return to Houghton to wrap up U.S. Nats reporting. Ironwood is a small, old mining town on the border of Wisconsin with strong Finnish history. Everyone is incredibly friendly and the town rolls out the red carpet for racers including traditional stew and pasties at the “Finnish” line. Hundreds of snow-deprived skiers from across the Midwest arrived excited for the new snow and great racing conditions. The course wound through the ABR trail system before heading north to finish in downtown Ironwood. Both Alex and I started in the elite wave and after narrowly avoiding a pileup in the first 100 meters, we were off! I settled in a train of guys along with the one other female. It was great to be racing again but I noticed pretty early in the race that I had underestimated the stress of skiing and working all week. I attempted to ski relaxed but the spent too much time accelerating and trying to pass other racers on the narrow trail. At about 30k, the first female took off and by the time I passed the racer in between us and began chasing, she was out of sight. I had also fallen behind in my fuel intake and sat in the back of the train to regroup. I was able to rally but it was a bit too little, too late and I finished second- just over a minute off the lead. The winner was Jan Guenther, an accomplished skier and triathlete who also owns Gear West- the biggest nordic ski shop in the U.S. Meanwhile, Alex was fighting a much tighter battle for the win against Matt Leibsch. Matt is one of the top cross country racers in the country with a previous Birkie win and a two top-10 results at U.S. Nationals this week. Alex and Matt dropped the field early and despite Matt’s efforts to drop him, Alex was skiing strong and it became apparent it would come down to the finishing kick. Matt overtook Alex the last kilometer to win by just 18 seconds. It was a great two races for Alex and a testament to his off-season training and potential for the season. It was an epic week for both of us and I’m excited that winter has finally arrived in Traverse City so we can train and race! The OAM Nordic Team will be back in action this Saturday, January 16 for the Cote Dame Marie in Grayling, right in the backyard of our ski shop sponsor- Cross Country Ski Shop! Results for U.S. Nationals 30k freestyle Results for SISU Ski Fest The post Nordic Immersion- Watching, Writing, and Racing appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.Two Great Tri Clinics, One Place: Presented by Team OAM NOW & Athletic Mentors
January 12th, 2016 by Erin YoungThe post Two Great Tri Clinics, One Place: Presented by Team OAM NOW & Athletic Mentors appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.
Tough Training Lessons from Strava
January 12th, 2016 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic MentorsGiving Back: Getting by with a little help from the elves
January 3rd, 2016 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic MentorsPro Bike: Kaitlyn Patterson’s Winning LIV Lust 27.5
December 14th, 2015 by Erin YoungFew mountain bikes come from the dealer ready to race. Even the highest level models need some adjustments or small equipment swaps to meet the racer’s build, style, and preference. But, what happens when a rider buys a mid-level, quality-designed bike with no real intent on high level racing and then finds herself quickly ascending through the sport over the next 18 months? In the case of Team OAM NOW rider Kaitlyn Patterson‘s full suspension Giant, it meant lots of changes.
This rig netted a slew of podiums in ’15, including wins at: Ore to Shore, Peak2Peak, Gravel Grinder and 2nd and 5th, respectively, at Chequamegon 40 and Iceman.
The Lust was converted to a 1x system, with a 32t RaceFace chainring mounted to the OEM SRAM S1000 crank arms, gold KMC chain with Squirt Wet lube, and SRAM PG1070 10spd, 11-36t cassette. A SRAM X9 derailuer handles the chain movement, with an OEM Shimano caliper clamping a SRAM rotor.
When the modifications were done*, Kaitlyn had personalized her Lust to get the most from the responsive frame. Only the brake caliper and levers, crankarms and grips remained from the original purchase. And if you’ve followed Kaitlyn at all this season, you can’t argue this is one fast bike!
* Kaitlyn would like to give a great thanks to Team OAM NOW team mate Alex Vanias for all the work he did wrenching on her bike and making it the race winning machine it is.
The post Pro Bike: Kaitlyn Patterson’s Winning LIV Lust 27.5 appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.
Team Turkey Trot- The Annual Tradition
December 10th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic MentorsIt’s a Dershem 1st, 2nd and 3rd for Team OAM NOW
December 7th, 2015 by Marie DershemIt is hard to believe that this past Saturday, Aric, Christian and I (Marie) Dershem headed to race cyclocross in December in Michigan with no snow on the ground and relatively mild temperatures. This past Saturday, the Dershems (along with several other teammates) raced the State Championship Cyclocross race in Rockford, Michigan in near perfect conditions.
The course offered a good deal of off-camber fun, tight corners, some big mud puddles, rough, grinding climbs, and a fun fly-over. It was a relentless hammer-fest in that there was little time to rest but good opportunities to push through pavement sections.
Christian was the first to race at 9:15 in the morning. It was foggy and cold, but that didn’t slow this little guy down. He put his game face on and turned up the heat. He even carried his 30 pound bike up the fly-over (keep in mind he barely tips the scales at 70 pounds), hopped back on and rolled down like a pro. He finished with a huge smile on his face, even though he was unaware that he has won the State Championship in ages 9-12. When he found out he won… pure joy.
Inspired by the littlest Dershem win, Aric and I headed onto the course at the same time. The Women’s CAT 1/2/3 lined up and were released onto the course just a minute before the CAT 3/4 men. I had a rough start, but keeping a strong and steady pace throughout the race, I managed to work her way up to a 2nd place finish, passing 3rd place in the last lap of the race. I was thrilled to share the podium with two strong women, and privileged to race in a strong women’s field.
Aric’s race started out fast with a crowded field of CAT 3/4 men. With a strong start, Aric kept his eyes on his main competitors, just a few bike lengths ahead. Trading spots through the first half of the race, Aric was feeling strong and having a blast. A small crash slowed him down, losing the front group, but keeping them in sight. On the last lap, he pressed hardtop pass 4th place, coming in for a 3rd place podium finish.
The post It’s a Dershem 1st, 2nd and 3rd for Team OAM NOW appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.
It’s a Dershem 1st, 2nd and 3rd for Team OAM NOW
December 7th, 2015 by Marie DershemIt is hard to believe that this past Saturday, Aric, Christian and I (Marie) Dershem headed to race cyclocross in December in Michigan with no snow on the ground and relatively mild temperatures. This past Saturday, the Dershems (along with several other teammates) raced the State Championship Cyclocross race in Rockford, Michigan in near perfect conditions.
The course offered a good deal of off-camber fun, tight corners, some big mud puddles, rough, grinding climbs, and a fun fly-over. It was a relentless hammer-fest in that there was little time to rest but good opportunities to push through pavement sections.
Christian was the first to race at 9:15 in the morning. It was foggy and cold, but that didn’t slow this little guy down. He put his game face on and turned up the heat. He even carried his 30 pound bike up the fly-over (keep in mind he barely tips the scales at 70 pounds), hopped back on and rolled down like a pro. He finished with a huge smile on his face, even though he was unaware that he has won the State Championship in ages 9-12. When he found out he won… pure joy.
Inspired by the littlest Dershem win, Aric and I headed onto the course at the same time. The Women’s CAT 1/2/3 lined up and were released onto the course just a minute before the CAT 3/4 men. I had a rough start, but keeping a strong and steady pace throughout the race, I managed to work her way up to a 2nd place finish, passing 3rd place in the last lap of the race. I was thrilled to share the podium with two strong women, and privileged to race in a strong women’s field.
Aric’s race started out fast with a crowded field of CAT 3/4 men. With a strong start, Aric kept his eyes on his main competitors, just a few bike lengths ahead. Trading spots through the first half of the race, Aric was feeling strong and having a blast. A small crash slowed him down, losing the front group, but keeping them in sight. On the last lap, he pressed hardtop pass 4th place, coming in for a 3rd place podium finish.
The post It’s a Dershem 1st, 2nd and 3rd for Team OAM NOW appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.