By Tom Rohrer
For Andrea Casebolt and David O’Brien, there is not a more enjoyable cycling competition than a cyclo-cross race.
The two incoming high school seniors are both members of RAD Racing Northwest. As 17-year-olds, they have both already have competed at national cyclocross events.
Unlike road events, cyclocross is performed on a shorter, off road track, where racers are in close quarters for 45 minutes of exhilarating and physically difficult racing. This fast paced aspect of the sport has drawn the love and focus from Casebolt and O’Brien.
“I just really enjoy the atmosphere and the idea of the sport,” said O’Brien, a student at Capital High School. “From the gun, you’re going hard for 45 minutes to an hour, at fast speed in a muddy and bloody atmosphere.”
“During a road race you sit in the pack for two to three hours and wait for an exciting few moments,” said Casebolt, a student at North Thurston High School. “In cyclocross, there is no rest and you go as hard as you can.”
Both Casebolt and O’Brien have extensive experience in state and national events in both categories of cycling.
This past January, the two traveled to Madison, WI, for the 2013 USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championships. Competing in the 17-18 division, Casebolt finished in sixth place while O’Brien took 35th. Prior to the national tournament, O’Brien took third in the state with Casebolt finishing tenth.
In 2012 O’Brien finished fifteenth at nationals after placing first in the state and Casebolt took fourth and seventh respectively.
Competing at national competitions is a challenging prospect that the two Thurston county riders look forward to.
“You definitely want to stay calm. You see a lot of people overreact and start changing aspects of their training or their actual bike, but I’ve noticed if you just keep doing the exact same thing as you do in training and in the season, you will perform better,” said O’Brien. “You will always get nervous, but if you go up there calm, you will be ready to punch it. It’s a cool challenge.”
“I try not to think they’re the best, otherwise it mentally shuts me down,” said Casebolt of going up against the top riders in the country. “I tell myself to know what to expect and to stay calm. But it’s a great challenge, and something you always remember.”
Casebolt drew an interest in the sport from her father Jason, who still competes in cyclocross and road racing events, and took up cyclocross in 2007 at age 11. Two weeks after her first competition, Casebolt’s coach asked if she wanted to go to nationals, which were held that year in Kansas City. Casebolt said yes, and ended up winning in her age group. A year later, she followed that up with a second place finish on the national stage. As time has gone forward, Casebolt has noticed the competition train harder and harder, while their times have gotten lower and lower.
“When I was younger it didn’t seem like competition was that hard and I think it’s because no one trained,” said Casebolt. “Without attending these events, I never would’ve learned that as I get older you need to train harder.”
O’Brien is certainly training harder than ever before, as he is preparing for the 2013 Euro-Cross Camp, which is based primarily at the USA Cycling House in Belgium. This summer, he will also attend a camp in Montana run by an individual who takes riders over to Europe. At the camp, O’Brien hopes to be selected to attend the Euro Camp, held in December.
“It would mean everything, I’ve been training a lot this year specifically for cyclocross and I want to be at the top of my game for a very long time,” O’Brien said. “I just need to keep pushing forward because this would be a very good stepping stone for me.”
The relationship between cyclocross training and road race training is mutually beneficial for Casebolt and O’Brien. It shapes up the necessary endurance and speed required by both events.
“You’ll definitely get a lot of bike handling skills from cyclocross. Road racing during the summer builds up your engine for the winter cyclocross season,” said O’Brien, who took first place in the Brad Lewis Memorial Criterium, a road racing event, earlier this month. “Most training is done on the road, and that’s where you get your power and endurance.”
“I didn’t race a lot of road this year, not competitively, but I would train just to get my legs going,” said Casebolt, who took second place at the Northwest Juniors Stage Race in July of 2012. “It’s something you need to do to stay in shape.”
Along with the competitive and enjoyment aspects of the sport, O’Brien and Casebolt, who remain close friends, enjoy the camaraderie within the cycling community.
“We’re all still young and have the same goals,” said O’Brien of his teammates and fellow competitors. “So you have that common focus, and it’s not a sport that a lot of kids my age participate in. You hang on to those relationships.”
“It’s a competitive racing environment but it’s still super friendly,” noted Casebolt. “Once you’re done racing, you go back to being friendly.”
With a senior year comes decisions and planning for the future. Certainly the two do not know what the future holds in cycling, but it’s a sport and a lifestyle they will hold onto for a long time.
“It’s a lifestyle choice more than anything, you can’t just be set on getting a (professional contract),” said O’Brien. “Now, I’m just trying to do the best as I can and train hard. Who knows what will happen?”
“I’ve realized education is just as important as cycling. Even if I had a contract, if I got hurt, and didn’t have an education, I would be stuck,” said Casebolt, who still trains and rides with her father. “You stay focused on what you can control and keep balance in your life. If you work hard, good things will follow.”
