Cascadia Junior Cycling traveled with three local high school racers to USA Cycling’s Cyclocross National Championship in Louisville, KY.
Jack Billowitz competed in the Men 11-18 Non-Championship race on Tuesday, December 5, to familiarize himself with the course and won that event. On Thursday, he had an accident while training that severely damaged a finger, requiring immediate surgery. Despite the broken finger, he was able to race his championship event on Saturday where he finished in a very strong 15th place out of 66 competitors.
“It was good, the finger hurt, and on the first lap I got a handlebar to the face,” Jack explained, “but I got back going and it was a really good race.” An intense downpour before the start made for challenging conditions. “The mud was great, we were all bumping elbows and hitting bars and everything,” he said, smiling.
Later, Zane Strait and Tyler Morgenson competed in the UCI Junior Men 17-18 event among 68 of the best juniors in the country. Continued heavy rain made conditions worse but Zane and Tyler were well prepared, finishing 18th and 37th, respectively.
Zane has been selected to travel to Belgium for the rest of December to compete in several races. He has set up a GoFundMe to help defer some of the expense.
About Cascadia Junior Cycling: we provide recreational, skills-based training and competitive team opportunities for junior cyclists in Bend. CJC is operated by Cog Wild Bicycle Tours, LLC. Info, media, and support Zane at cogwild.com/juniors.