Athlete Highlight: Alex Edwards has breakthrough riding at Tour of America's Dairyland
Alex Edwards, after starting this year as a Cat 4, entered in his first major Cat 2/3 race, finishing top 20 at Downer Classic at TOAD. He’s had a great season so far! He’s pictured left in the photo above.
How’d the race go down for you?
The races were fast and fairly technical. The first weekend of races were my fastest crits of the year. I came off of a busy month of work, and entered the races with fewer race days that I was wanting, but by the second weekend of races I felt much more comfortable moving throughout the field and my results reflected the improvement. These were the first major cat 2/3 races of my career, and was very pleased with the direction of the season.
The particular result I was most proud of at TOAD was the Downer Classic. It was a top 20 result in one of the faster races of the year. I was able to ride aggressively throughout the race. Although I was not able to make any moves stick, I was pleased overall pleased with my placing.
Which coach do you work with and how did your training help you prepare for the event?
As stated above, due to a very hectic previous month I personally wan’t as tuned as I would have hoped, but Coach Grant Harrison and I worked together to help put together a plan to help jump start my June and get race ready. With a focus on shorter efforts, Grant got me motivated and back into nice race form before some fast pace crit racing. Having started the year as a road 4, Coach Harrison and I have been working hard on developing a plan to improve my overall fitness and specifically my sprint and top end speed.
What advice do you have for someone up and coming in your cycling discipline?
Stay dedicated to the training plan. Your coach has a plan, and don’t be afraid to ask questions and use their knowledge to help you go further in the sport.
What is your next event?
4 days of crit racing at the Intelligentsia Cup