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Lemorande continues rise in mountain biking

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By Greg Bates

Correspondent


Aidan Lemorande was determined to log his best finish at the biggest event of the season.

After competing the previous two years at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals, Lemorande knew what to expect.

A top-10 finish was in his sights against 141 other racers in the cross-country discipline for 17- and 18-year olds in Winter Park, Colorado, July 27.

“There was a lot of competition with everyone in the nation there fighting for the same spot,” Lemorande said. “You have to know what sets you apart, and you have to focus on yourself. This was hard because there were 141 other guys who wanted the same thing.”

The Bay Port High School (Suamico, Wisconsin) junior got off to a slower start, but his steady approach pushed him closer to the lead pack.

By the end of the 20-mile race, Lemorande had one final push to finish 10th in 1:37.12.

“I thought he raced strategically with those kids,” said Brian Matter, who is Lemorande’s coach. “At the end, he sprinted with another kid who is on a high-level road team, so to out-sprint a road racer was pretty impressive.”

After placing 17th at nationals in the 15- to 16-year-old age group in 2018, Lemorande was thrilled for a higher finish.

“I’m happy because 10th is pretty good,” Lemorande said. “And I got it as a 17-year-old, so I still have one more year in this age group.”

Matter was at the race cheering on his pupil.

He was impressed by Lemorande’s full focus the entire race.

“Each time he went by, he was 100 percent focused,” said Matter, who is a coach through Momentum Endurance Coaching. “He had a game plan in his mind. I watched him move forward every lap and execute what we had done in training. It yielded him a good result.”

The challenge in racing in Winter Park is the elevation, which is around 10,000 feet.

Being from Wisconsin, Lemorande isn’t used to that.

The top four finishers in his age group at nationals came from Colorado, while the next three were from the West Coast.

It’s more difficult in general to be a mountain-bike racer from the Midwest since outside training isn’t possible year-round like those racers in warmer climates.

“There is definitely a disadvantage of being in the Midwest for this kind of sport,” Lemorande said. “Those guys have it a little better, but we all have to work around it – there’s always going to be something.”

At nationals, the eighth- and ninth-place winners (right in front of Lemorande) were both from Minnesota.

Lemorande proved he is the best racer in his age group in Wisconsin and third-best in the Midwest.

“It’s really honoring, and I’m super happy – so much work has gone into it,” said Lemorande. “It’s the best feeling to know the hard work has paid off.”

Lemorande is also big into training.

He works out six days a week, so generally two to three hours per day on the bike.

If the weather is favorable, he’ll ride outside.

During the winter, he’ll use a stationary bike inside his family’s house.

Since 80 to 90 percent of races consist of off-road terrain, Lemorande tries to train on different surfaces to be prepared.

“Most of my training – probably 75 percent – is on the road to get more consistency,” Lemorande said. “The other 25 percent is on the mountain bike on the off-road trails practicing different skills and cornering.”

During the school year, Lemorande stays in shape and prepares to compete in the Wisconsin Off-Road Series (WORS).

This is Lemorande’s 10th year racing in the circuit which runs during the summer.

“I try to do as many races as I can without overdoing it,” he said. “The goal is to race as much as possible and get as many points for a good spot at nationals and in big races.”

Lemorande has enjoyed his most successful season thus far in his career.

He won his first race of the year in the Pro/Cat 1 men’s division at the Hixon Forest Epic track in La Crosse Aug. 4.

“I had recently gotten back from nationals, so I was in good shape,” Lemorande said. “Everything clicked that day. I had really good form coming off of nationals.”

Matter said Lemorande will continue to get better with time, which is on his side.

“This sport is about putting in the time, putting in the miles and putting in the hard work – he’s willing to do that,” Matter said. “He needs to continue the process over and over again, and as long as he wants to keep putting in the work, he will continue to improve. He can make it to the highest level in the sport for sure.”

Lemorande plans on working toward next year’s national race, which will once again be in Winter Park.

Being one year older and with the experience racing on that course this year, Lemorande said he is excited for his potential in the event.

“I have pretty high hopes for next year,” he said. “Now that I know the course a little better, I can hopefully train more this winter, too. My goal for next year is a top-five spot.”

 

Aidan Lemorande, USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals, WORS

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