Team NFA Update
Matt Neumann After a well-deserved break, Matt is back in training and aiming to improve his ski times as much as possible over the next 6-7 months. Matt is enthused over just how productive this training season has been thus far and it seems his decision to take road cycling more seriously under his new training regime is starting to pay off for him. As part of that process, Matt is scheduled to race in a number of races over the spring and summer, including the Banff Bike Fest (June 14-17), along with a number of smaller local Bow Valley races.
By Grayson Penney
Rob “Fang” Engh
Matt’s first race of the year was Pigeon Lake (provincial championship) where he finished 7th in Category 5 competition. He had been on pace to finish much higher, but some admitted “bad timing” on his part in the final sprint saw him drop in the standings. Given Matt’s relative inexperience in cycling competition such mistakes serve more as valuable learning tools than anything else.
According to Matt he is continuing to adapt well to the new style of competition. He believes that the lessons he’s learning as a competitive cyclist now will transfer to his skiing and help improve his performance this winter. In addition to his cycling, there are many other components to his training that Matt has to focus on during this time of
Top: Matt cycling Highwood Pass, the highest paved road in Canada! Despite it being late spring, winter is clearly still in evidence. Photo credit: Tyson Smith
By the time our member’s read this update, Team NFA member Rob Engh’s 2012 race season will be well underway. I recently caught up with Rob as he arrived back in the Czech Republic, after shooting the Kongsvinger Open in Norway. Rob seems to be on the mend after sustaining a serious injury at the World Shoot in Greece last fall; ultimately placing 8th overall in Production Division, - with 85% of world champ Bob Vogel! Next up for Rob was the Extreme Euro Open 2012 held in Hodonice, Czech Republic slated to run June 7th-9th. Buoyed by his success in Kongsvinger, Rob was confidant heading to Hodonice.
Left: Matt leading a breakaway rush at Pigeon Lake Provincial Championships this spring. Below: Matt posing with his road bike.
Following his mini-European race tour, Rob will be back on home soil by mid-June to start training for the Nationals in Brandon, Manitoba. Incidentally, Rob kicked off his season with a 2nd place finish at Thompson Mountain in May, finishing with 94% and 95% to winner Nick King. Pretty darn good for an athlete still recovering from a serious knee injury. Let’s hope the recovery continues and we wish Rob well at Nationals!
Top: Competing in the Czech Republic in 2011 Left: Rob after finishing competition for the day. Above: A representative stage at this year’s Extreme Euro Open
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July - August
www.nfa.ca
www.nfa.ca
July - August
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