The World Cup Wipeout
Despite the brutal training crash in March, the lead-up to the World Cups was actually a massive positive. I managed to regather myself, and the taper went significantly better than it did before Pan Ams. I was satisfied with my preparation and confident in the work I had put in. After working through the recent setbacks with a sports psychologist, my head was finally in the right place.
When I boarded the flight in April, I felt ready to compete. I was genuinely excited to travel, as this was my first time visiting any Asian country other than Taiwan. The mission was clear: I needed to secure UCI points to qualify for the World Championships later in the year, especially after coming up short at Pan Ams. The stakes were high, but my form was finally where it needed to be.
Keirin at Hong Kong World Cup
That momentum vanished almost immediately. Hong Kong was a disaster from Day 1. In my very first event, the keirin repechage, seven riders were on the track with only the top two advancing. On the final lap, total chaos hit. Six of us crashed and went down hard on the boards. I was tangled in the wreckage while the lone upright rider took the win. The scramble for the final qualifying spot became desperate. The cycling press later covered it because Nikita Kiriltsev grabbed his bike and literally ran the final 200 meters in his cleats. I chose to remount my damaged bike and chase him down, but I crossed the line about two seconds behind him. I missed the qualification spot by a margin of running versus riding. That ended my keirin on Day 1 of the first World Cup.
Keirin Carnage
Hitting the deck at a World Cup right after recovering from a head impact was a harsh reset. I lined up for the 200m sprint the next day beaten and battered, yet determined. My body simply had nothing left to give. I put down a poor time and was eliminated. I left Hong Kong with few points.
Geared up for 200 on Day 2 after crash the day befoe
I packed up and headed to Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysia World Cup, desperately needing to salvage the trip and the World Championship campaign. Instead, the bad luck compounded. During a high-speed training effort on the velodrome, my tire blew out. Experiencing a flat at full speed on a banked track is terrifying. I narrowly avoided what could have been a catastrophic crash, but the near miss took a massive mental toll.
Then my immune system gave out. Right before race day, I spiked a fever. After everything it took to get there, I had to withdraw and miss the second World Cup entirely. I flew halfway across the world to hunt for crucial UCI points, only to burn through my equipment, get battered on the track, and sit sick in a hotel room. It was the absolute rock bottom of the season.
