I’ve been asked to write a diary for NashvilleCyclist.  Many of you know me from my many years of racing in TN, but for those who don’t I’d like to take most of this article to introduce myself and give you a run down of my nine years of racing.

For those of you who don’t know me I have grown up most of my life in Tennessee, some in Middle TN and then for the last eight years out in West TN in a little town called Covington.  I was born in Memorial Hospital which oversees the Olympic Training Center. I started racing when I was nine, and who would have thought after nine years I would be riding next to Lance Armstrong, Andres Kloden, and Rubiera.  That is what I just did back at the beginning of December at our first training camp in Tucson AZ.

My race age was ten that first summer of racing.  I started by just doing a couple crits that year.  Each year I did a few more races and by the time I was 14 I had won my first category 4 race, Anniston, AL.   That year was my first year to attend Junior Nationals out in Park City, UT.  In the road race I placed second by a photo finish.

The following year I raced as a category three and did Nationals again up in PA.  I was second again to Nick Bax, and attended Fitchburg the biggest junior stage race in the US for my third time.  I was able to place in the top five on GC.  That same year I was selected to go over to Europe with the National Development 15/16 yr old team.  The highlight of that trip was winning a race and placing in the top 3 several times. 

In 2007 I had upgraded to a category two and the highlight of my year was winning the Junior National Championships 15/16 road race.  It was my second year of also being on the podium in the time trail at Junior Nationals.  I then went on to place 4^th on GC at Fitchburg.  That year I was able to represent the US at a stage race in Canada and was winning GC to the last day when I was ganged up by the local Quebec riders and dropped down to 7^th on GC.

In 2008 I was asked to join the elite junior domestic team, Hot Tubes.  That year I was blessed with winning a stage race in France, placing first on GC at the Tour d’ Abitibi, a Nations cup race.  I also went on to place in the top ten on GC and winning the KOM jersey at the Tour of Ireland, and  placed top five again at Fitchburg.  I also represented the US at Junior Worlds in Cape Towne South Africa, placing 12 in the TT and being taken out in a crash 200 meters from the finish in the road race.  I did try to bridge to the break of two 5 km from the finish, but the Italians didn’t like the odds and brought myself and Tom Davis back.  It was an exciting year, traveling all over Europe, having the privilege of winning the TT at a big stage race in Holland, and wearing the yellow for a day before I was forced to drop out due to a toe injury.   At the Nations cup race in Germany I was top four on GC before I crashed on the last stage race.  I was forced off the road and hit a tree at over 80KPH head on.  I spent the night in a Germany hospital.

Last year, 2009 would be my last year as a junior and I wanted to go out on top.  My main goal was again to qualify for Junior Worlds in Moscow, Russia.  Again I raced the season with the powerful Hot Tubes team.  This was one of Hot Tubes strongest teams.  Every race we entered, we were able to dominate the race and place most of our team in the top ten on GC.  I started my campaign in Europe with the National team in March.  We spent two weeks racing mostly in Belgium, helping a teammate defend the yellow jersey, eventually placing third on GC.  I came back to the US did some racing locally and then headed back over to Europe having mixed results.  I came back to the US having a disastrous TT at the Worlds Qualifier (Edgar Soto in Nashville) placing sixth.  Rebounding the next day to solo the last 20k to win the road race and thus qualifying for Junior Worlds in Moscow as the winner of the road race trials.  I went back over to Europe with the National team and won the yellow jersey at Pays de Vuy in Switzerland.  Then we headed over to Germany to do the Tour de Karlsburg, a Nation’s cup race.  I was able to place fifth on GC and came in second in the TT losing by five seconds which was very heart breaking.  If I could have won that I would have taken over the yellow jersey.  It would have been an honor to once again win a Nations Cup race in Europe? 

I came back home to the US to finally win GC up at Fitchburg after five years of trying.  From Fitchburg I went on to win the only UCI 2.1 Junior stage race in the US, The Tour of Red River.  From there I left again for Europe with the National team to race a stage race in Belgium and a couple one day races before Worlds.  I was able to place second in on of the one day races and won the KOM at the stage race.  We left Belgium for Russia a week before Worlds.  After a couple days in Moscow the food wasn’t sitting well with me and I got quite weak and a little sick.  My parents arrived two days before the time trail. They got me some “normal” food and I started to bounce back a little, but still felt very weak the day of the TT. 

That morning I was my feeling much better.  I went out and gave it my best losing a minute thirty and placing thirty sixth.  The highlight was watching my teammate Lawson place second.  Two days later was the road race and I wasn’t going in confident, thus my role changed from being the team leader to being a worker.  My task was to cover any moves in the middle of the race.  Two laps into a nine lap race I was in the move.  There were five of us which would have been perfect, but as the laps went by the group swelled to thirteen which with that many it was doom to fail.  Sure enough with one lap to go we got caught and the winning move went up the road.  I was done and didn’t feel like riding around 13 KM just to finish.  Half way around the loop there was a section that you could cut the course which I did.

That now takes you to were I am now.  During the fall I signed with Trek Livestrong/U23 Development team presented by Radio Shack.  Some might have heard that I was going to sign with Cevelo and I was, but the Development team didn’t work out.

I’m currently at my second training camp with the team.  Our first was more of a team introduction and meet the sponsors in Tucson, AZ in early December.  The highlight of that camp was being there with the Radio Shack Pro Tour team.  Being in the same hotel with riders who I have watched at the Tour etc for years and now riding next to them was such an honor.  Today, January 18^th will be our third day of camp here in Solvang CA.  This camp is more a fitness camp, thus the rides have been challenging so far and will continue to be.

Since this blog has gotten so long I will share more of my race schedule and plans in my next one.  I look forward to sharing my thoughts through out this year.  Thanks for reading.

Nathan Brown

Trek Livestrong/U23 Development team presented by Radio Shack