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Climbing the ladder: The Nick Martin diary 2007
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27-year-old mountain bike racer Nick Martin specializes in cross country and endurance off-road events. The Boulder, Colorado, resident aims for a breakthrough year in 2007. In his sights are top 10 finishes at individual races and the overall in the US National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS). While cross country races will be his primary focus, Martin will also be on the line at short track events.
The Team Trek VW racer gave up everything three years ago to capitalize on the opportunity to go pro. Ever since, he has been building confidence and making a name for himself on the national scene.
In 2006, Martin finished 14th overall in the NMBS series and took fifth at the 24 Hours of Moab. When not on his bike, he's busy honing his writing and photography skills.
April 5, 2007
Who is this character called Martini?
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With this entry, I am popping my Cyclingnews diary cherry and kicking off the fast approaching 2007 mountain bike season. Maybe you have heard of this Nick Martin character from the blog'o'sphere, over at www.ridewithnickmartin.com. If not, swing by and catch up on your homework. I am a 27 year-old professional mountain biker based out of Boulder, Colorado, and am chasing this cycling dream daily.
I am not that young prodigy that just fell into a huge natural VO2 max.... I am more of the stubborn, live-out-of-the-VW-van and live-off-powerbars kind of athlete. This will be my third season racing professionally under the flag of Trek/VW, and I am hoping that persistance pays off.
This off-season, like so many before them, has taken me on some great adventures. It was kicked off in style last August when Zap Espinoza invited "Rad" Ross and I down to Wisconsin to check out the Trek factory and hang out with some dealers. Well there must be something in that dairy air because I met a woman and ended up leaving Madison engaged after only threedays! Crazy I know, but when you meet her you'll understand....
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From there "Rad" Ross and I headed to Malibu, California, for the month of January. Our main goal was to work on our tan lines and if we managed to get in shape, that would have been an extra bonus... Nothing helps nurse your motivation better than a little sunshine. In between bumping shoulders with the rich and famous and hitting up some of the sickest roads I have ever seen, I ended up with tan lines and Ross ended up in shape.
Next week (referring to the NMBS #1 in Phoenix, Arizona. - ed.) is the first race of the year. How quickly you forget what the "pain cave" feels like after three months of "taking it easy". Needless to say, I am more excited about having my name on my number plate than I am about going hard. But hey, it has to start sometime.
If I was a gambler, I would lay all my cards down on "Rad" Ross Schnell, Trek's newest pro, for turning some serious heads down in Arizona (Maybe we should consult Martin more often before placing bets? Schnell finished third in the time trial, fifth in the short track, and 15th in the cross country - ed.). Let's call it an inside hunch. Stay tuned next week as the NMBS series story unfolds this season.
Nick Martin
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Nick Martin
- JHK, Rad Ross, and I get pulled over for getting in shape too early
- Dragging JHK around on another daily training mission
- Dealing with one of the toughest Colorado winters to date
- Taste testing Malibu, California's finest roads
