From 166-Mile Ride to the European Championship Finale

The work doesn’t stop. Between logging endless miles on the bicycle and maximizing every hour on the motorcycle, this mid-season break has been all about staying race-fit, passing on knowledge to the next generation, and soaking in time with family before the next European stint. It’s been a whirlwind of a few weeks, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Florida Home Stand

I came home to an absolutely incredible graduation gift from my parents: my very own pickup truck. I am so unbelievably grateful for everything they do for me, and this truck opens massive doors for training logistics. Secretly, though, I think my dad just got the truck so I can run all his errands while he’s at work!

When I got back, we celebrated my girlfriend’s 18th birthday—a super fun time ringing in such a big milestone with her. The very next week, I was right back on the grind, training on my 450 around the T4 kart plex.

It was also the first time I had been home for the Fourth of July in three years, which made the holiday extra special. The following day, I headed down to Miami for the 1-year anniversary of MB Cycling Miami. They have been an incredible company to work with over the past year, surrounded by great people and amazing rides. We knocked out a beautiful century ride to celebrate, followed by an awesome after-party. Along with the consistent training, nothing beat spending quality time with the people I love most: Cat, Rod, RJ, and my grandma, who came up a couple of times to hang out.

Pushing the Limits: A 166-Mile Testament

After a couple of weeks of training, my great friend and former teammate George Bowes flew over from the UK for his very first time in the States. Normally, I’m the one visiting him in the UK, so having him here for ten days was going to be epic. The mission? Get tons of training in and give George the ultimate American experience.

We treated him to all the local food spots he wanted to try, showed him around Florida, lent him a 450 to train with us, and even teamed up alongside Jaymee to compete in a 4-hour South Florida MiniGP (SFLMiniGP) endurance race at Bushnell Motorsports Park.

But here is where things got absolutely crazy.

We finished the 4-hour endurance race at 10:00 PM. I left the track at 10:30 PM, didn’t arrive in Miami until almost 2:00 AM, and rollout for my next event was at 4:30 AM. I caught maybe an hour and a half of sleep in the backseat of my truck before throwing on my kit for a 166-mile bike ride from Brickell Miami all the way down to Mile 0 in Key West with MBO Cycling.

Those first three hours were a total blur of exhaustion. But once the sun came up, I found a whole new level and just started chugging. Despite a couple of punctures stopping the group, we made it to the finish line after 266 km (167 miles) in the saddle. It was the gnarliest physical experience of my life and a true testament to my mental capabilities. I proved to myself that I can persevere through anything I put my mind to.

Passing the Torch & Hitting the Range

Throughout the break, I also had the privilege of coaching some incredibly talented young riders. I worked with SFLMiniGP riders, focusing heavily on technique. These kids have endless potential, and it was super rewarding to watch them adapt as as training got tougher. I also squeezed in a session with the Peterson Brothers before heading back to Europe. The future of SFLMGP is looking incredibly bright with this young talent coming up through the ranks.

To cap off the weekend with George, I spent a day out at the shooting range for my dad’s favorite pastime: sporting clays and skeet shooting. He brought out his over-under shotguns—including his trusty Browning Cynergy—and let me tell you, he is on an entirely different level compared to me. But learning a different discipline was super cool, and once I started understanding the choke systems and taking down the clay discs myself, it was incredibly exciting.

VIR Domination

Before heading back across the pond, we packed up and headed to Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for the N2RA race weekend. I teamed up with TST Industries for the 6-hour endurance race and brought along my stock CBR 600 for the 30-minute sprints.

I had only been to VIR once before, and I forgot how amazing the layout is. Friday practice felt great, and by Saturday, I was putting down highly respectable lap times on the Pirelli SC1s. I ended up taking home the victory in the 600/1000 class sprint race, beating out full-blown superbikes on my stock CBR!

Sunday was the big 6-hour endurance race on the TST 8R. Unfortunately, my teammate Isaac got injured earlier in the weekend, so I knew I was going to have to put in a massive shift to secure the win. I rode the first, third, fifth, and seventh stints. The TST boys built a flawlessly reliable bike that didn't skip a beat for six hours. We kept the pace blazing fast and brought home the overall win against a grid full of 600s, 1000s, and twins. Huge shoutout to my dad for keeping the weekend running smoothly and getting us to the track and back.

Back to Europe for the Finale

Saying goodbye to my family after catching Spider-Man at the movies was tough, but it was time to hop on a flight back to Barcelona to finish out the season.

I’ve been back for three weeks now, putting in an unspeakable amount of training. Getting back into the group cycling rides with the Riders Formation boys here in Vendrell feels amazing—surrounding yourself with top-level talent only makes you stronger. I also got to ride my practice ZX 636 at a brand-new track, Circuit Alcaraz. It’s incredibly technical and physical on the body, making it the perfect training ground.

We recently completed a two-day test at Cremona Circuit with the Pons sports team, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. I can’t thank the team enough for the massive improvements we made.

Now, we are heading over to Magny-Cours. It’s another brand-new track for me, but with the base setup we dialed in at testing, I am more than ready. These final three rounds are all about putting everything together to ensure our seat in the World Championship next year. I know I belong in this paddock, and I’m going to do everything in my power to prove it.

Thank you all for the endless support. Let’s show these boys what America is about!