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DANNY SUMMERHILL: INTRODUCTIONS
Danny Summerhill
November 27, 2009
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Bike racing for me means two very different activities! While both of them take place on a machine that has 2 wheels, drop handlebars, pedals and a seat, the similarities more or less end there, as one takes place on smooth roads and often with lots of other riders around me, while the other is often a solo effort on terrain that's far from smooth, and almost never allows me to get into the more repetitive zone that road racing offers. I am, of course, in the second instance referring to the marvelously mucky discipline of cyclocross, and with a passion for this cycling discipline, as well as the better known "Lance Armstrong" type of bicycle racing, I often find it quite hard to answer the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
My passion for cycling really began with a passion for anything that had 2 wheels and required balance, namely roller blades and razor scooters. By 6, I was building jumps to increase the fun factor I could have with these toys, so for my 8th birthday my mom offered to buy me a BMX bike. With that I quickly moved to the next level of "jumping" and I spent countless hours on the nearest BMX track, where my mom and little sister waited patiently while I perfected my stunts. I did a small hand full of BMX races but then learned there was an even more exciting way to combine gravity and bikes, namely by riding dual slalom courses. This new discipline required 2 brakes, so at 9 I got my first mountain bike, a 24" Specialized with no suspension! The local dual slalom promoter was the nicest guy, and welcomed me to his races, pairing me with the slowest entrant he had so, while I never actually won a round, I had a ton of fun and learned that crashing came with the territory.
Meanwhile, my mom, being a diehard roadie, began making inquiries into the opportunities for junior road racing in Colorado and in the summer of 2000, I was loaned a road bike, so I could try my hand at riding skinny tires. My "loaner" was called Zippy, and it belonged to Karen Hornbostel, one of the greatest supporters of junior cycling in Colorado at the time and, with that, I entered into the world of shaved legs and painful road rash. That summer I rode up Loveland Pass for the first time, which was definitely fun for me, but I am sure was twice as fun for my mom., who got to watch me do something she had only previously dreamed of.
While my mom continued to steer me towards the more conventional aspects of cycling, I was still crazy about jumping my bike off things, and riding down long, rocky trails with big rock gardens, as well as building ever bigger jumps around our property for my dirt bike. The process for her to wean me off of these activities was a very long, slow one, but at 12 I had to make a decision - my mom said she would support me all the way on any type of bike I chose, except a full-on downhill bike, so there was the fork in the road....she was OK watching me take my chances on the road, or on hard-tail mountain bikes, but she drew the line supporting my obsession for downhilling, for fear I'd be permanently paralyzed or worse yet, meet an early death.
Meanwhile, I had begun to meet other junior cyclists in the Denver-Boulder area, and when I was 11, I went to the first ever American Cycling Association Junior Cycling Camp, which at the time was cooler then summer camp on steroids! This camp, which became a semi-annual event, lasted for one glorious weekend and it was organized by a woman who many of us came to regard as the Queen Mother of Colorado cycling, Beth Wren Estes. The camps were her brainchild and, with her enthusiasm for developing the next generation of junior cyclists, she masterminded the grand plan to bring everyone from first-time bike riders to very proficient junior cyclist together for an all-expenses-paid weekend of riding, learning and growing, as people and as cyclists. Several Colorado pros attended over the years, and these camps made for some of the most fun times of my early cycling years. (Who would have guessed at the time that I would stick with cycling long enough to one day be asked to come back and coach these camps myself?!)
 Average October training conditions
These camps were semi-annual, with road as the focus in the Spring and ‘cross as the Fall discipline. I was reluctant to have my mom buy me a cross bike for the first Fall camp, so I used my mountain bike for that, but needless to say, right afterwards we were in the hunt for my first ‘cross bike, and we found a Kona “Jake The Snake” online, which I still have to this day. I competed in my first ever "Nationals" that same year, which I attended with long time friend and team mate Alex Howes and I learned what cyclocross was really all about when we were treated to almost 11 inches of rain for my first race outside Colorado.
As I began moving up through the age groups I began to take competing more and more seriously and road and ‘cross nationals were annual fixtures on our family’s calendar. I won several podium spots, in both disciplines, but the highlight of those years was most definitely the summer of 2005, when I won all 3 15-16 national championships in Utah, ironically the only time my mom has ever missed a nationals trip when she was home in Colorado undergoing chemo treatment. That Fall I met my long time friend, supporter, coach, and director Ben Turner, who was coaching the 5280 TIAA-CREF Slipstream Junior Development Team at the time, the original junior team of what is now known as the Garmin Slipstream Professional Cycling team.
Ben later launched the Clif Bar Cyclocross Development team, of which I was a founding member, and with his help I connected with Geoff Proctor, another visionary in the world of US junior cycling development. Geoff’s Euro Cross Camps have enabled aspiring junior ‘cross riders from the US to experience the rigors of racing in northern Europe and in 2005 I spent my first Christmas away from home attending his life-changing camp in Belgium. Without doubt, testimony to the value of this awesome exposure was my silver medal at the 2007 Junior World Cyclocross Championships.
 My mode of transportation for boulder training rides
By this time I had moved up the ranks on the road too, and that same summer I went to the Junior World Road Championships in Mexico with one of the most fun worlds teams I have ever been on, including one of my best friends Taylor Phinney. There I was blessed with even more amazing memories as I witnessed Taylor's first world TT title and then scored my own victory, a second top 10 worlds finish in the same year.
I am still racing with the same organization that Jonathan (JV) Vaughters founded back in 2004, now known as Felt Holowesko Partners Garmin, the under 23 development team of the Garmin Slipstream Pro team, where I have been given the opportunity to learn from and grow with the best.
So, that’s a bit of my background – thanks for reading.
P.S.
A few weeks back when I met the awesome guys of Road Bike Action magazine, I was also persuaded by Christian Vande Velde and Dave Zabriskie to get a twitter account, so if any one has any future blog suggestions you think I should write about I’d welcome any and all suggestions! Hit me up on twitter @DannySummerhill and let me know. |
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