Long Format Gravel Racing Season has wrapped up and the much-anticipated ‘Short Track Gravel’ season is already well underway. Some riders still call it cyclocross, we’re not sure why?
Anyway we caught up with former Single Speed “Cyclocross” National Champion, World Cup racer and Mosaic Cycles “Pro” Ben Frederick to see what he’s been up to so far.
Ben! It’s been a minute. What have you um, been up to?
BUSY!! But in the best way. I’ve broken up my year to have a full California Long Form season where I was able to pilot my Mosaic GT-1 45 and MT-1 to a 2nd overall in the Grasshopper Gravel Series. After a break, in July (well, even June) we focused on sharpening up for Short Track Gravel. Not only was the plan to race at the highest level possible in the USCX Series, but The Small Monsters Project sponsored all of the Kids Races at each stop. AND we brought VIDEO into the mix. That combined with custom designing the Mosaic XT-1’s from the ground up, to the millimeter, it’s been a solid past few months.
You’ve already nailed some pretty epic results. Tell us how that played out?
The level of cyclocross in the US is continually growing, and/or the kids are getting fast, AND/OR my age is catching up to me. All that said, I was able to finish 10th overall in the USCX Series! And the highlight of the trip from a results perspective was 4th on the C1 day at Trek USCX Round 7. It was a day where everything clicked, the confidence to push was there, and the legs held on. Getting a career result at 35 years old is not something I take for granted. Lots of work went into it, and man, did it feel good.
Edit: Since this blog was originally written, Ben landed 6th place at Pan-Am Championships in Missoula, MT!
Cyclocross is all about maintaining forward momentum despite obstacles which is something you know about both on the race course and in real life. For those who don’t know your story, what happened?
Going into the 2016 season, I was on one of my final training rides and had a freak crash. My head hit soft sand, halting all my momentum, and causing a Traumatic Brain Injury. During the course of the TWO-YEAR recovery, there were long periods of time where I didn’t think bikes would be a part of my life anymore. The brain injury, along with losing my identity as a racer, (and even as a human being, really) brought on my “monsters” of depression and anxiety. They reared their head in the form of an eating disorder that ended in an intensive three-month stint in an In-Patient hospitalization facility. Yes, heavy, BUT it gave me the skills and space to learn more about my monsters. I learned that if you address them, you can live alongside them. They become small.
And out of that you founded the Small Monsters Project. How is that going so far?
The Small Monsters Project is going well! Since its founding in 2021, we’ve raised almost $100,000 for programs that educate and provide resources for Concussion and Mental Health Challenges. We were able to sponsor all of the Kids Races at the USCX this year, sharing that it’s okay to have monsters, and that there’s hope.
New Sponsor, new gear. Tell us about your bikes and what’s fresh and exciting this year?
Oh man. Oh man, oh man. How much time do we have? I’ve only raced metal bikes at the Elite level. I spent nine years on steel, and going to titanium is such a treat. The thing that made me MOST excited about working with Mosaic was the chance to build a cx bike from the ground up. The landscape of cx bikes in 2024 is mostly gravel-capable bikes with long stays, long wheelbases and compromise.** I wanted to build a bike that was a hyper-specific tool for the job. I wanted the venn diagram of my GT-1 (Grav) and XT-1 (CX) to barely overlap. We nailed it. The bike is so quick, the angles are steep and it gives me a bike that carves up a cx course.
** It’s important to say that any bike can be a cx bike. ALL Bikes are welcome in cross.
So you’re one of the only top riders on a metal bike. How do other riders in your field respond to that?
First, they drool over the paint that Randy came up with. The theme of my season was Perfectly Imperfect, a more organic take on the design from last year. They executed it perfectly. Secondly, they start to make fun of me about the weight of the bike, only to lift it up and find that it’s as light, if not lighter than their own BIG BRAND carbon bikes.
You have a new project coming up, Lead Lap #projectleadlap. Tell us about that?
In the intro at the top of the page, I edited the “PRO” rider to have quotes. I work 40 hours a week for Ornot and also serve as the Executive Director of the Small Monsters Project. AND I have a lovely fiance and kittens that I focus on spending time with. The bike gets fit in and around there, which leads me to:
This winter, I want to create a docu-series about what it’s like for someone with a full time job to go and race the biggest cycling (cyclocross) races in the world. This is a chance to see what an “average joe” can do when you balance your professional life with a high level of sport. But here’s the catch. I’m not going for a result, I’m going to just try and finish Lead Lap. These races will have World Champions, Grand Tour stage winners, and, well, World Class, full-time professional cyclists as deep as 40th place. On the surface, it seems like a low bar, but it would be such a cool “result” to have in my career.
And lest you get confused by youthful exuberance, my hairline and birth certificate show that I’m getting up there in age. There’s not going to be too many more cracks at this, so let’s send it and see what happens.
This is not your first rodeo in European cyclocross. What’s it REALLY like over there?
In short, it’s a different sport. It’s their national sport (behind soccer) and kids are on tubulars at age 8. I wasn’t riding competitively until I was 21 and only got on tubulars in my 30s. BUT it’s amazing that the riders over there are valued for the entertainment they bring. It shows what could be possible in the US. Riders over there get PAID to line up. You race for free. You bring people to the venues where they get over 10,000 at $20 a head. Its a stark contrast from the average of $500 a weekend out of pocket to race in the US.
The courses?
Insane. It’s hard to even ride around them, much less think about racing them (relative to the US). They don’t have to worry about the amateur fields so they throw all the hardest things at us.
The riders?
Huge, strong, nasty on the bikes. They’ve had more time with their bike two-wheel drifting in mud than I’ve had on the road. It’s amazing and inspiring to watch.
The vibe?
Loud, drunk, muddy, friets, absolutely perfect
So this lead lap thing is pretty unique. I think a lot of riders would like to pull this off in any race they do…do you have a gameplan for how you’re preparing and racing differently than you did otherwise?
I wish I could say that I’m doing all these extra training sessions or have been training x number of hours more a week, but honestly, it’s just doing the same things I’ve been doing the past year, and the past few years. You stack enough bricks consistently, the foundation gets decently high. But in short, I’ve put together the best bikes and equipment out there, so the tools are there. My coach and I have been working on our Mental Game to race with abandon and fun, and I’ve been trying to do all the little things I can control. Sleeping as much as I can, eating well, and honestly riding as little as I can to get the most benefit. But I have a better idea of what’s coming this year, so I’ve focused on specific drills like rut practice and running very consistently since July. Hopefully that pays off.
Racing in Europe takes some cash and not even our own US National Team gets much support. How can we help you and the Small Monsters Project get out there to make this happen?
I want to bring everyone on the journey and I can only do that if we can get a filmer out there. So I have a Kickstarter launching next week to help offset my personal cost of getting my friend Danny out to the races, and also so we have some budget to get to the races to tell the story. Mosaic has stepped up in a huge way and are offering a Made to Order, 1-Level frame in The Small Monsters paintjob as a backer reward. If you were considering a Made to Order Mosaic, this is a GREAT chance to get one and help fund a lifetime trip and a great entertainment series. Beyond that, my other partners are offering rewards for backing. Anything is going to help make this happen. If you’re not able to back the project, it’s just as important to get it in front of other people’s eyes so that we can get this thing funded!
Stay tuned for more soon…
-Ben
