This Race Got CRAZY! His 2nd Race of the Day! - (Cherry Pie Critierum CAT 4)

[@gchesterton]

EJ has more matches to burn in one race than I do all season.

[@ronm7114]

He owns a matchfactory

[@SatrnOne]

He's the sulphur mine where they collect the materials to make matches.

[@GaryBr6]

This Couch to Crit to 1st Cat is the best cycling content/series on youtube. You 2 really work well together and your enthusiasm is contagious.

[@aleq]

With EJ it might be couch to Pro over next few years. Look forward to see EJ enroll in the Zwift Academy one day and be selected for a WORLD TOUR team! Also look forward for more talent come through Jeff’s efforts. Great work guys!

[@stevehartwell1861]

Cat 3 soon enough. His power will be there, tactics and bike handling, not yet. Several mixed 3/4 races will help alot. Certainly an emerging talent.

[@AWCO91]

I don’t know how many comments I’ve seen arguing that EJ has an extensive background in endurance training. But his own Strava tells a very different story from the one that’s been painted on this channel. And that doesn’t take anything away from his amazing journey, if anything it makes it more relatable and inspiring. Almost no one successfully flips a switch the way the story has been presented so far, it often takes fits and starts and sometimes you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and then fall completely off again and again. As someone who has struggled with depression, weight gain, body image issues, disordered eating, and more, it helps to hear real stories of what it’s like to find a lifestyle and community that helps with managing those struggles. I’ve related to so much of EJ’s story for those reasons, and I have no idea why things have been misrepresented on this channel, however slightly. No one is saying EJ was secretly a professional crit racer or mountain biker prior to 2022, but being able to do frequent 2+ hour rides, riding virtually every day for multiple months straight, having experienced friends to ride with, considering getting into crit racing, and yeah, downhill mountain biking (all things that can be seen on EJ’s Strava prior to 2022) are all relevant forms of experience that contribute to someone’s success. And those things much more accurately represent what most people’s experience will be-gradual development over time. Not flipping a switch, seeing 20%+ gains in estimated FTP after four weeks of training, and competing/winning their first races ever. For everyone who is inspired by this version of the story, there’s likely to be someone else who gets completely deflated by it, because they’ve tried and tried and tried and never seen it happen like this. And I don’t just mean the competitive success, which most people may never see or even care to see, I mean the progress toward whatever goals people have. It’s almost never this “easy”, and by all accounts it was not really this “easy” for EJ either. So why not tell the whole story?

[@supersixmikeohimod]

because ENTERTAINMENT and PRODUCT PLACEMENT. lets be honest - most cyclists who do structured training know what the grind is like. i'm not going to watch 25min videos about someone struggling to complete their workouts for the week and the mental breakdowns that we all go through. I already live that, why would I want to watch that? If you want to see him suffer, go watch his short vlogs, the pain is not hidden. Bottom line is these videos are entertaining, we're watching EJ's growth and enthusiasm, moving up that learning curve for the first time with the wonderment of a newborn child with significant genetic potential. We're along for a journey.

[@tuna_buoy]

Comparison is the thief of joy.

[@olindamedia]

He's young guy, with natural talent, with the right network to be able to train at near pro volumes with a good training structure. It's paying off. I think it's inspiring but also very believable.

[@CoffinFlopRecs]

I did think it was pretty funny to shrug off his mtb experience, as if that alone doesn’t put him as more experienced than nearly everyone in that novice race haha

[@tuna_buoy]

Haters gonna hate.

[@sunshinecycling]

Wow, had no idea EJ raced a second race in the same day! When this video started, especially sitting at the back of the pack, I assume he didn't even finish. Instead the man eeks out 2nd. wtf

[@Joshuavoice29]

EJ is a beast. Once his race craft gets better, he is going to fly up the race categories.

[@yoadrian5897]

Damn!!! With all that work and effort, he pulled 2nd place in his second race of the day in a different category! I'm still sticking to my prediction that he will have the same career trajectory as Andy Bishop..

[@longtianhao9799]

EJ is a stamina king ! great job !

[@niklasbirksted8175]

EJ, please, for the love of god, make a ponytail! It's the Fignon-factor all over

[@ASGundogs]

Loving this series and you guys 🙌 On the thumbnail topic- I wish more people DID do bumping drills as drills! Even 5-10% of most cat 4-5’s training volume devoted to this skill would pay off in un-broken bones and bikes. (See this race for examples!) Maybe you could encourage it by doing a Bumping Skills and Drills video- you have a huge reach as an influencer.

[@ElouanGardon]

“I just did not have a punch at the end” 1400+ Watts😂! Good job man exited to see your bike handling skills progress and match your power!

[@gregleman6592]

As a former baseball player who also didn’t come into the sport with a dummy thic endurance base I love seeing you have success. Keep pushing.

[@kestralrider313]

Skeeetchy turns in the 4s, and I'm not sure I could settle in with all that mess around me. Great job of slowly moving up and being patient. A 1st and 2nd on the same day is an awesome start. THanks for adding the variability numbers, it's a great way to look at things.

[@mickwilson2170]

Loving seeing someone come up thru the ranks which will show people what steps and progression you will need to keep going forward

[@mcleishmartin]

Great to see the comparison of the different levels all in one video.

[@sknkwrksowner]

Great job dude! That last move that guy made was freakin' jet fly-by! He straight RAILED that last series of turns. Two races is fantastic for what you achieved! #chapeau

[@othmanmohammedi5344]

jeff I love seeing you race I don't know why but your style at racing just really inspires me the fact that you don't always have to be the one with the biggest FTP or the one most with the highest level of fitness as well as your finesse of the sport just wow I appreciate you so much I hope I get to meet you one day. and i hope i can be half as good of biker as yourself -cheers

[@collinmiller6648]

Are you kidding me with those results! First Cat5 race 1st place, First Cat4 race THE SAME DAY, 2nd place? What can't this guy do!? I guess that shows the insane transformation having a "race-dad" like Jeff will get you! Way to go EJ!

[@Svdude650]

Savage EJ... great to see you doing so well and all the training paying off. Remember to enjoy the journey and the process too. Keep 'er lit. 👍🏻

[@jkelleypga]

Nice downplay of the prior experience. That pitching form doesn't just happen with out A LOT of discipline, hard work and lots of hours in the gym all of which translate over into his biking.Many more wins coming EJs way and that's a fact.

[@addict054]

EJ seems like a super cool dude. And I’m digging the Burt Rynolds mustache. It works. I like the mentor / apprentice series you got going on. Keep the vids coming.

[@InThePaceline]

Great racing out there with you EJ! Incredible work going through the field like that. I did not expect that inside line move from Evan on the bell lap and will be ready to duke it out in the sprint at the next one. (For context: I was the Dolce Vita rider who EJ pipped at the line for 2nd)

[@meriam4109]

Big fan here, great material and your in the middle of it. Much more fun than pro cycling. One question, is your downhill experience the reason you can maintain in the bunch without crashing? Deeply impressed anyhow. Looking forward to your tactical progression

[@alanleclair1]

Really impressive. 2nd place in your 2nd race while going up to Cat 4?! Dude is a machine!! 🚴💪👏

[@MultigrainKevinOs]

Look at these buddies, I am so happy for you EJ you got a bright racing future ahead and you couldn't possibly have a better mentor than Jeff. Here's to a great season for you both!

[@johnzlatunich938]

I'm not a crit racer, but love your insight on the races and the strategy involved. Keep the videos coming!

[@mikewikstrom3416]

I don’t even race crits, but these videos are good times. You’re doing great EJ and as you learn more and refrain from extra effort all the time, you’ll have even more in the tank for when you need it. 👍

[@solano8725]

True Champion, upgrading the same day to 4's. Class Act Kid!

[@ChrisSharp_kr1spy]

Great effort and congratulations on pulling off two podiums! The field will be hard-pressed to match your power. Just let the tactics catch up and wow!

[@matt_m126]

Congrats EJ! You were in the running to win this one too, and as Jeff explained, you have room to become even better. Looks very promising!

[@ronm7114]

Congrats. Amazing talent. U can see u throwing a ball... thats some skill.

[@samgooding-matthews3175]

This is the best content please keep this double race thing going it’s so good to see EJ grow and the see the difference between cat1 and cat 4 and 5 I have my first crit this summer and these videos are perfect tactical training well done guys 🤙🏻

[@LLroomtempJ]

my mind was blown watching him race this race. i'm so accustomed to seeing good racecraft. this is a testament to how strong the kid is. TERRIBLE RACECRAFT, but an amazing finish. DUDE IS A BEAST!

[@zephyrfpv9871]

I don't know what to say, you are a beast! Congratulation man💪💪💪

[@viborabr]

EJ is a talent, no doubt. The increase in FTP power + racing resilience is remarkable.

[@redlinx5520]

2:50 that whistle actually made me jump

[@joenation0]

EJ man, you must be doing something right. I bet none of those guys in the cat4 final selection had already raced (and won) that day. On fresh legs with just a tiny bit more street smarts, you’ll be up there racing Jeff by the end of the year!

[@SnappyWasHere]

The skill will come with practice. More time to be comfortable in a group then you’ll have more time to focus on the other riders and tactics. Amazing first race weekend!

[@escsniper]

Damn! EJ has such a promising future ahead of him! A win and a second place on the same day is just amazing! Can't wait to see what the future has in store for him.

[@Bulruninvests]

Amazing. I am inspired man. Had a bad crash and fractured my ribs… seeing this really makes me want to get back to cycling

[@LouieBaLLz]

“Couch” to cat 1. Congrats EJ

[@ferrisdurden2741]

Amazing job! So great to watch, I’ve learned a ton just watching. Setting a high bar to follow.

[@paulronan2103]

great content and really great start to the couch to crit season - well done EJ

[@markrahman9320]

That's some incredible shit. I have been in that situation of having to close one gap after another so many times and it always turned out to be in vain. I salute EJ for his tenacity.

[@ShawnIsBatman]

That was a massive amount of work, especially for the second race of the day....beast mode!

[@onederment]

EJ is a force to be reckoned with.... This is cherry pie... wait until its not so technical... If he can do that with cherrypie then he will have a splendid season. Best to practice your clip-ins. Even change the pedals to something faster if you can. That initial charge is probably one of the most important moments of the race. Try spinning on a warmup machine before the crit. That can help too as you sure don't want to pull any muscles.

[@matteo1214]

Series with EJ is a nice fresh gust of air to the channel

[@NorCalCycling]

Thank you!

[@MikeK02048]

Cut hair = +20 watts. Well done EJ!

[@michaelhoult9]

Well done EJ. Cat 1 soon. Raced really well .... great content! 👍

[@darrellstyner0001]

This is just seriously fun to watch. Can't wait for the EJ turns pro season:).

[@pumpkinmeerkat3692]

is there an mtb Ryan cam for the p1/2 race? Would be cool to see an analysis with you, ryan, and ej

[@chriswinter2612]

EJ is crushing it!

[@alexander90100]

Really cool stuff, great job EJ and congrats on your 2 podiums. Jeff awesome stuff man keep up the good work. I have been inspired by tuning to your videos and analysis for months.

[@jeffreypeters1902]

Fun video. Would be interesting to see side-by-side comparison of EJ's sprint form between the two races. Definitely looked better in the first race, more disciplined, which we would expect with less fatigue at that point. Also, worth noting is how his BMX skills do help with his handling. When I was a Junior racer we had a guy start racing in our field who came over from BMX, was a top 10 guy nationally, and an absolute beast. He presented a new challenge for us to try to figure out. Definitely punchy on short climbs. Looking forward to more of this content. Cheers.

[@MrRed0devil]

Love these you and EJ videos. Really entertaining and informative.

[@crbondur]

Nice work, EJ! I don't think you'll be a Cat 5 very long. Time to CAT UP, buddy!

[@silasyoho8461]

This was amazing, can't wait to see more, pleases more of this!

[@dropatrain]

Looks like EJ had the same experience i did this weekend with tail gunning. Yeah I save so much energy not doing 1k w ever corner, but the people in front of me kept opening gaps so I was just doing a 50min ftp test the whole time!

[@johncontreras2643]

Thanks Jeff for all the Great content! I always look forward towards your videos. Great Teamwork with EJ on the latest videos!

[@adsholly1]

Loving the content on both channels, Ejs Energy is lite

[@biedawo]

Nice race. Can't believe you had separate jerseys for the two races.

[@1337aznpro]

great video guys. very fun to watch. keep em coming!

[@CWBmtb]

The best cycling content on KZbin!

[@alexanderakins5777]

Love the ej and Jeff race documentaries

[@bloodsord9]

What a beast! 2 races in 1 day and both top 3

[@behindtheboxx]

He’s a monster. After training like a maniac, I got slaughtered my first cat 5 season. It took me 3 years to consistently finish in the top 10 of cat 4’s.

[@zerokoolTV]

Can you make a video about gears in racing. When to shift and what not. What gears to use to save strength.

[@paulgibby6932]

EJ, what a phenom!

[@BulletGaming012]

Really inspiring stuff!

[@bartp.3509]

So awasome!This is really inspiring me to look into racing!Go EJ!

[@DerrickAbucheri]

I'm rooting for this guy!

[@WallaceParris]

congratulation Ej.

[@nollm23]

Love this content. Great job EJ!

[@mstrasser]

wow. congrats EJ (again!!!)

[@jbgood71]

Great job EJ! BTW, 100% is maximum. You can't go 110% unless you're on crack or doping 😯

[@HarryBijlwisetoolate]

Awesome content, huge fan from Costa Rica.

[@NorCalCycling]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@Gabepedaler]

Awesome racing EJ!!!

[@Alan_Hans__]

Well done to the mane man.

[@BeyReaper]

Can someone remind me how much EJ weighs? I want to remember his w/kg sprint.

[@fritzcortez-iu9yd]

Congratulations EJ..

[@thincrustpizza]

unreal fitness - ppl work for years to get that - bravo

[@louhe]

Never mind the tactical problems, THE ANKLE SOCKS, that’s where the problems lie.

[@tomwills5485]

jeff, do you ever talk to EJ about gearing in his sprinting to make sure he doesn't spin out or start his sprint in too big a gear? he seems to have a pretty good sense already, but just curious.

[@kingdomcreativesc]

I definitely love this content for sure.

[@sams247]

Love it Jeff! Great going EJ

[@JoshMcGehee]

God. Pretty sure EJ is a beast just for making it back to the front, let alone winning.

[@richscorer]

With EJs pop and speed …haircut and rule 28 kit incoming.

[@Suedesi]

Good stuff Jeff and EJ!

[@moin6747]

1:40 ok we get we ll buy the class

[@liammerrick6399]

This is so inspiring

[@leewood4825]

These are great guys. Keep up the content 👌

[@cyclingmrcl]

Hey, How do you add this power and speed overlay? Which software are you using?😊 thanks!

[@TreyCoursey]

Good job guys!

[@jwarmerdam7578]

great vid, EJ get some drafting lessons from Jeff you'll benefit so much from it

[@SatrnOne]

The smallest adjustment and he would've smoked that field. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing him come up and blow out more sprints.

[@thisishowthetruthdies684]

Long story short, I'm impressed.

[@Code-Crash]

Such an awesome series

[@marshal716]

Do these races have the distance to the finish marked?

[@cycledogg4]

So, how do you cat up (5 to 4) after just one race, and on the same day?