Class is in Session for Casey Hildebrandt During His First Belgian Cyclocross Trip

The journey to race 'cross in Belgium for Wisconsin teacher Casey Hildebrandt has been one years in the making

There’s an old saying, if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.

That is an apt way of describing Casey Hildebrandt’s journey in cycling. When the late-20-something was younger, he spent time chasing the dream of being a sponsored bike racer, hitting the road to race UCI cyclocross across the country.

Unfortunately, life got in the way when he graduated college, and he ended up pursuing his chosen vocation of teaching high school. When he stepped away from racing bikes at the end of the 2016/17 season, he was a force in the Wisconsin and Midwest scene who showed signs of potential regionally and even nationally.

After several years of coaching high school cross country and track, Hildebrandt got the itch to start racing again. He jumped in a few races in 2019 and then set his sights on a big year in 2020. With school canceled at the end of the 2019/20 school year and with the summer off, he rode. A lot. And he got really good.

This season, Hildebrandt capped his campaign with a dominant win at Midwest Regionals, a podium finish at Singlespeed Nationals, and a 10th-place finish in the Elite race. Buoyed by that success, he made plans to head to Europe to race the Kerstperiode block and into January.

The journey to racing in Europe isn’t what Hildebrandt expected, but he is totally okay with that. He’s been given the perfect combination of maturity, mental strength, improved fitness, and being really good at racing a cyclocross bike, and he’s making the most of it while he can.

I chatted with Hildebrandt before he boarded a plane for Belgium. I still remember when he showed up on the Wisconsin scene in 2015 and started dominating against a stacked Elite Men’s field there, so it was fun to reminisce and hear about the journey and maturation of a dude who hasn’t exactly had things easy, coming from a part of Wisconsin few cyclists call home.

Casey Hildebrandt has always done things his own way. © Zach Schuster

Interview: Casey Hildebrandt

Zach Schuster: Have you been to Belgium before?

Casey Hildebrandt: No. I didn't really race 'cross as a Junior. I think I did like one 'cross race when I was a kid. I never went as a U23. I should have gone my last year as a U23. I was top ten at Pan-Ams and Nats, but I didn't make it happen. Then I didn't race for a while, but now that I'm back into it, I'm definitely going to do it. I don't know if I'll be able to make it happen again, so let's do it.

Zach Schuster: We go way back. I was staying with Royce Breckon, a Wisconsin guy, and we were reminiscing about a race in 2015, and I was checking the results, and I was like, 'Oh, I'm pretty sure Casey won that day.' So I've been following you for a long time, but it seems like you kind of had a dream of being a professional racer, you chased that, and then you gave it up to be a teacher, right?

Casey Hildebrandt: It's a little muddier than that, but basically, I started teaching after Hartford Nats in 2017. I started student teaching my last semester of college. I did that at the same high school in Wausau I graduated from. I changed my major halfway through college to teach high school history, so I got hired to do that up in Eagle River.

I basically decided to stop racing bikes after that. I was kind of tired of trying to find support. I feel like it might be different now, but back then it seemed like every year was a team or this shop or this company that was like, 'Yeah we can do this,' but then when it came time to do it, they backed out. So I got super burned out from the lack of support.

I felt like I was always on the edge of being pretty good but not quite good enough. To be honest, my whole life I felt like that. So without having that support, it was pretty frustrating. Then with teaching, I always knew I wanted to do that since I was in high school. I wanted to give that a shot, and I thought I was done racing bikes.

Then I started coaching middle school cross country my first year and was an assistant coach in track. When I was student teaching, I was a volunteer varsity coach for the distance team. At that point, I was still hoping to race again, but it kept feeling like it probably wouldn't happen. I had another potential sponsor back out, which was frustrating again.

Then the next year I was the varsity cross country and track coach, so I got super into running culture. We had some pretty good athletes who were doing really well and went to state. It was a different role, but I was still involved with sports. Then I started doing workouts with the kids and qualified for the Boston Marathon.

After doing that, I was really starting to get the itch back. I was like, 'Man, I think I stopped too soon.' I'm still young enough, I should give this a shot. Then in 2019, I did a couple of Wisconsin races. I had ridden less than 1,000 miles that year. I was riding like once a week. I did those races, and then I was like, 'You know what, 2020 is the year I come back.' I'm going to give it one or two years going all out doing the UCI stuff.

Obviously the pandemic happened, and I was like, 'You gotta be kidding me. Just my luck.'

Oddly enough, it was running that motivated Hildebrandt to get back into bike racing. © Zach Schuster

Zach Schuster: You're from Wisconsin, but you're not from Madison, you're not from Milwaukee, you were grinding just to get to this races man. You're up there in the state. You live in Antigo, you grew up in Wausau. I think it's good to give some perspective on where you're from.

Casey Hildebrandt: I always tell people to take your right hand, and right where the knuckle of your middle finger is, that's Wausau. Madison and Milwaukee are down in your palm. Then you've got a little bay by your thumb, that's Green Bay. Wausau is right up in the middle of the state, but it's honestly not that far from the UP of Michigan.

It's super tough up here. There are not a lot of guys who ride. I have a couple of guys in Wausau who I train with in the spring and summer. That helps me get into shape. But I've always been kind of on my own. There aren't really any high-level pros in the area. There's been a couple like Brian Matter and Tristan Schouten from the Sheboygan and Plymouth area. You have Caleb Swartz and Daxton Mock who were from Madison. But now one is really around here. I've always kind of done stuff on my own.

Even the Madison races are a three-hour drive. When I have to drive 8 to 10 hours for a UCI race, it doesn't really bother me because I'm used to driving three to five every weekend.

Zach Schuster: So Wisconsin is stacked with talent. Isaac Neff just won Nats. Corey Stelljes just won Nats. Erin Feldhausen finished 2nd. There is some legit talent and you kind of burst on the scene back in 2015. This kind of punk kid racing for something called the Underground Project. Has that kind of formed part of your identity as an athlete, not being from the hotbeds of Wisconsin?

Casey Hildebrandt: I started racing the WORS mountain bike series, and when I had first gotten into it, my dad raced a bunch across the Midwest and was pretty good. He always raced with some of the older guys like Steve Tilford. I got into it early in high school, there was no NICA, and I just did the WORS series, but at the time it have Matter, Cole House, the Lalonde Brothers. Jesse and Mark were like my idols, man. The tattoos. The singlespeeds. I raced singlespeed, I raced rigid, I got tattoos. I looked up to those guys so much, they were idols, man.

I raced Collegiate a little bit. I went to Ripon College for a semester, but didn't really like it. I went to Lindenwood for three semesters, but then I came back home and stopped racing for a year. I've kind of been on and off. I've always loved sport, but I've always struggled with support.

Now I'm finally in a position where I have a solid income. We always joke that teachers don't do it for the money, but compared to what I grew up with, I paid for a lot of my stuff, I worked at a shop. Racing, traveling, bikes, everything. Now it feels like I have, not a lot of money, but a steady income where I can afford to support myself a little bit more. I have some support, but I would love to get some more for next year to make bigger things happen.

That's a big part of why I've been able to come back. Looking back, I've been this punk kid. I've always been this kid doing his own thing and punching above his weight trying to race with the big guys. Guys like Neff and Stelljes, then Matter and LaLondes. When I was young, I was always trying to hang with those guys.

I still remember the first time I beat those guys. I beat Tristan at Sun Praire in 2015 maybe. I'll have to find the picture of that podium. Caleb was on the podium, Tristan, Isaac. That was one of my first big wins where I was like, 'Man, I can do that.'

Zach Schuster: I've always been a fan. I love how you race your bike. You've so smooth and aggressive and it's fun to watch. But I remember there was a time where you were gone, and then in 2019 you posted on Instagram or something, "Hey, I'm going to come back.' I was so stoked. But I remember, I think it might have been Sun Prairie, it was a muddy race, you only had one bike, and you were racing against my guy Narayan Mahon and he had a pit bike and beat you.

Casey Hildebrandt: I remember that. I was pissed.

Zach Schuster: What about that season kind of re-lit the fire for you? That was a muddy season and you only had one bike!

Casey Hildebrandt: It was! I bought that bike off of eBay. That's the bike I'm still racing on, that pink and purple CruX. I had a road bike, but I didn't have any 'cross bikes. I bought that thing, rode a couple of rides on it, and was like, 'Man, I gotta try racing again.' That's when I was still coaching cross county. As soon as the season ended, I did like a week of workouts—I have this thing I call a Secret Workout. It's basically just four sets of over-unders, but the first time I do it each year, I can't finish it. It's a good mental check, like 'Alright, this is the bottom step.' I did that workout, bought a set of tubulars from Josh Bauer, my UHaul brother. I still have that set of HEDs. I bought the bike, bought the tubs, and glued them up. I won both races the weekend before in Wisconsin wearing a hoodie and a vest. I know you had a picture of it at Jingle Cross last year, but I've been doing that forever, man. T-shirts, hoodies.

Zach Schuster: So I think cyclocross needs my guys. We need more guys like J Money, we need more riders like Ivy Audrain and Ben Frederick. And I shit you not, during the Singlespeed race on Saturday, I'm on the hill, and you're cranking back into contention for the podium, and some guy is like, 'That's Casey Hildebrandt, he raced with a hoodie at Jingle Cross. I am not making this up. So, my challenge to you is to make the hoodie a thing. We need more guys. That's my challenge to you.

Casey Hildebrant: I'll try to make it happen. This year I had to find a good balance. I wanted to wear a hoodie, but with the mud it's less than ideal. I have to find my balance. I can't do it in Europe, that's definitely not going to happen.

Zach Schuster: Well Josh, T-Shirt Guy, taught us you can't do it here either if it's on TV.

Casey Hildebrandt: I don't care, I'd still do it.

Zach Schuster: I'd expect nothing less.

Hildebrandt has shown he has the potential to be a guy in the ‘cross peloton. © Zach Schuster

Casey Hildebrandt: Just to come full circle, my dad used to race, I started racing mountain bikes, I looked up to the Lalondes, Tristan, Isaac. Dude, I the Lalondes, I don't know how familiar you are with them, but Mark raced 'cross in Europe. Jesse was like D3 Steeplechase National Champ at Stevens Point. These guys are like mythical. There are stories about these guys you could tell for days. When Mountain Bike Nats was out east, these guys ran the start hill because their gearing was too big, but they ended up in the top ten. They ran the start hill and finished in the top ten.

Zach Schuster: I've never met the Lalondes, but like Ben Frederick was making a big deal out of racing a singlespeed in the Elite 'cross races finishing tenth, but Jesse Lalonde was Chequamegon on a singlespeed! Absolutely legendary in the Midwest.

Casey Hildebrandt: I never really raced 'cross, but I was like 'Man, that looks so cool.' We had local 'cross practices, which got me into it. I had one 'cross bike, but then my next 'cross race was a singlespeed. I won a Cat 3 race from the back row on a singlespeed and then upgraded the next weekend. That was my freshman year of college.

Zach Schuster: So the pandemic happened, you were going to do the thing. But you came back in a big way. You had always had that talent. But like from 2019 to 2021 you completely leveled up. What happened?

Casey Hildebrandt: School shut down. I was still the head Track coach. We had one week of practice, and then that Friday night I was in the gym with the team and was like 'Great first week. See you Monday.' And I kid you not, I had an email on my photo from the superintendent lettings us know school is canceled for the next three weeks. Track was canceled, everything was shut down. School was a mess. Keep in mind, we're in rural Wisconsin. A lot of kids didn't have Wifi at home.

I had all this time. At meetings and stuff when we were trying to figure out how we were going to teach online, I brought my trainer into the duplex I lived in and started riding a ton. I was pretty sure we wouldn't have a season, but if we did, I was going to be ready. I was riding like five hours a day. I'd ride a few hours, do some work, text some kids, ride a few more hours. I did a big bikepacking trip that summer. I was super fit, and I just took that fitness into 2021.

I did a little mountain biking, and then just let it rip for 'cross. I drove out to Rochester. Flew to Baltimore. Did Trek and Jingle. Did Indy. I almost won Iceman. I guess the pandemic was a bit of a blessing in disguise for the fitness, but I felt like I got a bit screwed with UCI points.

The one thing I would do differently is I would have done GO Cross instead of Rochester. Man, the fields were so big at Rochester, like 60, 70 people at Rochester and Charm City. I don't know if it was because after the pandemic everyone was so amped to get back out there, but the random call-ups with no points were rough. But not going to GO Cross, it felt like whoever got points at GO Cross got good call-ups and started scoring points after that. I was starting in the 60s and finishing in the 20s. You know how it is in 'cross, you miss the first few groups and it's like, good luck. I struggled a lot. I finally got points at Indy, and then had a nice ride at Iceman. I won State, and then I went to Nationals and whatever.

I know you were giving me a hard time on the podcast, but I'll tell you what, at Major Taylor, the UCI official said you could pit but if your bike's not ready or whatever, you can dismount and remount and it's fine. I took that intel into Nationals, and because the pit lane was so much faster, I went into the pit and didn't take a bike because the official at Indy said I didn't have to. Basically, the rule says that if a rider enters the pit for any other reason, the official shall decide and their decision is final.

Hildebrandt rode well at Chicago Singlespeed Nationals. © Zach Schuster

Zach Schuster: That was a huge bummer. But you know that if I'm going to give my Wisconsin people some love, I'm also going to give them a hard time.

Casey Hildebrandt: Yeah yeah. Then on Sunday in the Elite race last year, I was in like 13th in Lap 1 with Matter and J Money and Grant Ellwood, and I'm coming out of a turn and start pedaling, and my derailleur hanger just sheared off. I had to run all the way from before the start/finish, down that entire straight, through the sand pit, and then all the way to the pits. But I didn't quit. I was back in the 40s, and I finished like 32nd.

So this year, the weekend at Nationals was so good. It felt amazing. I obviously wanted to win Singlespeed, but I knew top five was going to be a stretch. I thought maybe I could get that four or five spot. So to get on the podium in the Singlespeed race and get a little redemption after last year and beat the defending champ, I was pretty stoked. Then on Sunday, I didn't feel as good. I was struggling on the run, unfortunately. I had a great start and then a terrible second half of the first lap, which set me back.

Zach Schuster: But you called your shot though. You told me you were going to finish top ten.

Casey Hildebrandt: I was really happy with the result and to be able to fight back. I DNFed too many races when I was younger. I guess you could call it quitting, but some races, it was just like, 'Man, I don't know.' I wasn't as invested in it. Now I'm all in. When I stopped racing I got really into mindfulness, and I started doing little meditations every day. I think I'm a pretty well-rounded athlete now. I still teach five days a week, and working with kids, I have to have a good balance. I don't do a lot of volume and just try to do what I can.

I'm hoping to have a little bit more support next year so I can travel more to the UCI races. My goal is to make the U.S. World Cups next year. I'm going to skip Chequamegon and go to GO Cross next year and make it happen.

Zach Schuster: That's cool as hell. I saw you the week before at Montrose [in Chicago] and I was like, 'Damn, he's riding great.' But you still had your work cut out for you. You had Kenny. You had Tobin. That was going to be a big task to take on, and you frickin’ did it. You had a great start. I take a little credit because at one point because I yelled at you and you looked back for like a good two seconds. I was like, 'The race is up there dude!' And you started really riding and then you passed Ben and Max like half a lap later.

Casey Hildebrandt: Yeah, I went into the tape on one of the U-turns before Pit 2. I caught a rut wrong and it shot me right into the tape. My bars got wrapped in the tape, and the stake was there too. It messed me up. I dusted myself off and came back super strong.

Hildebrandt got some redemption from 2021 with a podium finish at Hartford Singlespeed Nats. © Zach Schuster

Zach Schuster: So what's your plan for this trip?

Casey Hildebrandt: I'm going to miss Mol. I wanted to do that one, but couldn't make it work. I'm going to do as much as I can. I did not get picked for Gavere. I put in for that, but there's not a separate U23 race, so they took a bunch of kids. I get it, I'm 28, and they're trying to develop younger riders. I'm hoping to get in for the one at the end of the black.

We have Zolder on the 27th, Diegem on the 28th, Loenhout on the 30th, and then I'm going to Luxembourg on New Year's Day. I'm going to skip Baal because I want to travel a bit more and see some different countries since I've never been there before. On the 3rd, I was going to do Harentals, but I think I'm going to skip that one. I'm doing Koksijde on the 5th. And then I'm going to London on Saturday the 7th. I really want to do well there. I don't know what the fields are like, but I know there are races in Belgium on Saturday and Sunday, so the fields won't be as stacked there. I really want to end the trip on a high note. If I don't get into Zonhoven on that Sunday, then I'll stay in England for the National Trophy Series race there.

Caleb Swartz and I are staying together. Two Wisconsin boys staying together, that's pretty sick. I'll have his mechanic working in the pits for me. I emailed the race organizer in London about host housing and a mechanic, and he replied. So I have a mechanic for both days there. We're making it happen.

I was hanging out with some folks on Sunday in Hartford, and Andrew Giiniat, Erica Zaveta, and Tyler Cloutier were giving me all the Euro tips. What to pack. Do this, don't do this. Dude, they've raced in Europe so much. I didn't realize how much they've done. Andrew's gone three or four times, Erica's raced more than all of them combined. That was super cool. Basically I'm just like a sponge trying to soak it all up. I want to travel a bit. I'm not racing for four days, so I want to go to some of the bigger cities if I can.

Zach Schuster: You were chasing it when you were younger. I remember the time you drove to Ruts n' Guts or whatever. No, it was the other one. You drove like 14 hours for a one-day race to get UCI points.

Casey Hildebrandt: Yeah man, it was Cyntergy Hurtland in Tulsa.

Hildebrandt’s path in bike racing maybe hasn’t been what he expected, but that’s totally ok. © Zach Schuster

Zach Schuster: Ah yes. So this is like the dream for you, but the path there hasn't been what you'd thought it be. Have you processed that at all?

Casey Hildebrandt: I took a year off from racing in college. I came back home to UW-Stevens Point. My freshman year at Nationals, I almost won the Collegiate race on a borrowed bike. I only had a singlespeed, so I had to borrow a teammate's bike. I finished 3rd there. I never did that great at Lindenwood. It was at Boulder, and I've always struggled at altitude.

I stopped racing, and was finally like, 'Yeah, I have to make this happen.' My last UCI season was my last year of U23s. I was top ten at Pan-Ams. But since then I've been on and off, but I've always had these glimpses of what could be.

I had a coach for a couple of years, and he's always been in my corner. He's always said, 'Dude, you're so good and have so much potential.' But sometimes it takes a while for you to believe it yourself. Or if you do believe it, when races don't go well, it can really beat you down. And when you're trying to do it on your own and you're in school and you're stretched so thin. Blah blah blah.

I feel like my body is ready. My body's more mature. I always felt like I was going to be a late bloomer. I've always had the glimpses of being really good, but now it's all finally lining up. Now it's time to make it happen.

Things are coming together for Hildebrandt as a person and bike racer. © Zach Schuster

Zach Schuster: It sounds like it's the perfect storm of your body, mentally, support, they've all kind of settled into place. And you're still doing really good man.

Casey Hildebrandt: My partner asked me, 'If you got on a team, would you stop teaching?' I don't know if that's realistic with funding, but teaching you can't just like take a three-month sabbatical. Maybe other jobs you can't either. I feel like teaching is the worst profession to try and do that.

But yeah, it's been a perfect storm for sure. I feel like everyone in front of me is a pro, pro. I don't know how many of them are working. Like, what does J Money even do? I think a lot of the guys are just bike racers. Maybe doing some coaching.

As much as I'm like, Man I wonder how good I could be if I wasn't teaching or if I could just travel to every UCI weekend or train 15 hours a week, but man, teaching gives me such a good balance. If I have a crappy race weekend, I'm like, 'You know what, I'm going to go back to my job, do my thing, and then I'll be back next weekend.' There are some days I am so stressed out at work, some of these kids really push your buttons. I'm technically a special ed teacher too, so I have a group of students I work with. I used to deal with more behavioral issues.

You have to have a lot of patience. I think it gives me a lot of perspective. Bike racing isn't my identity. A lot of athletes talk about that being a challenge. I love racing, but at the end of the day, I have a bigger purpose too. I'm trying to make my community a better place and help kids believe in themselves. Sometimes when I'm out there racing, I try to think about all the things I tell kids that are having tough times. 'It's gonna be alright.' 'Do what you need to do.'

I'm like, well I guess I better make this happen since I spend so much time telling kids they can get it done.

Zach Schuster: Awesome. I am beyond stoked for you. It rules that you've gone from local Wisconsin races all the way to racing in Belgium.

Casey Hildebrant: Yeah, thanks man. I'm excited to see how this goes.