Logan Owen’s GFWSB mantra

Logan Owen won his ninth consecutive cyclocross national championship when he finished first in the 2014 U23 race

One thing remains the same no matter where Logan Owen races. And it will doubtless hold true tomorrow in Hoogerheide at the 2014 cyclocross U23 world championships.

Sometime before he joins the field in the staging area prior to the start, his mom will text him or otherwise find a way to send him this message: GFWSB. It stands for “Go Fast Win Seabiscuit.”

His grandparents, uncles, parents – pretty much everyone in his family – and he sat down to watch the movie Seabiscuit when it was first released about ten years ago, which would have been before Owen’s first cyclocross national championship victory. The thoroughbred’s comeback story transformed into the motivational mantra GFWSB that fuels Owen when he races.

Logan Owen with his mom and dad in Boulder

After winning his ninth straight ‘cross national championship in January, Owen explained that he’s had to comeback in the past to win nationals. Sharing the mantra between mom and son has become a tradition, one could even say a part of his pre-race preparation.

Every year at ‘cross nationals his mom holds a sign inked with GFWSB. This year the back side of the sign read, “Nine is fine.”

Tomorrow in Holland Owen’s targeting a top ten from his first go in the U23 category at worlds. He said in January that he believes the course suits him well. One strong favorite to beat is Holland’s Mathieu van der Poel, Owen’s major nemesis last year in the 17 – 18 worlds race.

“Last year I was on such good form that I think if I didn’t have all the mechanicals and the crash at the beginning, if I rode a clean race, I think I would have gave [van der Poel] a run for his money. I had really good legs that day,” Owen said. “I haven’t really felt that great at all this season, except for maybe in Italy for road worlds…Hopefully I’m on great form again [in Hoogerheide] and I can challenge him again and maybe that would be my ticket to a top five, having that good of legs again.”

Perhaps the thought of GFWSB will give him the legs he needs.

Owen will be joined by the other men on the U.S. U23 team, Curtis White, Cody Kaiser, Tobin Ortenblad, and Yannick Eckmann. Eckmann is also targeting a top ten result in Hoogerheide.

U23 2014 U.S. cyclocross national championships podium (l – r) Yannick Eckmann 2nd, Logan Owen 1st, Cody Kaiser 3rd