Dec05 - Belgium cross races.
Thanks to those that signed my Notepad... Merry Xmas to you too!!! Hope you've all been well and safe? Here in Belgium we've had a really nice time mixing hardcore races and warm xmas hospitality. Brandon from Boulder is here with his girlfriend Heather, as well as Lyne Bessette from Canada, all staying with my buddy Michel in his family’s house. It’s been a very different xmas and a lot of fun.
I arrived the morning of the 24th and straight away took off to the Superprestige in Diegem. After the worldcup, this is the toughest series on the calendar. All the big guns were there with their giant campervans and hundreds of fan club members. Registration was as easy as abc and no entry fee to boot. They make enough money from the tens of thousands of spectators that flood the course, each paying around 10 euros. The track was a cool too. A few short climbs, some tricky corners, slippery mud and some running barriers that guys like Sven Nys bunny hop easy as.
I can't say much about the race, as I didn't get to see too much! I was struggling to hang with the last guys for the first few laps. I did manage to pass a few who had given up before the end and made it without getting lapped, which for me was quite an accomplishment! My final place was 38th.
Today was my biggest day.. my first cyclo cross worldcup! Hofstad was the venue.. with a nice small lake, some long sand sections and around 30,000 spectators. It was another nice day, around zero degrees, but that’s nothing for these guys. The ambiance was buzzing, and the pace frantic from the start. I spent the first two laps at the very back, before finally passing a couple of US guys and a few others. The sand sections were like riding in thick mud full of small ruts. If you could keep the good line it was easy, but as soon as you got off into the thick stuff it was all over.
The highlight was with 3 laps to go, the leaders lapped me. I could feel them coming because there was an electric feeling from the crowd.. they were almost silent in anticipation. Then when they passed it was like a thunderstorm broke out. I followed close behind Sven Nys for a bit.. my 30 sec of cross fame :) I had to pull out after that, but I was buzzing. I went and watched the finish.. those guys are incredible!! Tonight we sipped some good Belgian beer, but tomorrow we we've got one more race again. Then I'll head back to France, while the others continue this madness for another week or so.
I must say a huge thanks to Michel and his mum, Elzbieta, for treating us like rock stars.. and Julian and Vincent for there support in the race.
Race results and reports are on cyclingnews.com and Brandon is writing a diary on Velonews.com each day, so check it out.
Thanks to those that signed my Notepad... Merry Xmas to you too!!! Hope you've all been well and safe? Here in Belgium we've had a really nice time mixing hardcore races and warm xmas hospitality. Brandon from Boulder is here with his girlfriend Heather, as well as Lyne Bessette from Canada, all staying with my buddy Michel in his family’s house. It’s been a very different xmas and a lot of fun.
I arrived the morning of the 24th and straight away took off to the Superprestige in Diegem. After the worldcup, this is the toughest series on the calendar. All the big guns were there with their giant campervans and hundreds of fan club members. Registration was as easy as abc and no entry fee to boot. They make enough money from the tens of thousands of spectators that flood the course, each paying around 10 euros. The track was a cool too. A few short climbs, some tricky corners, slippery mud and some running barriers that guys like Sven Nys bunny hop easy as.
I can't say much about the race, as I didn't get to see too much! I was struggling to hang with the last guys for the first few laps. I did manage to pass a few who had given up before the end and made it without getting lapped, which for me was quite an accomplishment! My final place was 38th.
Today was my biggest day.. my first cyclo cross worldcup! Hofstad was the venue.. with a nice small lake, some long sand sections and around 30,000 spectators. It was another nice day, around zero degrees, but that’s nothing for these guys. The ambiance was buzzing, and the pace frantic from the start. I spent the first two laps at the very back, before finally passing a couple of US guys and a few others. The sand sections were like riding in thick mud full of small ruts. If you could keep the good line it was easy, but as soon as you got off into the thick stuff it was all over.
The highlight was with 3 laps to go, the leaders lapped me. I could feel them coming because there was an electric feeling from the crowd.. they were almost silent in anticipation. Then when they passed it was like a thunderstorm broke out. I followed close behind Sven Nys for a bit.. my 30 sec of cross fame :) I had to pull out after that, but I was buzzing. I went and watched the finish.. those guys are incredible!! Tonight we sipped some good Belgian beer, but tomorrow we we've got one more race again. Then I'll head back to France, while the others continue this madness for another week or so.I must say a huge thanks to Michel and his mum, Elzbieta, for treating us like rock stars.. and Julian and Vincent for there support in the race.
Race results and reports are on cyclingnews.com and Brandon is writing a diary on Velonews.com each day, so check it out.
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