the archives

picture dump

seems my camera battery has taken a turn for the worse. here's some photos from our tourist day in brugge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

kalmthout

my first world cup is done! the course itself was really good. it was icy and snow covered, so pressure was really low. a lot of the corners seemed worse than scheldecross. 58 uci points doesn't get you much at a world cup, so i was sitting about 7th row. my start was decent and i rode into the high 40's i think. a couple of decent laps but then my legs wouldn't work! i pretty much felt like the last day of jingle cross this year. just kinda riding around and not able to go. got pulled with one to go? really stupid. i would have been through the finish before the leaders finished. oh well. we had the setup dialed w/ gregory and elicia in the pits and andrea to get are jackets at the start. thanks guys!

after the race it was slow moving in the snow back to oudenaarde, then leftovers for dinner. today might be a good rest day w/ a trip to brugge.

finally, a picture! here's the koppenburg under a bit of snow on our second day in oudenaarde. one more shout out to stevil for a donation to my trip fund! thank you to everyone who has donated! you guys are amazing.

scheldecross

First race of the euro campaign is done! brian and i raced the scheldecross c1 in antwerpen today. snowy roads shuts this country down so it took us double the time to get to the race. at the inscription, they didn't have me registered. i thought i registered but maybe my dutch is rusty? that snafu caused me to start 64 out of 65 in the 7th row.

we got to the course with 2 hrs to go. gregory set up camp and we went for some laps to test tires and pressure. the course was pretty much one line in the snow with icy corners. at the start i worked up a bit a couple behind brian for maybe 2 laps. i was pretty tentative on the ice and that definitely hurt me. less pressure at the world cup tomorrow! in the end i was pulled w/ 2 laps to go in 48th place. i was about 45 seconds from getting lapped, but i guess they've had problems w/ lapped riders so they pull early. tomorrow is kalmthout and im glad i got one out of the way and hopefully got all the crap out of my legs. it was a good shock to the system after 3 weeks of no racing! just charged my camera today so hopefully pictures soon.

a lot of belgies checking out my equipment too. i have to give a huge thanks to all my sponsors for setting me up w/ everything to get it done...also, gregory our mechanic and elicia and andrea for cooking us meals and making sure the bikes are in tip top shape.

also, thanks to more donations to make this trip possible from:

jon and nora beck, djonnymac, chris follmer, specialized bikes, planet bike/bob downs, and ken higham. i am truly fortunate to have so much support. last but certainly not least, my lovely wife meg for supporting my dreams and having me away for christmas! 

tomorrow, my first world cup report!

 

belgium day 1

quick update from oudenaarde. i made it yesterday morning...with no bags. bummer. they're supposed to show up today. my tracking shows their in brussels this morning. our mechanic gregory babysit us for the day as brian and i learned how to work the gread cutting machine at the grocery store.

did an hour ride yesterday on one of brian's bikes. we rode the koppenburg then proceeded to get lost for a bit before finding our way back. it was about 35 degrees and pissing rain. grocery shopping is done. waiting around for last night's snow to melt before we do our training. i don't think it's gonna melt today though. 

euro trip

if all goes as planned, my euro schedule is what is listed below. i haven't confirmed entry in about 4 of the races. good news is the 2 world cups are a go-go. im sure youre getting sick of my pestering, but if you'd like to donate, see the link below.

18.12.10 Scheldecross Antwerpen BEL C1

19.12.10 Coupe du Monde UCI / UCI World Cup Kalmthout BEL CDM 

21.12.10 Internationale Centrumcross van Surhuisterveen Surhuisterveen NED C2

26.12.10 Coupe du Monde UCI / UCI World Cup Heusden-Zolder BEL CDM

27.12.10 Superprestige Diegem Diegem BEL C1

29.12.10 GVA Trofee - Azencross / Cross des as Loenhout / Wuustwezel BEL C1

30.12.10 Sylvester Cyclo-cross/Versluys Cyclo-cross Bredene BEL C2

1.1.11 GVA Trofee - Grote Prijs Sven Nys Baal BEL C1

2.1.11 FIDEA Cyclo-cross Tervuren Tervuren BEL C1

 

jingle cross

now that jingle cross is a week out, the details are a little fuzzy. it was probably my best weekend so far this year. i had two great days on friday and saturday with an 8th then 6th. sunday was mediocre at best. i rode around in a group and had very little power to lay down. just lacked the snap i had on the 2 days prior. this weekend i was off from racing as i will be next weekend as well. no nationals for me. the time and money make it too difficult with my upcoming euro trip.

brian and i will be heading to ouedenarde on dec 15 racing a solid block in belgium/netherlands and returning on jan 3. speaking of my euro trip, im very thankful for all of the donations i've gotten so far. thanks to recent donations from:

-corey stelljes

-glenn jones

-amy dykema

-the right gear

-trev hulton

-ryan shiroma

-james lalonde

if you'd like to help offset the cost of my trip, please hit the donate button below. thank you all!

 

s.fuller photo.

nc gp

a 1600 mile round trip drive to nc was rough, but doubling my uci points made it worth it. both days played out very similar. large group riding around for an hour at a manageable pace with a couple of hard burst each lap. the course and wind made it nearly impossible to go off the front. both days had 10+ people in the lead group going into the final lap.

both days i managed to crash in the exact same spot. both days i bent my derailleur hanger and didn't pit in fear i'd lose the group. first day sprinted for 4th. 2nd day sprinted for 5th. is it possible that i actually crash more when it's not a muddy, sloppy hell? it sure seems like it. brian had a great weekend winning both days. i was a little disappointed with my results, but it is what it is. big thanks to dave and meghan for hosting me in asheville for the weekend! up next is 3 more days of racin in IA for jingle cross, one of my favorites. then its a block of hard training before i head over to belgium for the xmas races.

my sincerest gratitude to the following people for contributing to my euro trip:

Ernest Hilbert

Russell Jobs

bruce leblanc

Lyle Hanson

john ericsson

dan and diana ellerkamp

if you'd like to help lessen the financial blow of my euro campaign, you can donate by hitting the button below. thank you!

 

grindcore

last weekend the mn states race weekend was on tap. ten inches of overnight snow made for an interesting course on saturday. half the field took off running at the whistle. i made my way into the top three. bergman took a flyer on lap one. i eventually bridged, got a decent gap, proceeded to grab a bottle of something-or-other on the stairs then had to recoup a lap as bergman latched on. that was pretty much the rest of the race. i led the last couple of laps and rode it in for the win with a small gap.

day two the snow turned to mud. it was cold. i was pretty unmotivated after partying until 2 am with meg for one of her friends birthdays. on the first lap it was three again. pattycakes and bergman took turns attacking me until bergman got a gap. i couldn't pull it back and rolled in for second. this week its back to the uci action in north carolina. race photos here.

thanks to the sponsors for all their support: specialized, twin six, hed, mad alchemy, and challenge.

thank you to the following for donations to the black rainbow across belgium fund:

Billy Knudson, Kristin Wentworth & Dave Staab, Bubba Wolfe, and Paul Collett. if you care to donate, please hit the donate button at the bottom. every little bit helps!

And thank you to my wife for enormous support this season.

 

givin thanks

a huge thank you to the following people who have donated to bringing the black rainbow over belgium:

-TWIN SIX!

-David Pilotto & team flatlandia

-Renee Callaway

-Tim Willcox

-Steve Smith

-John Miller

-Gordy & Diane Paulson

-Dave Simmermon

-Jason Lummis & Fam

my deepest gratitude to you all. there's still plenty of time to donate and I can still use your help! if your in that giving mood, check out the paypal button below.

 

 

win #2.

 

the snowball is getting bigger. keepin it rollin.