February 2nd, 2009 / 6 Comments » / by shriverracing
Just a quick update before I jump on the airplane. My race was awesome. I didn’t crash, didn’t lose my fire, and never stopped trying. I can’t even explain the feeling and emotions of my first World Championships. I don’t think that that anyone can ever get used to that atmosphere or tire of it. The fans and the race were all such an amazing experience.
I was really happy with my race. I didn’t mention to many people that I was a little sick. Honestly, it didn’t matter much. I suffered the same either way, but you can see it in the photos with the dust collecting in the drippy nose. The start was so hard and there were some crashes that I expected. My race was great, I suffered, just missed the group I needed o be in, but tried as hard as I could. I left it all out there. I am happy as can be. My 14 month racing season ended with a World Championships. I couldn’t be happier. It was great to be here to represent the USA. Also, I am very proud of the other Americans for their good showing and efforts. What an experience.
I will give a play by play later when I have time. Now it is back to the homeland! Thanks to everyone for the emails, and the support along the way.
Posted in: Just Squawking
January 31st, 2009 / 3 Comments » / by shriverracing
Belgian P-Mag
My Belgian mechanic has informed me that there is a quote in the Begian magazine, ” P-Mag” from my website and Cycling News article from last month. P-magazine is a version of the Maxim Magazine. I thought that it was pretty funny that I have made the Belgian Soft porn P-Magazine. That is big time eh?
Translated back to my words it reads, “Here in the heart of Cyclocross land, spectators pay between 10 20 Euro(Probably around $30 US) to watch you crash in the barriers. In America they cheer because you are a good sport for picking yourself up and going on. When you crash in Belgium, the fans cheer not because you picked your pile of bones up, but because you are broken and bleeding and they love it.”
The Quotation
Just relaxing on the final countdown before CX Worlds!
Shoot me an email or Skype me if you like. mailto:matts@coloradopremiertraining.com or Skype name matt.shriver if you like as well. Thanks!
Posted in: Just Squawking
January 29th, 2009 / 8 Comments » / by shriverracing
09 Worlds CX Starting Line
Checked out the race course today with almost the entire US Team today. We were just missing Jonathan Page, who has been named today. I am psyched for Page and glad that he is here to bring the experience and more depth to this team. Just a few pics from the pre ride of the course today. Holland is pretty cool and the course is awesome. I am hoping that it stays dry because I am loving the course right now. It will be very fast. A couple sections will be wet no matter what just because of the nature of the course. It is very wide open and put together really well. The spectators are already out on the courses checking out the scene. Kids screaming for autographs and it is a totally different vibe with all of the riders in their National Team kits. I think it get’s everyone just as motivated as it does me. Just on cruise control and trying to stay focused on the biggest race of my life now. Yeah, it’s pretty huge.
The course starts and finishes in downtown Hoogerheide, Holland.
Posted in: Just Squawking
January 29th, 2009 / No Comments » / by shriverracing
UCI World Championships Live!
We gave Izegem, Belgium the adios this morning. I had a great time there in Izegem and am hoping to get back the US Team House next year. Actually have been doing some serious brainstorming about a Cross Team. All these National Champions have no teams for next year. How does that work? It’s has me thinking a bit about possibly trying to put together an amazing US Cross team that focuses on Nationals and Europe. Good idea right?
We are at the hotel now in the Netherlands. We cannot get within 5 Kilometers of the course because the town is shut down for the race and the fans are already camped out. Expecting 60,000 people to come out and watch the racers. It’s going to be insanely huge. The promoters have put up a glass building the size of a supermarket on the course. The VIP area as big as a Safeway, all glass so people can watch the race. WOW!
Check out the link for the World Championships live on Sunday!
Posted in: Just Squawking
January 26th, 2009 / 2 Comments » / by shriverracing
Training with Luke Keough, former Jr. National Champ, future World Champ.
While most Americans are gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday in a week, some of us where racing Cyclocross in Assenede, Belgium. Assenede, is a small industrial town near the border of the Netherlands. There were just a few of us racing yesterday as our final tune up and chance to really race the Cross Bike before the World Championships this coming Sunday. After the previous day of slogging through the soul sucking mud and running a solid 20 minutes of the race we were all a bit sore and tired, at least I was.
We rolled into the race venue and the parking area was an old horse pasture with the fencing taken down to allow the team vans and cars. I went to “Inscryption”, or registration, that was in located in the local dive tavern where all the Belgie fans were getting lubed up on tall Stella Artois beers and coffee for some screaming later. I paid the 8 Euro, 5 that I get back when I returned my number, and I was ready to go pre-ride the course.
My Van Dessel Hole shot ready to get me the hole shot!
This I think was one of my favorite courses in Belgium so far. The race started on the only paved road in town and was about an 800 meter start followed by a sharp right turn up an embankment that was a little greasy into a cornfield. The racers then bombed through the bumpy cornfield that had been mowed this past fall. We looped through the cornfield across the irrigation ditches that were about a 3 foot drop off. It is pretty easy to set up a course out there in the fields and that is exactly what is done. We looped around in different farms, through some dirt streets of the town. The course was fast with some greasy corners and had us leaping across the irrigation ditches a few times per lap. The lay of the land was flat and wide open, leaving us battling headwinds and cross winds most of the race. Allot of the course went around properties and some of it went through backyards before diving into another field. One rider in the elite field lives right on the course. He walked out his door and onto the starting line. They live Cyclocross here and that is why they crush it.
Geg Lambert, our Belgian Mechanic, shows us how to race cross.
The Belgian Mafioso lived up to the reputation and hosed me once again on my call up. I was supposed to be front row start but soon realized that the official was determined to not let the “stupid American” up front. So I just blew passed him and watched his face turn grotesque as I went by giving him the death stare. I chose my point of attack, lined up on the far left crammed in like sardines in a can, the quick whistle came and we were mocking down the straight. Second row was perfect and I actually hit out pretty hard before the first turn getting the hole shot and then let up so one or two could sneak by. I didn’t want to be the first guy into the course. It is easier to follow a wheel and pick your lines based off the guy in front of you. For a few laps I hung tight with the lead group, then one of the irrigation ditches got me pretty good. I dumped it on the other side and lost the group. From there, it kept getting worse and more frustrating. My body felt worked, and my start had me in recovery mode the whole race. After dumping it a couple more times my brake lever locked up and I was over it. I pulled the plug because I didn’t need to keep destroying my bike or my mind for another 15 minutes. I don’t have any real excuse for my ride yesterday other than I just didn’t have it for the whole 60 minutes. I am still recovering a little bit from my training and the travel. With any luck, the rest this week on top of the training and the racing should have me moving on Sunday in Hoogerheide.
Just one of the corner bakeries! In moderation!
Now we are all on cruise control here at the team house. Most of the team has arrived and we are all in our final preparations for one last dance of the season. It has been a long season and a great ride. I am glad that the end is nearing and I will be able to learn from this years European experience. Taking the past couple months of racing into the upcoming 2009-2010 Cyclocross season is going to be a big step in progressing to better finishes in America. It is exciting to think about next year already, even when I am excited to race Worlds, but call it a season shortly after. It’s that excitement that keeps us hungry and coming back year after year for endless slog fests in the mud and pouring rain. You have to love it!
Posted in: Just Squawking
