Cornfield Cross
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!
This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 9:13 am and is filed under Just Squawking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
shriverracing January 28th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Will do for sure Kevin!