Keep that Gouden Carolus “Grand Cru of the Emperor” bottle cap, here is a good use for it. Happy New Year! Ladric

I’m thinking of putting together a spring series. Is there any interest? If so, do you know of any sites we could use?

Yes.. the only sport that has mattered to me since I first toed the line and crossed into the dark side in 1995. CYCLOCROSS baby! BOOM

Maybe I was born in the wrong country at the wrong time. I wish I would have been introduced to cross as part of my culture and heritage..but I too didn’t know of its existence until 1995. 99% of the people I tell that I race cyclocross are like…what the hell is that? Hell, racing a bike is off the radar of 95% of the population..trying racing cyclocross… You’d get more acceptance saying that you believe in aliens.

You can have your super bowl..I’ll take my cross any day of the week…I didn’t even know when the super bowl was. I asked Peggy today and she didn’t know either so we googled it…

I toast to the cross world champs and to the Americans who have stepped up to the Jrs who are putting US cross on the map.

I will follow in my brother in cross Mud and Cowbell’sfootsteps next year. I will go to the motherland of cross Belgium and sip..no gulp the culture in which i “fit”.

I sampled the last of my cross winnings tonight.
Gouden Carolus “Grand Cru of the Emperor” is brewed once a year, on the 24th of February, the birthday of Charles the Fifth. It is brewed in a limited quantity by the Anker brewery of of Mechelen, on of the last remaining classic producers in Belgium. This exclusive ale, an adaptation of the traditional Gouden Carolus, reveals a fine palate of refined blavours and tantalizing aromas. It improves with age, and is a perfect ale, to give, and to taste.

Mine was a 2006

So, my brothers in cross. We plan now and we will gulp Belgium cross in 2008. Who’s in? WAH

1 more cx race and the season is complete. I got into a double sandwich again today with the NC Cyclocross team of Tim and Jason. The usual antics started..open a gap and make Wah close it. This is expected and I was up for the challenge. Today’s course was sweet… techy enough and hard enough to separate the men from the boys and we broke it open early….1 lap to go and I’m sitting 2nd wheel and know that the last climb of the day is where this race is going to shake out…but it didn’t. This is when a thin line of good racing tactics, classy racing or grown men doing what it takes to win was crossed… 1/2 lap to go we were all together going into the sandy section, which had only one good line. I was sitting 2nd wheel about to hit the sand when Jason comes around me from 3rd wheel and decides he is going to cut my front wheel out and bump me into deep unrideable sand forcing me to a complete stop and crash as he and Tim take off. I was so frickin pissed. In my opinion, a very questionable move…and not a move I would ever consider taking. I rolled in 3rd. I know - harden the F up…

Wah

Good story on Katie Compton
When I was racing 3s in CO in 2006 I was the only one that didn’t get “girled” when she showed up to race with the boys. We had some pretty good battles though.

We are officially a team with the American Cycling Association.

In other news, Jon Tarkington was hired as the Executive Director of the ACA.  Read his letter here.

Mike

My bro Greg over at Mud and Cowbells is rockin the EuroTrash cross scene.

CHECK IT OUT

I’m totally jealous and living through him vicariously

January cross is a new thing for me. When I lived in MN the last cross race was mid-November. When I moved to Colorado it was a shock to the system to extend the cross season to mid-December. My last cross race for the season in NC is January 20th. My first cross race of the season was September 16th. That’s a 4 month cyclocross season. With a season like that I wouldn’t have to start racing in March like I usually do. In NC road racing starts in February. That doesn’t leave much time for base miles.

So… the madness continues. I’ve been faking it all Winter season and haven’t done any structured training since the beginning of December. Davidson, NC racing today. The usual suspects were there at the line. Today’s course was not kind to the fakers. It had a brutal long long long climb. Warming up I knew it was going to be tough. I’ve been sitting on wheels this winter season - sitting on a climb doesn’t have the advantage that a flat course does. We started with an uphill climb and the boys were anxious and aggressive from the gun. Rubbing and tight corners till lap 2. Lap 1 we were all together in a line. 2nd lap we started to ramp it up on the hill and pop a few guys. My new teammate Charles was rockin today and we were able to work together to try to battle the dynamic duo of the NC Series team of Jason and Tim. But, added to the equation was the “bearded guy”. There were 5 of us attacking and dropping and regrouping. I felt good on the hill and would open up a little room with Jason at the top, but the others were faster on the technical downhill and would catch up….lap after lap this would go down.. until Jason and I finally opened it up for some breathing room. From the gun I knew I was racing for 2nd place as Jason is killing it this winter season and I can’t respond. Going into the last lap Jason killed it and opened a huge gap and I had nothing…but I had a decent gap so I ramped it up as much as I could, but could see the “bearded guy” closing….he bridged and was on my wheel on the climb and went around me at the beginning of the climb… sheeeeeet I don’t know if I have it. I dug as deep as I could and rocked the last barrier and opened a little gap at the top of the climb and rolled in 2nd.

Not bad for a faker.

Wah

Day 2 of the Salisbury cross weekend. Gotta love NC in January.60 and sunny from the gun. I felt full on crusty warming up. The no training and limited sleep and the lower back pain is back. But, when the gun goes off the cross legs find a groove. I rolled the hole-shot because they added a crazy off-camber turn and getting there top 3 was critical. Timmy Welch was gunnin for the lead bumping and rubbing….I let him by to lead the way… Jason and I were rubbing as well. Gotta love the aggressive riding coming from us old guys. Jason and I went to the front and put the hammer down and shred the group.. Jason got a gap early and I didn’t have the gas to catch him and his teammate Tim Hopkin got on my wheel and sat for a lap. I was in the middle of a NC Cyclocross sandwich. They both run the series and are teammates. Jason sat up and we reeled him in and then the fun part started. I was solo against 2 teammates and they worked me over liked a rented mule. Jason would attack and then we would catch back on and then Tim would go.. over and over they worked me as I had to chase everything down..1 lap to go and Jason finally turned up the gas enough to pop Tim and a little later me… I rolled in 2nd.

Wah