Camp 6 is done and most of the camp riders are enroute back to the U.S. I’m beat but feeling good about the camp.

An incredible campaign with some super good results. Especially in the juniors. Yesterday in Sint Nikaas, watching Cody the Kaiser ride to 2nd, Gavin Mannion to 4th, and Eric tearing up to 6th, I thought to myself, geesh…if our guys could spend a season here, learning better the riders and the nuances to the racing here, they could be a dominant force. Nonetheless, yesterday’s results and seeing Zach McD up on the podium in Baal the day before are nice endnotes to the camp. It was also cool to see yesterday 12 American riders in the elite/U-23 field in Sint Niklaas (Trebon, Powers, Driscoll, Baker, Shriver, Matter, Llewellyn, Ferguson, Summerhill, Hackworthy, Dugan, and Cameron).

We had a great restaurant steak and frites dinner last night (a camp tradition) and I thanked all the riders and staff for being “on it” for two great weeks. We were very fortunate to have no injuries (especially with the super fast, frozen tracks during this year’s camp) or illnesses. Success.

Time for rest and recovery and then the final run-up to Worlds in Hoogerheide. If you have a spare minute, have a quick read of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. The chapter “10,000 hours” speaks well of a concept I’ve been chewing on for many years. Doing time.

Thanks for following along for the ride,
Geoff

It is fascinating to see the array of machines all lined before a race.  Here’s where you see the bleeding edge of  ’Cross technology.  Cody Kaiser, Cal Giant Strawberries/Specialized, got to poking around the Team buses and found these prized steeds all blinged out and ready go for the race.  The pair of Colnago’s belong to none other than Sven Nys.  The Ridley is all ready to go for Erwin Vervecken.  You may also notice the personalized RV just behind the bikes.  The bigger name riders live in style at the races.  

A sweet pair of Colnago Cross Bikes waiting to go to battle with Sven Nys.  Photo Courtesy of Cody Kaiser.

Vervecken’s mount for the day all shined up and ready to go.  Photo Courtesy of Cody Kaiser.  

Just finished up the evening meeting with the guys. Everyone in good spirits. We’ve had some strong results and ample fresh experience thus far at Camp 6. Someone asked me in an email what we talk about at a team meeting. Here’s tonight’s agenda:

1. Tallying up which riders still need to pay their camp dues. Most folks over here are shocked that the riders themselves must pay for their racing here. My goal remains: finding sponsorship for a US Cyclocross Development Program.

2. Which riders I need to enter for the Roubaix World Cup in mid-January. The deadline for entry through USAC is the end of this week.

3. The logistical schedule (short version) to tomorrow’s race in Loenhout:
6:00 Mechanics depart to race
6:00 Juniors rise
6:45 Juniors depart to race
7:00 U-23 rise
7:45 U-23 depart to race
8:45 Juniors Sign In
9:00 Elites rise
9:15-10:00 Juniors Training on course
9:45 U-23 Sign In
10:00 Elites depart to race
10:30-11:00 U-23 Training on course
11:00 Juniors Start
12:00 U-23 Start
12:00 Elites Sign In
12:15 Juniors return to Izegem
13:00-13:30 Elite Training on course
13:30 U-23 return to Izegem
15:00 Elite Start
16:30 Elites return to Izegem
18:30 Dinner
20:00 Team Meeting to go over the day and preface the next day’s plan

4. Some specifics about the Loenhout circuit tomorrow. (Most of the guys have already watched last year’s race on dvd earlier in the afternoon). How the race (and all Gazet Van Antwerpen series races-GVA is the big Antwerp daily newspaper and series sponsor) starts with a traffic light going RED-YELLOW-GREEN. The bridges, mounds, whuups, and ditches. And the challenges of the non-equidistant (time between pit 1 and pit 2 is not the same as time between pit 2 and pit 1) double pit with 9 juniors racing and 7 U-23. We break it down this way:
Pit 1
Box closer to front:
Juniors: Cox, Dombrowski, Emsky, Kaiser
U-23: Weighall, Ferguson, Llewellyn
Box closer to back:
Juniors: McDonald, Mannion, Goguen, Ryan, Wallace
U-23: Hackworthy, Dugan, Summerhill, Selander
Pit 2
Box closer to front:
Juniors: McDonald, Mannion, Goguen, Ryan, Wallace
U-23: Hackworthy, Dugan, Summerhill, Selander
Box closer to back:
Juniors: Cox, Dombrowski, Emsky, Kaiser
U-23: Weighall, Ferguson, Llewellyn

5. A reminder about the importance of everyone doing his chores. Later in the evening I will rotate the jobs so the same guys don’t get stuck with the dreaded duty of “pots and pans”.

6. A final kudo to how well things are going and how proud I am of the guys for keeping their heads yesterday when we got royally flicked with the start call ups in Deigem. I’m quite sure I’ve been black listed for my contentious “discussion” with the UCI commissaires before each category race yesterday. I’ve since taken corrective measures with the powers that be, so we’ll see how it goes tomorrow in Loenhout. Bottom-line, one of the most important tasks for a coach over here is to advocate for his riders. Otherwise, it’s a full on Belgie steamroll.

Tot ziens!
Geoff

Christmas Quiz: What do the following four recent anecdotes have in common?  

1. Talked to my old friend Erly Beeuwsaert the other day. He stopped by the House on a ride. He runs cycling clinics for West Flanders youth riders and we worked together with junior US riders when I was here two summers ago. Really good coach and friend. He was excited to tell me about the huge popularity of his weekend cyclocross clinics this fall. Each Belgian province has the same program for road, cross, track. In this case, essentially Cyclocross Little League. Here are the stats: every two weeks; 8-11 years olds and then 12-14 year olds (aspirants); skills and technique; 1.5 hours each weekend day; free of charge as the instruction comes from the 75 euro Belgian license fee and Erly is paid by the government; roughly 30-40 kids each weekend in this province alone; assisted by Eric Van Lanker (an old Panasonic road pro); because they are not allowed to have an official race during the clinics, they have them ride “free tempo” at the end of the clinic. Erly says the track (as in velodrome) is dipping, but that cyclocross, with 30 races are live on Belgian tv, is blooming.     

2. Caught up by phone with Erwin (as in 3-time World CX Champ Vervecken) last night. He told me he’d be in Zolder this morning for special private Belgian National Team training on the Zolder WC circuit. No other teams get the same benefit. Granted, it’s the same when a WC is in Czech or France or wherever. The home country gets special, unfettered time in on the circuit.     

 3. Another comment from Erwin. With Lars Boom’s recent smack about “playing with the other riders” on his way to victory in Nommay last Sunday, Erwin said two things: first, that such talk tends to unite the Belgian juggernaut more than usual and, second, that already the war of nerve spin has begun and will climax at worlds in Holland (Boom’s turf) in just over a month’s time.   

4. Took the guys for a nice diversionary trip today, driving the car up a few of the classic Tour of Flanders climbs and then hiking up the granddaddy–the Koppenberg. After that hors d’oeuvre, we headed to the Tour of Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde. After the motivating 20 minute overview film, as we were passing into the next part of the museum, U-23 rider Will Dugan said “Well, I guess the Tour of Flanders is is the only race I have to win because it’s the only race that matters in Belgium.”  A museum dedicated to one bike race. Hmm.  

Answer: Support.  

The many facets of support. 

When you come from the sport’s cradle.    

Vrolijke Kerstmis,   

Geoff  

The first batch is done, a few more to go. 

Camp VI has begun in earnest with our first race in Uitbergen–a small “national” ‘cross–in that most Belgian of Belgian milieux, a cow pasture. Ride down a bit of asphalt; turn “into the field” literally; ride around some bumpy green grass strewn with cow dung; make a few turns to complete a sporadic rectangle; finish back up with some pavement. No garnish of hurdles, vertical, or running.  Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes (13 laps for the juniors, something like 18 for the elites/u-23’s) or until crispy. Let cool on the rack. Stick a fork in it. 

 A food staple of a circuit. Something tells you this is the way to nourish cyclocross talent. Ride around in a field for an hour. See who can go the fastest.  The Flemish have a synonym for such efforts. They call it “free tempo”.  

Our guys raced well. I was pleased with some of our rides and noted some areas for improvement. 

Juniors (26 starters)
4. Chris Wallace
6. Eric Emsky
8. Cody Kaiser
9. Joe Dombrowski
12. Manny Goguen  

Elite/U-23 (32 starters)
7. Danny Summerhill
17. Nick Weighall
19. Jeremy Ferguson
25. Andrew Llewellyn 

The camp is off to a rousing start. Everyone is here now with most of the missing bikes to arrive tomorrow. And four days to prepare for the first big one, the WC in Zolder. The details to moving this small army around and keeping everything even-keel make my head spin. But the solace comes in the smiles on their faces and the banter around the dinner table. These kids are racing their bikes in Europe. Good stories. Good copy. Good film.  

I’m sure I’ve pitted at least 100 Euro ‘crosses. Still, I see something new every race. Today, two separate pits. But the second one–curiously, oddly–only maybe 30 seconds from the first and that much farther from the vans for the mechanics to chuff bikes to. Plodding along on a practice lap, I finally solve the conundrum. Equidistant between the two bright yellow beginning and end pit flags, a huge porcelain water trough. Giant white bath tub amidst vast pasture of lush-for-winter green cow grass. I can hear the thinking of the organizers now: “Hey, a water source! Let’s put another pit here”. 

Livestock. Crossstock. Same difference.  

Will try to write again tomorrow,
GP     

  Bjorn Selander pushing through the Euro mud earlier this year.  Photo ©: Cycling-pics.be  

Congratulations guys!  Somewhere I read a Svein Tuft quote I really liked. It goes something like this:”How much are willing to give?”

2008-2009 Roster

Juniors

Zach McDonald USA19910213

Gavin Mannion USA19910824

Eric Emsky USA19910621

Cody Kaiser USA19920527

Chris Wallace USA19920320

Cody Cox USA19910119

Joe Dombroski USA19910512

Manny Goguen USA19910502

Morgan Ryan USA 19910612 

U-23

Bjorn Selander USA19880128

Nick Weighall USA19870607

Danny Summerhill USA19890213

Will Dugan USA19870115

David Hackworthy USA19891110

Jeremy Ferguson USA19900616

Andrew Llewellyn USA19900726

Elite

Troy Wells USA19840619

Matt Shriver USA19800526

Brian Matter USA19780704

Colder now. Darker earlier.

Your doubts seem bigger at night–in the wee hours when you get up to take a leak. You’re not sure if you can do it. When you get up early for school, for work, for training…the stars are still out. Orion marching across the dawn sky. Chasing that target.

It would seem so easy to be thinking about base for next season, like a lot of your riding buddies. You know, go for an easy mtb or road ride. It would be so easy to just chill over the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas; just hang with the family, eat too much, watch some football.

Your mind wanders. Stressing over the money, the hotels, the air travel, staying healthy.

But then you come back. To the center. To the core jubilation you get when you ride a cyclocross bike well. In big races. In December and January.

And you remember your focus. Your plan. Your drive. This is your time.

Camp News: Euro Cross Camp VI selections are gradually coming together. I’m awaiting some final confirmations and then I’ll name the roster. I’m still weeks ahead of when I’ve named the camp roster in the past, but I had hoped to get it out this week. I should have it pegged by Thanksgiving Day.

The euro news is the sense that euro ‘cross is getting higher and higher level-wise. A top 10 is way tougher than it was 5 years ago. While not at the competitive level of ‘euro road racing, some experts are saying that the level is higher-deeper than comparative measures on the track or mtb. And they’re saying this is true at the U-23 and junior levels as well.

Which makes every aspect of cx preparation that much more important. Overall plan, race frequency, equipment, training, resting, the ability to fight for position, travel. Everything.

The international cyclocross sandbox has gotten more crowded. It’s not as easy to fill your bucket anymore.

One guarantee though: we’ll be fighting every shovel full of the way starting Dec 21.

See you there. GP

Summy bustin’ the mud in Portland.   Photo Courtesy of Joe Sales   

2008-2009 ‘cross is here. Multi-splendor! In the words of a legendary Eight-Man football coach from a tiny eastern Montana town, “Work hard. Have fun. Play the game.”Notables:

• Potential inception of a USAC Cyclocross Development Program with USAC MTB/CX Director Marc Gullickson
• Euro Cross Camp VI
• Selection Procedures for Worlds soon-to-be released

While part of this vision has been up and running for now six years (Euro Cross Camp), with USAC’s creation of a job title with the word “Cyclocross” next to the position and the timely hiring of Marc Gullickson, we now have the vehicle by which to carry the whole project truly “into the field” as it were. Meaning: the real beginnings of a more seamless cross-pollination between cycling disciplines, with track-road-mtb-cross-bmx all feeding into each other such that our riders can reach the highest level. Symbiosis rather than separation.Along the same lines, Euro Cross Camp VI continues to ramp. Most frequently, I’m receiving questions about selection for the camp. Via these communications, I’ve assembled a list of 35 interested riders. Unfortunately, I can only take 16, so here’s how it’s going to go down:I will name the selection of 16 riders by Nov 17. Selection decisions will be based on the following criteria:

• my intuition–how the rider is going; my general sense of the rider’s potential for development; where the rider is in his/her development;
• my perceptions–how the rider will fit the chemistry of the camp; how well the rider has planned his/her 2008 season for strong performance in December and January 2009 (discussed and instilled at the camp and worlds last season)
• results from October and November 2008
• potentiality for making Worlds team selection
• past camp experience

It’s not easy to pare down a “long team” of 35 to 16. I wish I could accomodate more. I’m hoping to take 6 juniors, 6 espoirs, 2 women and 2 elite men.  Again, riders are encouraged to stay in touch with me via email as the season progresses. It was great to catch up in Vegas. Good to see the energy and get some early data from the players. I was most impressed with Frishi. He looks much more muscled now than he did when I was in Switzerland in the early 90’s. But still damn fast. And it was affirming for me when Lance said after the race, “those guys are in another league” referring to the guys up front. Legitimacy is ever-important for ‘cross.  Also caught up with Svenny Nys the other day, just checking in with him. Fascinating to hear the subtleties to his Olympic mountain bike preparation this summer. As pro as they come.With the season starting, look for more frequent updates here on the Director’s Journal page. The engines are revving now. The US cyclocross scene is positively viral! Close to 800 cx events around the country. Crazy.But please keep the September Sirens at bike’s length and the big picture in mind: the brio of Hoogerheide Worlds in late January. Keep that frosty/muddy icon front-and-center on your mind’s eye desktop!And consider donating this year to help a euro camper make it happen! GP

In many ways, the end of camp seems like an intermission as many of us return to Izegem just a few weeks from now for the big dessert (pre-worlds camp and worlds). But for the fifth year, the camp is indeed in the books and most of the guys are home now readjusting and back at school today.

Nick Weighall fighting his way on the run up at Zeddam. Photo ©: Cycling-pics.be

St Niklaas is always a good end-of-camp race because it’s a bit mellower for not being part of any series. Case in point: I spent some time with Sven at his camper while my juniors were out on their pre-ride and I asked him if he could stop by to say hi to them if he had a chance. He said he would eat first and then be over. At a bigger race, this would be an improbability given how many hundreds of onlookers park themselves outside the door of his mobile home. But at St Niklaas, our plan was doable, so I gave word to the soigneurs to be on the lookout for the boss of cross.

But how goes the saying?–”The best laid plans are just good intentions”. Something like that. By the time Sven came over, I was headed to the pit (at St Nik, the pit is literally half way around a big lake) and the juniors were headed to the line. Noel, who had just arrived with the elites, hadn’t been informed so his jaw just about dropped when this guy in Rabobank kit comes pedaling across the dewy athletic track infield to where we were parked. Noel is thinking, what’s Sven doing at our vans? Noel and I got a good laugh later, and fortunately, some of the espoirs and elites were there to meet the greatest cross rider in history. You won’t find a more gracious champion either.

Geoff and the Boss, Sven Nys back last summer.

After we got some pre-race registration challenges sorted out (some of our guys didn’t yet have their 2008 licenses), it was time for the junior race, a first-time offering at St Nik and our guys didn’t disappoint. Gavin Mannion was in 3rd with a lap to go and Eric Emsky was close behind along with Steve Fisher and Clayton Omer. All these guys ended up top ten which was very encouraging. And the rest of the juniors seemed to put it together as well.

In the U-23/Elite combined race, Ryan Trebon actually led the race early on but faded and all the other guys had strong end-of-camp races. Go to results link to see some of the progress these guys are making. Then it was boogie on homewards to pack, shower, change and go out for a wee few frites and steak at a local restaurant. I made a quick toast thanking everyone, Noel and Els, all the mechanics and soigneurs and their spouses, and the riders. What a good bunch of riders and people! Thanks guys for your hard work and camraderie!

Where would you be without a good pit crew? Nick Weighall (Rad Racing NW) & Carson Miller (Fred Meyer) have their bikes lovingly cleaned in the pits at Otegem. Photo ©: Cycling-pics.be

I always love the end of this team dinner because after the main course, there’s plenty of talking and visiting, with everyone circulating and saying their bonded goodbyes to each other. Throughout the visiting and joking around, there’s this great sense of anticipation on the riders’ part that dessert is coming. But Noel and I have a thing about sweets and riders. As the Belgie cyclo-lore goes, let them leave the table a little hungry. It will make them stronger.

Now if I could just figure out a way to put the clampdown on the riders’ predilection for The Wall and all of its indulgences. Not the very least, Mitch Peterson’s penchant for quarts of ice cream!

Tot ziens! Bedankt voor alles!

Holy deficits Batman! Sven just crushed yesterday in his hometown race, leading from wire to wire. With at least six elite guys canceling due to illness, and another few like Niels Albert starting and then pulling out due to sickness, Sven just keeps rolling along. That makes four victories (Hofstade, Middlekerke, Diegem, and Baal) in the past week with only non-series race in St Niklaas today before the Belgian Nationals on Sunday. Hard to say if Wellens is really sick or playing it up in the press to come out fresh Sunday.

Zach McDonald rolling through the mud at Diegem. Photo ©: Cycling-Pics.be

We’ve had a good track record in Baal for the juniors (with Summerhill’s podium last year and Selander’s 4th in 2005) and yesterday was again a good one. Zach McDonald moved up through to 8th and Gavin Mannion rode very solidly for 9th. Both guys got some good air time on the PA with the announcer even making the bold claim that Zach McD was the grandson of fast food tycoon Ray Kroc. Or something. Solid imagination anyway. Junior Eric Emsky was pleased with his race (13th), making no real mistakes which bodes well for Worlds. And Andrew Llewellyn (17th), Clayton Omer (18th), Jeremy Ferguson (20th) and Ian Terry (34th) all drove hard in the Baal slop and slide.

Gavin Mannion, Hot Tubes, fights through the legendary sand at Hofstade. Photo ©: Cycling-Pics.be

Just getting over being sick, elite Tristan Schouten, the morning of, decided to race and it went pretty well. He had a good start, then kind of blew up and only just got lapped by le patron to finish 26th. Remember Nys was a minute up on the entire field and five minutes ahead of guys like early-to-mid-season strongman Klaas Vantournout.

Now getting ready to head off to St Niklaas for the final race of the camp. I’m already back from 4 am airport trip for departing Jeremy Ferguson and now, 15 riders, 30 bikes, 6 vehicles, 8 staff to St Niklaas. A bit like Napoleon’s army. Jonathan Page is the sleeper today, not having raced since Sunday night.

The juniors are weathering pretty well. The camp basically programs in learning to be tough. In simplest terms, coming from America where you’re finishing top-ten every race to races here with 90 starters and poor start positions, for sure, the deck is stacked. But that’s the starting point they all need to experience at this age. I always tell them that a few weeks here is worth a few seasons in the US, in terms of measuring one’s stock in the open markets. Then comes the real work: investment.

Tonight, it’s team dinner out and then serious packing for the trip home tomorrow. A job well done by the guys. Tot ziens!