Stoked Philip chose the 35 A's to shoot that day! Rad little keepsake of the day.

And so, the last race is in the books. Sigh. I thought I already said that once and my last race was the Colorado State Championships. But alas, the cyclocross forces that be…forces as powerful as the Death Star’s tractor beam itself…sucked me off the couch, squeezed me into my skin suit and had me racing the open pro event at the Fort Collins/New Belgium Brewery cyclocross benefit to support young Skyler Trujillo on his bid for Worlds in Tabor in a few week’s time.

The race was kick ass! Fort Collins Cross, the organizer, held the event at the New Belgium Brewery grounds….where I’d done a few STXC races in the past.  It was an insanely fun course which had the riders on 100% dirt and grass…albeit snow and ice covered that was melting FAST in the 50 degree weather. It made the course challenging given the endless 180 turns which was SUPER creative given the land. There were plenty of off cambers, run ups and twists to keep you on your toes the entire time. I am confident that this course (with some modifications can be an EPIC place to race in our local ACA series. The host crew is passionate and would pull out all stops I am sure.

Honestly, the race itself was done in a totally fun atmosphere. I wouldn’t say it was a hard course racing atmosphere. Dudes were ‘going’ from the gun but I was more enjoying flowing and staying smooth than making my eyes bleed. About 25 starters toed the line, I flowed in 7th which I can not complain about having parked my ass on my couch pretty firmly since States. I had to extract my bikes from the basement and dust ‘em off!

Most importantly it was a great vibe for Skyler. A great group of companies donated products for a silent auction to help fund his expenses over seas. It still shocks me that this is required of us and USA Cycling simply cannot get it done for our best. But I digress…

8 months to ‘cross season.  I can hear the cowbells already.

(UPDATE: Mountain Flyer magazine has an excellent report on the fundraising race for Skyler here. Have a ready and take a ganger at Eddie Clark's amazing photos like those below!)

Ah, the sound of switzerdeutsch. I haven't heard you in a long time...that sing-songy variant spoken in the German speaking Cantons of Switzerland. You'll hear it in this video and others posted by this guy). What a BRUTAL course. Wait until you see the logs these guys have to scale and the style used to dismount to successfully get your shoe out of the clips-and-straps.

Get ready for Worlds....

Another installment from friend and teammate Pete Webber along with his wife and daughter, Sally and Ella as they romp through the mud and cobbles of Belgium this holiday season. The last few days saw the Webbers take advantage of some well needed rest, some RVV museum visiting and some cafe'-viewing of the latest stop of theYou KNOW Pete positioned that Dugast label for the picture! GVA, the Azencross in Loenhout!

Hey folks!

Monday and Tuesday have been rest and relaxation days. First, the bikes needed complete washing and tuning. Also on tap was laundry, grocery shopping, a visit to the bike shop, and some chilling. The weather is pretty rainy and temps are low, so even when fully rain-kitted the recovery rides are short. Today I did 40 minutes along the river in a steady 35-degree rain. It was actually a great spin, and I don't think any ride in Belgium is bad.

The tubulars needed some attention, because the constant wetness and mud has been tough on the Dugast sidewalls. The only way to dry them out is to bring 'em inside, as nothing in the garage ever dries out. A fresh coat of sealer is needed on the older set where a few nicks have allowed water to infiltrate the side-wall and is creating these spreading black stains. Nice.

During this trip I had intended to ride some Master events as well as some Elite races. At 40 years old, I'm definitely a Master, which starts at 30 over here, but I also wanted to try some of the second-tier mid-week Elite events. However I have learned that Belgian rules do not allow for this. A rider must choose only one category and stay there for the whole year. In the US, we are allowed to ride different categories, even in UCI races, and I was a bit surprised by this rule. So this week I looked into changing my license to Elite, but that is fairly difficult to do, especially during the holidays, and it would disqualify me from riding any more Master races in Belgium. Additionally, after checking out the results in the recent Elite races, I realized I would be the oldest rider in any elite race by several years*, and would be getting lapped, or close to it. It is a difficult position, and unfortunately, there are no mid-week Master races, so I'll have to wait till Saturday to race again. But hey, that leaves more time for riding the amazing Flemish countryside and family adventures. Not to mention some rest, I'm whupped.

Today we watched the GVA Trophy race from Loenhout on TV in a nearby cafe. Of course, all the big cross races are on live TV, and they have plenty of pre and post race analysis. The mud looked incredibly difficult. You could see that many riders were running, while the top guys stayed on the bike. It is sick how much power they generate. Churning thru the mud at a good clip while everyone else has to run. I'm also amazed at how they can create (or close) gaps so quickly. When they turn on the speed, its like an instant 20 meter gap. Powerrrrr.

We also went to the Tour of Flanders museum, located right here in the center of Oudenaarde. This region is known as the Flemish Ardennes, and is the heart of the Tour of Flanders course. Many of the key bergs are within a few miles of town. The museum has great stuff, like photos of all the champions, ancient team cars, bikes through the years, examples of the different types of cobbles, and of course heaps of jerseys and team stuff. They even have a bike that simulates riding on cobbles. Hilarious.

Here's a funny thing that happened last week. While grocery shopping, I looked and looked but couldn't find any salt. I asked an employee, and in broken english he said "no salt, no salt" and a bunch of other stuff in Flemish. I'm thinking, what? no salt? I turn to a nearby shopper and ask again for salt. She laughs and explains that all the stores are completely sold out of salt because of the recent snow and ice! The locals even bought little shakers of table salt to battle last week's abnormally snowy conditions. Ha! The snow has all melted now, thanks to the rain, but salt remains out of stock in the grocery store.

*Really a decade and a few - Sally

Some Digital Celluloid from Za Webber Lens:

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

OK, this is getting ridiculous.

Colorado State Championships: WIN

National Championships 40-44: WIN

Beernam, Belgium: WIN

And, yup, you guessed it: Balegem, Belgium: WIN!!!

Pete did it again this AM, folks. A win in Balegem against another stacked Mater's field. And again, in Pete's words...

Deeply rutted mud. Wheel sucking grass. Icy farm roads. Gravity drops. Slippery steep run-ups. Barnyards. Ancient cobbles. Rain. Freezing wind. Today's cyclocross in Balegem, Belgium had it all. For the second day in a row, I lined up  at a Flemish Cyclocross Cup. This race series is the heart of grassroots cyclocross in Flanders. The events are smaller than the crazy international Super Prestige and World Cups, but nevertheless they have all the important features like a full cadre of officials, food and beer vendors, a manic announcer, great spectators, and a gnarly track.

Look at the smile on this boy. Another 'W'!Today's day started before the sun came up. It seems like every morning is a bit grim over here. Since dawn comes around 8:30 am, and it's only a cold dull grey dawn anyway, multi-coffees are essential to get the blood moving. We loaded up the rental car and punched "Balegem" into the GPS. 30 minutes later we arrived in the sleepy town, without any sign of a cross race. Where is it? A car with Dugast-clad bikes zooms past going the other way. "Follow him!" yells Sally. I whip a U-turn, and make pursuit. He leads us out of town thru a maze of turns. Suddenly we are there, with guys collecting the entry fee and directing us to racer parking. Yep, spectators pay 5-10 euros to get in to any cross race. We get unloaded, and I make my way to registration. Lots of people recognize my team kit from yesterday, and I get a few backslaps and congratulations. It seems they are happy to see a new face.

I hit the course for a few recon laps. Just like any race back home, the first few recon laps are full of Photo (c) http://www.mxfotorama.be/surprises. But in Belgium those surprises can be a bit more wild. The past two days, that means insane steep drops and equally steep climbs. Usually with deep ruts that require serious bike english. The Balegem venue was essentially a hillside farm and tiny village. There were woods, fields, streets, singletrack, and farm lanes. But the main feature was the steep forested hill that racers went up and down three times in a row. Super fun, but you gotta be in the drops and ready to rip. I dial in my tires, Dugast Rhinos at about 26. By the way, everyone's bikes are totally pro and I would say at least 70 percent of the riders are on Dugasts, usually Typhoons, with the remainder on Grifos or similar.

Race time arrives. I'm in the third row. An older lady offers to carry my jacket and rain pants - same lady that did it yesterday (and delivered them to me at the finish!) The start is clean, and with a long road climb, I move up to second wheel as we hit the dirt. A few guys try to pass me, but I ride "wide" and hold the wheel. Second lap stays the same. I'm feeling good, but my legs are tired from yesterday... its gonna be a suffer session. I notice that Marc, yesterday's antagonist, isn't in the field, but Mario Lammens, the FCC series leader, is stuck to Photo (c) http://www,mxfotorama.beme like glue. He's hard to miss, with a super-euro lime green/white kit. He and I make a sizable gap to third place, and now the dog fight begins. He attacks. It takes me an entire lap to close the gap, with my tongue dragging on the stem. 2 laps to go. I attack. I attack again. The rubber band doesn't even stretch. Laatste Ronde! Full gas. Tiny gap. Go again. Nope, lime-and-white is all over my six o'clock. Let him take the lead. He attacks. Arghh, close it down, barely. Pavement. 300 meters to finish. One hard bend, then uphill to the line. He slows waay down. He's gonna make me lead it out. Ok. Get in the drops, speed up, get in the 12. Jump, hit the bend. Sprint like mad. Drift over to close down the right side. Hear him coming. Pedal! Yahoo! I held it.

Flowers, kisses from the flower girl, (a girl scout?), and a bottle of Prosecco (sponsored by the on-site ambulance crew.) I clean up, using the heated racer's changing area. Mario sets me up with water and a wash basin, something all the riders bring. We hit the cafe, hot soup for the racers and cold Hoegaarden for the Americans. Life is good.

Pete's pics from today....

You pit wherever you can to get those bikes clean!

This is Belgian singletrack.

 I think Stu Thorne's rig is a bit more PRO, but this is quite the truck. 

To the victor go the spoils. And let's just say it ain't the prize money!

MICHEL!!!! I was pumped when Pete sent this picture of our very good friend Michel Bajorek getting his game on with a smile in Balegem!

Another day...another "W"!!!

Something you don't want to see: a backboard near the bottom of a steep drop in.

Some juniors getting their HUP on on the steep run up.

The cutest girl in all of Belgium, Ella, yelling at her daddy lap after lap.

I think this about smokes the Dale Knapp run up.

Another day in Belgium.

The Belgian version of tail-gating.

Putting Mario into difficulty. Pete is eyes-forward, jaw-clenched!

Jealousy. There, I said it. I am insanely jealous of Pete and his family's assault on Belgium and they are living the dream....although it started with some nightmares with luggage and bikes not showing up for a day or two into their trip.This family is core, they live life and we are all so proud of them...Especially Sally (mom) and Ella (Daughter) as they man the pits for their daddy/husband as he goes against some pretty damn hardened Belgians this "Christmas Week".

Two guys have taken me under their wing here in Boulder...Pete and Brandon Dwight and I think it is safe to say for Dubba and I that Pete is a beacon of information and history having raced professionally during the heyday of mountain biking in the late 90's with the Gary Fisher team. Pete has been so influential to Brandon over the decade + they've known each other and of for me over the last 3 years I've known and trained with him and he's been amazingly impactful. His advice to me has been nothing short of spiritual....from tactics to technical aspects to things that SHOULD be obvious to me after racing all these years and what is really needed for success: rest, reality, repeats and REALLY good beer.

I want you all to get a taste of Pete as he is a great friend, teacher and possibly the man with the driest sense of humor this side of the Thames. He's been on a TEAR this year with his win at the Colorado State Cyclocross Championships (Men's Open) and of course his win in Bend as our US 40-44 National Champion. And to think a year ago when he and I went out on a mellow ride and he said: "Yeah, I'm going to gun for Nationals. Haven't raced it in like a decade..." The man knows how to peak.

Pete, we're so proud of you, hombre. And now without further adieu, Pete Webber....

Hey everyone, I'm over here in Belgium for a holiday cross adventure and vacation with my family. We've been here about 5 days so far, and outside of baggage delays and crazy cold weather, it has been a great trip so far. Oh yea, it isn't just a trip, it is "Za Trip" as Keller would say.

Today was my first race, and it ended with a big W. I can't believe it, but everything came right and I scored a nice victory. I'm doing another race tomorrow, so I'll have to keep this short . . . Anyway, the race was a Flemish Cyclocross Cup event in Beernem, just north of Gent. (Hometown of Sven Vanthourenhout). I raced the Masters, 1961-1970 age group, which is my UCI category.

The course was pretty strange. It was actually super fun, but the layout of the site was totally different. It was in a green belt, a woodsy strip of land between a big canal, like a river, and the dike along the edge of town. So the course was a long out-and-back, with a mixture of bike path, singletrack, and crazy steeps down to the river and back up the embankment. It wasn't too muddy, but by the end I was pretty covered. Everything was slick.

One scary item was that the bike path was covered with a massive sheet of wet ice. You had to ride the grass along the side, or risk the ice if you wanted faster rolling, were brave, and didn't mind an ice-water roost. Anyway, I got a great start from the 3rd row and hit the dirt in 4th. I gradually moved up and kept the pace high until it was just myself and another guy,Webber and WC Marc Druyts...a true Belgian hard man. who happened to be sporting the rainbow stripes.

We traded the lead for several laps and I thanked my lucky stars (or maybe it was the lucky bib 13 on my back) that us old farts just race for 45 minutes. When I finally heard 3 to go, I was cross-eyed and digging deep. I tried a handful of attacks, but the WC stuck with me like glue. We diced for the singletrack a couple times each lap, with some good bumping too. My wife Sally and daughter Ella were screaming like mad from the pit, where they had my B bike ready to go every lap, thankfully not needed.

With one to go, I drilled it and got a small gap. I kept the gas on, but that dude clawed back and passed me again! But, I noticed that I had an advantage on the 2 insane run-ups - these crazy steep walls. He didn't have my fast feet, at least going up these muddy banks. I attacked one last time going into the final dismount before the finish. Just then, music to my ears, I heard a unidentifiable string of flemish behind me. I hit the road and went full gas.

I snuck a look... nobody. He bobbled or slipped or something! I sat up cruised down the finish straight with the arms up. Yes!

Some photos from the day:

Check out the foot holds of this run up...

Sally, Ella and Pete celebrating.

The Uitslag Beernam

6 year old Ella (and our neighbor!) rocking it in the pits.

I know this face and if you are behind it (like most of us), here's what it looks like to slay the dragon.

This...is Belgium.

The time has come. The bikes and racing-mind have been put up on the shelf. Another season in the books, 12 straight weeks of racing completed. I have no complaints with my results and new I gave it everything I had with what I was able to do this seaosn in tyerms of training, focus and stress reduction. I wasn't able to put my hands up in victory as I'd tried to focus on, but I can not describe the bliss we had as a racing crew beating the snot out of each other all season.

Exhale....

When the first race of the year completed in September, my first words to my compatriots were: "Holy shit, it's faster this year." And everyone was in agreement. It was subtle, yet still noticeable...5, maybe 10% faster. Everyone just drilling it and riding hard. Dudes had come back fitter, smoother and with much better experience in racing and equipment. The late comers to the sport have 'caught up' and it is clear that it is LIFE for so many now. It is the focused-upon season longed for from the moment the bikes are hung up on their respective hooks in garages all around the country...to the moment they get to be pulled down, dusted off, tires inflated in the summer (and that is as early as JUNE for some people it seems now!). And if you're reading this site...you're already aware of your obsessions.

Each year I use cyclo-cross and my love for it as an anchor that I know will pull my soul through the year. When I would do the insane amounts of travel I did (and will do again) for work, my lap top case was filled with 'cross DVD's that I would study and keep me stoked. It's hard to keep discipline throughout the year but each year for more than a decade I've stayed 'on course'...with my wife humoring me all these years with my passions.

I am going to do a full on year in review before year's end, but in this post, I wanted to jot down some things that worked for me this season...and some that didn't. No real order here, just thoughts and recollections...

What worked:

• "It's the Indian not the Arrow" Timmy would tell me and that is true, but switching to carbon fiber this year through my switch to Ridley frames was UNBELIEVABLE. Way more compliant on my body and I could feel the terrain less in the form of bone jarring...and more how the bike ebbed and flowed. Carbon just...feels better in my opinion.
• Lower pressure: Each year I get more and more brave with my tubulars and it feels like I found a sweet spot in terms of tire pressures for various conditions. The real secret is not riding like a ton of bricks. Run them low and finesse the bike through corners with less brake and more English and you can feel the rubber 'stick'. Slower is truly faster when it comes down to it. What pressures did I run? Secret. Ha! Typically 32f and 34r but lower on truly shitty days. States as an example was 29f and 32r.
• Top 20+ call ups. I think our regional racing governing body got it right this year with call up procedures and literally would call the top 20 or more into the start grid. This seemed to lessen the amount of nervousness and start line 'heroics' that cause crashes. People generally got off super safe when they knew their position and would work from within the race to gain positions (and points) then stupidity off the line.
• More time between breakfast and the starting gun: Dubba taught me this last year but eating earlier and starting the race a little bit 'hungry' was perfect. You will never bonk in a cross race yet if you have too much food in your gullet, you're doing yourself a disservice.
• Dual front rings. This entire season I can count on ONE HAND when I threw a chain...and it was to the outside after a crash. Also only once did mud give me issues on shifting from the 39 to the 46...and there were PLENTY of opportunities mother nature threw at us this season to prove I'd made a bad choice in moving to dual rings! The benefits of having a 39 to 'spin fast' and a 46 to 'go hard' was absolutely what the doctor ordered. Married to 12x25's (Dura Ace) or 11x26 (SRAM) I always had a gear that I was comfortable in. It was a great call.

What didn't:

• Crappy warm ups: Honestly, when the weather changes and gets colder, I need a better warp up ritual. I have way too much muscle mass and it takes my carcass a LONG time to turn over. If I can get to the course early enough, I need more trainer time to open up. The course recco is important but once or 2x around and I am good. The rest is learned in the race...and when the legs are opened, all the easier to stay competitive.
• Shoe/cleat/pedal issues: I'll admit that I had quite a bit of woes with respect to contact between my Time ATAC's and my 2010 Sidi Dragon soles. I will have to dial this in this spring as I lost precious time and focus trying to re-engage at critical moments.
• MORE REST: The smart guys have this dialed. Guys like me...well I'll race anything and train cause I love it! Now, I need to trust the years of racing I have in my legs and train smarter and rest harder. The volume is still too much at the wrong time for me and I am working on adjusting that year over year.
• Energy drinks with Taurine: Honestly, I gave it a college try this season but it wreaks havoc on my body that I need nothing but a good nights sleep and to line up to a race stress free to get my game on. 'Bumping up' makes me twitchy and unfortunately causes precarious attacks of 'Chamois Rorschach' in my shorts. Way too much risk to DNF due to crapping myself.
• Not having Rhinos: Honestly, I longed for these on so many occasions this season. The Dugast Typhoons are phenomenal;, but in the absolute mess, with anything off camber in the mud, you need them as they are absolutely decisive. Lighter riders can get away with Typohoons on those kinds of conditions but riders with any weight need that level of bite into the terra firma.

Unbelievable. The season is done...and I just ordered a new set of Rhinos and carbon hoops to glue 'em too. All my rubber is downstairs in the basement in a constant temperature and all the bikes are washed and hanging. Time for rest.

8 Months until the 2010 season. HUP HUP!

I know, I know: I will get on it and produce my own content soon...but these videos make me weepy for what was an amazing time for racers and spectators alike at Nationals in Bend. I like this one in particular as it focuses on the working man 'crossers and all the suffering that is apparent to our sport.

(We're going to have to help FARfromEARTH Films to understand it's 'cyclO-cross'. Not cyclE-cross. In fact, we'll have to help ElGee there out too. HA!)

Hup!

CYCLE CROSS BEND OREGON 2009(sat. last race mens) from FARfromEARTH Films on Vimeo.

We need more helicopters at cyclocross races. Witness the Whirlybird Cross in PA. This course is done RIGHT (course designers take note of the ingenious and creative use of land. 

Complete schedule is here. First airing is tonight at 7PM MST!