You gotta love the Southpaw. In the world of 'cross, the Southpaw's the chump who has to port the bike with the drive side jammed into their backs on every run up. This said, the 'chumps' that seem to be southpaw by birth are proportionally more than not world champions. Here we have 7 time world champion Eric De Vlaeminick railing it southpaw style with Guimard doing some of the hup hup behind him. Compare that with (2003 Junior World Champion) and perennial Sven Nijs chaser Sven Vantourenhout.

All of us need to be working on those 'weak side' dis/re-mounts. Perhaps a little something to practice over the summer boys and girls!

Thanks to Evan who found all of these EPIC old cycling mags on eBay and sent me some scans of the covers!

The system works! I do not know what else to say. Over the course of a year or so, the Parks and Recreation board and City Council members of Boulder have listened and reacted to the needs of cyclists...in in our case 'crossers in particular...to prioritize a facility in Boulder designed to allow for us to get our knobby tired game on. I've posted on this project in the past, but it is amazing to see this project get wings. Bobby and Pete have been using an incredibly soft-style evangelism with the City that has expressed the needs of mountain bikers, 'crossers and off road enthusiasts in a manner that wasn't condemning 'the System' and shaming it into the realization we have no facilities, but rather enrolling them with the true need and a participatory manner. It worked! The project is now top priority and being examined for implementation as early as next year. That is unbelievable considering I was prepping myself for the fact that *if* the project got approved, it likely would be something my children would benefit from when they come of 'crossing age.

The conceptual image of the park above is still in major flux but as you can see, so much is being accommodated. Awesome. Smooth trails, cross specific trails, technical single track...you name it! I love the fact that a staircase feature was injected into the plan for cross specifc needs. Imagine if you will a set of stairs with a bunch of local sponsor labels on it. Look at the image to the right and replace Duvel with New Belgium and inject RockyMounts, Boulder Cycle Sport, VeloNews and so on. Rad. A set of barriers along the cross course would also be great. Perhaps something that could be moved in terms of location.

In other news, there may be some surprises this year with respect to some yummy UCI courses here in Boulder. New courses that is. Stay tuned....

'Cross on.

So my boy from KC, Kal, sent me some fantastic pics of our time in Mol. But I've been watching this photographer's site and he now has some great photos of the Flanders Indoor 'Cross you should scope out. This town of Hasselt was close to where we were camped out in Blauberg.

Check out his 'cross galleries here.

Chance Noble has assembled a really spectacular vid of this year's worlds and more. It's great because it's all the 'little moments'...not the usual shots you'd expect. Plus, the music was spot on. Again, not what you'd expect and wove itself perfectly through that vid. It's what I like to shoot as well and try and convey. Thanks Gewilli for passing that on...you are the true hub.

Now why in the WORLD are we not doing that here in the states?? Especially in wintry places like CO and New England where it would be rad to see some races put on inside small arenas. Think about it: "Raaaaaaaaaaaace fans! Sunday! SUNDAY! Arena-cross!" Yeah, the logistics of bringing in a bunch of dirt and building fly overs may be tough, but if the Flemish can do it...c'mon! I recall the Flanders Indoor CX event launching last year and probably posted something on it (and from what I hear, it's total exhibition with the winner, uh, 'known' well in advance of the race.

Reading about last night's race (actually it's a series of heats contested in a main event....motocross style), it is AWESOME to see the show these guys put on. It reminds me of how I like to ride short track....with a little bit of flair you normally just don't get to do in a cross race! Rad to see.

Hmm, I gotta talk to Chris....

Check it.

Stybar getting styley

I wanna see a can-can

I'm home. Really home. It feels great....even the veritable fire hose work had pent up for me that started up Tuesday AM at 6 AM when I got back to it.

Ironically, it felt good.

But now I feel empty. Weird. I want to cross more. I want to hear my name being called out over the loudspeakers in a language that is totally foreign to me. I want to finish up my race and get a beer ticket from those nice people that seem to be at every race and submit the ticket to the even nicer people in the beer tent to drink the brown goodness. I want to stand in the pits with my boots on talking with more and more people about this sport I love.

I want to learn more.

I went out on a ride yesterday on the roadie and found myself up out of the saddle sprinting. Didn't even think about it. I just did it. I've GOT to stop that and start to release and let the body rebound a bit. OK, rebound a LOT.

I miss it already. Worlds this weekend to keep me satiated. Then, I need to think about fat tires. Projects to hold me over like building that 29'er....until its time to dial in the cross bikes. Shit, maybe I'll just dial them in now and just look at them all Spring.

I'm home. I'm happy. I'm longing already.

...you realize that it's a 365 x 24 x 7 sport! (OK, for me it is)

Boulder Cycle Sport and Mud and Cowbells (er...ah, me) would like to invite you to to join us for a little slide show viewing, cyclo-cross talking, friend seeing, beer drinking and most importantly some fund raising for Ben Turner's team green: The CLIF BAR Development Cyclo-Cross Team.

The deets:

What:

• Come hear stories and see pictures from Za Trip: 3 old men go race cyclocross in the Motherland. This is not a film by Sam Smith.
  
• A suggested donation of $5 American Dollars will entirely be donated to the CLIF BAR Development Cyclocross Team and make you feel like a hero.
  
• We're going to attempt to get some raffles together. Stay tuned. Possibly the chamois from Ben's USA Cycling issued skin suit from his World's venture. Mmmm.
  
• Beer will be served and all the cool kids will be there.
  

• Why in God's good earth do you need justification to come see friends and geek out on cross?
• More Americans need to go to Belgium and duke it out with the best on earth. This is our chance to Jedi Mind Trick you to a) do it yourself and b) help kids do it cause they like, have a future.
  
• We need you to help support our young'ns and help get 'em to races and buy some new Dugasts for 'em.
  
• Beer. Celebrate it. Cross. Celebrate it.
  

• Thursday January 31st
  
• Doors Open at 6:30 PM
  
• 7-8PM Slide show
  
• 8-9 Happy hour!
  

• The hallowed halls of Boulder Cycle Sport. 4580 North Broadway, Boulder 80304

It's gonna be awesome.

While I am in the zone, I wanted to get these up for you all to have some look sees at the various daily goings on from our trip. You can always go to my PhotoBucket Site to see originals.

OK, I'll let you in on our secret training. This is how we got utterly amped for our races. Who needs EPO? I used to listen to Rage, but have moved on...

Here's Dubba at Fort 6 Sunday. Ha! Sunday. I can't believe I was racing my bike in Belgium last week. Sweet.

Dubba had a very strong race against heavy contracted hitters at Fort 6.

So there you have it folks. Some vid and stills from Za Trip. I can NOT thank you all for reading and commenting religiously. It made me smile. I think I got my points across about the trip and the impact it had on many levels. I can't wait to hear other people's stories of their trips next year. START PLANNING NOW! That is my only advice. Again, Brandon and I are scheming a slide show at Boulder Cycle Sport for local folks and have some beers and give you some color commentary on the experience. I'll post something in the coming days.

T-minus a couple-a days and we're on the aluminum tube over to the Motherland. THEN, I'll have some new stuff for you all to read. Sorry for the lead up dribble.

So at this point, I am doing some touch up. Whatever work I've put in is in and that is that. I've definitely put everything I could given the balance I have got to maintain into this trip in terms of body prep so all that is left is dodging this light cold I have (nothing big) and doing some tuning this week with prescribed intervals designed to keep the channels open in za muscles.

Changing subjects, I just want to say THANK YOU to all my homies. Honestly, the emails and shouts of encouragement are truly special. At the end of the day, I'm not deploying to Iraq. But it feels like it! If you lessen the degree of severity to the scale I am venturing on (a 'cross vacation), there is still a sense of 'man, give 'em hell' when I speak to true 'crossers. It is like going to battle, gladiator style. Here's where I am at with all this:

• We've chosen a sport (cycling) that is by its very nature hard and inherently self-weeding of non motivated people.
  
• The specific part of the sport we've poured our passion into ('cross) is probably most prohibitive...even for long time racers...given the extremity of it all: conditions, intensity, aestheticism/technique. The shit's hard, yo. I can't believe I've maintained fitness and motivation since August. I do NOT want to stop!
  
• We participate in this discipline and it gets us so close to PRO....more than any other sport. As an example, Fred, the local softball 3rd baseman from the East 53rd Street McSorley's Irish Pub team is likely not going to escalate his skills up the 'series' ladder to compete against the best on earth. Frankly he can't. The escalation doesn't exist. Cross can give us that. Look at our homies over there new throwing down in the Super Prestige and GVA's. Many of you race against them/with them weekend in and out in Portland, Seattle, Boulder, Boston....It is that exciting.
  

I look at this picture Jon C sent to me to stoke me up. Open this bad boy up and look at it.
This is the face of a man saying "Holy shit. I just won the hole shot at the Master's World's." I love it. It's these sort of stoke ups from Jon, Mark Howland, Will Black, Brandon, Boups, Bobby Noyes....and boat loads of other folks....that again, make may hair stand up.

I will report. You will be stoked. You will come to the Motherland next year and get it on.

Start saying it. Write it down, print it out, and hang it up (or set an Outlook reminder, worker bees) and it will come true.

Ya-f-ing HOO.