Sunday, December 28, 2008

Super Prestige - Diegem

Another Euro Cross race in the books. I'm pumped that so many people back home were able to watch the live feed from the link. Hopefully tomorrow we will have the DVD and I can watch it myself. If I would have known all of my Superfans were watching I would have sat on Nys' wheel for a while! Maybe Tuesday in Loenhout...

Anyway the race in Diegem was by far one of the coolest cross races I have ever done. Tons of Superfans, Old ladies hanging out of there third story windows to get a peak at their national heros, a huge beer tent w/ Radio Donna pumpin, hot lines through alleys, cobblestone climbs, and much much more. It almost reminded me of a Cactus Cup FatBoy Crit from back in the day.

I finished 34th and once again didn't get lapped. This continues to impress the Belgian contingent, but I wasn't happy with the result. I suffered on the long climb and was overly cautious on the icy corners. I rode just behind a group of 6 or 7 guys for a long time and couldn't close the gap. Then I did the last 5 laps solo.

We arrived a little late to the race and most of my preride was by myself. In true amateur style I didn't preride 1/3 of the course...there was a right turn just past the start finish, but during the preride there were so many spectators that I completely missed it....needless to say I was a little sketched out on the first lap when all the sudden we banged a right and dropped 20 ft down a wooden plank followed by a 90 degreee right in cat litter. Oh well...

The course was pretty technical and tight except for the start/finish and the paved climb. It was -3 celsius and the grassy corners were pure ice. Some of the paved corners, especially the white paint, were really slippery.

So far so good with the tire selection. I hope it stays cold and frozen because I really have no mud tires. Haven't needed the new Bell Volt yet. The Radars with the clear lens were perfect for racing under the lights. The XO's have been flawless.

Overall I am having a great time and feel really lucky to be here. Thanks to Geoff Proctor at EuroCrossCamp and Gear Grinder for all the encouragement and support. Rumors are that pics will be posted tonight!

5 comments:

Mimi said...

Good writing. I have bookmarked you and will be following your race reports.

Tim D. said...

I watched online and that place was going crazy. I wish it was like that in the states. Nice work.
You could tell the corners were slick by how everyone was holding their lines up front.

Anonymous said...

Hole shot the next one. level ten into corner 1 and be the first one to lift the bike from the pile up. That will make you "that guy" over there!!!

Anonymous said...

keep it up bud- with the pack done you're all we have fer awhile... Looking forward to Tues!

Christine said...

Remember when the USA Hockey team went up against the undefeated Russian team in the 1980 Olympics? This is it! You are Cyclecross Champ! Go Matter!