Wisconsin

Andrea, Rosco, and I made it home Monday night! It was great to be home and sleep in my own bed after practically 5 months of being on the road. Only bad thing about it is that I am leaving already tomorrow to do Barry Roubaix and go visit friends in MI. It's not bad that I get to race and visit friends, just bad that I have to leave home again so fast. I can't believe we have already been in our house for 3 years.

This morning I was looking through old Gravel Rouser pictures and they all seemed to coincide with major household events. Buying the house and then turning around and leaving for Gravel Rouser was a classic 3 years ago. 2 years ago we were redoing our bathroom and last year when we returned from Gravel Rouser it was about a month spent in the attic doing vents and new insulation. As soon as I get home from Barry Roubaix its on again. 45 degree angles means its time to re-do all the molding in the house. There are still huge sections of the wall that don't have any molding at all. It should be a fun job! Our furnace is also on the way out so it might be time for a new one of those too.

Andrea was back to work yesterday and had an awesome day. It seems her boss at work is top notch. The nursing staff got Andrea a welcome back to work bouquet of flowers in a smiley face coffee mug...pretty sweet.

I was welcomed back with a crap ton of cheese, venison brats, and venison dogs from my good buddy Wally! I however will not be returning back to work. It's time for something new for me and in the mean time I'm going to give it a go as a stay at home dad for Rosco! I guess I'll also try to figure out how to be a faster bike racer too! Updating blog's doesn't make me fast so thats it for now...

Headin' Home?

GRC 2011 is in the books. Again the crew from Athens put on a great show and we all had a blast rousin' the gravel and gettin' ready for spring....too bad Andrea and I are headed back to the great white north where its not going to be spring for another month or two.

Saturday we logged in a solid 55 miles of dirt roads and a singletrack race at Lake Hope. Highlight of the day was dad making his first journey out on the gravel for the year and his first stage of a Gravel Rouser. Local OU collegiate race Derek Bissett made me work pretty darn hard for the win....he had some serious skills on the descents and was pretty strong at the beginning....luckily for me he chose poorly with a single speed and suffered on the last few climbs towards the finish. We finished the day off with a GRC BBQ and then topped it off with some NCAA wrestling!

Sunday morning we were at it again for the best singletrack in the area. Sells Park / Strouds Run is amazing. A little soggy, but amazing. After, we said our goodbye's and headed home to bust out some laundry and clean some thrashed mtb's. We started a little packing and had one last good night hanging with mom and dad. Tomorrow morning we hit the road....

I haven't been home for more than 2 or 3 days in a row since Iceman! Pretty cool that I can pull that off...living the dream....but really looking forward to being home. I have a list of home improvement chores that is a mile long! Just so I don't get shell shocked I am going to take a little trip to Michigan for Barry Roubaix 4 days after I get home! I'll be on the road again before I know it....

Grabin' and Gettin' er done

The Grab N Git was tonight....start at the shop. 5 unknown stops. Grab a map and git pedaling. I've been unsuccessful in this even multiple times, but this year I was ready! The Top Fuel was back in working order and with 6 years experience I felt I knew my way around town pretty good. I grabbed my map and had my route planned. I knew exactly where 4 out of the 5 stops were and I had a darn good idea of the location of the finish line.

I took off and I was right behind multiple time Grab N Git winner and local legend Jim Schulz. I followed him for a little bit before attacking him before the first big climb up to stop number 1. I got a gap but he knew a secret shortcut to stop number 2 and beat me there. I followed him to stop number three (which was by far the hardest to find) but the most fun with the random article of clothing! We worked together to find the stop with 2 sets of eyes being better than one. After that I knew the next 2 stops and the finish and tried to drop Jim as much as possible, but each time I veered off the path he would take a local shortcut and pop out ahead of me. Jim sucked my wheel all the way to the finish after the final stop. Rumor is I won, but nothing official yet! We pretty much tied at the finish line, but the real winner is determined by stop number 2's lucky or unlucky cork. Time bonus or time penalty can make or break your Grab N Git and usually end up doing just that!

ps - Jim was rocking the Portland w/ 700c's and I was on the Top Fuel 9.9

This morning I pedaled out to Lake Hope with Pete and marked the out and back route...rumor is the actual race course is going to be well marked this year, but I'm sure the locals are doing everything possible now to help me get lost out there! Whatever happens it'll be fun.

Rousin'

Well it's that time of year again! Gravel Rouser 2011 is upon us...

We've been in Athens for about 10 days now. The weather is finally coming around just for the GR! I've done a few good road rides and a few good mtb rides until 2 days ago when I was riding the Thunderbunny trail and before I knew it my r. der. was upside down and ripped off of my bike. major bummer. Luckily the fine folks at Athens Bicycle have a brand new r. der on the way and in no time I'll be back on the horse.

Tonight was the St. Patty's Super D and without my trusty steed I had to turn to a familiar friend. Dad's old Top Fuel 98. It's been there before and has proven a worthy champion on more than one occasion at the Gravel Rouser. With a little TLC it was up for the task again tonight! Although the competition keeps gettin' a little closer. Tomorrow I'll be going for my first Grab N Git stage win.....wish me luck I'll need it!

ROAD TRIP

OUCH - That hurt....we packed up Monday morning to leave Tucson. We arrived Friday night in Athens. 2,300 miles in 5 days. 5 days in the car was pretty brutal. Rosco was a trooper.

Our first stop was another section of the AZ trail for our last mtb adventure in the desert w/ the Buermans and Massey's. We crashed the Buerman's condo in Mesa for Ann's 50th birthday Monday night!!!

Tuesday morning we killed some time in the morning so we could go out to lunch with another friend from Pinckney who resides in AZ.....Brad Palumbo. From there it was up to Prescott to visit yet more friends from Pinckney. The Reeves just purchased a new house in Prescott, AZ and were happy to have us as guests. We went for a little hike and then went out to dinner for our last burrito in AZ.

The next morning we were off to the Grand Canyon - WOW!

After the trip through the Canyon we drove about 8 hours to Albuquerque, NM. Another 12.5 hours to Joplin NM the next day. Yesterday was the final day in the car....another 12.5 hours in the car and we made it to Athens. Next up Gravel Rouser followed to Barry Roubaix! Final thoughts.....another sweet vacation is coming to an end.

back to my roots

We went to Tombstone last weekend...somewhere down the line I am supposedly related to Wyatt Earp!

Over the course of the last 2 weeks I have pretty much held true to my word and hung up the road bike for the remainder of my stay in Tucson. The only exception was about 200 miles of commuting back and forth to work, but thats communting, not riding or training. If I wasn't working I was hanging out on my Top Fuel! I think I have hit almost every trail system in Tucson. The only exception being the very top of Mt. Lemmon. It's a little too cold up there!

This past Tuesday Andrea and I went to Millie's Pancake House for the best pancakes in the world and then continued to the north side of town to the 50 year trail for the first time this season. It was pretty awesome. The upper loop was a little more technical than I remember, but still a pretty sweet ride. Check out this cactus Andrea hit....amazingly no flat tire....Stans at its best.

Wednesday was my last day at the shop and I stocked up on some goodies! Two new 70 oz Camelbak's and a couple pairs of new Racers Edge grips for the new bikes. Yep Andrea is buying a new Top Fuel too!

Thursday we had to do a good one with the new gear so we decided to ride up Mt. Lemmon and downhill mania the Bug Springs Trail.

Friday was the best day yet...we took a day trip up to Mesa for some new trails and good company. Red Mountain is beautiful and the Hawes trails were top notch. Even better was the fact that we had the company of some old MI friends. The Buerman's who brought me to my first race back in 1993 and the Massey's who were my middle school soccer coaches. We spent the day riding, hot tubbing, and sharing stories of bike racing adventures.

The trip up to the PHX area brought back memories of the many MBAA and road races I did while I lived in Tucson. We took a scenic drive after the mountain bike ride and next thing I know I was on Usery Pass. A place I raced often bright and early in the morning. We could see Fountain Hills and the McDowell Mtns from the top of the Hawes trails. So many times racing there at the Cactus Cup and so many times dodging crazy drivers on I-10 on the way home.

It's all about the mtb

The other day we pretty much decided to head back to the midwest in 2 weeks. Ouch. It was at this point that I realized there is a ton of mtb trails in the area and I have a pretty sweet mtb. Then I came to the conclusion that I am no longer going to ride the road bike unless I am commuting to work.

Dear Top Fuel, get ready for some dirt.

After 3 long days of inventory (Mon = 8 hours Tues = 11 hour and Wed = 12

hours) at Trek Bikes of Tucson I was a little too wasted to jump head first into things. Plus I had two flat tires. Thursday was a day to sit around and lounge by the pool.

Friday I was feeling about the same until at 3:00pm when I realized if I didn't ride NOW I wasn't going to ride at all. So I hopped on the mtb and pedaled up to 6,000 ft on Mt. Lemmon. I wasn't just pedaling though...I was crushing it....if I didn't go good up the mountain I wasn't going to be able to ride the trail back down. It was getting chilly and I didn't want to flat and get stuck in the mountains on a trail I had never ridden before. Bug Springs! It was a pretty sweet 6 or 7 mile 45 - 50 minute descent down Mt. Lemmon to the trailhead at Molin Basin. The two longs Hike A Bike's were a bit rough, but my cross skills and walking with a bike weren't that rusty quite yet! 3:15 minutes

Saturday was another sweet ride at Star Pass on the west side of Tucson. The trails there keep getting better and better each time I ride on them! I still got lost but I did manage to navigate under the 6 foot tunnel to the other side of Ajo and hit some of the Robles trails. On the drive home I got my fix of my favorite type of Mexican food. The super duper authentic road side stand. Adobada and Pollo Taco's. Mmmmm 3:30 hours

Sunday: With no NFL on tap I had the entire day to soak up the AZ sun. I decided to hit a new trail I didn't even know existed when I lived here from 99 through 2003. The AZ trail supposedly runs from Canada to Mexico. We hopped on the trail on the East side of town at Pistol Hill Rd. and continued South under I-10 towards Patagonia. The only bad thing about such an epic trail is that without major planning it has to be an out and back kinda ride. We made it pretty far, but had to turn back without adequate water on a 80+ degree day in the desert. A couple times I thought I was going to see some cowboys and indians come riding up on horses. I felt like I was out there....2:50 hours

Now I'm spent....time for a little relaxation and a little work. Can't wait for the next mtb adventure!

It's all about the mailbox!

Day after day its been an exciting trip out to the mailbox! Today was by far the best! Andrea's loving father sacrificed all things Packers to mail me my Franco Harris Steelers jersey! Now I'm ready for the big game. Andrea also received my Packers sweatshirt...so we are dialed for next weekend! Needless to say I'm looking forward to Super Sunday.

Also showing up in the mail was some love from the sponsors. A couple pairs of the new Crank Brothers Egg Beater Eleven pedals arrived two days ago. The pedals are redesigned for 2011 and now come with an amazing 5 year warranty. They are still super light and the quickest pedal I have ever clipped into. Yesterday was the arrival of the emergency Clif Bar stash! It was pretty brutal doing the shootout last weekend with 2 bottles of water and a banana for a 90 mile 70 degree suffer fest. The new Shots go down super smooth and taste even better. Gotta go out and try the new Citrus flavor! An occasional Clif Bar helps out while I'm constantly trying to replenish the calorie deficit from a long season.

It's also good to get a little $$$ in the mail too. Tax refunds. Of course its never enough! I had to go out and get a job last week. Its a good thing though. The crew at Trek Bikes of Tucson is good bunch of guys. I met Dave(owner) a few years ago through Tim Swift from Riverbrook. Dave's wife Candice raced jr mtb's with me back in the glory days. They are both super nice and its was awesome to be able to get a job and jump in head first and really feel like I'm able to be an asset to them in the short time I will be here. Stop by and say Hi if your in Tucson....I'll be there!

What's even cooler than working is commuting to work. It's a 15 mile ride one way. 90 miles on the commuter so far! It's all downhill on the way to work and its brisk in the morning so I don't arrive drenched in sweat. I can pretty much soft pedal and if I time the stop lights good I'm there in an hour. On the way home I can crush it if I want or I can enjoy the sunset. Just gotta be defensive in all the crazy Tucson traffic.

Did a couple of good MTB rides with Andrea this week. Wednesday we did Bug Springs to Prison Camp to Molino. Today we did Fantasy Island. It was brought back a lot of good memories riding out there especially after seeing the Jerry Hutchinson memorial. RIP Jerry we're still thinking about you.

Last night we went out for dinner for the first time since we have arrived. La Rua's. It was gooooood. Carne Seca Chimi followed by a Green Chile Tamale. The place claims to be the oldest Mexican joint in Tucson. 1922! They had the flavor category dialed after almost 90 years. Time to go fire up the grill for tonights dinner. Adios

settled

It's settled - Steelers AFC Championship Game - Packers NFC Championship Game! I can't wait for football next weekend! If 'IT' happens I will be 100% Steelers.

Also settling in quite nicely in Tucson. After about 4 days of fighting off a cold I finally won. Zinc, Echinacea, Vit C, Garlic, Cold Eeeze, and some R & R was all I needed to start getting back on track. Friday morning we hopped on the mountain bikes and hit the Jesse Owens Park Farmers Market, where we purchased some killer Tamales, we hit Broadway Bicycles, the bank, and the library. Friday evening it was back on the bike to search for a good place for Rosco to play Kong. The church that is about 300 meters down the road was the big winner even though we pedaled close to 15 miles and searched out multiple schools and parks.

Saturday morning it was time to get back on the bike, but I wasn't quite ready to jump in head first. Everyone in town was up bright and early for the Shootout, but I was heading up Mt. Lemmon. I needed to see how bad it was going to hurt after 2 weeks off the bike, traveling half way around the world, and getting sick. It hurt....I made it to the 14 mile marker. Over 6,000 ft elevation, and it was windy. I only had a 23 tooth rear cassette which wasn't big enough. When I turned into the headwind sections I was wishin' for a 27. A 3 hour ride and I was limpin' home.

Saturday afternoon = 8 hours at Buffalo Wild Wings watching my 2 favorite teams. One Black and Bleu burger, One plate of Ultimate Nachos, 5 Sprites, and one Chicken Wing that was hot enough to last the night.

Sunday 3:45 on the mtb shaking it down. With TJ Woodruff and John Beck. Depart from Spanish Trail, Ride up Reddington to the AZ Trail and then back down Milagrosa. It was some of the most technical stuff I've seen in a long time. No way was I going to clear everything. Probably a good 3 sections where I was off and walking and a couple more dabs thrown in for good measure. It was sweet to test the limits of the new Fuel....or maybe it was my limits.

We have now been in Tucson for one week exactly...here is a photo from tonights Sunset.

Tucson

It's been a bit of a whirlwind since returning from Belgium, but it could be worse. I was home for about 3 days and then we loaded up the Hyundai and headed south. The Touring was sweet. 4 bikes, tons of gear, full comfort and even room for Rosco.

He was guarding the Belgian Chocolate in the back seat. First stop

was in St. Louis. Second stop was in Amarillo, TX. Final destination was achieved on Sunday at about 7:00pm.

No IPODS, NO satellite radio, very little cell phones, but lots of AM radio. 4 NFL Wild Card games helped pass the time. Every single game came in crystal clear, except for the last 3 minutes of the Packers game....can you believe it?

We are shacking up in a guest house on the East side of town close to the base of Mt. Lemmon and Suagaro National Park. It is awesome here. A bunch of fellow Wisconsonites are staying at the main house on the property. Lots of good training rides in the future.

My first day in Tucson was spent building the new Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL. WOW. It's going to be sweet. Trek updated the frame with internal cable routing, BB90 Precision Fit Sockets, and a Net Molded tapered head tube! Its again stiffer and lighter! I can't believe they took the best bike I have ever raced and made it better!

Even more impressive is the new Shimano XTR Dyna-Sys. Crisp shifting, smooth brake action, and perfect gear combos. The bike is stocked with dual lockout FOX front and rear suspension.

I took it for a small spin after spending a solid 6 hours building her up, bleeding the brakes, and setting up the suspension. Again...WOW. I feel like I'm 'sitting on the toilet' when riding it and it feels a little heavy after spending so much time on the 14 pound cross bikes, but as soon as it hits the dirt she'll be right at home!

Now I just need to kick this little cold I've been fighting so I can enjoy the nice weather!

2010 - See ya - I'm out of here

2010 is over and 2011 is under way. It's always nice to race Jan 1st and Jan 2nd so you can officially have your first race of the year under your belt without even thinking. Very soon I will be headed to Tucson to soak it all in, rest up, and start preparations for the new season. I've had some time the last couple of days to do some reflecting on the entire season.

The highlight of the season, without a doubt, was participating in the Jr.Mtn

Bike Camp at Michigan Tech. It was so rewarding to go to the UP and go riding with the juniors. Not only did I discover some great trail systems in Houghton and Copper Harbor, but I also made some good friends and had a blast doing so in the process. Plans for 2011 are in the making.

The racing was solid. 2 seconds away from another Triple Crown...lost the 6 man sprint at Ore To Shore, but won the 3 man battle at Chequamegon, and won my 3rd Iceman against the best in the country.

Cyclocross season was also solid...I won my first 2 UCI races, just missed out on a top 10 overall in the USGP, and had a solid euro campaign. Most importantly I finished the season in good physical and mental form. With the ultimate goal being Worlds in Louisville it was important for me to delay the start of my season. I sacrificed some early races and maybe even Ore To Shoe, but I was strong throughout the entire cross season and that was a big goal. For years I've been on the schedule of finishing my season at Iceman, so it will take a while to adjust to be in peak shape in late Jan 2012.

Again thanks to Gear Grinder and all my other sponsors for your support. Thanks to my family for all the sacrifices you make to help me reach my goals.

With the end of the season here I need to free up some space in the garage. New equipment is already arriving!

2 Blue Norcross SL's 56cm w/ full Dura Ace

3 sets of Easton wheels w/ tires

1 18.5" Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL w/ Sram XX

e-mail me if interested brimatter@hotmail.com

The Belgian Experience take 3

This was my 3rd Euro campaign and I'd say the best yet. The first year the racing was way different. Everything was fast and frozen. Completely unlike Belgian Cyclocross. I never got lapped and I made the Worlds Team. Beginners Luck! The second season I was smoked. Mentally and physically. The racing was brutal. Mud, mud and more mud. I never wanted to see that much mud again....

Next things I know I was back at it again, but this time I struck out on my own. Eurocross Camp was amazing and without that experience I never could have done it on my own. This year there was a whole new set of challenges, but to my amazement everything worked out.

I scored the best possible accommodations at the Hof Ter Kommen. Gregory, Nele, and Chris were the best possible mechanics and support crew you could ask for. They went way above and beyond what I was expecting. So many people sent donations and so many Belgian fans cheered me along the way. Mark and I had things pretty dialed on the day to day life of training and racing. My sponsors had me dialed with the best possible equipment I could ask for and my family went so far as to buy plane tickets and come along for part of the journey. If not there in Belgium with me they were watching every morning on the internet.

The best word to describe it was perfect. I already miss it and wish I could race again tomorrow! I went for an easy ride yesterday after unpacking and building the bikes and took today off. It feels like 3 months since my last race, but its only been 3 days. I'm counting the hours before I can watch Nys, Albert, Wellens, Meeusen, Pauwels and Vantornout battle it out at the Belgian national championships. I had some good races, some medium races, some mechanical problems, and even had the worst race of my entire career, but thats bike racing and dealing with the adversity makes you stronger. Look at Nys, broken pedals, dropped chain, crash in the pits, but then he comes back to win on his home course.

Thanks to everyone who played a part in my trip to Belgium especially the photographers Tom Robertson, Lyne Lamoureux, and many other who captured the images and shared them with me...it was a huge part of my life that I'll never forget. I'm looking forward to applying all my new found knowledge from Belgium and having an even better 2011.

Home Sweet Home

I'm home, but not for long...just need a few days to figure it out. How wasted am I? How wasted are my bikes? my gear? Do I have everything? What time zone is it? Do I have to race tomorrow? Where am I?

Oh yeah home....and it was about as smooth sailing as you can get. After partying pretty much all night long with the Packers live streaming on the net, I slept about 3 hours before the early alarm and the last trip with Gregory down the N40 towards Brussels. We arrived early...first one in line at Continental after a little discussion in half English half Flemish 'voila' no fee for bikes or bags on the plane....its a gosh darn miracle. Finally a good cup of coffee at Starbucks. On time flights, no motion sickness, bags arrived in Newark, and rechecked with no problems to ORD. A burrito. Another on time flight to O'Hare bikes and luggage arrived. No traffic from Chicago to Milwaukee(Thanks TIM) swapped cars at the laundromat on North Ave next to the Wendy's for a smooth ride all the way home. Rosco is pumped and so am I! Now I just hope I can sleep all night long!

Full Belgian experience recap coming soon!

Tervuren

We finished our last race today in Tervuren. It was brutally hard. The hardest race yet. I felt like I was battling with different guys the entire race. I felt better each lap, but the Belgians are so much better in the mud. I've only done roughly 15 Belgian cross races. Sven Nys does 30 a year. That's a huge difference. I think I finished 36th today. All in all better results than last year. Better feelings, but I still think I can go harder or have more in the tank. Had I not been pulled today 6 guys were within range of passing.

Hopefully soon the race will be on youtube.

Anyway we finished up our last night here in Belgian at a Frituur shop. Frites and Burgers. Then we came home for a Leffe and packed up our bikes. What more could you ask for...the Packers game streaming live!!! Better get going...games on GO PACK GO

Flying home tomorrow! Next update from Sheboygan, Thanks for reading.

Baal

I was scared as I was pinning on my number today...and thats not a good way to be at the start of a GVA. During the first warm up lap everything was good. Second time through a little faster in each line. On the final descent I started to go down and I started to go fast, but I couldn't stop and I kept gaining speed....I had to dismount at what felt like mock speed. The brakes, pads, and carbon rim combo just didn't have the power I needed ride at a comfortable speed on the descent in the wet and snow. I tried different pads and they didn't do the trick for me either. I was afraid of crashing....check out Boom on lap one. I figured if I lost 5 seconds per lap it would be better than breaking my collarbone.

Again this is not the mindset to be in at the start of a GVA. I was hoping once they blew the start whistle I would forget about it all, but I was still scared on lap one. On lap 2 I started going a little better, passing a few guys. Lap 3 I settled down a little and got in a good rhythm, but I was still losing too much valuable time running the descent. UCI RULE #59.C Disc Brakes are cool! I could have gone for some today for sure...or maybe some bigger cajones!

Mark and I pretty much raced together the entire race and finished 32nd and 33rd. It was brutally cold and hard. Deep mud, an iceberg field descent, a lung searing set of steps. Just what you want in a Belgium cross race. I can't help leaving the race course with a empty feeling though.

My legs don't feel like I put out a solid effort. Which means I can really crush it tomorrow and finish off the campaign with a really good result! I will be thinking of all the supporters, my Belgian Fan Club(who was there in full force today!), my Belgian support crew, and my family back home. Everyone has supported me so much and my last race will be a full effort to reward everyone with a good result!

Happy New Year

We spent the last rest day in Belgium like many others. A cold, rainy, muddy day on our bikes. Cobblestones, cross bikes, and coffee(well the coffee wasn't that good again). Pete Webber came over to the house with a map of the Ronde Van Vlaanderen route. We did 3 of the classic cobbled climbs and many other narrow farm roads that were flowing with water and mud.

We attacked

climb 6: Koppenberg @ 182 km

climb 7: Steenbeekdries @ 187 km
climb 8: Taaienberg @ 190 km

I can't imagine the beating that the body takes racing Tour of Flanders or Paris Roubaix on these cobbles for 250 km's. The climbs are barely rideable on a cross bike. We did a short 25k ride at an easy pace. You can check out the map by clicking on the link below.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/61281894

After the ride we finished all of our laundry, cleaned up the house, and made our last trip to the Delhaize on the town bikes. We cooked up the last of our food and hopefully have leftovers for the next 2 nights. We squared up with the financials with the mechanic and there is nothing left to do except race as hard as possible the next 2 days and check the e-mail a few more times!

Tomorrows race is the GVA - GP Sven Nys in Baal; Nys' home town. We race at 3:00. www.sport.be if you want to watch it live. The Fidea Cup in Tervuren is the final race on Sunday. Then its back to the good ol' US of A!

Can't wait to hang out with Rosco!

Sylvestercross

Today was a 'smaller' race in Bredene, Belgium. The Sylvester Cross. Gregory our mechanic started the morning out by saying, "today will be a good day." He could feel it in the air! We arrived to the small town near the coast 3+ hours before the race.

Where is inschriptjion? Ahhh of course go down the course take a left and into the cafe! Look for the Jupiler sign and the bikes. That is kind of like saying look for the house with the Packers flag in Sheboygan. After smoking about 20 second hand cigarettes we made our way to the back, back, back room of the pub to find a few UCI officials sitting at a table with about 50 Ham & Cheeses. By the time we registered the pile of Ham & Cheese was almost gone! I was number 15 and at the time the 4th guys on the list of participants with UCI points....hmmm maybe a front row....naaa no way. Not with Stybar, Albert, Nys, Dlask, Zlamilek, Vanthourenhout.

We head out onto the course...its like a WCA, flat, bumpy, and super fast. It'll be way different than any race we have done so far....hit the trainer and suit up..."Nys" "Albert" "Stybar" "Stybar" "Stybar" no Stybar...10 names later "Matter" I am consciously thinking better save that spot for Stybar, but unconsciously my bike steers itself to the last open spot in the front row! Photo Time! 30 Seconds....."whistle" I bump bars with Zlamilek for the second day in a row and I'm off the line first. Head down I'm going good...yes holeshot...first dude to the start finish! 150 meters later I'm 5th through the first corner with Nys, Stybar, and Albert!

In my book I could have called it a race right there and saved myself 59:45 of pain! I was already a winner as long as someone snapped the photo??? So I pedal through the first five corners and lose about 15 spots....whoa I'm not comfortable going this fast....another 5 corners and another 5 spots lost...I can't accelerate out of a corner....another 5

spots....ouch I'm hurting...I'm trying too hard...I start lap 2 with a 20 meter gap behind a big group and I suffer down the start finish stretch...I go through the first corner and realize I have way too much tire pressure...I go through the pits tell the mechanic to lower the pressure and change the rear wheel to a more aggressive tire. The course is getting more and more greasy. I lose 5 more spots during the next half lap and I'm counted in around 40th spot when I go through the pits and get ready to start lap 3....20 meters behind another group. I start lap 3 and get off the pavement and instantly can feel a difference. I start going forward! I start feeling better. I catch the group. I move through the group to the next group. I moved through that group and was really starting to hit the lines good. Man I can't beleive I bombed such a good start with too high of a tire pressure. Oh well keep racing and going forward. I raced smart from lap 3 to the finish. Moving forward in the technical sections and sitting in a recovering whenever possible! Finished up 23rd!

Next up...some much needed R&R....the past 5 days have been 4 of the hardest cross races in the world. We get a day of rest and then finish it up with 2 more races...Baal & Tervuren.

Thanks again to all for reading and supporting, special thanks to David Aukerman for donating.

Racing in Loenhout

Today was good! Loenhout has to be the biggest stop on the Belgian Christmas Cross circuit. Tons of racers, tons of fans, and tons of mud. Today was by far the best I have felt racing over here this year. I had a good start and mentally I was ready to race instead of just ride in circles. With a huge amount of fans cheering for me it made it pretty easy to go out there and suffer in a good way. I couldn't beleive how many people were cheering for me.....not Jesus, but me. For whatever reason I have earned the respect of the Belgian fans! Around every corner I could here my name, but if they were not yelling my name they yelled for JC, Jesus, Santa, and even Osama!

This year with the new 80% rule in effect it is going to make it pretty difficult to finish on the lead lap, but I'm going to do my best. Today I was riding in a group of 5 with 2 laps to go. We were going pretty good and there was no way we were getting lapped. I was pumped to suffer even harder. Getting ready for the long pavement section I drift to 5th wheel to sit in and save some energy for the last lap and the final tractor pull section where I will make my move....

Then, 'tweet tweet' a super anticlimactic finish. 4 guys in front of me roll to the side of the course and I'm 5th. The officials take out some scissors cut the transponder out of the back of each of the 4 guys in front of me and then cut out my transponder. I wait another 30 seconds...still no sign of the leaders. I decide to pedal off towards the van and never even heard the roar of the crowd as Niels Albert took to the final stretch for his second victory in as many races. So I'm figuring at very very least 1:00 minute, but more likely 2:00 minutes before they would have caught me. All I had to do was ride another 100m and I could have started my last lap. I don't think it would have taken more than 10 seconds even if I was soft pedaling to make it to the start/finish. Not sure I quite like the rule on the last lap...on the other hand I do agree with the rule....if you are out of contention with 2 plus laps to go and you will be passed by the top 10 or 15 you should be pulled. Its not fun getting passed by 15 guys and its not fun for the 15 guys who are battling to pass you.

I'm not complaining by any means.....if anything more motivated to race faster....especially if all these folks are cheering for me!

Dagelijkse routine (The Daily Grind)

We better start things out by saying the coffee in Belgium is not the same as the coffee back home. My first problem is I still can't figure out the coffee maker, so every morning starts of by boiling some water and pouring it through the top of the coffee filter to slowly drip into the pot. Not only does this take a huge effort on a groggy morning, but it leaves something to be desired in the taste of the coffee.

Next up is usually a little breakfast. Ham, Egg, & Cheese sandwich(you didn't think I was going to do this whole trip and not eat Ham & Cheese did you?) followed by a bowl of Mueslix and some honey.

On race days we usually make some Ham & Cheese, make some bottles, pack the race bag and head to the race course after breakfast. Gregory, Nele, and Chris our Belgian support crew usually show up 30 minutes before we depart. They have our bikes, hot water, tea, wheels, pretty much everything you need to race and be as comfortable as possible ready to rock for us.

We arrive to the races, somehow figure out inschrijption(registration, which is not always easy), while we do that Gregory and Chris set up our bikes and the tent with trainers, back to the van for a change of clothes, a sandwich, and then a quick inspection of the course. We figure out tire's, tire pressure, and the good lines. Back to the van to make any changes necessary to the equipment and then into the comfort of our folding chairs in the back of the van.

Sometimes its freezing back there, sometimes not so bad. Sometimes the condensation on the roof is dripping like a rain forest sometimes not so bad. We pin on our race numbers, talk about the course and start the mental preparations for the 1 hour of pain(or less). Maybe another Ham & Cheese, a Clif Bar, some Clif Bloks with extra caffeine and with 50 minutes before race start we are back outside for 20 minutes on the trainers. Once again Gregory and Chris have killed it and have our training bikes as clean as the day we got them and set up on the trainer with a slick rear wheel. With 30 minutes to go we are back in the van for a 15 minute superman session.

All wet clothes have to come off and all dry race clothes back on. Its nearly impossible not to get something that is suppose to stay dry soaking wet. You try to stay organized, but you favorite racing sock always goes missing. Just the left sock though. If not your socks, your gloves, your ear band, your left leg warmer....

With 15 minutes to go you eat your last bit of Belgian energy, check the tire pressure in all your wheels 4 more times, and then ride to the start line. Nele is there 3 minutes before they say go to take your jackets and then you are off. After the race she is the first person we see to return our jackets, open up the van, and pour us some hot tea. Once again to the back of the van for warmth, some recovery food, and a little reflection time of what just happend. We change again while Gregory and Chris once again shine our bikes so that we can do it again....all in all a dialed set up for a couple of Americans....

On non race days the mornings are much slower paced....e-mail, faceboook, e-mail facebook, podiuminsight, velonews, e-mail, facebook, cyclingnews, cxmagazine...etc

Laundry is in, shoes are on the Belgian drying rack(which leaves a quite unpleasant aroma in the house)clothes are re-organized. Blogs get updated, photos are downloaded. By 12:00 noon we are usually on our bikes for either a training ride or a recovery ride. Today a recovery ride....

After the ride we will be on the townies and head to the Delhaize for some groceries, the pharmacy for some ibuprofen and tiger balm, and a quick trip to the Chain Stay to visit the Canadians. While we do this Gregory will be dialing in the bikes on which we trained for the day. Usually another Ham & Cheese for lunch is thrown in there for some substenance, and dinner usually around 7:00.

After dinner is Belgian TV which is usually Discovery Channel, Dawsons Creek, or if we are really lucky the Simpsons. It only lasts for 10 minutes then we usually end up checking the e-mail, facebook, blogs, race results, youtube, e-mail, facebook etc...with a Belgain guy singing an old Disco song in Flemish on the TV. TV is on, but we are not watching, just some background noise. To Bed time around 11:00 for some Skype phone calls back home, one last e-mail check and some reading...then lights out.

Next up is the Azencross in Loenhout www.sport.be Thanks for reading and thanks to Joe Mathes and Brian Kingsbury for their donations.

Diegem is het beste!

Diegem is my favorite stop on the Euro CX circuit hands down. Racing under the lights. A super cool course w/ steps, drops, sand, snow, mud, and pavement. A huge Discotech with a great party atmosphere. Tons of people watching. Lots of people cheering for the Americans and Jesus and the Matter Fan Club was on the back side of the course!!! I didn't get to talk to the guys, but I raced fast for them! At least a lot faster than Zolder. I still have more in me...

I didn't have a great start, which in the snow means you can't really have a good first lap or second lap for that matter. Everyone gets lined up on the one good line and goes single file, the gaps open, but you have to take a huge risk to get off of the good line to pass. Most of the time that risk results in a crash and then your further back in the line. By the time things opened up and you could pass I was in 48th.

I started moving forward pretty fast. Bridged up to the group of the Americans on lap 3. Went through the group and started to move forward again on lap 4. Caught a few more guys, but ran out of real estate. I was lapped again, but at least I was racing today. 35th position. No major problems with my pedals or shoes today, but still not the best clipping in...going to try to swap some things out and make some changes.

The coolest part of the day by far was an interview and photo shoot for cyclosprint.be! One of Belgians only CX magazines. It was like glamour shots, but at a cross race. Journalist Simon Lamon and photographer Kristof Ramon hooked it up big time. I can't wait to see the article and the photos!

4 races down 4 races to go. Tomorrow is a rest day and then the biggest cross race competitor wise of the year in Loenhout.