The official Lion of Flanders

This past weekend the cyclocross world championships were held in the Czech Republic. In a sport dominated by Belgians it was not surprising to see the Lion of Flanders flag throughout the course, at times practically draped across the course forcing riders to almost ride through the symbol of the Flemish. This weekend at a party I was once again reminded of the flag as the host had a Lion of Flanders flag autographed by the Lion of Flanders himself, Johan Museeuw. As fans of cycling we all know this iconic image: a black lion with red claws and tongue on a yellow background. However, as with all flags there is a symbolism behind the Lion of Flanders.

There are two different types of Lion of Flanders flags and as a fan of cycling you want to make sure you buy the correct version. The lion with the red claws and tongue is the flag that is most commonly seen flying at races. However, don’t mix this up with the all black lion. This all black Lion of Flanders is a symbol of a separatist movement of Flanders that wants to remove itself from the Belgian government. From here the symbolism of the all black lion gets murkier depending on who you talk to. This all black lion is associated with a right-wing political groups and if you wave it around indiscriminately you could be headed for a rather heated political discussion that you want no part of. Today, the red claw and tongue lion is the official Lion of Flanders, but occasionally the all black lion is also used in conjunction with the “official” Lion of Flanders.

This version is associated with the Flemish separatist movement

To understand the Lion of Flanders requires a brief lesson on Belgium. The country is basically split into two distinct areas: the northern Flemish who speak Dutch and in the south the Wallons who speak French. Tensions between these two groups occasionally flares up and until 1967 the Belgian constitution was still not translated from French into Dutch, giving the impression to the Flemish that the Dutch speakers were second class citizens. When I traveled to Roubaix, I cheered “Go Belgium” to a bunch of Lion of Flanders waving fans. I was told rather bruskly that they were not Belgian but Flemish. Whoops, my bad, and I quickly slunk away before they decided to hang me from the flag. Just to muddy the explanation more there is another term used almost interchangeably – Flandrien which is a derogatory term for the people from the north of France. There was a lot of poverty in these areas at the beginning of the 20th century and the people from Flanders went to work in northern France. The French thought they were taking jobs away from their own people and sarcastically called them “les Flanderiens”. These Flanderiens were stereotypically considered hard workers. This term was picked up and romanticized to describe the Flemish cyclists. So when you are in Belgium and you spot the roadside vendor on the Muir you now know which version of the Lion of Flanders flag to spend your Euros on. Oh, and pick me up one as well.

Get your Lion of Flanders gear here

Poster of Belgium’s most famous one-day race – The Rhonde aka Tour of Flanders

Team Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com entered the weekend of the United States Cyclocross National Championships as three of the favorites in an Elite Men’s race that featured one of the deepest talent pools of all time. The team came in with high expectations heaped upon them after finishing up the regular season with twenty-one wins as well as the overall victory in the North American Cyclocross Trophy series. All of their prior results would go out the window, however, when Johnson, Powers and Driscoll hit the line for one last time in America.

It did not take Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com long after the starter’s gun fired to open up the throttle. As has been his trademark all season, Jeremy Powers grabbed the holeshot and shifted the pressure onto his rivals. “I wanted to take off from the beginning,” said Powers. “I saw in the earlier races that that was the way to go. I saw guys taking off and holding on to the race, so that’s the plan I wanted to follow.” Powers quickly opened up a gap over an elite chase group that quickly formed behind. As Johnson bided his time, waiting patiently for the right time to strike, the chasing was left to Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) and Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA). Just behind, Jamey Driscoll was working his way through the field, closing in on the action at the front. The team’s tactics allowed Powers’ gap to extend, as Powers continued to press his early advantage. Jonathan Page was first to exit the chase group, as he headed to the pits to grab a bike with better tire pressures.

Noting the absence of one of his rivals, Johnson decided the time was right to open up his race, inching both closer to Powers and away from Trebon. Before long, Johnson’s pace had pulled him up to Powers’ wheel, and Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com was firmly in the driver’s seat of the biggest race of the season. Johnson made sure that when he got to Powers, he did so alone. “There was very little drafting out there, so when I went across to Jeremy, I went across clean, and there wasn’t really any pulling going on at that point.” Not far behind, Driscoll was hard at work keeping tabs on Page and Todd Wells (Specialized), ensuring that the dangerous pairing did not make inroads into his teammates’ advantage. “I rode a pretty smart race and went as hard as I possibly could. I’m pretty pleased with how I did,” said Driscoll of his day.

Powers was having the best Nationals ride of his career, and looked like the only man who could challenge Johnson for the title. Disaster struck midway through the race, when a slick, off-camber corner sent Powers to the ground, allowing Johnson and Trebon to ride away and battle for victory. Powers, however, was determined not to let the crash faze him, as he remounted and charged off to salvage his day. “On that course, 15 seconds was an eternity. I left it all out there, and I know other guys did too.” Powers found Driscoll for company, fighting amongst Page and Wells for the final podium spot. A trip to the pits to switch back to his original bike for Powers, and accelerations by a resurgent Page and Wells saw Powers and Driscoll left to fight for fifth. Driscoll and Powers remained together for much of the race, with only a sprint for the line separating the two. “We were both trying as hard as we possibly could,” said Driscoll of racing with Powers. “We were racing our brains out because it’s the National Championships, and that’s what you do.” Powers managed to out kick Driscoll, finishing his day in fifth, with only meters separating Driscoll in sixth.

Up ahead, Johnson had eked out a four second advantage over Trebon, and had lost himself in the task of holding off the motivated Bend native. Johnson’s only goal for the remainder of the race was to ride as smoothly and safely as possible while keeping himself and the rest of the field at bay. “I really just kept my head down and tried to steer my own bike, and not really think about anything else.” As the laps melted away, Johnson was able to extend his lead little by little, but the race never looked as it had a clear winner. “If you got too out of control or too aggressive, you’d pay for it by dabbing or crashing. I kept an eye on the field and I knew that if I got a little bit of a gap and was going as fast as I could, the chances of holding on got better.”

Behind, Powers’ sprint for fifth place matched his best ever finish at the National Championships, but the manner in which Powers animated the first half of the race speaks volumes to both Powers’ ability and his potential. “I’m happy that I was able to throw down, and give myself an opportunity to win. We rode strong all year and it’s a great way to cap the year.” Driscoll’s sixth place finish, too, signals that the best things are yet to come for the young man from Vermont. Finishing the day in first, fifth and sixth met and far exceeded the expectations put on team Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com.

The twenty-five seconds that stands as Johnson’s victory margin does not tell the story of how hard Trebon pushed Johnson throughout the race. In the end, however, Johnson emerged with his third Elite Men’s United States Cyclocross National Championship – adding to the Elite titles he won in Kansas City in 2000 and 2007 – and his sixth National Title overall – having won Espoirs titles in Fort Devens, Massachusetts in 1998 and Presido, California in 1999, as well as a Junior title in 1995 in Leicester, Massachusetts.

Johnson described the win among the biggest of his career thus far, saying, “I’d say this win ranks at number one, maybe number two. In 2007, I only got the lead with one lap to go, but this one I led for so long. The longer you lead, the more chance you have to lose it, so it was pretty exciting to be able to hold on for that long. I was thinking this morning that I didn’t want to get too nervous, because I realize just what it feels like. All I wanted to do was give myself the opportunity to win.” Johnson will not be satisfied to end his season with his Nationals victory, and will now turn his sights to the year’s biggest goal: a top ten finish at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic on January 31. “I want to be top ten at Worlds, and that’s not going to change. The course is pretty similar to this weekend, and I think if I’ve got some good training, I’ll be in a good position.”

All three Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com team members will head across the Atlantic this week, arriving in Belgium on Thursday. Jamey Driscoll will be the first of the team to open up his European campaign at the season’s next World Cup in Kalmthout, Belgium on December 20th. Shortly thereafter, Powers will join Driscoll in the European peloton at the Noordzeecross in Middelkerke, Belgium on December 23rd. Johnson will take some time away from racing and put in a hard training block before heading to Europe on January 20, tackling the World Cup in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands on January 24 to begin his European season.

Johnson will be swapping out the green for red, white and blue

Without a doubt Tim Johnson of the Cannondale/Cyclocross World team is one of the good guys in the bike racing world. This guy is a true pro and his C’dale teammates have been killing it all season long. The highlight is undoubtedly his National Championship win in Bend, Oregon. Tim took time out after his dentist appointment to talk about the last 24 hours. One hint – wait for the pregnant pause when Johnson talks about teammate Driscoll.

Cannondale continues to have a strong season. Will it hold till next week?

The team traveled to the West Coast to tackle the Portland Cup, the final weekend of racing in the 2009 United States Gran Prix of Cyclocross series. The team was eager to confirm their form ahead of the U.S. National Championships as well as grab a podium or two in the last major weekend of American cyclocross before Sunday’s National Championships. For more information, head to www.cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com.

The Portland Cup is one of the most prestigious races on the American cyclocross calendar, and a win that every rider wants to add to their trophy case. As if the competition wasn’t stiff enough, the Portland Cup is also the final test for America’s cyclocross elite ahead of the National Championships, with every rider eager to cement themselves as a title favorite. Tim Johnson, Jeremy Powers and Jamey Driscoll each headed to Portland rested and ready for battle.

The muddy conditions that have become synonymous with racing in Oregon were notably absent when the team arrived in Portland. The loose mud was replaced by frozen, fast conditions. As has been the case many times this season, Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com were present at the front end of the race, and it was Jeremy Powers who was best placed of the team’s three riders. Powers was one of the day’s main protagonists, emerging from the early fray in an elite group containing Todd Wells (Specialized) and Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA). Only one group behind, Johnson and Driscoll were desperately chasing the leading group. “The first few laps, before the gap was established, we were going all out to get there. Once we knew they were gone, we started to focus on holding where we were.”

Powers, Wells and Trebon continued to trade attacks amongst themselves, and it was Powers’ tenacity that kept him in the mix. Powers found himself distanced by Wells and Trebon at times, leading many to believe he’d have to settle for third, only to see him claw his way back into the mix. “Todd was closing down a bunch of gaps, and Ryan [Trebon] took me off the back one time and it was a really hard day. Trebon was taking pulls that were tearing our legs off,” said Powers. As the race continued, the team began to find their legs, with Powers composed at the front, responding to the attacks thrown at him, and Johnson and Driscoll attacking out of their chase group to chase the leaders. Johnson reflected on his race by saying, “For the first forty minutes of the race, I was really struggling. I was trying too hard, trying to force things. The legs weren’t really responding. The last twenty minutes I came alive a little bit more.”

Heading into the final meters of the race, Powers and Wells, had escaped from Trebon, but the race would come down to a final sprint. Wells was able to get to the race’s final corner in the lead, and despite turning himself inside out to prevent it, Powers could not nip Wells at the line. Thanks to their strong riding in the race’s second half, Johnson and Driscoll managed to hang on to fourth and fifth place, respectively.

As day broke on Sunday, the Powers, Johnson and Driscoll were all looking to improve on their performances from Saturday. Powers was particularly eager to upgrade his Saturday finish, and shot out to the holeshot as soon as the starter’s gun fired. Johnson was not far behind, and quickly a leading group of Powers, Johnson and Todd Wells had established itself. Powers and Johnson were keen on dictating the pace at the front; both trying to distance Wells and ensure that no more riders made the selection.

Powers and Johnson were in constant contact, picking strategic locations to launch stinging attacks, and making sure that the other wouldn’t be dropped when the first attacked. “We had a good race. Tim and I played of each other. We were just on the same page all day, making sure one guy wasn’t off the back, making sure one guy was ready to attack,” said Powers of the team’s tactics. Powers and Johnson managed to hold off any chasing competition, but Wells was resilient, and the three-man group entered the final lap together. “We had to do pretty much everything we could to handle Todd,” said Johnson of the team’s efforts on Sunday. “Todd was the strongest in that group. If we hadn’t been attacking early in the race, that last lap would have been totally different.”

Powers and Johnson continued their assault, and heading into the final turn of the race, it was Powers who had established a small but significant gap over Wells and Johnson. “The finish was crazy! I went for it, then Todd came around me, I went back around him. It was bananas,” said Powers of the lead up to the finish. From there, Powers continued his acceleration through the finish line, reversing the final result from Saturday. Wells sprinted home for second, while Johnson improved his Saturday result and stepped onto the podium. Driscoll rode a solid race, after battling through a sickness during the week, finishing up seventh on the day, and securing a third place finish overall in the USGP standings. “The course wasn’t muddy and slow like you’d expect, it was just blisteringly fast. I definitely could have gone better, but I was feeling pretty smoked. Luckily I’ve got a week to work those things out.”

For Powers, Sunday’s win was his ninth of the season, and his second win in the USGP series this year, following his victory in Wisconsin in September. Powers upped the team’s win total to 21. Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com finished up the USGP season with five victories, as well as two spots on the USGP overall podium, with Johnson finishing just ahead of Driscoll in second and third.

Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com has only one more weekend of domestic racing left on their agenda, as they head to Bend, Oregon for the U.S. National Championships. America’s elite talent has been peaking for strong performances in Bend, and Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com are no exception. All three members of the team are confident in their form and have established themselves as favorites for Sunday’s main event. Johnson is ready to battle for nationals, saying, “I think next Sunday, it’s going to be game on. I can’t imagine it being an easy race for anyone. Whoever wins is going to have to really fight for it.” Driscoll, too, is ready to repeat and improve on his second place performance from last year, saying, “I definitely think I can do it. I’m looking forward to trying to do that again.” “I’m there and I think I have a shot, and that’s all anyone can really ask for going into next weekend,” said Powers of his form and his chances in Bend. Regardless of the outcome, Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com promises to be among the key favorites next Sunday in Bend, Oregon.

My dad is second from the right

My cell phone’s “alarm” ringtone woke me out of my usual 3:00 PM nap. I have that ringtone set for only two people and I know that one of those will no longer call (mental note – remove that person from contacts), so it could only be one other person. The European phone number prefix only confirmed what I knew. “Hey dad – what’s up?”

“I just read your internet story and saw you are still messing around with cyclocross.” My dad considers cyclocross an activity to be done just after drinking, just before drinking or you should be drinking during it. Ideally all three options would take place. To take ‘cross seriously, in his book, is just stupid.

“Yeah. Drove north and did a couple of races for the hell of it.”

“Well, at least you had the common sense to be drinking during it.” I was actually surprised that he had seen the blog and had taken the time to read it. My parents are at that age where modern conveniences like the internet, ATMs, and drive-thrus might as well be alien technology and not trusted. I gave him more details of the weekend’s events: the mud, the boozing and the people we met. In return he retold the story of how a young teammate of his almost drowned in a puddle of water during a ‘cross race because he was so drunk he crashed and passed out face down in it. He loves telling that story as a cautionary tale of how, if you are going to pass out, do it on your side so as not to choke on your own vomit. And then he laughs. The story always ends with, “What a dumb arse!”

With rain dumping my only training option is the indoor trainer. Sure I could do a structured workout to keep my form sharp for the upcoming ‘cross race, however I still remember my dad’s words. Am I taking cyclocross too seriously? Should I just ride ‘cross for the hell of it and not be concerned about results? So after some soul searching I decided to split the middle and do one more race “full gas” and then slide into slacker mode. We’ll see how that goes…

]]> http://neilbrowne.com/2009/12/conversations-with-my-father/feed/ 0 http://neilbrowne.com/2009/12/jeremy-powers-returns-from-the-flu-with-victory-press-release/ http://neilbrowne.com/2009/12/jeremy-powers-returns-from-the-flu-with-victory-press-release/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:00:10 +0000 neilroad http://neilbrowne.com/?p=885 Coming into the weekend, Jeremy Powers was keen to make sure his legs were in the right place before the final stop on US Gran Prix of Cyclocross circuit in Portland and the subsequent culmination of the American cyclocross calendar at the United States National Championships in Bend, Oregon. Powers had been slowly working off [...]]]>

Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com has had a great season so far

Coming into the weekend, Jeremy Powers was keen to make sure his legs were in the right place before the final stop on US Gran Prix of Cyclocross circuit in Portland and the subsequent culmination of the American cyclocross calendar at the United States National Championships in Bend, Oregon. Powers had been slowly working off the effects the flu that had kept him out of the USGP’s third weekend in New Jersey two weeks prior. Powers’ comeback was headed in the right direction after two second-place finishes in Southampton, New York last weekend, but Powers was eager to prove his legs still had that winning snap. Baystate proved to be just what the doctor ordered. Powers was happy to be back to his usual self, saying “it was really good to get out racing and get some confidence for the next few weekends. It was good all around for me.”

While the course may not have been tailor made for Powers’ strengths, Powers showed that his season is coming together at the right time. Saturday’s racing in Sterling saw high winds pose the day’s main challenge, and put power and the ability to recover at a premium. Powers proved to be the strongest man on the day, fending off strong efforts from Dan Timmerman (RGM Watches – Richard Sachs – Radix) and Justin Lindine (Bikereg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF). Powers reserve strength and great late-season form proved to be the difference maker, and Powers was able to take home his first victory since October 31st in Northampton. “I didn’t really have a plan, per se, I just wanted to be conservative and get in a good day, and try to win. Timmerman was riding really well today; the guys in New England are super fast.”

Come Sunday, the wind had died down in Eastern Massachusetts, and the day’s difference maker would be the new tight, twisting, technical sections added to day two’s course. The course on Sunday was even farther from Powers’ traditional forte, but further proved that he is a true danger man come December 13th. Powers was aware the course may not have played into his strengths, saying, “it was a hard course to get away on because the course was so twisty-turney, there were only a couple sections where you could throw down some power. There was a definite speed limit on the course. You could only take so many corners so fast. There were only a couple sections where I could really shred it.”

While the course and the conditions may have changed, the end result didn’t, and it was again Powers who emerged victorious. Powers had to hold off a determined Justin Lindine, but Powers’ fitness and guile proved best on the day. “I was fourth or fifth at the start and I just nailed it. As soon as I realized I was in a good spot, I just whacked it. I had better legs today than yesterday.” Powers wrapped up his weekend with a pair of wins, which made it eight for the Cannondale/Cyclocross rider on the year, and upped the team’s total to an even twenty for the season.

Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com does not have much more time left this season on American soil, but the two weekends left are two of the most important on the calendar. Next weekend, Tim Johnson, Jeremy Powers and Jamey Driscoll head to Portland, Oregon for the Portland Cup, the seventh and eighth races in the USGP series. Driscoll is the top ranked Cannondale/Cyclocross.com rider in the USGP overall standings, sitting in second with 180 points, 30 points shy of USGP leader Ryan Trebon. Tim Johnson is a further 6 points back, with 174 points.

Looking even further ahead, the team is lining itself up perfectly for the push towards Nationals. Johnson and Powers are each hitting their victory stride, while Driscoll is not far behind.
Heading into its final weekend, the USGP overall standings look like this:
Rank Name Score
1 Ryan Trebon 210
2 Jamey Driscoll 180
3 Tim Johnson 174
4 Geoff Kabush 152
5 Chris Jones 126
6 Jeremy Powers 107

The USGP leader is Ryan Trebon

The Cannondale CADD9 has been racking up victories this season

Team Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com closed out the North American Cyclocross Trophy season in style over the past weekend in Southampton, New York, solidifying first, second and third place on the NACT overall standings through a pair of podium sweeps. For more information on the team, head to www.cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com.

One year ago, Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com captain Tim Johnson found himself in street clothes on the final overall podium of the North American Cyclocross Trophy. The disappointment of not fighting for the final series overall helped drive Johnson to overall victory in the NACT’s sophomore season, closing out the NACT series with a pair of wins in Southampton, New York’s Whitmore’s Landscaping Super Cross Cup. Following just behind Johnson on the final NACT podium was teammate Jeremy Powers, who narrowly bested Jamey Driscoll, the final member of the squad, completing Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com’s sweep of the overall NACT podium.

Saturday’s action opened with the possibility that Johnson could close out the NACT overall with a win. The team’s weekend had a tall obstacle in its way, in the form of Ryan Trebon (Kona), who entered the weekend determined to disrupt Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com’s shot at victory. Early in Saturday’s race, Trebon’s efforts had Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com on their heels, despite having all three members of the team in the leading group. Johnson was wary of Trebon on day one, saying: “Ryan was very much in control, and he was riding really well. Really he had the race going his way, keeping us on the limit. When he had issue, Jeremy and I got away together, and I just jammed on the gas.” Midway through the race, a small bobble on Trebon’s part allowed Johnson, Powers and Driscoll to tip the scales in their favor, as Johnson surged to the front, the rest of Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com in tow.

Johnson’s powerful attack claimed Driscoll as its first casualty.  Despite not being able to hold the pace of the NACT leader, Driscoll
soldiered ahead on his own, resisting a dogged chase from Trebon. Driscoll rode up to his usual standards to hold on to third place,
claiming yet another UCI podium in what has been his best season to date. “It’s pretty sweet to finish on a big series podium this season.
It shows that I’ve become a more consistent rider this year, which is good for me.” Ahead, Powers was the last man to fall off of Johnson’s
wheel, despite his best efforts to the contrary. “Tim’s riding really well, and I’m playing catch up to him right now, but the fact that I’m
just shy of where Tim is shows I’ve got some work ahead of me, but not a ton, so I’m happy with where I am,” said Powers of his current form.
Johnson continued his assault on the course, extending his lead up until the day’s final meters, taking home the win and mathematically eliminating all challengers to his NACT title. Powers would cross the line shortly behind Johnson, assuring a Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com podium sweep.

On Sunday, Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com was eager to dictate things from the front of the race, and it was Jeremy Powers who provided the
early fireworks. Powers attacked out of a leading group of seven, of which no rider had an immediate answer to his acceleration. “There was
an opportunity and I took it, I didn’t necessarily mean to go from the gun or anything. Everyone was kind of hanging out and I saw there were
some lulls, so I wanted to capitalize on that,” said Powers of his attack. Powers continued to expand his lead for a time, while Johnson and Driscoll kept tabs on the group behind. “Once Jeremy was up the road, I waited to see what anyone else was going to do. When I saw that they weren’t going to close, I went over the top. If it took one lap or three, I was just trying to get across to Jeremy clean,” said Johnson. When it looked as if there would be no further response from the group, Johnson chose to attack across the finish line, quickly closing the gap to Powers.

Driscoll, too, picked the perfect time to attack out of the chase group, and before long, the gaps between groups were expanding, setting up another team podium sweep. Driscoll was quick to highlight the caliber of his teammates up the road. “I didn’t charge up to Tim because I wanted to make sure he got a gap. Once he established that gap, he was full gas to get up to Jeremy, and once he’s going, he’s a hard wheel to follow.” Johnson and Powers, once the gap had been fully established, turned their attention to each other, and the impending victory. Powers and Johnson took turns pulling, and when the time came to settle the final podium, it was a Johnson attack that finally dispatched a resilient Jeremy Powers. Johnson quickly opened up an unassailable gap over his teammate, and had enough of a cushion to celebrate his second win of the weekend, his tenth of the season and his overall NACT title. “We definitely threw everything at each other out there,” said Johnson. “It was definitely a fun last half hour of the race.” His win upped Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com’s win tally to eighteen victories on the year. Powers finished up his stellar ride to take home second, and second on the NACT podium, while Driscoll, who had come close to catching the leading duo earlier in the race, again held on for third on the day and third place on the NACT podium. For Johnson, the satisfaction of winning the NACT was enhanced due to his fear that his shot at the title evaporated with a crash in September that left him with a separated shoulder. “I thought any chance of winning either the NACT or USGP was out the window, so to come away with one of the two feels really good. I was seriously worried, because there were a few weeks when the shoulder was giving me a hard time. I didn’t know how long the effects were going to last, so I was trying to think positively.”

With Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com’s American campaign nearing its end, Jeremy Powers will be the only rider in action, as he heads to Sterling, Massachusetts’ Baystate Cycloross next weekend, while Johnson and Driscoll will take some time to recharge before the team reunites for the final US Gran Prix of Cyclocross event in Portland, Oregon. After that, the team will turn their attention to the United States National Championships in Bend, Oregon.

The conditions got worse as the day went on

Our booth table was becoming a shrine to excessive binge drinking with empty glasses littered across the top. Finally common sense prevailed and we pulled the plug on the night’s fun a little after midnight. Some of our guys in the group had to be up early to register and because the RV was parked next to the course it was obvious that we would be getting a PA wake-up first thing in the morning. Our designated driver shouldered his responsibility like a true champion and entered the address into the GPS to guide us back to Mercer Park. However the Tom Tom lead us into the heart of Trenton. And what should have been at most a 20 minutes drive took at least an hour and half of cursing, farting and general unpleasantries before we finally arrived back at the RV. By the time we hit the rack it was well after 2:00 AM.

Standard warm-up protocol: beer and wind trainer time

Like any other booze binge I’ve done the following morning is always a chore. My dad, who is Irish and enjoys drinking, would always give me shit when I was hung-over, like it was a weakness. “Hey, you hung over? What’s wrong with you boy?” Perhaps I’ve gotten soft living the good life in the States. Whatever the reason I could feel my kidneys and they were pissed. Then like predicted, the PA started up at 6:00 blaring club music. We all stumbled out of the RV, some going to register, the rest of us heading to the public bathrooms. As expected, even at such an early hour they were already destroyed. It was as if Dante’s seventh layer of hell had risen and opened up in the men’s bathroom in New Jersey.

Coffee is an imperative in the morning. Luckily we had the forethought to have someone who was driving up in the morning bring us a to-go container of liquid motivation. The course was a disaster and getting worse by the minute. The 35+ category was not rolling out till noon and with every passing hour the conditions worsened. I once again reevaluated my options. There was no way in hell that I was going to put in a good performance. I’d gotten maybe three hours of sleep, was slightly hung over and had never ridden in mud. The only sensible option was to continue drinking. The cooler was opened, so we cracked open beers and watched the racers stream by. We had the perfect spot; up against the fencing between the finish line and the first left hand turn onto the mud. We also had a great view of the riders as they tried to navigate the off-camber section of the course. There were sure to be crashes and we were prepared and a little buzzed.

Yeah, we like busting balls

As the morning wore on the actual race became secondary to the heckling, ball busting and drinking that was going on in our compound. I decided to get off my ass, leave our area and go to the pit. Cannondale, Specialized and Kona all had their trailers set up with the bikes out for inspection. However, it was still too early for the big dogs to leave the comfort of their hotel rooms. It was just the mechanics making tweaks and generally getting the bikes ready. And with the conditions being absolutely shitty, riders would be pitting their bikes every lap, so having multiple bikes ready was not an option but a necessity.

About an hour before my race I decided I’d better stop drinking and kit up. I had on my long sleeve Infinity Racing skinsuit, giving the illusion of someone who knew what the hell they were doing. My additional piece of equipment for this weekend was my Road ID bracelet. I was not worried so much about crashing and being knocked unconscious, more likely passing out somewhere and the Road ID would be able to identify me for pick up later. I even brought a wind trainer to warm up on. On the surface I looked competent and had even received compliments on how skinny I looked. I even did a few 30 second intervals on the trainer to get the blood pumping. However I still had dry mouth, was hungry and was unmotivated. I really just wanted to hang out, drink and heckle. But I was there with the bike, so I might as well do it. Cush was also in my race and he seemed to be as motivated as me. We rolled over to staging and waited for what was going to be a painful 45 minutes.

The countdown started at 30 seconds. Usually this is when I get butterflys in the stomach, but this was not the case today. The course had been reduced to a mud bog and it was evident that there was going to be some serious amount of running. I was not trying to impress anyone and just wanted to finish this race and get back to being obnoxious. As we got down to 15 seconds the race official stopped counting aloud and I knew that any second it was go time. Boom, we were off. My spot on the grid was near the back but for whatever reason I wanted to improve my position and frantically tried to move up on the asphalt section of the course. I wormed my way past a handful of riders and hit the first turn onto the course. As expected it was a shit show of riders teetering over, slowing down or just crashing. I was forced to dismount and run. And that was generally the theme of my whole race: ride, get bogged down, dismount, run and remount. With every remount my rear tubeless tire burped a little more air till it was completely flat. I pulled into the pit to discover my comrades in arms posted up there with Cush’s spare ‘cross bike. They were willing to give me a SRAM wheel to keep me in the fight but I decided to pull the plug and drink. They had the common sense to bring beer to the pit. So there I stood cold, muddy and slightly dejected to have to withdraw due to a mechanical. The rest of my equipment stood up to the abuse. My SRAM Rival group was covered in mud, yet it still shifted like a champ. After pounding a beer I walked back to the RV to continue drinking with the rest of the gang. Cush had soldiered on and rode a lap drinking a beer. Yeah, we were serious.

Cush started the race drinking, drank during the race and continued thereafter

Chairs are out and beers are ready

The invite was simple, to the point and lacked any subterfuge.

“Just quit…But before you do, come do Mercer Cup with a bunch of alcoholics. The plan is to leave the Lehigh Valley after those who have jobs are done: 5ish. We will hit the road, and the booze, promptly. I will stay sober until we reach our destination: Princeton, NJ. Kuklic is scouting some good bars there but if all else fails, the Ivy was entertaining last year. We will either crash across the street from the bar, or if sober enough, drive to the venue.”

The cost of admission was one, 30 pack of cheap, shitty beer and the willingness to do damage to both the kidneys and brain. I was in.

As I wrote in the previous post, I came up a day earlier on Thursday to race/participate in the legendary Fifth Street Cross (aka fsx). I couch surfed at BFF Cush’s place and curled up with his cats as visions of boozing and ‘cross danced in my head. The next day we’d be heading to New Jersey.

Mud and grass from FSX

A good wash of our bikes was necessary before loading up the truck. While washing our bikes I was introduced to a drink that is sure to make it’s way to the finest bars and taverns, the Milwaukee Mimosa. This concoction is three fingers of orange juice and the rest is PBR. It’s surprisingly good and helps get your head on straight for whatever the day may throw at you.

With the essentials done it was time to meet the rest of the gang. It was going to be me and four other like minded guys driving to New Jersey in both an RV and an SUV. The reason for two vehicles? The RV, while great for setting up camp and squatting in any parking lot, isn’t the most efficient vehicle to have for driving around town. The plan was to drive to the race, park in the team parking lot, pile into the the SUV and then hit the town. Hard.

After an hour and a half drive we arrived at Mercer Park, the scene of the third stop of the USGP of Cyclocross. In 2008 the race had been reduced to a mud fest. The weather forecast for the weekend promised some light showers Saturday and then dry Sunday. However we knew that due to the damage we were going to inflict on ourselves Saturday night there was no point to registering for the Sunday race. It was race Saturday or nothing at all.

As promised, when the door to the RV swung open, the stairs deployed, the beer was brought out and the drinking began. As someone who has never had an appreciation for the fine art of tailgate parties I can only imagine this is what it’s like. You’re surrounded by fans of the same team and it’s just a celebration of drunkenness. However, instead of being in a parking lot filled with equally enthusiastic fans, it was just our lone RV and SUV parked in the field. We didn’t need the comradery of fellow cyclocross fans. In our coolers we had brought up 180 cans or bottles of beer. And yes, doing the math, I knew that it would be nearly impossible to drink it all.  We figured we’d be giving away as much as we drank and make a sizable dent ourselves. While the five of us arrived Friday night, others were arriving first thing in the morning to race.  They would catch up by drinking before and after their race. This weekend was shaping up to be quite the show.

Man cannot subsist on booze alone. Lord knows I’ve tried. So we loaded into the SUV and drove into town with the idea of eating at Triumph. It’s a bar/restaurant across the street from Princeton University and THE place to be. Unfortunately, by the time we had gotten our act together and arrived, it was an hour and a half wait. We quickly switched to Plan B and looked for alternate places to eat. Somehow as we walked down Nassau Street looking for another place to eat “Cover Boy” Ryan started to do his impersonation of James William Bottomtooth III, which quickly caught on to the rest of us. Soon we were mocking other people, asking for directions and ordering food with a Bottomtooth III accent. This lasted all night as we bounced from bar to bar. Finally we settled into a booth. By this point we had moved on from beer and on to mixed drinks, namely vodka tonics. The highlight of this bar were the locals we encountered. I personally love mixing it up with the locals as you can get a true favor for a town by the people you meet. And for sure, these were Jersey folks.

PART 2 coming soon…more boozing, racing and heckling. Oh yeah, some guy walking his cat

So true...

“Hey, since you’re up here for the Mercer Cup you might as well come up a day early and do Fifth Street Cross.” And with that spontaneous thought from my BFF Cush, I decided to load two duffel bags with enough cycling clothes to be prepared for any type of adverse weather conditions. “There might be rain, so over-pack,” was his last bit of advice.

The Mercer Cup race in New Jersey is the third stop on the USGP of cyclocross tour. The past two years it has been a mud-fest with almost equal parts running as well as riding. The crowds are thick and boisterous to say the least. However, in the town of Emmaus, Pennsylvania there is an equally well known race with a crowd that is also in various degrees of sobriety, Fifth Street Cross. To quickly summarize Fifth Street Cross, aka “fsx”, is to imagine a European World Cup cross race with a course thick with drunk spectators. Now imagine the drunk spectators are given race bikes and put onto the course to compete. That’s “fsx”.

Last minute beers and bike adjustments at Mountain Cycles

Fifth Street Cross originally started in Bicycling Magazine’s Bill Stricklands’ backyard. The course included single track, technical sections and goats. Of course there was beer hand-ups. But “fsx” became a victim of it’s own success as too many people started showing up for the Thursday night cross race/party. What went from a loose gathering of friends getting together to drink and race, to a real race and the legal complications that came with it. Not to mention that his backyard and house was getting trashed by the additional racers that were now making the “fsx” a Thursday night tradition. So the race was moved to a grass field, a racing license became required and forms needed to be filled out. But just because the race became more legit, it didn’t mean that the vibe of the race had changed.

The break between the two races and a chance to pound a beer

The Fifth Street Cross course is a windy track that loops through a grass field, around trees, and includes a short run-up followed by barricades. By it’s self this is a tough course. Race promoter/ring master Strickland described to me that the track is a pedaler’s course that required strength. The grassy sections require power and the many switch backs demand technical skill. What separates “fsx” from traditional cross races is a the short cut option and the theme of the night. Each lap the racers have the option of either taking a short cut route or a longer option. However the short cut option comes at a price – you need to eat, drink or do whatever the race volunteers/referees give you. This is where “fsx” again deviates from the normal ‘cross race. Also each race night has a theme and the theme was Mexican, which meant all the food and drinks that were going to be eaten or drank in order to take the short cut were Mexican in origin. Extra style points were given if you wore a sombrero or poncho. On one lap if you wanted to take the short cut you had to eat a chili pepper. Other laps it was hot sauce, tequila mixer or refried beans. On the last lap a four-question quiz about Mexico had to be completed (What is the body of water on the eastern side of Mexico?) and answered correctly before you could pass. Think Monty Python and the Holy Grail when the knights had to answer questions before they could cross the bridge and you get the idea. Oh, and most racers indulged in some pre-race liquid carbs, so quick and intelligent decision making might be a bit hampered. It was going to be one of those nights.

Bobby Lea - Thursday night's winner at

I arrived at Mountain Cycles bike shop in the heart of Emmaus and was almost immediately given a beer as part of the the pre-race “fsx” ritual. The small shop started to fill up with local racers. One local was Team OUCH rider Bobby Lea. For 2010 Lea is riding for the Bahati Foundation team, and was doing the “fsx” race for the hell of it. He’d been winning every week to no one’s surprise. Another local was Army Jim who in full camo gear, including World War II era style helmet. Yep, it was an eclectic group.

The evening races are split into two separate races, the first race is four laps with a winner. There is a 15 minute break so everyone can pound a few beers and then there’s the second race which is three laps. By the second race I’m fairly buzzed from pounding beers at the shop on virtually and empty stomach, racing and then pounding another beer in between races. The serpentine nature of the course started to get to me and my stomach, which was also not helped by the fact that I had to eat a chili pepper in order to take the short cut option and gulped down an shot of tequila. However, the highlight of the race was when Bicycling Magazine’s own Fit Chick pushed me into one of the many plastic poles that the race tape was tied to as she swooped beneath me. She later said that driving me into the pole was, “pretty easy.”

In the end everyone survived the race (which was a surprise to me) and the after party started at the only Mexican restaurant in town. Awards were given out and I won a razor for “smoothest move”, a nod to the fact that I’d been crashed by the Fit Chick and I had driven 10 hours to participate in the Thursday night madness. I had ridden for a little under an hour for a total distance of 10 miles. Next stop New Jersey. Good times…

Links:

• Fifthstreetcross
• Facebook Photos
• Fifth Street Cross Photos