February 2012
14 posts
7 tags
Red Bull, Red Meat, and Febreeze.
Our last night in Tokyo was to be spent back in the hip Shi BOO YAH neighborhood. We were to meet Tim’s Red Bull Athlete Manager in Japan, Arnie Ueno, at the Hachiko Dog statue again and we would be heading to dinner somewhere in the neighborhood.
When we got to the statue we immediately heard Arnie calling for us and he introduced us to his co-worker, Ai, pronounced “Eye.” ...
7 tags
Rice Balls, AKB48, and Raw Coffee.
After an awesome morning spent betting on bikes, we got back in the Cannondale van with Hiro and Ichi.
It was lunch time, and we would be eating on the road.
“McDonald’s or Rice Balls?” Hiro asked.
Tim and I both replied “Rice Balls” without hesitation.
Hiro shook his head and said, “Crazy Americans. They eat squid but not McDonald’s.”
...
5 tags
Betting on Bikes
The day before our trip to Tokyo ended, Hiro and Ichi surprised Tim and me with a trip to Keirin racing in Omiya.
Ichi was pretty pumped for the trip.
But Tim was concerned for his health.
It was close to a one hour drive, and from what I could tell, the Japanese were not accustomed to driving such a long distance. Tim and I didn’t care, as we just tried to repeat the Japanese...
6 tags
Eat the Head.
After our visit to Bonsai Cycle in Sendagaya, we made our way to the train with Kaiko Shimura, better known as the girl who is polluting the internet with images that would best be kept off the internet.
Thanks, Kaiko.
The train was crowded.
And unbelievably quiet! Seriously, no talking. Silence. Except for the click of my camera shutter. Whoops.
We got off the train in the hip...
3 tags
Crazy Americans
One thing we vowed to do while in Tokyo was to eat as the Japanese eat.
So far, I have shared Hotel Breakfasts, Sushi, Shabu Shabu, and now it’s time for a meal from Osaka called, “Okonamiyaki.” They call it the “Japanese Pancake,” but I can assure you, this ain’t your standard breakfast dish.
Yaki, in Japanese, is Grill. So when we were brought to our...
7 tags
How About Some Hardcore
Before the Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012 race on Saturday, we were introduced, by Daisuke Yano, to the owner of Bonsai Cycle, a special bike shop in Tokyo.
Upon meeting the owner, he told Tim Johnson he made “replica helmets.”
“This one?” Tim asked, pointing to his Red Bull helmet?
“Yes,” he replied, “This one is very difficult.”
We were...
4 tags
Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012 GoPro
Some video from the handlebars of Christian Heule during Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012.
11 tags
Cyclo Cross Tokyo 2012
Holy crap!
I didn’t realize this, but this was the first ever Cyclo Cross Tokyo, and to say it was a success is an understatement.
We all woke up early to be at breakfast in the hotel by 7am. We were at the course with bikes, wheels, trainers and other supplies by 8 for the 40 minute course inspection, since Tim and Erik had not yet ridden the course.
There was still roughly 1.2km of...
5 tags
Dinner Before the Race.
Back to chronological order, here…Friday.
On Friday, the rest of the racers arrived in Tokyo: Ben Berden, Tim Johnson, and Eric Tonkin.
Christian, Jamey and I were passing time in my hotel when Berden arrived at the hotel in Daiba late Friday afternoon and stopped by our room to say hello.
Ben’s most pressing question was what we were going to do at night.
He was welcomed...
Tokyo at Night.
I am going to step out of chronological order on posts here. I have to. Racing cyclocross is, well, racing cyclocross. You can imagine what it was like and I will definitely share my photos and video soon, but right now I have something more interesting to share.
After Saturday’s race, our Champion Systems hosts threw a party and fed us all we could eat. We can’t thank Ryoji,...
5 tags
Wait up, #Japandler
You saw Christian Heule pre-riding Koksijde behind Sven Nys.
Now you get to see him pre-riding Cyclocross Tokyo behind me…notice how natural I look in the Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld Pro kit. I could get used to wearing those colors…hopefully Team Director, Stu Thorne, will take notice.
If you’re looking for some analysis on this course, here goes:
The stuff in the...
6 tags
Cover the Plate.
Earlier this year I waged a bet with a kind gentleman from Canada.
The contest was a head to head battle at the Grand Prix of Gloucester in the Men’s B Race and to the victor went a hefty supply of Pure Maple Syrup from the loser’s region.
Long story short, I won the bet and received my winnings at the NBX Warwick Race in early December.
That weekend, Christian Heule stayed with...
4 tags
Sushi in Tokyo
After leaving the airport, Shinya brought The Dangler and me to meet two more Champsys hosts, Chiharu and Ryoji, at a local Sushi eatery, not far from our hotel.
Bear with me on these next photos because, like I mentioned, I would prefer to not have to think at all when using a camera and it stresses me out having to do so. As a result, Todd edited these remotely and did what he could to fix...
6 tags
#Japandler
A few months ago, I got an email from Tim Johnson saying he had two options for after the World Championships in Koksijde; A race in Costa Rica or a race in Tokyo, Japan.
My response to him was something along the lines of, “Is it even a question?” While I’m sure Costa Rica is beautiful, Japan has always seemed, well, like JAPAN.
Shortly after the email exchange, Tim asked...
January 2012
5 posts
4 tags
Wait up, Sven Nys
Here’s your chance to ride behind Sven Nys.
This is 3:28 of the Worlds course in Koksijde. Some of the sand dunes seem more rideable than in the past.
Thanks, again, to Christian Heule:
5 tags
UCI, Eat Your Heart Out.
More GoPro goodness from Christian Heule. This time, it’s from the World Cup at Hoogerheide, NED.
I was going to accuse Christian of playing this video slightly sped up, but then I would be an idiot.
Congratulations, Christian, your “Exclusive Access” footage has won you the Twitter battle. Send me Swiss Chocolate.
5 tags
I Will Smash You Down For Ever.
Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld rider, Christian Heule, snuck a GoPro into the World Cup at Lievin this weekend.
The course looks surprisingly greasy in Christian’s footage. Many referred to this race as a “grass crit,” but this footage indicates it was a little more complicated than that…
As much as I hate to promote the Twitter account of Christian Heule (we have...
4 tags
ROADTRIP
Five hours and 29 minutes from now, I will be getting in THE VAN.
After a brief stop in Jamaica Plain to pick up The Wilcox, we will point THE VAN west.
Destination: Madison.
Operation: #cxnats
Last time we did this, we drove 46 hours longer and we had a well-caffeinated Thom P to ease the burden. Thom has moved on to airplanes this year, but we know he misses the days of old.
He,...
5 tags
WatchThanks to my 2004 SUPER COMPUTER, you can all waste an hour on this vintage footage. Check out Ben Berden!
December 2011
3 posts
WatchToo steep. And slippery.
4 tags
WatchIf you look closely, you can see the power being produced by Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld rider Christian Heule during these first 1.5 laps at NBX Day One, where he was narrowly beaten to the line by Luke Keough.
3 tags
Shedd Park - My Side of the Story.
I feel it is only fair I defend myself after reading Colin’s outlandish claims regarding our Shedd Park Showdown on his BLOG.
I didn’t sleep Saturday night, at all. I had a sore throat. My dog got run over by a car the morning of the race. My BB30 sealed bearings were seized up. I wanted Carl Ring to have the opportunity to use his “clever” heckles. My right shoe was...
November 2011
4 posts
5 tags
Upgrade?
I think it’s time to finally address the issue of upgrading here on the blog.
I have spent many a sleepless night thinking about this.
Like any good blog, I feel I need to list the Pros of staying a Cat 3 vs Upgrading.
Pros of Staying a Cat 3:
1. Paycheck.
2. CyclingDirt Interviews.
3. Photos all over Facebook.
4. Wife continues to idolize me like when we were in High School...
6 tags
Anatomy of Another Crash
Thanks to my buddy, Todd, for this one. Picture credit goes to Elaine J DeBitetto.
I would say you don’t want to do this, but then what would we look at on a Tuesday morning?
6 tags
The Anatomy of a Crash
On the last lap of the Cycle Smart International Day One race last weekend, Robin MacDonald-Foley captured my demonstration of how to not ride the sand.
So there you have it. Don’t do this. Especially on the last lap.
6 tags
My First CX Win - And Another Thing.
I won a race today…Sandbagger…yeah, yeah, yeah. First win.
Later in the day, I was shown this tweet from local bike builder Spooky Bikes:
Total a-hole statement.
Even worse is it was directed at Todd Prekaski, a guy who gives a lot back to the sport.
While Todd hasn’t won a race on his Cannondale Super X with Sram Red and Zipp 303 tubulars, I think it’s safe...
October 2011
5 posts
Hiatus of the Blog.
The most recent post from Providence is going to be the last one for a short while.
Todd and I have caught up on all blog posts, photo galleries, and video projects until our next trip October 29th and 30th. We love projects, but we need to finish the one that started all of this.
What this means is we will be running silent and running deep finishing up DAS PRO und THE ROOKIE, a project...
8 tags
Providence Day One - From the Eyes of the GoPro
Disclaimer: I don’t have time to proof-read this, so if there’s something amiss, it’s here to stay.
I’m going to tell the tale of the race in a different way today. Hopefully it’s awesome.
You will get to see what I saw during the Providence Day One Junior/B Men Race (Juniors riding away from me, for the most part) and I will offer some narrative in between.
...
6 tags
Christian versus Ted.
We ran into Christian Vande Velde in Chicago after the Madison, WI USGP Weekend.
He just happened to be at the dealership where Christian Heule was trying to buy a Bentley.
I asked him about racing cyclocross and this is what he had to say (amongst other things):
So…do me a favor and ask these guys to race, would you? You can use the Twitter handles I placed at the end of the video...
14 tags
Set Yourself Up. To Fail.
I like to set unreasonable goals for myself.
In doggy classes they call this, “setting your dog up for failure.”
For example:
My wife will not take the dogs off leash in a busy parking lot. She will wait until the dogs are in the car and then unleash them.
I, on the other hand, will unleash them 50 yards before reaching the car to see if they will go to the car like I want. ...
1 tag
Gloucester Recaps
Prepare yourself for the most amazing race recaps in the history of race recaps.
By prepare, I mean hold your breath.
I’ll be right back…promise.
September 2011
13 posts
9 tags
WatchDay Two of the USGP Planet Bike Cup featuring the Luna Chix and some others in the MUD!
5 tags
WatchWhat is the World coming to?
5 tags
WatchLuna Chix/Lazer Helmets rider Georgia Gould takes some time during her warmup to discuss cyclocross with a couple local juniors.
5 tags
WatchThe second installment of the Luna Chix presented by Lazer Helmets.
8 tags
Patience is a Virtue
The most unbelievable update of all time is coming.
But first I have to go remove and replace clapboard.
In the meantime, enjoy this photo from Todd Prekaski:
Christian Heule and Zach McDonald
We can’t be sure exactly what words were exchanged here, but it has something to do with someone chopping someone else in the corners and someone retaliating during Day One of the Planet Bike...
7 tags
A Smart Ass?
I am one to make excuses.
Having our new team bikes and wheels has really put a wrench in this character strength, but being the Category B Male Cyclocross Racer that I am, I will still crawl into the trenches every weekend.
Excuse or not.
Did I mention Todd and I sat next to two ill people on the flights to and from Las Vegas?
I saw the Race Predictor’s predictions falling flat on...
2 tags
WatchTed King has something he would like to tell the Cyclocross World.
Watch….annnnnnd one more video from Green Mountain CX Weekend. All your favorites in this one.
WatchA CrossVegas recap from Todd Prekaski and me featuring Lazer Helmets riders Georgia Gould and Katerina Nash. More to come from the USGP Planet Bike Cup in Madison, WI this weekend.
3 tags
WatchSome pre-race words of wisdom from Ted King, Shawn Milne and Adam Myerson at the UCI Day Two CX Race in Williston, VT.
16 tags
singleWHAT?
After finishing second diddle to Nate Morse in the Cat 3 race, Todd and I took to the course with camera and camcorder for the Elite Men’s race.
As I mentioned earlier, Christian Heule showed up to test out his legs before he flew out to Vegas (where I now sit, writing this post).
Photo: Todd Prekaski
Recently recruited rider, Dylan McNicholas, had every intention of winning this...
15 tags
I Change My Mind...
…it really is about the bike. For me at least.
When I registered for the B Men’s Race at Quad Cross last weekend it was for a few simple reasons:
1. I enjoy racing my bike.
2. I wanted to see how much better my new Cannondale Super X with Zipp 303s team bike was than last year’s Ridley X Fires (Hint: A lot).
3. I knew LadyHawk was getting her training on at the...
8 tags
Oh No She Didn't.
Last year, against the advice of everyone who had raced more than one cyclocross race in their entire lives, I chose to start my season - after a road season that began in early March - in mid August.
I don’t regret it, since it was actually a good lesson for me in that it taught me road category was completely irrelevant CX category. I expected to show up and win.
Why the log?
If...
August 2011
7 posts
2 tags
Stop and Say Hello.
If you happen to be out on a ride and stumble upon one of my big-eared friends, do me a favor:
Stop.
Say Hello.
Take a picture. Obviously.
Send it to me, as Stephen Badger has done here:
Bring some carrots with you and you’ll have a new best friend.
How can you not love these guys?
1 tag
It's Not About the Bike
I have always wanted to be able to play dead/make my heart stop. Like a ninja.
Speaking of Ninjas:
Before you get upset about this having nothing to do with cyclocross, consider this:
It might be good for your mental health to think about something other than cyclocross once in a while.
Like Lance said, “It’s Not About the Bike.”
Sometimes it’s about Ninjas.
6 tags
Not Much to Report.
Two things:
1. I rode my bike for almost four hours on Saturday. I think this was the longest ride I’ve done since the Ride on Washington. Yeah, that’s a link to my own blog. Meh. I don’t even know when that ride was, but I remember being cold and my knee hurting.
2. My saddle was pointing up a little on Saturday. But I don’t even care anymore. What difference...
Pizza Was a Bad Choice
I am out of shape. I am trying to get in shape. This means I have to do intervals Janda Ricci-Munn gives me.
I started “training” last week, but it was easy stuff. “Base Training” Janda called it. Basically, it was riding around on the Road Bike or Mountain Bike all week. A few easy intervals were mixed in.
Today, however, was the start of a new week and today...
Help Charles Pelkey
Charles Pelkey was released from his job at Velonews the same day he was diagnosed with Cancer.
He’s a great journalist and a friend to many in the industry, so please help him if you can.
Here’s a photo from cyclocross worlds last year, when Charles interviewed Tim a few days before the big race.