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 woods was some of the most fun I’ve had on a cyclocross bike. It was like riding through a dark jungle, with loose needles and leaves over soft, loose dirt.
As for the sand, we skipped the first half that was completely un-rideable for me. After riding the second half of the sand, I was barely able to climb the steps and remount. Pedaling the start/finish stretch was not an option.
That was one lap, and I think the Pro race was 11 or more laps.
Elite World Cyclocross Championships Preview
Wow, so much going on here and so much to do the last two days…it has been a whirl wind.
The stress of missing some footage and not getting what you had planned to get on camera is overwhelming. Add unruly, drunken European fans and it can get complicated.
As the race draws near, Tim becomes more focused and busy, and in turn, harder to follow. We can sense space is needed in the Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com team house. While no one would ever say anything to us, you would need some serious blinders up not to pick up on the energy.
We spent the last two days gathering as much content as we could without getting in the way, which, when you are really focusing on this, can be stressful in its own right. Being responsible for interfering with Tim’s Worlds preparations in any way is something none of us want on our conscience.
Now, more than ever, the differences between the Pro and the Rookie are abundantly clear. The amount of focus, determination, and preparation Tim has put into this race - mind you this is still just one, albeit a pretty important one, of many races in a long season - is almost exhausting as a bystander. Throw the fact that this is all being done in a part of Germany where almost no one speaks English and this feat is truly admirable.
Tim and his team make it look simple and flawless, but now viewing this from the perspective of someone who has struggled at times to make what seems like a fairly simple film about this whole process, it should be understood how difficult it really is over here to do the simplest of things.
Let me give you an example: There is no laundromat within 50 kilometers of Sankt Wendel. This isn’t an exaggeration. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have just washed two pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear, and two Zipp Speed Weaponry t-shirts in my sink. Good thing my Rapha merino wool layers don’t stink and the stretch pants are so easily wiped clean. I looked for a laundromat for 5 days. It’s not that I couldn’t find one, it’s that there isn’t one.
Do you realize how many kits a professional cyclocross team dirties in a week?
I can go on and on about this, but I will just finish up by saying I truly am impressed with Tim, Stu, Troy and the Cannondale guys (and gal) and what they do. They are a well Pedro’s-Lubed machine, and I look forward to Tim strapping on his custom Red Bull painted Lazer helmet tomorrow and making these Euro Fans turn to me and say, “Ayeyyeyeyeyeye! Go, Timmy!”
I give you our last installment before the big event. Go, Timmy!
PS - Go Meredith, Katie, Kaitie, Jeremy, and Jamey, too.
A Real World Championships Course?
We bid “Adieu” to Belgium on Monday afternoon.
At the risk of offending Belgians, and at the risk of making a generalization about a country I really don’t know much about, I will just say it was time to move on by the time we finally did.
What I can say is this: Being given the opportunity to live in Belgium for a few days and jump head first into the world of cycling here answered a lot of questions for me…the most important of which was whether I would ever be able cut it as a cyclist in Belgium. The answer to that question is NO. I would not.
The simplest analogy I can make to life in Belgium is that feeling you have when you’ve been at a race with your teammates for too long. The sarcasm is no longer palatable and tempers are running short. Belgium, to me, seemed to be permanently stuck at that point in time, and the whole country is your team and you want to fucking kill them all.
I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but Belgium broke me. It did. As I was riding back from the Westvleteren Abbey I passed a woman walking her dog and I growled under my breath, “I hate you, your dog, and your country.”
I’ve done enough things to know it’s not worth dwelling on the past, so let’s move forward. Forward to the land of my brethren. GERMANY.
Stu Thorne told me at the Abbey that I would bounce back in Germany. He must have known that some trees and general landscape variation would lift my spirits, because it did. With the smell of feces and the air of death behind us, we moved onto a country with a language not that different, but an aura that was nothing butt.
We left Ieper, Belgium late Monday evening and arrived to our hotel around 12:30 am. We managed to get 8 hours of sleep since the first day we’ve been here and spent most of Tuesday catching up on all our photos and videos. We have lots of both and we’re really happy with what we’ve got, so the DVD is looking good so far.
Wednesday morning we drove 25km to Sankt Wendel, the host town of this year’s World Championships, to get our press credentials and to walk the course and offer some CycloWHAT? commentary. It was cold, foggy, and snowing. It was awesome.
I miss Belgium, I really do…
We couldn’t not stop along the way for some more coffee and pastries. I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality and abundance of cafes offering up tasty treats. That, and the fact that Todd and I have been drinking about 8 coffees a day. I mean kaffees.
Ich bin eine Berliner?
After getting our credentials, we drove 200 meters to the course and met Jim and Iri with Brake Through Media and I assured them I had stepped off the ledge I had been out on when we last filmed in Belgium.
I couldn’t find my boots, though, which sucked, because it was not dry on the course.
Sure, it’s cold, but that shit is soaked.
We made Amy Dombroski stand in as uncomfortable a position as possible.
“I love your blog, Chan.”
I know, Amy. I know.
I walked around the course with my camera crew in tow. When their morale was low, I told them about Michael Mann and how he doesn’t sleep and that I needed to be treated better or I would pull the plug on this whole thing, right fucking now! My feet were soaked.
Todd took pictures. He told me how awesome they were going to be, because he’s cocky now.
It may not look like it, but this is a very long uphill grind.
In Belgium, this would smell terrible. But we’re in Germany now.
Tim rudely interrupted the project my storming into the frame and telling us all that he was going to do some training on the rubber track that hosts the start and finish of the race.
Red Bull, Red Bull, Red Bull…
And I timed him. Subtle changes made interesting improvements…shhhhhh.
Damn that Rapha Bomber Jacket is warm. And handsome.
After Tim did his standing starts and I froze my right hand beyond any feeling, we continued to walk the course.
Is that an escalator?
Todd climbed to his near death to get this shot.
Man, look at the size of that course, man. That thing’s huuuuuuuge.
Too aid in the thawing process, I took the opportunity to field questions from the media. They wanted to know my thoughts on the course. I gave them a taste of my insight, but left them wanting more. So savvy.
One at a time, please. You’ll all get your turn. Savages.
The press room here is a bit more impressive than the already impressive press room in Hoogerheide. Can you guess what that says about us here ‘mericans?
Power strips at each seat? Yes, please!
We stole about 50 event posters, because that’s what we do. And we left. But not before looking at a large, naked butt.
Helllloooooooooo!
We met Tim and the crew in downtown Sankt Wendel for a late meal.
“Wish you were here.” No I don’t.
But first we stopped off at the Peach Pit to meet Kelly, Brandon, Donna, Steve, Dylan, Brenda and David Silver for einz kaffee.
Miss you, Brenda.
At lunch, Tim ordered this:
Ironically, it was called the Fitnesse Salate
I ate this:
It was not called a Fitnesse Salate
Todd ate this:
Also not a Fitnesse Salate and this held him off through dinner.
After lunch, we rushed back to the Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld.com team house and found Stu Thorne and Troy Laffey tuning up the team rigs.
And Tim proved that he is the only person out there who is more loyal to his sponsors than The Rookie…
Red Bull, Zipp, Pedro’s, Mad Alchemy, Lazer, Cannondale…
We left Tim to his interviews and I raced Todd to the computer for a battle of bloggage. A battle he is currently winning. Go to his page and you’ll see why…But damnit I’m so proud of him.
