Yesterday’s race at Master’s Cyclo-X Worlds went pretty exactly like I’d envisioned. Well, that isn’t exactly fair to say, because I’d envisioned the race in lots of different scenarios. But, it did go like the mostly likely one, or the one I’d planned for the most.

I didn’t like the course much. Not really at all. It’s not that the course was bad, it was the conditions made it very unchallenging. Don’t get me wrong, it was very challenging physically, beyond so, but that was about it. The weather changed the course up so it was pretty much a “tractor pull”, quoting Peter Webber. I can do a tractor pull, it’s just not my favorite type of cyclocross racing.

I think that a good cyclocross should have lots of different situations, where many different skills are needed. There was only one thing needed yesterday and that was power. That, and maybe just a bit of mud, hill running ability. I had enough power, to make due. And I run up hill pretty well when needed.

I never really got that gassed. That was a luxury of being so far ahead early on. My friend Jed Schneider, who was watching, said the conditions must have be horrible. He said that I was “humping” my bike. By that he meant that I was pumping it forward and backward during the pedal stroke. I hardly ever ride that way. I knew what he meant though. The deal was that I’d be riding along pretty well and all of a sudden, my wheels would nearly stop, hitting a crazy sticky stop and the only way to get my bike moving again was by pushing, or more like, pumping out of it.

I was looking for the fudge. The fudge was the wet stuff that didn’t suction your wheels back. It was the faster line nearly always. Sometimes I’d venture over to the ribbon and get on what looked like virgin grass, only to be disappointed with the speed and effort level.
It wasn’t pretty.

I never fell once. I kind of screwed up the last descent off the soccer field and stepped off my bike and kind of slid down it on my feet. That wasn’t a very professional way to approach the finish line, but it didn’t really matter much.

Everyone was trying to make a story of my shoulder and the pain, but that really wasn’t an issue at all. There were virtually no places that were trying to jerk the bars from my hands. I actually shouldered my bike for the two run ups and after the initial movement to get the bike to my shoulder, hardly noticed a thing. It is pretty sore now, after the race, but that is to be expected I assume.

The only valid complaint I have about the day is that the race was too short. I did the first lap in just about 10 minutes on the spot, thus the race should have been 4 laps, which would have been right about 40 minutes, which was the scheduled distance. So, making the race only 3 laps seemed off. I would have ridden the race in right about 42 minutes, which is within time parameters. I do understand the time restraints, trying to keep the day on schedule, but the scheduled time is for the winner, not for the middle of the pack or last riders. I might have been the only guy out there wanting to ride one more time around in that slop, but I figure I’m not going to be racing for a while now, so why not. It’s not that really of big deal.

I have to say, like I did yesterday, I’m relieved that the race is finally over. These health and physical undulations I’ve had the last few weeks have been mentally stressing. I’m sick of all the system checks. I usually don’t have this problems, questioning my form or ability, but I definitely had that issue this week. It doesn’t sit that well, I don’t like it much. But, it is rewarding overcoming (I’m not sure that is the exact right word) these problems.

I think that I’m done racing these Master’s World Championships under the current UCI rules. I hate my cyclocross schedule, or I guess I should say, lack of schedule. This season, it wasn’t that bad because I was hurt for long periods, but with not being able to place in any UCI races, I have no desire to go to the races that I’d like to race. I’d rather just do Elite races and see how well I’m riding and forget about this. Maybe, eventually, the UCI will realize that the only stipulation to racing Masters events should be by age and not by ability. Since it only really applies to cyclocross racing in the United States, I doubt it is very high on their priority list.

It would be rude not to state that Bill Elliston has done an excellent job with the course, considering the weather conditions and how it played havoc with the ground, tape, just about all aspects of the course. It is amazing that the guy is out there from the crack of dawn until late in the afternoon, moving stakes and making sure everything is good, trudging around in this deep mud and then still racing the event. Some kind of stamina.

Today is just another twist. Now it is all frozen, covered with an inch of overnight snowfall, plus it is only 9 degrees right now. Everyday, just like last year, has been completely different with its own challenges. Today the challenge is going to be trying to stay on your bike. Frozen ruts are tricky for all and will come into play deciding today’s race winners. I play to be out there all day, watching my friends race and hopefully learning something while doing it.

Here are a couple interviews I did after the finish. And a little footage of the race itself.

Here are a couple more videos from yesterday. I have a big rant building up from the fiasco today at the Master’s Worlds. I am so wasted. I watched nothing. I spent three hours in the pit cleaning bikes that weighed 50 pounds every half lap. It was a joke. No power washers. Anyway, more later.

Okay, I assume you’ve all heard that the Cyclocross Worlds are being moved up a day and are being run today, Saturday. Everyone is racing today because of the potential flooding of the venue on Sunday here in Louisville. How about that for planning? Anyway, that is how it is going to go.

I spent all day yesterday either looking at the ground or at a cassette or crankset, scrubbing icy mud off of bikes in the pits. It was an impossible task.

After that, I went out for dinner with a bunch of friends from Kansas that have been transplanted throughout the country and then met up with a bunch of other friends at the Holly Grale, an awesome establishment in a church here in Louisville.

I was fortunate to catch up with some friends that I’d never had the opportunity to really get their stories. It was a great evening. We closed down the place, which is going to hurt in a few hours.

What is so great about the sport of cycling is that we all talk the same talk. Once you get to a certain level in the sport, there is a language that is not decipherable by the average observer. We all understand the language, even if weren’t not exactly on the same page.

I loved listening to the stories of the riders that raced today. I missed all the races because I was cleaning bikes. I didn’t see anything. But, listening to the riders stories, I could picture the races as they happened. It was so easy and almost better than witnesses in person.

I’m not usually one to drink a bunch of beer, but it was nearly impossible to not drink beer on this occasion. The beer here was very strong, most over 10% alcohol content and very tasty. The beer of choice tonight was “walk on water”, a danish beer. The story here was that Brian Jensen, my team mate, that I was pitting for, is the best friend of the owners of the company from Denmark. How small is this world.

The owner of the establishment came up and “bought” us all a shot of walk on water, and then it flowed the rest of the night.

So, here it is about 5 hours before the juniors are going to race. I plan on being there from the first gun to the finish. I’m gonna ride my bike over and lock it up to something and then watch all the races. There isn’t a race I’m not interested in.

I haven’t had a chance to actually go across the street and check out the course. I’m sure it’s going to be pretty good. I raced at the venue last year and there is enough terrain to make a good cyclocross course. I’d be surprised if they don’t get a good flow. You all know where the links are. If you don’t, go you Cyclingfans.com and they have the links for the race. I’m sure Velonews has the race streaming live too.

Okay, I need to get a little sleep before standing all day. It should be an exciting day. Lots to write about the next week. I’m sure there will be a lot more after the rest of today. I’m picking Sven for the win. And Marinanne Vos for the women.

This is the upstairs of the Holy Grale. Not a bad place to hang with friends.

We kept running into our buddies from Kansas. Lazy asses, didn’t even take their bikes off the racks to power spray them at the care wash.

Trudi was a trooper in the pit.

They give a very generous pour of wine here in Louisville.

Question of the day -Who’s ankle is this and who is exposing this art work?

Bill Elliston seemed to have lost his Worlds jacket, but ended up going home with this.

By now a lot of you have seen a photo of Peter Webber’s cross bike from last Friday at Cylcocross Worlds. If not, here it is.I was going to rant about this on Saturday, but I thought it might be better to let it sit a few days. I’m not sure that helped.

I was working the pits on Friday for two races. Actually, I should start at the beginning. Thursday morning, 7:45 early, I went to the course and pre-rode the course on my b bike. I went back to the hotel and left my bike with Bill and Trudi to have cleaned. I came back to the course about 9:15, expecting to ride my b bike, only to find that it was still as dirty, actually worse, since it was frozen, as it was when I left it. The power washers weren’t functioning. They’d left them out and the had froze.

Right before the start of my race, they got at least one of them started and up and running. The course was of the condition that it would be impossible to try to ride the same bicycle more than a couple laps. That night, Thursday, after my race, we drove by the course around 10pm. I remember commenting in my van that I’d bet anyone a million dollars that they left the power washers out once again.

Sorry to say, I was right. We didn’t learn this until after noon on Friday. Brian, Bill and I went over to the course to check it out and after only 1/2 a lap our bikes were completely clogged with mud, grass, etc., plus it was freezing on as it hit the frame. Bill’s race was in less than an hour and we headed back to the hotel to use a hose there. It took me a good 30 minutes to get the stuff off of Bill’s bike. Mainly because the hose was in the shade and the water was freezing back as soon as it hit the frame. The temperature was in the mid teens.

So I knew back at the course it was going to be carnage. I didn’t or couldn’t imagine how much though. We had a 5 gallon bucket of hot water, plus a few gallons of windshield washer fluid. That was hardly close to enough. The bikes were coming in worse and worse as the day progressed. I was handing Bill back bikes that were bikes that he should have been giving me to be cleaned. The amount of destroyed equipment was unbelievable. Dozens of broken derailleur hangers. Sometimes frames. Chains, wheels, you name it, it was broken.

All because the promoters of the event couldn’t make sure there were power washers working. It is inexcusable. It was the World Championships, the course conditions were worse than almost any bike race I’ve ever been to, and there is no way to spray the bikes.

No one seemed to take charge. I could have just drove to Home Depot and rented 5 power washers and put them in my van. No one from the promotional end seemed to give a shit.

Many a race was decided by this issue. Whoever had driven to the event and had planned to have a full pit, most likely had a bucket and the tools needed to just barely maintain. But, riders that had flown to Louisville, were most likely SOL.

And that was the deal. There wasn’t a rider at the races on Friday that wasn’t affected by the lack of power washers. I have no idea how the 40-44 men’s race would have been different, but the riders at the front of the race were having completely different experiences because of this fiasco. The Spanish guy that was winning, broke his derailleur hanger off. Pete Webber, who was riding in the front, broke his. Mark Savery was getting super clean bikes back from Tom Price, charged all the way to the front and won the event by a large margin. Mark and Tom had planned from this, but you can’t blame a guy that flew over from Spain, not to be prepared. It is a joke.

I ran into Sean Petty, from USAC, after the Elite Worlds and he was giddy, as was I, about the day. I nearly turned to speak my mind about the disaster at the venue down the road, the day before, but held my tongue. The Elite Worlds eclipsed the Master’s event with support. I understand the issue of having to move the Elite race up a day, but I was told that the two venues had completely separate staff. But, there is no excuse for a break down so huge that every single rider in the event was affected by the situation.

I went to the self service car wash after the races and spent over $20 to get 4 bikes and a couple sets of wheels marginally clean. Bill Elliston told me later than night, he went to a car wash, swiped his credit car, and $110 later, he had cleaned his equipment. He must of been freezing by then.

I really don’t understand how this could have happened. I have to assume that the power washers that were left out all night were destroyed. I also have to assume that they were just rented, so someone is out a big chunk of money. These weren’t your garage variety power washers, they were industrial. And all someone had to do was either go and run RV antifreeze through them the night before or better yet, pick them up and take them inside. You didn’t see this problem in Kansas City, Bend or Madison the previous Nationals. And all these races, it was below freezing.

I’d love to hear an explanation or “excuse” from anyone from the organization for this whole mess. Please, someone try your best to explain.

USAC should refund the entry fees of all the riders that raced on Friday and send each and everyone of the riders an apology letter, along with a free entry to next years National Championships in Boulder. And this still would not come close to making up or being square with the situation. World Championships were decided by the promoter’s failure to do their job. It is inexcusable.

My bike after 1/2 a lap riding on Friday.

Brian’s brand new Eriksen after the same 1/2 a lap racing on Friday.

Pete Webber leaving the pit when he still had a bike that he could pedal at a reasonable speed.

The trailer headed back to Colorado with 65 destroyed cross bikes.

Yesterday I wrote about the fiasco at the Master’s Worlds. I felt an obligation to because of the effects of not crossing that one t, or dotting that one i. No power sprayers equals lots of chaos.

Today, Saturdays races. Overall, on Saturday, I’d have to give the promoters at least a B. They did a pretty great job of making sure that the event was actually held. Rising flood water isn’t something to be treated lightly and moving the race schedule up a day changed lots of situations for them.

The reason that they received a B is that the course and the races were excellent. The weather played much into this, but no matter the reason, all four races were fantastic. The juniors were riding around on hard packed ground with a dusting of snow. As the day heated up and the snow left, the U23’s and women raced in transitioning conditions. And finally the Elite race was run over a very challenging, but completely useable course. With the sun staying behind the clouds, snow flurries were an added feature the last half, instead of deeper, less manageable mud. It was perfect.

The course crossing guys did a super job. There wasn’t too much of a wait at most course crossing, allowing the spectators to readily move and watch at lots of different sections throughout any one race.

If the course and races weren’t so incredibly great, then my rating would of been much lower. The waiting to secure any type of nourishment got completely ridiculous at times. This wasn’t something that bothered me, but I was there for the races, not only for the race experience. I talked to a couple different people that said that they had to wait close to 90 minutes to get some sandwiches. I’m assuming that more food vendors weren’t there because the races were supposed to be split into two days, thus spectators there for less than 4 hours. But when all the races were compressed to one day, then the food became a much bigger deal. Spectators having to stand, or run around, for 7 or 8 hours needed much more food. Imagine a family that had kids standing in line for that long for food. And it wasn’t available. The icing on top of the cake is that you were told not to bring your own food or liquids into the venue. I have no idea how strictly that was enforced, but there were signs at the entrance.

I was surprised, since the did serve beer, that there weren’t beer carts/tents, in every section. Having to cross the course two or three times to get to a line that was over an hour long is unacceptable. I’m hoping the changing of days was the cause for all of this, but it should have been taken care of.

Overall, the Elite races on Saturday were good. I think that most every person there was giddy and so excited to have witnessed such a success. While driving back to Topeka on Saturday, we stopped to get fuel in a little Indiana town. We went to McDonalds to get some yogurt parfaits (and Bromont a plain hamburger, spoiled dog). A guy standing in line said something to me about the race. He and his wife looked like non-cyclocross spectators. Pretty out of shape and dressed too nice. I was wearing the same Carhart jacket that I’d used in the pits on Friday, so I stood out like a sore thumb, all covered with caked dirt.

Anyway, the guy’s eyes lite up when he told me of his experience. He said that he travels to Tour of California, the Pro Challenge in Colorado and other races. He said that the Elite race in Louisville was by far the best bike racing he’d personally seen. That he could be so close to the riders that Sven Nys’ mud off his rear wheel hit him in the face. I have to agree. It was the best race I’ve had the pleasure to witness.

It was priceless. But, where were the waffles?

These two guys made the last couple laps of the Elite race memorable.

The crowds were great. They could of used a few more big screens spread throughout the venue.

This was the line to get into the food tent, in the background. Totally unacceptable.

They could have sold 1000’s of these, if available.