What’s up with this love affair with sand on a cyclocross course? I just checked out some photos of the Masters World’s course that my friend, Bill Elliston, so kindly posted.

I guess there are 3 sand pits on the course, with one having a u-turn incorporated in it. I don’t get the whole premise of including sand in a cross race. Is it because they have sand in Belgium, so we think it is cool to be like Belgians? That has to be the case. This sand riding has only become common the last decade or so. I don’t remember ever racing in a cross race that had sand before 2000.

If the Belgium connection is the reason, let me tell you, our sand is nothing at all like the sand in Belgium. Our sand is much more granular, courser, thus doesn’t compact like the fine, silt-like sand in Belgium. Our sand never will retain lines unless it is wet. Our sand is completely not rideable in many situations. Theirs is usually rideable, at least by the best riders.

Let me tell you how fine the sand is in Belgium. I have the pair of socks I raced in Mol, Belgium, two years ago. Every single time I put on those socks, I feel sand in them. I’ve washed those socks dozens of times and there is still a itty-bitty, tiny amount of very fine sand on the material. It’s nuts.

Anyway, I don’t want to bag on it too much, but I think it is stupid to go out of our way to add these sand obstacles in our cross courses, just because they do it in Belgium. It screws up the drive train of the bikes and seems unnecessary. Many of our cross races end up being extremely muddy. Then we go add an artificial sandpit into it. That is a recipe for disaster. In Belgium, normally where the sand is, the courses drain extremely well, because the sand is the natural composition of the soil, thus it isn’t super muddy, with sand.

I think that if the forecast for Louisville holds true, this will be the case there. Mud, plus 3 sand pits. For me, it shouldn’t be the factor to decide the outcome of a race, which it just might be this next week. Anyway, I’m driving towards the sand and mud in Louisville at this very moment. I have a physical therapy thing for my shoulder set up and then an awesome dinner after. Can’t get much better than that.

Check out the different in the composition of the sand in these two photos. The first is Klaas Vantornout at the 2013 Belgian cyclocross championships in Mol. The 2nd is Ryan Trebon and company in Boulder. See how the sand in the first photo holds the lines, while there are virtually no lines in the Boulder sand.

Bill, Trudi, Bromont and I drove the 600 miles to Louisville, leaving early yesterday morning. I had an appointment to get some ultrasound and PT at 5 pm, so we had to scurry.

We got here early enough to actually check in to the hotel and suit up to do a lap of the course. It was just raining a bit, but we drove here all day in the rain. It looks like it is going to be raining pretty much the next three days. I have to assume that it is going to get pretty sloppy the next couple days. I heard through the grapevine that the course is closed all day today. I’m not really stressing this, because I don’t plan to ride the course much before the qualifying race on Tuesday.

The course is pretty good. Lots of open riding and tricky places. There is a lot of sand, but the sand is all rideable and should be even more so as it gets wetter. There are two ascents up a 20 meter hill. Yesterday, the first one was doable, but it is not going to be after it gets slick and muddy footprints riddle the course.

The weather is going to be the question here, as always. I think it is still going to be sloppy by Thursday, but it looks like it is going to freeze up solid on Thursday night for Bill’s, Shad’s, Matt’s races on Friday. That would be a shame.

Last night I ate more food than I’ve eaten the last week. We drove a bit out of town to eat with friends, Stacey and Carl. Stacey is from Wisconsin, up by Cable, where I usually hang this time of the year. She is an orthopedic surgeon and is helping me out with my shoulder. Anyway, she cooked up an amazing meal. Salmon, chicken, pasta, two salads, lots of fruit, plus two desserts. I ate until I nearly popped.
It seemed to sit pretty well, which was amazing too. I’ve felt weird in my stomach for over a week now, but I must be better. We’ll see how it is today.

Okay, I’m not going out there today. Might actually just ride a trainer, oh no. Okay, I’ll update later as I wake up more.

Here is the longest sand area, something like a spiral.

My homemade spikes are going to come in handy here. This is after just walking one hill, one time.

I drove most of the way, well more than 1/2, but the rest of the time I was in the back with Bromont.

This is the table setting, at least as nice as any Thanksgiving as I’ve ever seen.

Carl has a full machine shop in their basement.