Belgium, January 1, 2008
Christmas shopping and Loenhout

Jaimey Driscoll charging hard at the last USGP in Portland. Image Courtesy of Joe Sales
Before dinner Thursday evening a few fellow campers and I decided to hit the town on the cruiser bikes in search of some Christmas gifts for people we have put off until our return. [...]

Can’t seem to avoid entitling these posts with attempted phonetics. I guess it’s my subconscious trying to “bring it” to those of you reading from someplace other than Flanders. If you’d a been there last night, you’d a thought there was no place else to be.
A seriously solid attempt at “avondcross” or “eveningcross” by VT4 [...]

Diegem, Belgium, December 30, 2007
**Watch the video of the Superprestige in Diegem here on Sport.be
Veldrijden Klasse 1 UCI – Klasse 1
Aantal deelnemers: 49
1. NIJS Sven RABOBANK 01:03:12
2. SIMUNEK Radomir PALMANS-CRAS :20
3. STYBAR ZDENEK FIDEA :33
4. ALBERT Niels PALMANS-COLLSTROP :39
5. WELLENS Bart FIDEA CYCLING TEAM :42
6. GROENENDAAL Richar :50
7. VERVECKEN Erwin FIDEA CYCLING TEAM :57
8. GADRET JOHN AG2R
9. VANTHOURENHOUT Dieter CK PODBORANY 1:04
10. [...]

The congested pits at Loenhout full of bikes and mechanics. Photo Courtesy of Cycling-Pics.be

Elite (68 starters)
1 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank [...]

Another big race! This race always impresses me with its numbers, its show. Just a throng of people turn out for it. No Frischy this year for the first time in awhile; disappointed to not be able to say hi to him.
And, it’s always a good time to revisit and catch up with other pit [...]

Belgium, December 28, 2007

Eric Emsky, Rad Racing NW, stands at the start line ready to go. Photo ©: Joe Sales
Time for coffee and racing
Yesterday, we went on a nice ride to Kortrijk. The roads were wet and wind was present for the first time that we have been here. All of this did not [...]

As many of you know, I’m on sabbatical from teaching this year, and in the process of trying to write a book about modern cyclocross. I emphasize the “trying”, because it’s not an easy undertaking! Anyways, during my research, I’ve gotten to know Sven Nys pretty well.
At our team meeting last night at the camp, [...]

Tristan Schouten gets a fresh bikes in the pits at Hofdstade from Director Geoff Proctor. Photo Courtesy of Cycling-Pics.be
Hofstade WC is always a crusher for us. Yesterday, no exception. While the sand is more rideable than last year, the course still provides a formidable challenge. The first two uphills taken at warp bottleneck [...]

UCI Cyclocross World Cup #7 – Hofstade, Belgium
Elite Men
1 NYS Sven RABOBANK 1:06:25
2 WELLENS Bart FIDEA CYCLING TEAM + 00:14
3 BOOM Lars RABOBANK
4 VANTHOURENHOUT Sven4 SUNWEB PRO JOB + 02:05
5 VERVECKEN Erwin FIDEA CYCLING TEAM
6 GROENENDAAL Richard + 02:12
7 VAN GILS Wilant + 02:19
8 AERNOUTS Bart RABOBANK + 02:23
9 VANTORNOUT Klaas FIDEA CYCLING TEAM + [...]

Belgium, December 26, 2007

Racing and Shopping Adventures

Mitchell Peterson (Mona Vie -Cannondale)
Photo ©: Cycling-pics.be
‘Cross Camp V had a rough start. Laarne was a course that was best suited for a full suspension mountain bike. The constant bouncing on top of the tractor holes and ditches that were completely frozen except for the top 1/8th of an [...]