Seems like it is hard to get away for the discussion of life lessons when talking about the EuroCrossCamp experience.  In the last installment of the EuroCrossCamp Diaries on Cyclingnews.com, Jake Wells talks about that very thing in his post called “Belgium:  Land of Enlightenment.” Jake asks the question, Does racing in Belgium automatically lift you up to another level as a racer?  “So, is there something magical about Belgium? Are you automatically going to be transformed into some kind of cyclocross powerhouse based on the fact that you make the trip over and race on legendary courses? Absolutely not. It’s about broadening you perspective. It’s about the experience and the knowledge that you gain. You get to catch a glimpse first hand at what it takes to be the best in the world. Not only do you race against the most talented fields on difficult courses, but you see the sacrifice needed to make it at this level. These guys are machines.”

“I am in my early thirties and and have a family, so it is safe to say that I am not the typical demographic for EuroCrossCamp. However, this camp is not only beneficial to someone that wants to experience cyclocross at the highest level but it is also helpful in learning life lessons. Cycling is a tough sport, and it is as much about perseverance as personal fitness. If you are looking for an excuse, you can always find a reason for not doing well in a race. It takes mental fortitude to overcome this and keep lifting yourself back up. Racing in Belgium requires this kind of fortitude over and over again. Being a foreigner in Belgium teaches you that everything isn’t always going to be perfect on race day.”

Jake is racing with EuroCrossCamp for the first time this year.  He’s from Avon, Colorado where he rides for Stan’s No Tubes.  Read the entire diary entry at Cyclingnews.com.

You know that feeling when you have a ton of stuff being thrown at you and your mind starts spinning, making it hard to focus and stay on task?  Well, that is similar to what Sam O’Keefe felt when he landed in Belgium and started racing.  Sam writes: “My European start position was a metaphor for my European racing experience. At the beginning of camp, I would wait around disoriented before the start, until I was called up with a few others lacking UCI points or Belgian citizenship to the very back of the pack.”

But, riders get use to the Belgian way pretty quickly.  Sam reflects on all of this in another EuroCrossCamp Diary Entry on Cyclingnews.com:  “…like in racing, after a few days I settled into the rhythm of things and didn’t feel guilty about lying on the couch for recovery or asking for a bottle of water from the trainer. I saw a steady improvement in my results as well as I adjusted to European racing by sharpening my elbows. I got more comfortable with the battle that was the first ten minutes of a cross race in Belgium.”

Success, on the surface and maybe to those at home reading, might be hard to pinpoint for our racer’s in Belgium.  The racing is exponentially harder than in the States, the courses harder, the fans more robust and the travel compounds it all to being just plain difficult.  O’Keefe points out the measure of success that Geoff Proctor applies to the EuroCrossCamp experience:  “Geoff Proctor outlined success in racing at the Camp as being satisfied with at least two race efforts. I felt the best at the Zolder World Cup and a local race in Bredene, but I learned from the entire two weeks of Camp, inspired by the Belgian way of cyclo-cross.”

The other success here is that Sam will take home an abundance of knowledge and expertise back home to share with his friends and peers in Baltimore, Maryland.  Sam races for C3/Athletes Serving Athletes and this is his first jump into the fray of European ‘cross racing.

You know that feeling when you are riding in a place and you hope you can find your way back “home?”  Now, imagine that when riding in West Flanders on a cold winter day.  The roads zig zag through farm fields, round abouts, past the Delhaize, and over cobbles, tarmac and dirt.  A short ride can turn long.  Zane Godby, in the latest EuroCrossCamp Diary Entry on Cyclingnews.com, shares the experience:  “As for the riding in Europe, it is exactly how you would imagine it: narrow roads, cars buzzing close to you, and how you just ride through these little towns with farmland in between them. I didn’t really experience the riding outside last year because it was really snowy and cold, and I rode on the rollers a lot. So riding outside was interesting for me this year. Sometimes it is very hard to find your way back to the USA Cycling house. Therefore an hour ride consists of riding out of Izegem for 30 minutes and then another 45 to 60 minutes trying to find the house again.”

Zane rode at EuroCrossCamp last year for the first time.  Having that experience under his belt really helped give him an edge.  “The racing was a lot different, too, this year. That is because I knew most of the race courses, and for me whenever I have seen a course before it usually keeps me calm. Also I had a front row start in most of the races because I had UCI points this year.”

Zane is another Clif Bar Cyclocross Development Team rider and hails from Louisville, Colorado.  Check out the rest of his Diary Entry on Cyclingnews.com.

We had our final meeting last Friday night; here is the gist:

Succeeding in bike racing (and life) requires taking calculated risks, constant refinement, and investment.

• Calculated Risks: seeing an opportunity like EuroCrossCamp and taking advantage of it; analyzing the potential benefits of such an experience and deciding to go for it or not; that, often in life, the push away from the comfort zone can result in huge gains in ability, self-confidence, and character growth.

• Constant Refinement: specific examples from Friday’s race in Leuven: encouraging our juniors to get an optimal start prior to the technical single track sections in the woods; Jonathan Page switching to Rhino tires mid-race in effort to gain that 1% more; in making my rounds pre-race, talking to Sven Nys about his plan to go directly to Mallorca after Sunday’s race in his hometown of Baal to make refinements prior to next week’s Belgian championships; directing elite Camp rider Jake Wells, during the race, to only make bike changes in pit 1 because pit 2 meant time loss. Constant refinement. No matter if you’re a first-year junior or Sven Nys, a rider who’s won everything there is to win in this sport (in some cases, several times over).

• Investment: if you want to succeed in bike racing, you have to expose yourself to a level that is better than your current level; you have to “rub shoulders” and “bang bars” with riders like junior phenom Mattieu Van der Poel before you can begin to believe you can beat him; ultimately, you have to invest in the hope that one day, that investment will bear fruit. It takes patience, diligence, and fortitude, but understanding the process of investment is the first step.

I truly feel that each and every rider at the Camp got better in some way during our few weeks together.  Performance, personal, and/or character-wise–we all came together and got the best out of each other. And that, in the end, is what makes the Camp the Camp.

(tomrobertsonphoto.com) (Thanks Tom for all the great Camp shots!)

Happy New Year to all.

And, for those of you selected for the world championships, I will see you back in Izegem in a few short weeks for the big dance on the pedals. I predict 50,000 for the elite men’s race in Koksijde.

Get ready to rock!

Geoff

This is the first year that US Cyclocross Nationals happen in January and it has EuroCrossCamp riders changing up their strategy going into January.  The busy two weeks of racing in Belgium is the perfect prep for a successful trip to Madison.  The experience sets riders up to be ready for the last bit of racing in January and February.  Jordan Cullen writes in the latest EuroCrossCamp Diary on Cyclingnews.com about the how great the experience was in Europe:  “A busy week of racing is coming to a close in Izegem as we all get ready to head home and get ready for nationals. This trip has been a great experience for everyone with some amazing memories and excellent racing.”

This is Jordan’s first trip to EuroCrossCamp and his first time racing in Europe.  It went well for him.  “I did five races while I was over here, Namur, Diegem, Zolder, Loenhout, and Bredene. My favorite one was definitely Loenhout because the race was pretty muddy, had a pump track section, and a long road stretch.”

There’s more in Jordan’s Diary entry including a hint about how to be prepared for the start at a Euro race and managing the busy pits of Loenhout.  Jordan comes to ECXC IX from Hudson, Wisconsin and rides for the Clif Bar Cyclocross Development Team.