World Championships

     For the first time ever, the UCI Cyclocross World Championships were to be held outside of Europe. It was announced more than two years ago that 2013 would be the time that cyclocross expanded to another area of the world. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't shocked when the official word came that the race would take place in the United States. I would also be lying if I said I wasn't pumped to hear that it would be held a mere three hours away from my house in Louisville, KY, at a venue I have punished myself on. How cool is that?!!! The big names in cross racing on a course I have raced on. And in a year that the legend Sven Nys is contemplating retirement  It would likely be my only chance to ever see him in action. It was almost too good to be true!

     2013 seemed so far away. I was expecting to here that the UCI rethought their decision or that sponsors fell through and the race would be moved. The latter almost happened after Exergy failed to come through with promised sponsorship funding, but some US sponsors and USA Cycling stepped up to make it happen. After a long, long wait the week of Worlds finally came for the Bluegrass State...

     I had bought tickets for Shannon and myself long in advance to ensure we would be there watching the best fight it out on the banks of the Ohio River. We had booked a hotel room in town as the races were to cover Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend in February. The schedule was for the Junior Men and U23 Men to race Saturday, with the Elite Men and Women following on Sunday.

     Mother Nature brought forth a crazy week, starting warm with lots of rain and even the threat of tornadoes, followed by a temperature crash that froze the course and even left it with a thin layer of snow. All the precipitation caused the Ohio River to begin flooding, threatening the race course by Friday. Crews were brought in to survey the scene. They built dams and pumped water off some areas, even throwing gravel and wood chips over low spots in the course where water was starting to bubble up due to the high water table below. The Ohio continued to rise and by lunchtime on Friday, it was clear that the mighty river would overtake the course by Saturday evening, flooding half of the course including the team and VIP areas before race time on Sunday. The decision was made to condense the schedule, to run all four events on Saturday before the flooding got worse. I got the email of the schedule change while at work and scrambled to cancel my hotel room. They actually allowed me to cancel with no charge. Dina was even wanting to go now that it was a one-day event, so she bought a ticket and planned to ride up with us.

     The day's events started earlier than we had planned for. We departed the house at 4:30am on Saturday in order to get to Louisville in time for the Junior Men's race. It snowed the entire drive, getting quite slick on the roads as we hit Louisville. A couple of inches of snow piled up on the course before the first race. The temp was low so it kept the ground frozen and the course very fast. It was cool to walk through the team area and watch the riders getting ready. Some countries had just a Budget rental truck for their riders to put equipment in. Some had their trainers set up in the back of the truck to stay out of the cold wind and falling snow. Other countries brought much more, like Canada, who brought a little hut with a generator to keep their riders warm. Most countries had a single truck full of equipment, but Belgium had three! They brought with them an astonishing 66 bikes and 140 sets of wheels for their 20 riders. That's why they are king of cross.

     It was still hard to believe it was really going to happen until the first start gun went off and the Junior Men came screaming by us. The course was a fast one, especially with the frozen surface. The pre-race favorite Mathieu Van der Peol dominated the race, but the real action was watching the crowd supporting the American kids. This was definitely the best race of the day, with battles going on all over the course and the crowd being very vocal in their support of the home team. Chants of "USA!" rang out all over the course.

Junior Men come out of the first turn

I'm guessing this guy is a Belgium supporter, what do you think?!

Chopped up snowy descent

The Swiss overtook this corner at the bottom of the rock ledge run-up

Van der Poel out front on lap 1

     Logan Owen had a great ride for Team USA, slicing his way through the field to get into a five-rider war for the final podium spot. He battled two Belgians, a Swiss, and a Czech rider for the last three laps. Owen moved to third, then fell, then caught back up. He made some daring moves, but not all of them paid off. He wound up just missing the podium in fourth. It really was an awesome race to watch. I'm glad I was there to help cheer on a future star of American cycling in what may have been the best 40 minutes of the kid's life.

Silver medalist Martijn Budding.

Logan Owen

Owen and a Swiss rider run the ledges

Owen just couldn't shake the Swiss rider

Another US rider

Video: Junior Men Highlights

     Between races, we people watched. We saw all sorts of costumes. Every American hero or superhero ever was on that course somewhere. We saw Uncle Sam, George Washington, Evel Knievel, a fat Captain America, and even Miss America. And a big gorilla beating on a plastic bucket like a drum.

     The Women's race was a bit disappointing. The crowd never really got into it. Katie Compton was our American hope. Her biggest rival, Marianne Vos, is one of the best cyclists in the world. She has won numerous World Championships on the road and in cyclocross, and even took the Olympic Road Race title last year in London. She's a beast and was definitely the favorite. But we hoped Katie could give her a run, especially since she would be on home soil. Katie got behind early and by the time she worked her way through the pack, Vos was long gone. She soloed nearly the entire race to win yet another world title, while Katie had to settle for silver. I like Vos and thought it was cool to get to see her in action first-hand, but I was pulling for Katie today. But hey, second place at World's isn't a bad day by any stretch!

Elite Women underway. Lucie Chainel-Lefevre snatched the holeshot.

Vos already prying open the gap on her teammate Sanne Van Paassen

Vos

Chainel-Lefevre on frozen sand

Katie Compton

One of my favorite riders, Sanne Cant, had an off-day today.

Vos on a steep descent

Vos running up the ledges

Vos with a huge lead

Young American Kaitlin Antonneau

Two Americans and a Belgian on the run-up

British hopeful Helen Wyman was caught up in a crash on the opening lap and played catch-up the whole race, finishing in 13th.

Video: Elite Women's race

     The sun popped out at the end of the Women's event. The course began to melt almost instantly. The mud began to show through the white snow making the course turn to a what looked more like a pigpen than a bike course. It was classic cyclocross conditions! There was a long practice intermission between the Elite Women and U23 Men's races. That gave us time to stroll through the pits and sponsor area. Clif Bar was the popular tent. You were not allowed to bring in any outside food. Clif was giving away their Clif Builders protein bar. They couldn't get the boxes open fast enough as the people were getting hungry and fiesty. We also got to see the river up close. The crews truly were the only reason this event happened. They kept the water out of the course all day long.

The Ohio River was getting close. We actually used these trees as part of the course at the USGP race here in 2010, the last time I race here. Good thing they weren't part of the Worlds course.

The river was really close to the edge of the course here. Normally it wouldn't even be in sight from this vantage point.

The temporary dam was doing it's job. Without this, an entire section of the course would've been submerged before the first race ever started.

     Also during the break, we watched the Elite Men making their practice laps as they began their warm-up. We saw a lot of the big dogs from Europe for the first time, including Sven Nys, Niels Albert, Kevin Pauwels, Klaas Vantornout, Lars Van Der Haar, Bart Wellens, Francis Mourey, Martin Bina and more.

The pit was a happening place all day long.

A Swiss rider warming up on course.

Martin Bina warming up, fresh off his World Cup win in Hoogerheide, Netherlands just two weeks before.

Ryan Trebon

Defending World Champion Niels Albert

Nys practicing a tricky off-camber section

Nys didn't make it through the slick off-camber mud. His team manager was there to provide advice as needed.

Nys cleans it after a few tries.

Bart Aernouts

Tim Johnson

     The U23 race started slow. Pre-race favorite Wietse Bosmans of Belgium got out front early. He survived the chaos that ensued on the slick, off-camber parts of the course the first few laps. We moved around a lot during the first two races, but the crowd was growing and now we had to post up in one area for long periods of time just to be able to see anything. We ended up on the fence along the toughest off-camber part, seeing multiple crashes and some great mud skills on display. The race ended up being exciting as Dutch rider Mike Teunissen came from behind to get the win. He fell early, then settled down in the top 5 before making a charge in the latter half of the race. He moved to second, then bridged across to Bosmans. Teunissen then dropped Bosmans on the final lap to take the win. It was a great comeback.

First lap of the U23 Men's race

The Green Monster was back for Worlds

The early leaders on the slick off-camber hillside

Lots of chaos behind the leaders

This Czech rider got into some trouble on the first lap

Bosmans out front

An American gets up after a fall in the mud

Mike Teunissen struggled early, but rallied back to win

Bosmans had an interesting technique here. When in doubt, drag your bike.

2nd and 3rd place riders chasing Bosmans halfway through the U23 race

Teunissen used the fencing to help keep traction as he ran. The color matched his Dutch jersey.

Two Frenchmen riding this difficult section.

The American guys let it all hang out, but it didn't always work out for them. Here's one on the ground.

This guy made the turn...

...then slid out. It was a really greasy section.

Teunissen has now caught Bosmans with a few laps to go.

Bosmans

Video: A few clips from the U23 Men's race

      The crowd was huge by the time the Elite Men's race arrived. We were standing in a big crowd at the top of the second muddy run-up on course. Our crowd was full of people from all over the world. One second we were surrounded by Canadians. Another second, it was Swiss and Norwegians all around. Then we would be standing next to Belgians who were out in force to cheer on their beastly team of cyclocross superheros.

     I'm a huge Sven Nys fan. I always have been a fan of his since I first learned about cross. He just seems to be a hard-working and hard-racing kind of guy and I can really appreciate that. I wanted him to win today, especially since he was talking of retiring at the end of this season. Nys is always fast in the early season races, winning the majority of them. But he never seems to have the perfect form needed in late-January and early-February to take the World Championships. He won it a few years back, but one win doesn't seem quite just for such a legend of the sport.

     The American crowd was super supportive of every racer out there. Of course the Americans were cheered for the most, but Nys had quite a few supporters in the crowd as well. The Belgians were dominating the front as expected. The Elite Men are so fast and so aggressive. It's sort of unreal to watch them power through the mud. By now, the was almost completely gone from the course. It was downright treacherous on some of the off-camber areas.

The crowd was big by the time the men hit the course

Bina leading on the first lap

First time up the ledges

Trebon starts the run-up

     Francis Mourey slipped away for France early on, but the Belgian train pulled it all back together. The triple threat of Nys, Klaas Vantornout and Kevin Pauwels took charge midway through the event. Pauwels had a mechanical that took him out of contention, leaving Nys and Vantornout to battle for the coveted rainbow jersey. Vantornout made a few bobbles at the ledge run-up the final lap and that was all she wrote. Nys got a tiny gap and then poured on the coal all the way to the line to get the win. It was an exciting finish and one that just made my day! I'm so glad I got to see one of the best bike racers of all time win a World Championship title. The Americans didn't fair extremely well. Jonathan Page was top 10 for most of the race, but a mechanical took him back to 22nd at the end. Tim Johnson was the top American in 19th.

Standing by some Belgians as Francis Mourey comes by off the front on lap 2

Pauwels in pursuit of Mourey

Nys remounting

Lars Van Der Haar with Niels Albert just behind

Jonathan Page

Bart Wellens

Trebon and a French rider

Mourey led for several laps before the Belgians caught up

Pauwels at the top of the ledges

Thijs Van Amerongen

A very muddy Jonathan Page

Bart Aernouts

Ruts everywhere

A German rider tackles this set of muddy ruts

The lead pack after Mourey was caught

Van Amerongen

Trebon

Page

Jeremy Powers

Nys leading with 2 laps to go

Van Der Haar got on the podium in 3rd

Bart Wellens moved up throughout the race, eventually taking 4th

The snow began coming down again the last few laps. Jonathan Page is chasing here after his mechanical.

J-Pow on the last lap

Video: Elite Men's race

     We were directed a different way for our long walk back to the car. We ended up walking past our parking lot because we couldn't see it over some mounds of dirt. Then we got turned around again trying to get on I-65. It was a mess getting out of there, but overall I think it was a great experience. The City of Louisville did a great job getting things ready and the fans showed just how much we like cyclocross over here in the States. Having all the races in one day was better in my mind. It was non-stop action all day long. And it was a good thing that all the racing was held Saturday, because nearly the entire park was underwater on Sunday. Here's a pic from Sunday looking down on the same area where I took the crowd shot just before the Elite Men's race.

     You can watch the full race videos in English here:  Juniors    Elite Women    U23 Men    Elite Men

     I thought it was quite entertaining to see people stealing the directional signs off the light poles on the way out of town. Any object that had anything to do with the event was being taken home as a souvenir. I would have loved a souvenir, but a sign for "Wrist Band Re-Entry" is not what I want to take home and hang on my wall. Maybe I'm weird.

     I look forward to more big Pro cross races in the U.S. and hope we get a World Cup soon. I loved being a spectator, but I hope I never do it again. Next time, I want to race! Click here if you want to read race reports written by real reporters over at CyclingNews. There's an awesome video posted here if you want more.

     This whole thing makes me want a cross bike so bad. Time to start saving pennies for a new bike!

Closed Out

     The year has gone well so far. I've been working hard...harder than I have during the off-season in several years. Shannon and I have both been watching what we eat. I'm a pig and I know it. I will eat almost anything put in front of me and have the tendency to keep eating until I just can't eat anymore. It's not the best habit to have when you are trying to make it as a professional athlete.

     I put on about 4 pounds between October and the end of December. I am happy to say that I am back down to the weight I was at XTERRA Nationals and maybe even a pound lighter on some days, thanks to Shannon and DietPower keeping me on track. I know the "experts" say not to count calories, but I need that constant reminder to stay on track. I really am sad when it comes to self-control with food and this method is helping me out. So, I am already at race weight from last year and still dropping down. How low can you go...

    I'm currently working on base miles and endurance. That means lots of long rides. My base has been lacking the past few years due to lack of ride time, but through prioritizing tasks at home and planning more effectively, I've been able to get in ample ride time this winter. I'm doing as many hours as my schedule allows and am borderline of doing all my body can handle. I've put in several 15+ hour weeks on the bike, with additional time spent on stretching, core strengthening and yoga. With the shorter days, this has meant I've spent a lot of time in the dreary, cold darkness riding through a narrow tunnel of light put off by my NiteRider MiNewt Mini. I have a bigger light, but it has been out of commission lately due to a failed battery. NiteRider was unable to fix it, but Batteries Plus is rebuilding it for me.

Shannon riding across a piece of frozen pond along the trail

I contemplated riding across the pond but the ice just wasn't thick enough to hold piggy up

Splashing the mud where the ice had broken

     I've decided to focus on just the bike through May. I really want to do well at some of the bigger crits, so I've stopped running for a while to focus on riding. I've spent nearly all my time on the road lately to focus on mileage and road skills to get ready for the crits, but I have been in the woods a few times when the weather has allowed. The constant freeze-thaw has kept the trails rather nasty. I plan to get back into swimming and running in June to start building up for XTERRA USA in September. I still feel like I owe that race a good beating!

    The winter has been colder than the past few, but it has been bearable and rideable. I've had my fair share of cold days, but there have been some warm ones as well. I did have my water bottle try to freeze on one ride, but just that one. Most of the riding I'm doing is alone on my own, but sometimes I can get Shannon, and occasionally, even my parents out to join me for at least a few minutes in the cold air.

My Dad waves to the camera as he and my Mom ride by the tower

Shannon

Glad to have some people to ride with every now and then

    We've had a lot of rain too, meaning more time sweeping water out of the basement. The pond behind the house has been huge on more than one occasion, flooding up over the dock and pouring out of the overflow pipes. Shannon and I did a warm ride in the rain a while back. It was her first ever rain ride. We had a good time spraying each other with road grime.

Looking down the backyard at a swelling pond

The dock we used for the polar plunge is barely afloat

Water rushing out of the overflow pipes on the backside of the dam

    We scheduled a training weekend in the mountains in late-January. My Dad had to take some vacation time at work and I wanted to ride so it just worked out well that we have a family trip to Gatlinburg. I was excited to ride some mountain roads, especially the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's my favorite road in the area. The weather looked like it would cooperate too. There was rain in the forecast all week, but the weekend looked nice with the local weather station calling for sun and mid-50s.

     The weather turned out to be the downfall of the weekend. It rained so much during the week that there were numerous landslides in the area, closing down many roads including Hwy 441, which just happens to be the only road that takes you across the mountains from Gatlinburg to Cherokee, NC where the Blue Ridge Parkway begins. The temperature was also not on our side. It decided to crash on Friday leaving 4-6 inches of snow on the ground when we arrived Friday night.

     Needless to say, Saturday's plans of hitting the Blue Ridge had to be scrapped. Most of the major roads around Gatlinburg were closed due to either snow or landslides so we were left with just riding the roads inside the Gatlinburg perimeter. This is not all bad as there are some very difficult climbs in Gatlinburg. But when you were aiming for 5-6 hours of long mountain passes having to stay right around the condo was not exactly exciting.

     Saturday's ride was cold as crap. It never got out of the low-40s all day. We were all bundled up as we headed out on half-frozen streets. I ended up climbing Cherokee Orchard Rd. six times. It was taking me just under 20 minutes to climb it. That turned out the be the best sustained climb in the area. It's about 4 miles long and gets steeper as you go up.

Looking off the balcony towards the mountains

Climbing a snowy Cherokee Orchard Rd.

The start of the descent back down this one-way road is narrowing and was slick in spots.

     We had to start later in the day as the roads were icy and slushy in the morning, so I couldn't get in all the hours I had hoped for. I tried to make up for it with some intensity. I wound up getting in 3 hours of hard riding with many steep climbs. The best part about the day was exploring. I learned some new backroads that have some brutal climbs on them.

My Mom and Shannon reaching the top of Cherokee Orchard Rd. This climb was a big accomplishment for them, especially in the cold.

A snowy part of one of the sweet backroad climbs I found.

    We spent the evening walking the strip in Gatlinburg, hitting up my favorite store, "All Sauced Up," where you can get some killer sauces. They have sauces for everything you could ever imagine. I also spent some time editing some new videos. I'm putting together some of last year's bike footage and setting it to music. I'll post it here as soon as I finish editing everything. There's still quite a lot yet to go.

     We were pleased to find warmer temps on Sunday. It still never hit the forecasted temperature, but at least we got closer to 50 this time and the sun was out. I was quite warm riding up the climbs, but still froze like a popsicle coming down. We chose the Foothills Parkway for our Sunday ride. The climbs there are shorter than the Blue Ridge Parkway, but the Foothills is on the way home and was not listed on the list of closed roads. I was a little disappointed to see Hwy 441 reopening as we drove by on the way to the Foothills. I would've rather done the Blue Ridge, but we didn't have the time to drive there now.

    I got in a good 7-mile climb out of Townsend only to be disappointed at the top when I ran into a "Road Closed" sign. Dang it! Another road I wanted to ride is closed! It turned into another day of repeats as I did two more runs up the initial climb on the Foothills and then called it a day.

Looking towards Maryville and Alcoa from atop an overlook on the Foothills Parkway

    I didn't get in the hours I wanted nor did I get to ride the roads I wanted, but I did get in a good workout. We definitely made the best out of a less-than-perfect weekend. Now we are back home putting in the miles on local roads and counting those calories. Speed work looms ahead...

Polar Plunge

       Taking a cold plunge in a body of water on New Year's Day has long been a tradition in many parts of the world. I've not had many opportunities to participate, but have always wanted to give it a try. The early-winter weather in Tennessee sometimes gives you a 65-degree day for New Year's so it doesn't always make for a big challenge as the water around is not always cold yet. I've never had access to a big body of water to try the plunge anyway. We had a pool, but my Mom always drained it and covered it with a tarp long before it ever got cold enough for anything to be considered "polar."

     The only time I considered doing any sort of Polar Plunge was three years ago in Hendersonville, TN at the YMCA. They had an outdoor pool that was still full. I ended up not doing it because the temp was in the 60s that day and had been warm all week so the water would not be very cold. I couldn't justify paying a $25 entry fee to jump in a semi-cold pool with a bunch of people. So the plan was put on hold for a while.

    This year I got the perfect opportunity since we now have a pond behind the house. It's a nice-sized pond, but I had no idea how deep it was. There's a dock, but did the water have the depth for swimming? I joked around prior to Christmas about jumping off the dock. Everybody told me I was crazy because it has been rather cold here lately. Dina was the only one that seemed somewhat interested. I wanted her to put on her waders and wade out through the pond to check depth and for any obstacles hidden below the surface. She agreed to do so, but I wasn't sure if it was a real deal or not.

    The last few days of the year were frigid. We got some sleet and snow. The nights were down in the low-20s and the highs during the day hit only the mid-30s. Two days before the plunge, the shallow corner of the pond had ice on top. This was surely the year to try it if you want it cold!

     New Year's Day arrived with a gloomy, cold day. The temp was in the upper-20s early with some fog floating around. I still was unsure if anyone was really coming over or not. My whole family and a few neighbors said they were coming to watch. I still wasn't sure how serious I was about doing this either.

     A little after lunch, the crew began to arrive. Dina brought her waders and my dad brought a pole to stick out from the dock to sweep for underwater obstructions. I knew then that this was about to happen whether I wanted to do it or not. You can't back down once everyone is there waiting for you.

     I was surprised to see Dina brought her swim gear. She said she would do it if I did. We headed down to the dock to do our pre-swim inspections. Dina suited up while my Dad and I walked out on the dock to sweep the water. The dock broke as we climbed on and my Dad nearly floated away. I had to run up to the house for some boards and screws to patch the dock up. We made the necessary repairs to the dock then began checking the water. It was plenty deep for jumping, measuring almost 6 feet deep at the edge of the dock. Dina waded out, but quickly turned back as the water was too deep even for her tall waders.

On our way down to the pond

Dina wading out into the water

She needed a little assistance as it was really deep and the bottom was really slick.

Fixing the broken dock

     Once we were sure there were no logs or fence posts hiding beneath the surface, we headed back to the house to change. I was shocked when my Dad pulled off his pants to reveal swim trunks. He was going to do it too! He couldn't let the kids outdo him. Despite being a little worried about his still-healing shoulder, he was going to swim at least for a few seconds.

    After we changed, we headed down the backyard and down the gravel road back to the dock. We only had on swim gear, which made for a chilly walk in the 36-degree air. We took a quick measurement of the water. The thermometer showed 40.6 degrees, but we didn't leave it in the water long enough to fully cool so it was probably colder. I was cold, but not too bad considering. I took off my shoes on the dock and quickly got really cold. It's amazing how getting cold feet will make your whole body cold.

Walking down to the pond again...this time it was for real!

Contemplating my decision

Dina brought a tutu

     We waited longer than I had hoped. Our neighbors, Steve and June, wanted to watch so we had to wait for them to arrive. As soon as we saw them, we got into position. My Dad and Dina were arguing about how we should go in. I got tired of waiting and just jumped. Somebody had to get this thing started!

Still thinking...

Spectators on the hill

Going or not?

     It was cold, but not as much of a shock as I expected. Maybe the cold air numbed my body before I got to the water. My Dad and Dina were quick to follow me off the dock. I was fast getting back out of the water as I wanted to jump in again and then do a quick swim around before getting out and heading straight for the warmth of the house. The second jump was MUCH colder! The water went in my ears and it felt like my brain was frozen. The thought of swimming around was quickly gone and I went straight for the dock. I could barely pull myself up out of the water this time. It was like my arms and legs were no longer communicating with my brain. My Dad and Dina were also out quickly and did not go for a second plunge. My Dad struggled to get out onto the dock too, kicking me in the head as he flopped around.

In the air on my second jump

Dad and Dina crawl out while I feel the cold of the second jump

My Dad kicks me in the head as he tries to get out

     Once on land, I put my shoes on and started running for the warm house. Dina was right behind me, while my Dad decided to dry off at the pond and walk back before changing. I was unsure how my body would react so I planned for the worst and went for the house. I was almost dry and already warming up when I reached the house. I dried off fully and put on some clothes. I was totally warm just 10 minutes after the jump. It was fun, but not near as challenging as I expected. Still, I plan to make this a tradition and do it again next year! Look below for a video of the day's events.