Hoogerheide...

 Well Hoogeheide didn't go as well as I'd hoped. The temperature was hovering around -5, and the course was covered in snow and extremely slippery on the corners. I probably haven't really been riding outside enough in these conditions to be familiar with it, and it really took me by surpise.

  There was one tricky descent which thankfully had inflatable padding at the bottom, but this turned out to be the least of my troubles. The corners on the flat is where I had the most issues and I managed to crash three times during my time on the course! Knowing that there wouldn't be much to gain by taking any unnecessary risks, I decided to tone it back a bit and just play it safe, enjoy myself, entertain the crowd and relish the oppurtunity to race a World Cup in the snow. I didn't want to break anything with only two weeks until worlds!

 I got a mention from the TV commentators for being the only male rider without leg warmers on. Truth is, I put some Extra Hot Qoleum Embrocation on about an hour before the start, so by the time I left to the start line my legs were on fire!

 It was a little bit frustrating to not be able to finish on a high, but I can take some comfort in the fact that my legs and chest felt great, it was just my cornering on the icy sections. I'm working on it this week, to try and familiarise myself with it. Fingers crossed we don't get any ice in Louisville. Judging by the long term forecast, it could go either way.

 This run up was a nightmare. Perhaps it was because my studs were worn out, but I couldn't get any grip going up here! So icy and slippery!

Despite the poor result, I enjoyed myself out there, and it was quite amazing to be able to race in so much snow. The crowd were supportive, and I think I gave them something to cheer for on my final few laps. It was also fantastic to see a relative outsider, Martin Bina take his first World Cup win, and the first non Belgian podium since 2001. I'm a fan of underdogs!

Otegem C2 and Champion Systems

This race is always held the day after the National Championships, on a Monday. I raced here last year, and whilst it's low key when compared to Superprestige or B Post Bank races, the local fans really get behind the event. It's typically held as an event for the newly crowned National Champion to show off his new kit.

The Japanese soigneur knew a family who have a house right next to the course, meaning we could stay warm indoors right up until race start. This was particularly handy given the temperature was -3 and snow had been falling all night.

Signing autographs for Lance

Compared to the slog through the mud of last year,  the snow hardened up most of the ground to make for relatively fast racing, with just a few slippery corners and patches of thick mud. The snow on the ground and the sun in the sky made for picturesque racing.

The course is pretty flat, with the main features being a few roll overs, and probably the nicest set of stairs I've climbed in a cross race. The structure flexes when you step on it, giving back a bit of momentum to propel you up the next step. I doubt this was done on purpose, but it made climbing them a whole lot easier.

I was off to my usual slow start, but managed to pick off a few positions to settle into 30th place. The cold air seems to trigger my asthma over here, but thankfully there weren't any troubles during the race. I was lapped by Klaas Vantornout with 2 laps to go, however I was told the commissaires made a mistake and ended up giving us an extra lap, meaning I should have been only 1 lap down. I'm pretty happy with the result and it was a fun day out on the bike.

We were able to shower and clean back at Ranjit's friends house, where they had brought a bunch of friends over and continued drinking after the race, which was entertaining, as most of them were fairly frothed and very keen to have photos with both Ayako and myself.

Champion Systems 
Champion Systems have provided me with a full wardrobe full of custom cycling gear to race, train and warm up in. It's pretty damn cool when I think about it, I've got my very own unique cycling kit, with all my personal sponsors on it! 
I've got a standard skinsuit, fleece lined skinsuit (a godsend over here), neoprene water and wind resistant jacket, thermoshield jacket, and plenty of jerseys and knicks. They've even whipped up some custom zip off leg warmers, which everyone uses over here, you keep them on until a minute to go before the start. I'm exceptionally grateful for their support, I look a whole lot more professional than last year when I was racing in either a jersey and knicks (no go for CX) or a track skinsuit, which left me freezing cold!

New gear, with two Belgian "jongens" who joined me for a training ride. Easy to see why Belgium is so good at cyclocross! These two absolutely fly!

Luxembourg and Diegem - Creux Velowear

After a few lazy days after New Years, we decided to head to a Luxembourg for a few days. It’s been really nice to mix up the scenery a bit and finally ride up some proper hills again. I’ve strung together some really tough training days which should hopefully put me in good form for the Hoogeheide World Cup on the 20^th. 

It can be difficult to really push yourself when it’s 2 degrees, windy and dead flat. Hill climbing is probably my favourite aspect of riding a bike, so I’ve been loving the opportunity to put myself through some pain. 

 

Luxembourg reminds me a lot of New Zealand. The forests are bright green with moss covering the space between giant pine trees. There were some amazing views from the many dirt and tarmac roads we explored on. 

 

Whilst the highest point wasn’t much more than 400m above sea level, the climbs were bloody steep, with plenty lasting around 10 minutes. We did a few longer rides, both on little single lane roads, fire roads and the occasional single track (old walking trails).

 

There were some ruins of an old castle in the next town along the river from us.

Apart from a few elderly people, there was barely anyone out and about. Although apparently Luxembourg is packed with Belgian and Dutch tourists in summer. 

 

Here are some shots from the lovely Sonoko Tanaka at Diegem Superprestige. You can read about the race and the Kerst Periode as a whole on a guest post for Cycling Tips. It was bloody hard work! But I also got a drawing from a young fan which was very cool.

We’re back in home now, and I’m feeling fairly wrecked. Only a few races to go before I head off to the USA for Worlds!

Creux Cycling Streetwear

I first came across Creux clothing when working at St Kilda Cycles. Casual cycling clothing isn’t anything new, but their gear grabbed my attention because it actually looks like clothing I would normally wear. I now own 4 t shirts, a hoodie, the bomber jacket and a pair of shorts of theirs. The gear is made to be functional on the bike, but wearable out and about. I’m being completely honest when I say this stuff is awesome. I’ve worn their gear to uni pretty much every day during semester. The t shirts and hoodie wick sweat away after my commute, and don’t leave me smelling like body odour in class. The bomber jacket is probably the highlight. Good looks aside, its wind and water proof and even has a mud flap to prevent your bum from getting wet when riding in the rain. Their shorts look just like normal shorts, but have a light and subtle chamois sown into the bum to give some extra comfort for longer commutes. 

I've used this photo before, but it's a nice one...

Creux have just released a new line of merino t shirts as well as new shorts and jeans and apparently they’re even better than their old stuff (including water resistant stretch denim!). I’ll be stocking up before I take off to Berlin next year. 

The new merino t shirt

You can buy them online at http://www.creuxcycling.com/ or in stockists world wide. Pop down to St Kilda Cycles to check them out.

I'm tossing up racing a Club World Champs on Sunday, but either way I'll be racing in Otegem UCI C2 on Monday.

Azencross B Post Bank Trophee - FMB Tubulars

Yesterday's race was a B Post Bank Trophee round in Loenhout. I raced this race last year, and its renowned for having rowdy crowds (due to a break in football season at this time, all the soccer fans rock up and get out of control). Last year it was an absolute mudfest and with record rainfall for December, it was even filthier. 

The big news of the day was an angry Sven Nys stopping mid race to speak to a spectator who'd thrown beer at him every lap. He was pretty level headed and just had a few words, but it looked like the guy copped a beating from other spectators and fair enough! 

Last year I had a few B level Belgians and some other foreigners to race against, but lining up on the start line it was pretty obvious I'd most likely be alone out the back. The other riders were either put off by the poor weather or saving themselves for Bredene the next day. 

There was a massive crash as soon as we hit the the mud section. There was a huge pile up behind him and everyone was off their bike and running. The mud section lasted about 1km and involved about 20cm of sticky mud. Exhausting on the legs. Last year I had to run it all, but thanks to a combination of improved fitness and a superb set of tubular tyres, I was able to ride it all. 

There was even a bmx style set of rollers on the course.

Despite this, I was alone after the first lap. The crowd were insane though, the volume of cheers was second only to the world champs in Koksijde. I played it up, and once I'd figured I was on my last lap before being pulled, I made sure to put on a show for the crowd. Sonoko has generously allowed me to use some of her fantastic photos and you can see just how much fun I had out there.

In the end, I was the last finisher in 36th, but three laps down instead of the five from last year. Not a great result, but not too bad either. 

A bloke I've met through Dirty Deeds, Paul has started importing FMB tubulars into Australia. I was frantically trying to organize tubs before I left, and on the Comptons advice I went for a set of FMB Super Muds. I can see why they were recommended to me, I've never ridden anything like them. In an ideal world, I'd have a set of their SSC's as well (their intermediate tread) for slightly less muddy conditions, but I could only fit two wheelsets in my luggage, so chose to prepare myself for the worst of the Belgian mud. They've been fantastic so far. Tread aside, the other feature which stands out is the coating on the sidewall. Dugasts are great, but the sidewalls rot if you don't paint a protective coating on them, and you have to reapply it during the season. The FMBs come standard with a coating, no hassles, no worries. They aren't cheap, but they've make a world of difference to my ride and I'm sure they've saved me from a few spills this season! If you're keen to get a set for the road or cross bike (Boonen uses FMBs....enough said), shoot Paul an email at paul@supple.com.au 

I have Saturday off, before the last race of my Kerst Periode and my first ever race in the Superprestige Series, a night race in Diegem on Sunday. I'll be doing everything possible to finish on the lead lap!

Heusden-Zolder WC, and a club race win - Sram and Zipp

 Heusden-Zolder was the location of my first ever World Cup last year. The race is held on Boxing Day and there's always a huge turnout with a jolly crowd. It's held around the Formula 1 course, and has a good mix of sand, mud, grass and tarmac. The fans are always in a good mood here, and there is heaps of support on course. The main feature is two steep descents which are in about 10-30cms of rutted mud. The first is long and slightly off camber, the second is shorter and steeper, with a dangerous deep section of mud at the bottom which sent many riders A over T (ass over tits for you non-anglophones). 

We set up with the Japanese team who arrived last week. Their crew is a little smaller this year, with Ayako Toyooka being the only rider returning with the photographer Sonoko Tanaka. Their sognieur Ranjit is a very generous bloke and let us use his heated truck as well as helping to hose down and lube up the bikes. Ayako is one of the most glamorous riders in the women's peloton, she's got an awesome diamanté studded helmet, and rocks a very cool pink leopard skin skinsuit, and matching bike! They have a blog they're running together, which features Sonoko's fantastic photography; check it out "Hime and Chuko in Muddy Paradise"

Lining up for the start, My nerves were a little more settled than usual. The gun went off, and we tore down the straight. I was near the back of bunch, but managed to stay clear of the carnage on the first corner. As we settled into the race, I was passed by a few of the better riders who had troubles early on, but managed to establish my position slipping onto the back of a French rider down the tarmac sections to conserve energy. 

You can see from the photos the look of relief on my face when I made it down each descent safely. I was just trying to remember the basics, pick the rut, ride the rut, don't change my line and go easy on the front brake. 

I rode them all quite well, but was absolutely blown away when I saw the video of Sven riding it.  Holy shit! What an absolute animal!

Last year I only rode for 36mins before being pulled. This year I rode for 49mins, a big improvement and only 3 laps down in 43rd. I'm really happy with the result, there were some really good riders at 3 laps down, and Im starting to feel really comfortable out on the bike. I had been having some troubles breathing but it doesn't seem to be an issue anymore. 

Thank you to Sonoko for letting me use her brilliant photos!

A Club Race Win:

This Sunday just passed I managed to score my first win outside Australia at a round of the Vlaamse Wieler Federatie's (Flemish Cycling Federation) Cyclocross Series. Being so close to Christmas, this race was referred to as KerstCross (Christmas Cross).This is club level racing, but as I've found out already, even on this level it's brutal and very competitive. In a nice change to the norm, we were able to rock up at 11.30 for a 12.45 start, and the course was only a 40min drive away. The inschrijving (rego) was in a little pub, you pay 12 euros, get a number and get 2 euros back when you return it.

 C and D grade raced before us, ensuring that the track would be significantly chewed up prior to our race. On the startline, Frank pointed out the rider (Nicky David) who had won every race he'd entered this season, so I made a mental note to stick with him. Whilst I didn't get the greatest start, I managed to muscle my way ahead of most of the riders ahead of the first turn. I held my ground down the muddy descent and before long there was just two of us off the front. Nicky and I attacked each other for most of the first half of the race. I was hopping the logs whilst he was running, but he was gaining ground on the muddy grass sections.

The descent had mud puddles as deep as my hubs, but you just had to lean back and keep your speed up. I was particularly thankful for the Zipp 303's, slicing through the mud noticably easier than my 'B' bike which just has standard profile rims. Jeroen and Roeland did a fantastic job of cleaning my bikes every second lap, meaning I could maximise time on the new TCX. After a hour racing in the muddiest race I've ever competed in, I crossed the line for my first Belgian Cyclocross win. It may not be a World Cup, it may not even be a UCI race, but it's something I'm pretty proud to be able to say I've done.

You don't see too many trophies these days, so I was really stoked when they presented this one to me
"Straight to the pool room!"

Plug of the week: Zipp and Sram
I've been lucky enough to be sponsored by Sram since July of this year, and I'm a huge fan of Sram Red. Its ridiculously light, and the shifting is crisp and precise even in the worst conditions. My new TCX comes with 2013 Red, and despite loving the old stuff, this new groupset is even better. The lever profile gives a slightly better grasp of the brakes, and the shifter action is also improved. The front derailleur is another highlight. Its angle changes depending on where it is located, minimising that annoying rub when you're in the big ring and a low gear on the back (which happens a bit in cross). Whilst we're not far off having disc brakes as mainstream, the Avid Shorty Ultimates are probably the best canti brakes money can buy. Nice modulation, plenty of power, and heaps of adjustment. I've also been using the Quarq power meter to monitor my training all year, a very handy tool!
Both bikes are running impeccably despite the punishment they've been put through, I'm very happy with the equipment.

Perhaps the most noticable feature on my new TCX is the very boutique Zipp 303 Firecrest Tubular wheels. Weighing in at around 1350g, these wheels are by far the most amazing wheelset I've ridden. Glamour aside, these things slice through mud and sand beautifully, and are a welcome addition to the stable. Braking performance on carbon rims can be less than ideal in the wet, but I've found these to provide adequate power even in the muddiest conditions (it also helps to use the Zipp grey or Swiss Stop Yellow pads). I took a different carbon wheelset over last year, and took them off after the first ride, the braking surface was that bad it was terrifying, but the Zipps are superb. 


Next race is a Bpost Bank race in Loenhout on Friday.. It was awesome fun last year, so Im looking forward to it. With 20L of water per metre falling last night, "there will be mud."