Only for the world champ. Check these out. I can't quite see the tread pattern but they look like Rhinos. Frankly, I'm more interested to learn how well those Dura Ace carbons are holding out. Apparently bomber.

This course was super photogenic. Our friends Nancy and Russ Wright from back in the old Bay Area are there snapping photos as is our team photog Joe S from Peloton Photo . REALLY looking forward to their shots. Some borrowed for now from sites you normally may not go to to see the action so here I am trying to cross pollinate the goodness (with credits):

Great selection on WCSN.com:

From Nancy and Russ WRight of AbbiOrca (borrow from TIAA-Creff's blog):

Speechless. That's all I can say regarding Page. Silver! Unbelievable. I hope Nys and Wellens don't cry about their mis haps to lessen Page's day today. 5 laps out in front. Flawless. Vervecken really showed the world he wanted it most as he had to work his skinny lanky ass off to reel in Page.

Page-Sliver
Compton-Silver
Danny S- Silver

It is VERY safe to say the US should be factored in in world CX scene. The difference has been Page immersing himself. Never crying, always learning. Suffering. Being poor. Living race to race. Season to season. I hope the world sees what this kid can do. Amazing. I don't see anyone else going deep like Page. Sacrificing. I think J-Pows is the closest to the 'core' Page represents but everyone else (Trebon, Wicks, et al) have another agenda. Not a bad agenda, just an agenda for other disciplines to pay the rent. I guess it all comes down to a very deep acknowledgment of what 'cross means to a person like Page to make those sacrifices and move to gray places like Bracken or Mol or Smallville, Belgium. He knew. What did I know for certain at that age? Can't remember.

Congrats Page and I am speechless with pride. Who will follow your lead from the US? Geoff P, keep doing what you're doing.

Nice.
Looking forward to seeing this on cycling.tv. I think B Dwight is having this live in the shop. Gotta bring him my speakers today. Anywhoo Velonews has a decent write up of the course but you bike geeks already beat me to reading it I'd guess.

Nijs by :34

Well, son of a beeatch:

OK, I can think of only one word: Dedication (or if I get only one word but allow interchange: Whoa). Our team mate and remote home boy TT got himself some ink. Some ink. Some very big ink. No, I did not doctor this with PhotoShop. Unbelievable. His note when he sent the pic was pretty friggin' compelling in that there is a boat load of history with our team (starting ages ago as a P1,2 team) and obviously lots of tight bonds over the years. The team was obviously pretty meaningful to this young impressionable youth.

Ahh, RM-Izze. The history, nostalgia. Good times. Good times. But no, I ma not compelled to get RM inked. Maybe some knuckle tatts thoough...Here's to ya TT. All new recruits to RM-Izze 07, please read fine print in your contracts related to obligatory ink moving forward.

Thanks
The Management

Worlds this weekend. Lots of Amerikaner's going. Wish I were there too to witness the spectacle. Where's Hooglede-Gits, Belgium you ask? See here. Smack dab in the middle of the mother-land. The weather looks nice and Sven-like as well. I wonder of he burned too much coal at the last World Cup and/or if Wellens made the right decision to pull himself and save some coal. Gerben just shut down in the Netherlands last weekend. From teh looks of it, he not only burned all the coal but needed some surplus.

I hope Page rocks it this weekend. I really do. I feel a top 5 (dare I say it) because this kid is uber-determined to score a road contract for 07 which is still eluding him at the moment (I believe). Go boy. Ride like you stole something.

Watching this reminds me of Red Rocks this year (in the snow) or of Aptos CA in the Santa Cruz Series of 2002 (mad mud like this but a hill 3 x as long).

Not sure even if Dugast Rhinos would have saved some of these guys. Anyone on Tufos would've bit it.

Nice! Nice! Nice! Nice! Nice!

Our own Chris G has outdone himself. Homes got himself a UCI Cat 1 'cross in Vegas (baby!). It would be foolish not to go and race this. Foolish:

(This is from reproduced from http://thisjustin.bicycling.com/)

The 17-year-old Elite Junior cyclist from Colorado took a few minutes to talk to Bicycling.com about winning his second National Cyclocross Title, training over the holidays at Euro Cross Camp IV, his plan for Cross Worlds, and, oh yeah, trying to be a teenager on the side.

1. Now that you have had a month to reflect on your repeat win at the 'Cross Nationals, tell us how you feel and how the second one was different from the first?

"I think that my second cyclocross national championship was different from last year first of all because of the conditions and that it was a much faster and a lot less technical course then the year before. Secondly would have to be the fact that I had and have a much bigger goal in mind this season which is doing well at Worlds. So, unlike last year, doing well at Nationals just so I could go to Worlds was not so much of an issue. Don't get me wrong though, of course I enjoyed winning a second cross title but it was most of all just icing on the cake I think when I look at my overall focus which is of course to ride well at Worlds."

2. How will your experience at Euro-cross Camp 4 over the holidays give you some confidence going into Cyclocross Worlds?

"I think that seeing that I can make it and hold my own in the lead group was the biggest and best thing I learnt this year in Europe. I remember last year how it was always Bjorn (Selander) in the lead group and myself in the chase group. But now it is my turn to be the most watched US junior over there and that's given me confidence which will really help the most at Worlds."

3. What will your approach be for the racing you'll do when you head to Europe for Cross World's at the end of the month?

"I plan to do the World Cup the week before as kind of a final tune up race before Worlds just to shake out the last bit of the airplane legs left in me. Then I will have several days of very focused training with Noel and Geoff Proctor before the big race on January 27th."

4. After World's what does 2007 hold in store for you?

"Just getting back in to the road scene and, just like I focused on cyclocross Worlds, focus on road Worlds as well as possibly hitting a couple of the big calendar races along the way."

5. What do you do to maintain some sort of balance between having a life and competing at cycling's highest level?

"I think the biggest thing I do to balance my life would have to be hanging out with family and friends, going to parties and doing normal kid stuff to help keep me in check with reality when I am home and not traveling."

Keep up with danny and the rest of the TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR Cyclo-Cross Team at Eurocrossers Blogspot.com.

Imagine you and your bro doing this...

Please, oh PLEASE let us thaw out. I need that feeling again. Rollers aren't doing it any more. No more voice of Phil Ligget.