Since my post after the CO States, I STILL can not shake this flu. I thought I was getting bettrer in Anaheim but low and behold, I can barley even drum up enough energy to take a shower....or go into the garage to unhook my wheels and tires I want to do a season review of. Stay tuned....

Oh and congrats to the CO CX'ers out there at Nats. Holy Sheeite. What a demonstration:

(from Jared's blog):

Colorado at Cross Natz
How good is the cross scene in Colorado?

National Champions
Amy Dombrowski~U~23 women
Danielle Haulman~17-18 women
Daniel Summerhill!!!!~17~18 men
Yannick Eckmann. Jr. 13-14
Ned Overend 50-54 Men
Katie Compton Pro women

Not National Champions, but close
Georgia Gould, 2nd Pro Women
Dennis Farrell 2nd, Keister 4th and Hilton 11t, Men's 45-49 Jon Baker, 11th Pros
Brandon Dwight, 4th 35-39
Joey Thompson 2nd ,Troy Wells 3rd Collegiate Men
Gary Thacker, 2nd 50-54 men

Friggin rad.

Took a couple-a days away from everything related to bikes, work, technology and Colorado and headed with the fam to Anaheim, CA....land of Disney. More posts to come now that we're back. I'm thinking about a tire review if I can get my act together. Tons of detail and feedback on the various rubber I used through the season. Gonna want/need feedback!

So, I need to be in Europe on business in February to visit some partners and customers in the lovely Benelux lowlands . S0 I got to thinking (I do most of my best thinking on the can), what if there's a cross going on? Low and behold there is! Last cross of the season in lovely Kasterlee. They have pro, master and junior events so I could probably hook up a mater event and get my arse kicked by sicko old belgians who have been crossing for as many years as Eric De Vlaeminck has world championships to his name.

So, anyhoo, we'll see. It's along shot given the business logistics but we'll see. It's a dream of mine to race over there some day and get some of that Belgium mud in my teeth.

Where's is Kasterlee anways?

OK, I don't want to get all "technical" on you but this is hilarious. I work in the software industry on products related to data and process modeling. At the end of the day, clean thinking up front can help you through any problems you face. So, I found this process model you can all print, clip out and keep in your wallets or camelbacks:

This retard should have applied this logic:

They are absolutely SWEET! I am honored that my team mates gave me the full supportes club treatment like you see in Belgium for their favorite stars:

Sven's Supporters:
Greg's (slightly lower budget) Supporters:

Thanks Jonny C. I was honored and helped me win the hole shot then explode in fantastic glory.

Yo! Check out my team mate Aaron's pics from the CO State Championships. I have also input some below in the race report from yesterday.

http://www.racecx.com/gallery2/

The warm up was fun on the single speed. I could tell it was going to be technical and fun like I like it. The course ruled. Race time comes and I win the hole shot. I just wanted to be free and clear of the any train wrecks and any back up in the woods section. I got what I wanted and made it through in like 4th with Tim F...

Kiester and Moots’ Jon C....
They says adios when we hit the pavement and smartly bury themselves to carve off their selection and that was that. I just need to settle in and try to hang in, get some points and hold on to my goal at the beginning of the season to make top 10 overall the 35 A’s. Not sure if I achieved that. We'll see.

All is going according to plan. My cheap ass Michelin’s as I KNEW kicked butt in that mud. Not once did the bike feel it was going to give out. It railed. So, in sum: Bike: Great. Pilot: Not so great. By lap three I’m probably in 9th or 10th and the tachometer starts to go left dipping lower and lower. I can not go deep. Can not get my heart rate up (avg’d 165 on the day with a 180 max). Dudes are bridging to me then seeing my drool, decide to drop me. 10th guy. 11th guy, 12th guy 13th guy, 14th guy…probably back to like 16th or 17th. I settle in, try and tell myself: “This is the last race shit head. The States fer chrisakes! Do not get passed again…” I start to hold on and try to go deeper. I pick off a guy here, bridge to the next guy, settle in, look ahead to someone else I can try to bridge to.

Bell lap. One and done. So I carve off Jared and a Red Rocks guy. I don’t want to pull up the hill so I radically move left to get another guy to pull almost taking out my boy Jared (SORRY JARED!!!!!!!!!!!). Jared then proceeds to throw the GAUNTLET.......and rails it solo up the hill in a mad sprint. Huge. I’m like “…later homie!” He knows I am a cooked sardine. Red Rocks guy is dead(er) than me so I just get on with it and trudge up the hill on my own. We make it to the woods...

...and I start to bridge back to Jared. I am working the woods the best I can. Jared is moving through the S Turns on the pavement like a demon.

We hit the back section and I close the gap to Jared. He and I see Clay and drop him. He’s suffering. We fly through the mud section, up and over the barriers...

...and get to the bump before the road. I see my boy go right, I slip through the hole left and we sprint to the finish together. I caught Jared by a wheel. I grabbed 14th and Jared 15th. You made me want to throw up Jared! Normally, sprinting for anything after 10th is friggin dumb but this was states! And frankly it was fun to go to the line with someone. We "owed it" to the big crowd at the line. Great lap Jared!

So here I am now in the bathroom. Body succumbing to the badness. It’ll pass. I’m done. Maybe one more race in CA if I feel like cleaning off my bike. We’ll see.

Awesome season and I learned a lot for the first time in the 35 A’s. Clearly stronger than I’d been used to in the 3’s and about consistent with the few P1-2 races I’ve done but obviously shorter. This is the cat I need to be in and I need to work harder next year if I can afford the time. It truly was about the top 4 or 5 this year then everyone else. Those guys up front are sick. It’s so much fun though to chill weekend in and out with rad people. I wish I could’ve hung with the RM-Izze boys today as the beer and brats were flowing and cookin. I hope they crushed it.

No karate kicking fans in frustration or broken derailleur on Nijs' part to keep Bart from coming across the line first. Wellens ground it out in the deep peanut butter yesterday. It look like a cross race finally and less a grass criterium. Goon on ya Bart! Everyone is a level (or 5) behind Nijs but this guy suffers so deeply it is mad. He's like the Pete Webber of Belgium. In any event, cool to see another set of hands other than Nijs' raised high in victory.