The Boulder Cycle Sport team's good friend Michel "Bajo" Bajorek is well known by the USA Cycling crew as one of the 'good guys'. Many of you may have seen Bajo and not realized it…as he was a critical part of the movie “Transition 2”, a great documentary of US racers like my bro Brandon Dwight who participated in a few GVA’s while in Za Motherland in 2005. My trip in 2008 to Belgium was the first time Bajo and I met…having visited his house where Tim Johnson, Lyne Bessette and JPows were camped out for their campaign.

Michel is surgical in his approach to bike maintenance. He is one of the best and most sought after mechanics in the World Cup MTB and ‘cross circuits and most importantly does his job that much better for ‘his racers’ as he too is a hardened racer himself competing in countless elite races and championships in Belgium over the years.

This past weekend, Michel promised me some pics in-between his responsibilities of caring for the gaggle of U.S. Junior, U-23 and Elite riders he was responsible for on behalf of Geoff Proctor and Marc Gullickson. So, below enjoy some of the random pics from his lens and his words!

Steed de Summerhill. Danny’s last bike prepped for his race. New hoods, new white bar tape. Pro.

Mark Legg Compton dialing in his lady’s bike before the big day.

Bike, tubulars, tool kits and compressors. This is our life. Note the old Pipistrellos…

The Juniors get their legs loose before their event.

‘The crew before the storm’: Geoff, Dusty, me, Todd and Marc. A great group.

Amy D looking as happy as always.

Amy D and Sue get prepped for their efforts.

New carbon fiber goodies from Miche.

Page’s bike…next to the WK’s. (Note the extra pair of shoes Stybar keeps in the pit)

Priceless. Click the @12:15 tag below to take you to the moment every brand dreams about. 

Masters World CX Championships, 40+ Race from Twenty Pound Skull on Vimeo.

Za Trip 2011– she is done.

It was very safe to say that the Boulder crew came to Belgium unknown…and they leave well known. Especially the boys in Orange and Black. Unbelievable efforts by the entire crew…and I truly think they left an impression on the racers that the US fields are deep…and strong and taking the Masters and Elite Worlds in ‘12/’13 Extremely seriously.

As for the Master’s Worlds, our friends at CXMagazine published a brief report of the antics and re-casted the videos of Brother Webber seen below in earlier posts previewing the course. You can catch up on the videos to re-cap but the race was epic and the ‘Za Trip’ boys killed it in the Men 40-44. This was a first Master’s World Championship for all of them…with the exception of Pete having done the Elite Worlds in Koksijde in 1994. Their results are fantastic and shows the class of our Master’s riding in the US.

• Pete Webber 4th
• Brandon Dwight 6th
• Ward Baker 12th
• Kurt Perham 14th
• Brian Hludzinski 16th
• Michael Robson 18th

I’m extremely proud of them and truly looking forward to them coming home and hear the stories.

Seen above in the green DCM kit is Nico Berckmans…and to the left in the picture in the all white Stevens kit is Jens Schwedler. These guys (scoring 1 & 2) in the race put on a schooling as you’ll see in this video. Note the time gaps…

With that epic day of racing in Mol in their legs, today, Sunday the 23’rd, the boys had one last race to do…and one BIG race to go and watch. The Boulder crew made their way to their FINAL race in Assende, Belgium…the last race of the Flemish Cup. It was a Boulder Cycle Sport affair with Brandon taking the flowers with Za Webber in 2nd.

All the boys crushed it today putting 5 into the top 7 amazingly. I remember the last race i did on "Za Trip 1' and how spent I was after Mol. And of course Fort 6 (the next day's race) was the hilliest and muddiest race I’d every experienced! OUCH! These boys leave knowing how the sport is raced and raced hard in 'the fields' and what great champions are like (like Mario below) and that we have a great admiration and passion for the sport.

Now, on to the late day fun! With their faces washed and bikes packed for the plane trip home tomorrow, the crew were able to go and spectate at the World Cup in Hoogerheide. Clearly the boys were celebrating given the beer and their new found VIP passes (don’t ask…)

So with some fine Belgian Brown flowing through their blood streams and with backpacks full of high end HD recording devices…what’s a bunch of cross nerds to do? Go explore…

First, Pete was able to catch up with the legend, Adri van der Poel at the Hoogerheide World Cup race today. Have a view.

They then cornered our good friends, like Johs, Jeremy and Timmy for some camera time. Just enough to stress ‘em all out.

Pete then goes and tries to invade Niels’ ‘compound’…

After the race, you can clearly see the, um, “excitement” Webber has with his stalking of Styby. Or maybe it’s the beer.

That’s it folks, the trip, she is DONE! We’re all proud of the crew here in the US….especially here in Boulder…and most especially the author. If I could not be there with my best friends, I wanted to help articulate the great and fun things these guys are doing for the sport.

Now get home boys. I’m tired of the awesomeness you just experienced.

Michael strapped on the Contour Cam and pointed it back at the boys during a hot lap of the 2011 Master’s Worlds Course in Mol. Brandon also provides some pro-level cornering advice in the sand.

Cornering tips from Dubba…

I’m halfway.

As I breathe in deep to reflect…even for a moment on this busy day…I am lucky. So lucky.

40 years today.

Why is this number so important to people? My mind and my body are convinced they’re 26. Yes, reminders of my aging corpus nudge me back to reality some days…but I am thoroughly enjoying this life and the urge to keep driving. Keep going. Keep pushing. Keep living.

I’m halfway.

To where? I am not sure. An age? A point in life? If I apply some linear thinking to ‘halfway’ and what it may mean, I can feel comfort in knowing I’m halfway to seeing my dad again. That makes me infinitely happy. It’s hard to describe.

I’m halfway.

In this time, I’ve been blessed with a marriage that I thought only existed in poetry. My marriage. A marriage that for the last decade has me still so deeply, madly, in love with her…and ‘us.’  Amy, you are what drives me. You are what I do this all for. You are why I live inspired.

I’m halfway.

Two amazing little men. My sons. Aiden and Seamus. In this ‘halfway’ point, I look and reflect on who they are and how I am amazed to have them in our lives. What they’re becoming. How they see me. How I must behave and act to show them what’s right and to be men some day. For those reading this blog for some period, you’ll already know this was all started for them. As a record from a father to his sons on this amazing period in my life…our lives. So they may be able to glean some feeling of this period. And hopefully be proud of me.

I’m halfway.

I am in awe of the amazing people I am surrounded by in this life and the fact that I can call them my friends.  I am driven to try my best to do great things…as I see and am inspired by all of what you do in your lives. I love you like true brothers and sisters.

I’m halfway.

No. No I am not. I’m already there. Living it. Not rushing. Smiling as it unfolds.

Ah, the vacation spot on the ‘Silver Lake’ (Zilvermeer). An in-land oasis where 1000’s of Belgians enjoy themselves lying lazily on the white beach sand every summer, basking in the sun. But come January, Mol-Zilvermeer becomes a place of intolerable suffering…where Champions are made and where the best of the ‘old’ classes can have a shot to don the illustrious dark blue World Champion’s jersey for their efforts competing in the Cyclocross Master’s World Championships. Mol is epic. Mol is beautiful. Mol is a phenomenal place to have a ‘cross. It will be missed, but the excitement for Master’s Worlds in Louisville, KY USA is reaching a fever pitch.

Pete and Za Boys packed up their rental Sprinter van and headed to Mol Wednesday for a ‘Wednesday Worlds” of their own. They pre-rode this Saturday’s World Championship course, and Pete checks in. You’ll also see that they had a field trip to see our very good friends and BoulderCX sponsor Ridley Bikes. See those photos below from Michael Robson’s professional lens.

And now, “Turbo Pete” Webber!…

Hey Cyclocross Fans!

Yesterday, Wednesday, our crew travelled to Mol to pre-ride the track for Worlds.

The course is pretty awesome. It is mostly flat, with a good mixture of high speed and slower sections. There are a zillion turns, mostly fast and with a good groove. There are a few tight 180s with a deep rut defining the best line. You've got to be balanced on the bike and hit the rut while leaning and turning. The main challenge is sand. There are two major sand pits, one is a long beach section, the other is in the forest. Both are ride-able if you hit the ruts right, but if you screw up you can loose significant time. They are pretty fast when you have a clean line, but traffic will up the difficulty. The beach section is directly following the start/finish, and it will be chaos on the first lap. Since call ups are in a random order, luck will play a big role. It will be essential to get thru the beach clean on the first lap.

Most of the course is under a canopy of pine trees, and the pine needles are combined with a dark, sandy loamy soil. In some places it is hard-pack, in other places it is loose and rutted. Water drains quickly, so mud will not be an issue. There is one set of 6 log stairs, and one set of double planks. No running otherwise. Overall, the technical challenge is moderate. The physical challenge is definitely high. The soft ground requires power, the many turns require sprinting, and the sand pits keep your heart rate pinned. The rider with good legs, high-end speed, solid technical skills, and no mistakes will win.

Thanks for the update Pete!

It also must be remembered that this crew of guys are amazing bike nerds. I mean, Michael Robson in himself is at galactic levels of bike geek-dom. I am often in awe…and in shock…at the time he spends tweaking and experimenting with bikes. So, he and Ward put together some “Cross Tips” for us. Check ‘em out…

Here are a collection of photos from the course. Note the mixture of sand and loamy soil. I remember those roots REALLY vividly!

		Mol Pre-Ride VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Finally, as mentioned, the squad donned their ‘day clothes’ and visited our amazing friends and BoulderCX Sponsor, Ridley Bikes. I’ve written enough about their amazing products having been on X-Night’s and X-Fires the last 2 years. Game changing. Michael Robson, pro photographer, Aussie (Oi! Oi! Oi!), mad crosser and friend snapped a beautiful essay below. The Ridley operation is surgically clean. Amazing…

Our friend and owner of “The Chain Stay,” a rental house and full service ‘bike vacation center’ run by our friend Gregg Germer (and where my boys are staying while on Za Trip!) snapped these photos of the new Dugast tread off of Marianne Vos’ bike.

Start salivating. This is the tread we’ve been waiting for.

Could there be a better time or place to unveil the newest way to access ‘everything’ you need for ‘cross…the best products, deep knowledge by passionate racers and of course a thriving community…by launching while racing in Belgium? Today, Brandon Dwight, co-owner of Boulder Cycle Sport, has pulled up the curtain on BoulderCX.com while over in Belgium with our teammates and best friends racing their hearts out. The Boulder Cycle Sport operation has been on a continual growth path since its opening in 2005, having launched their 2nd store location in South Boulder this past year to service both ends of our town. Now, it’s time to carry the Orange, Gray and Black brand across the internet…a brand synonymous with cyclocross…to provide consumers no matter where they are all the passion, advice, information and of course the products we thrive on each fall in one, killer, website.

Read the full press release here and as you’ll see, the launch today indicates the initial opening and planned growth of the new web-store over the next few months, all in preparation of our upcoming 2011 season.

We’ve finally got a place to go to interact, learn, contribute and get the best products we depend upon each fall. HUP!!!!!!!

The boys got on their bikes today with the rest of Za North Americans to shake out the badness in their legs before proceeding to fill up said 'hollow' legs with the brown bubbly goodness, Belgium is famous for.

Pete’s video check in…

Pete interviews Dubba…

With the ride done, the crew packed up and headed the 5 clicks to the Roman brewery to get on the ‘Schlameel, Schlamazel’ and tasted the frothy goodness. Yes, this is the part that should make us all, who are unshowered and hunched over our PC’s the last 2 weeks (OK, maybe just me…) insanely jealous.