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Entries from December 26, 2010 - January 1, 2011

Za Webber Trip 2010–The Mud Fest Recon

Pete and his pro pit team composed of wife Sally and daughter Ella (6 y.o.) are reader to get ‘er done tomorrow in Waregem. Pete checks in…using video of course (he listens to his bud when he asks him to shoot more video…).

Za Webber Trip 2010
Waregem Pre-Race Report
Hello from Belgium and Happy New Year! Tomorrow (Jan. 2) is the Waregem cross, another round of the Flemish Cyclocross Cup. Since it is only 15k from Oudenaarde, I went over today to check out the course. It is gonna be epic! A classic muddy field race. Check out my 1-minute video update and some photos of the track. My bikes are dialed and the pit crew is ready - we even practiced our bike changes today in the street. Stay tuned for a post-race report... Thanks for reading, Pete

 

Recon pics…

The Best Of List for 2010

Man the years are TICKING by. Here we are already with 3 ‘best of’ lists, ‘08, ‘09 and now ‘10. What an amazing year of learning…and that is about as precise an adjective I can apply to this year in both cycling and in life. Leaving paying jobs for non-paying ones, breaking bones, struggling to do well in the sport I love…it was an amazing year. So let me recount some of the best things that occurred and experienced this year. Keepin’ it positive, yo.

Best New Race – Aspen Lodge CX by DBC Events!

What an INCREDIBLY fun race and amazing venue. Chris Grealish and Joe DePaemelaere put on what I thought was one of the most fun, scenic and festive races of the year. People balked at the courses ‘technical’ features which were, in my opinion, PERFECT. This was a course that made you have to be focused and attentive 100% of the time and ensured that the best were those that know how to drive their bike!

(Photo by Mountain Moon Photography)

Best Race That I Raced – CrossVegas

Keller Cross Vegas by Mat HowieIronically, one of my first races of the season was my best. I’d worked REALLY hard since the summer to get into some sort of shape. I was nervous as hell to crash and hear that clavicle go “snap!’ again but so deeply stoked to be on the bike and with my buds. I think I took an 8th place out of ~160 so people, about 40 of whom wanted to be tops at the race. The victory was that I felt a ‘good suffering’…that kind where you could go deep deep deep but knew you were going to improve over the coming weeks.

I am so looking forward to another Cross Vegas. I love the camaraderie and it is great to get amped up for our seasons with all your friends from around the country. Glad to see Brook Watts will be launching the event again in 2011.

 

Best Training or Racing Aid – Motopacing with the Good Doctor, Coach Frank!

Frank is truly one of the good guys of the sport. The smile that he is constantly emanating is contagious and reminds you when you walk into his Training Center that you are there to improve your life. He’s smiling cause he knows what you’re about to achieve…and maybe a little smile at the suffering you’ll have to go through to get there. Frank was there offering a hand the week after I crashed this year and built up my confidence again by telling me ‘you’ll be fast again and I’m going to help you get there after all this…’ Frank assembled a great plan to build upon week after week to re-assemble fitness essentially starting from mid August. One of the tools used was motorpacing which was hard, fun and absolutely essential to build up leg speed and the ability to sustain thresholds and keep them there…essential to be able to be with the wheels of a Ward Baker, Michael Robson and Timmy Faia. So much fun and if you can do it, and know when to add it to your training plan at the right time, I recommend it:

 

 

Best Food of 2010 – Tie: Session Black Ale and Justin’s Almond Nut Butter

Tough choice so I had to give them a tie. What tasty discoveries this year. First, I am a sucker for anything dark and bubbly and when I saw these little hand-grenade sized 11oz bottles of goodness, I gave ‘em a try. Not a porter yet not a brown. It is a true black ale which is pretty smooth and creamy with a smoky sort of taste. The new fave.

As it relates to racing nutrition, I will have to say that I was blown away with the Justin’s products. Specifically the Almond Butter but they are honestly ALL unbelievably good. I like the consistency and taste of Justin’s for super long rides. It’s real protein and I like the feeling it has in my stomach…which translated means it doesn’t tear me apart. I just wish their packet-sized versions contained a little more!

Best Product I Tried This Year – Northwest Knee Warmers Embrocation

OK, seriously, how many times in your racing past have you applied embro only to have you actually feel it 4 hours later when you are in the shower? Yeah, me too. That is until I sourced some NorthWest Knee Warmers, Medium Strength. The product is made by Kalli Phillips in the cross Mecca of Portland. She’s a licensed naturopathic physician who has a strong acumen of herbal medicines and blending them appropriately. It’s made in small batches by hand, roughly 40 tins at a time and costs about $19 a tin. One tin lasted me about 1/2 a season. I highly recommend medium strength to start with as it is pretty hot! You will feel it upon application and while racing…the first embro I’ve used to TRULY perform in the way I thought embro was supposed to. Amazing product.

 

Best Picture I Took – Dubba at the Boulder Rez

Funny enough but this was a year where I wasn’t hammering the shutter too often. But one picture I snapped I seem to look at quite often. I like the dust going on in the race as well as Brandon’s focus. This was the UCI race at the Boulder Reservoir:

Brandon at the Rex 2010

Best Picture Someone Took of Me Us! – Any photos by Annette of Mountain Moon Photography!

We have TONS of mad photographers in Colorado shooting cyclists each season, but the award for the most passionate goes to Annette. She shoots ALL DAY, as many categories as she can to make us all feel ‘pro’. Moreover, the quality of her pictures is spectacular, with little or no post processing…just the natural light and glass to provide all the effect you’ll need to remember your races. Lastly, she does this out of love, with  2 pictures for $5. Amazing. We appreciate you being out there in the cold, rain, mud and snow, Annette!

Keller - Sand pit

Best of the Best of 2010 – Life Happens…that’s what’s the best.

So much to be thankful for. So much to remember. So much to look forward to. Visually speaking, these were just some of the BEST things of 2010…

I broke my clavicle and learned to be completely humble about my life, my needs, what’s important and what I love.

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I left a perfectly good paying job…probably the best gig in Boulder…to not get paid and start my own company with my good bud John Bliss…in a recession. So, shoot more video and use my apps when they launch soon!

(Photo by Neal Rogers)

My oldest son Aiden started racing ‘cross! I’ve never experienced such a confidence boost in a person, old or young, as I did with Aiden this year. Amazing to see and so much fun.

The Ridley X-Fire. Amazing geometry, weight and versatility of this new bike by an even more incredible sponsor to Boulder Cycle Sport: Ridley Bikes. I like to call the bike’s positioning and geometry “fast forward” – weight over the front wheel with the rider more ‘forward’ on the bike. You’ll understand the feeling should you get to drive one. And please try to drive one.

That’s all folks! I wish you all a massively successful 2011…however you define success. And that is fundamentally the fun part.

Hup hup!

Za Webber Trip 2010 - Vorden with a 'V'...as in Victory.

I guess the word to use by this point is something like ‘rampage.’ As in: “Pete Webber is on a RAMPAGE in the lowlands this season, chalking up his 3rd win in as many tries.” This recent win comes to him against some stiff competition, including the reigning Dutch Masters National Champion. The rest, I’ll leave up to Webber to bring us up to speed on as we all try to live vicariously through his exploits…

Za Webber Trip
Vorden Race Report

I want to start today's blog with a big "Thank You" to everyone who's been encouraging me. The emails and Facebook comments are totally great! I'm very lucky and fortunate to have such great friends and family.
Today we made a long haul to the Netherlands for a Wednesday race. A cool thing about the holiday season over here is mid-week racing. The top elite riders get a bunch of mid-week races between Christmas and New Year's Day in Belgium, but there are fewer options for Masters. Last year I raced an event in the Netherlands and it was awesome. Very PRO, great riders, great atmosphere. So this year I was looking forward to a return trip to try the "Castle Cross Vorden," even if it meant a 3.5 hour drive each way. Local racers here would never dream of such a long drive for a race, they seldom look more than 1 or 2 hours from home. But I'm here for 'cross, and cross-border adventures just add to the fun.

Our day started with a 5:30 wake up to hit the road by 6 for an 11:30 race. Straight east, past Gent, Antwerp, across the border, past Eindhoven and finally to Vorden, not far from Germany. As is usual this time of the year, the sun doesn't fully rise until about 9 am. That equals 3 hours driving in freezing rain before sunrise. Not exactly the best race-day prep. But over the years I've figured out that my 2-hour pre-race routine will get me to the start line no matter time of day, amount of sleep, or crazy weather conditions. For me, the important thing is to just execute the routine.

I had read on the web that the recent snow and some freeze/thaw had put the race into jeopardy. Thankfully the local community rallied with tractors and shovels to clear the heavy, crusty snow from the entire loop. In most places, that left only a singletrack-width race track. The snow to the side was widely variable. Sometimes unridable crust, other times just heavy wet stuff. They did a really excellent job and the road sections combined with some creativity provided enough passing. The terrain was very flat, maybe a couple 3-4 foot 'hills', but otherwise just twisty turns and power slogs. The ground was not frozen, so there was also wheel-sucking mud and boggy grass, followed by icy turns in the shade. No dismounts at all. Flat, heavy courses are often the hardest since cornering, accelerations, and simple pure power are required. Adding to the challenge was a dicey corner right on the bank of a muddy canal and a heavy stench of fresh manure.
With 4 laps pre-ride, some practice starts, and a Clif Shot I worked the cobwebs out. The A-Team pit crew of Sally and Ella had my Rhinos at 22 psi and hit my pedals and shoes with some de-icer spray. I was ready to roll.

The start/finish pavement was icy in spots, so the organizers had decided to shorten the start straight to only 25 meters before a turn into the singletrack in order to prevent high-speed crashes. This, combined with the large amount of singletrack convinced me to approach the officials before the race and beg for a better call up than the last row normally given to internationals. They actually listened to me and invited me to line up first! Unfortunately I didn't know this was going to happen, and I missed them call my name in the string of Dutch. Fortunately, another rider clued me in and I made it to second row. The one race I get called up, and I miss it! Duh! There wasn't long to dwell on this hiccup however, as the rider next to me on the grid gave me a back-slap and said "Let's go Mud and Cowbells hey!" The spirit of Za Keller is everywhere! I laughed and was psyched!

We sprinted away from the line and were instantly into the woods. Total chaos as everyone tried for one line. I ran and elbowed and took a shoulder or two before I settled in about 15th place. After a minute to get my wind back, I set myself to the daunting task of moving up. It took two frantic laps of aggressive passes and capitalizing on each opening before I made the front group of 3. I sat with these guys for another lap until I felt I like had the legs and the cornering speed to attack. I went full gas for the next two laps and took the lead with 5 to 10 seconds of daylight. The second place rider was wearing the Dutch champion's kit, so I knew there would be no giving up. He pressed me the whole distance. And with about 50 slippery opportunities on each lap to make a mistake, I worked hard to stay smooth and focused. Cross-eyed and gasping, I was completely at my limit when the finish line finally arrived. I raised my arms for a very grateful victory.

Some of my pics

Some additional photos by local photographers:

The start: http://www.robsfotoshop.nl/index.php/fotos?view=album&album=5556210069495287249&page=5
The first turn chaos: http://www.robsfotoshop.nl/index.php/fotos?view=album&album=5556210069495287249&page=5
The finish: http://www.robsfotoshop.nl/index.php/fotos?view=album&album=5556210069495287249&page=9
The results: http://www.wielerland.nl/index.php?option=com_database&c=u&sc=1&id=23651&Itemid=242

Check this video of the 15-16 year old juniors. These kids are very impressive:

 

Za Webber Trip 2010–Balegem or bust

I think that the Belgian gambling mafia is on to Mr. Webber as he continues to demonstrate that the Americans take the sport we all love VERY seriously. He by this point is completely screwing with the odds. Pete pulled off yet another win on Belgian soil, this time in Balegem. Have a read and a view of the photo essay…

Za Webber Trip: Balegem Race Report

The Balegem circuit is great, and the atmosphere is even better. I raced here last year, and was really excited to return to this icon of the Flemish Cup. It is situated around a cafe, a farm and a forest in the countryside outside the village of Balegem, just 20 minutes from our base in Oudenaarde. The cafe - The Feestzaal Steenput - is well-known and managed by former Tour De France rider Rudy Colman.  Although I have not done many Belgian races, I think Balegem defines the awesomeness of grassroots Belgian cyclocross. All the elements are in place, and the result is simply a thing of beauty. Sally and Heidi Vandermoere did a wonderful job snapping photos, and I'll let those images tell the story. Check out my 1-minute video of the 17-18 junior race here:

 

 

And now for the Balegem photo essay:

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I Love Veldrijden (Cyclocross)

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There are 21 races in the Vlaamse Cup, all within about a 1 hour radius. This year, Balegem also served as the Provincial Championships for East Flanders

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The cafe Feestzaal Steenput is also race headquarters. Inside is registration, rider's changing area, and of course food and drink.

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Registration is very professional and efficient. No paperwork needed. The first official scans your bar code, you sign next to your assigned number, pay a couple euros, and collect your number.

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The numbers are re-usable. Return it after the race and get a deposit back.

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Bike racing is a family activity and part of a healthy lifestyle ;-}

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Vans, campers, sprinters, and all sorts of customized rigs are essential when dealing with the frequently horrible conditions.

 

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Every racer has a couple of mechanics, helpers and plenty of supporters.

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Like the cars, bikes are new. While cars tend to be shades of gray, white is the most popular shade for fiets.

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The spectators gather at the technical steeps. I'm guessing that plenty of them walked from home.

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This gentleman is a local legend and races every weekend. I talked with him after the race and we traded stories. He has ridden Mont Ventoux over 100 times and toured from Belgium to Moscow this summer. The fellow in the background looks like he's been to a few races as well.

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Ella loves bringing my spare bike to the pit and often insists on holding it during the race too.

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The rider's changing area is full of interesting rituals. In this photo, a rider has arranged his gear very precisely for his post race clean up.

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Steep drops and deep ruts are the crux at Balegem. There are 3 of these drops in a row.

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The Jenever (Dutch gin) vendor is ready to provide both types of warmth for his customers.

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A discerning spectator.

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Mini-supporter ready for the afternoon.

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Now for some racing action. Choose a rut and stay in it.

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Mario and I take different lines on the run-up. Neither one provided much traction.

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Horsepower.

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Cornering.

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Mario focused on the task.

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I'm in full attack mode, trying to gain time on this long power climb.

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Victory. The newspaper Het Laaste Niews (The Latest News) is the title sponsor of the race series and countless other bike races over the decades.

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Flowers are essential.

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Family and friends.

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Our van was easy to find ... behind the cafe, beside the chicken coop at the base of the climb.

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Bike washing station.

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The results.

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Post-race cold beer and hot soup in the cafe.