Photo by Matthew Cardinal.
Brett died on his bicycle in a fatal collision on Monday. We love and miss you.
Archive for October, 2007
We’re proud to present a CPQ with Joachim Parbo, 2006 & 2007 Danish National Cyclocross Champion. He is in the states for a while this fall, and just finished up a strong weekend in Ohio finishing 2nd place at both the Java Johnny’s and Bio Wheels cross races. Joachim races for the CCV Protek Cyclo Cross Team.
1. How old are you?
Born 1974
2. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?
I grew up in Struer, Denmark (Bang & Olufsen HQ) – now, I am living in Aarhus (2nd biggest city in Denmark).
3. How long have you been racing? As an elite?
I have been racing Elite MTB since 1999.
4. What was your first bicycle?
I got my first bicycle when I was 5, but I bought my first real bike in 1995 – a Marin Palisades Trail MTB.
5. What is your road/mtb racing background?
I started racing MTB in 1997 – I rode my first road race in 2006.
6. Describe your first exposure to cyclocross.
I did a cross race on my Breezer Lightning steel bike in 1999. I didn’t get a cross bike until 2001 – then I made it to the national team in two months.
7. Would you consider yourself a cross specialist?
Yes, but with quite some MTB seniority on the side.
8. Do you race full time? If not, what other job(s) do you have?
Mentally, I live with bicycling full time .. . be it racing, race organizing or cycling club organizing. I have had some jobs on the side like teaching, carpentry etc.
9. Did you go to college? If so, what was your major?
I’ve studied Political Science for 5 years – and I am about to finish my masters thesis in the spring of 2008.
10. Describe the first time you shaved your legs.
It was sheer peer pressure and there were some bets going on. It felt strange when I wore my pants afterwards… I am not into that scene… To me it is pure vanity and symbolic representation of being into cycling. If I was a roadie, and had a lot of crashes and constantly had a guy touching my legs with oily hands I could see a point of shaving legs – otherwise not.
11. Do you have any tattoos, and/or piercings?
When I crash I get a kind of tattoos… I don’t need any extra body ornaments to feel my body or to put any messages across.
12. Pre race rituals?
The small rituals change from year to year, as I focus on different things. But a morning ride before breakfast is kind of a ritual to mere. I am not superstitious…
Photo by Jonathan Maus
Plus One Lap is hosting a weight tip contest!
Here’s Molly makin’ us all proud in Vegas.
Portland area racer and blogger Brooke Hoyer submits his answers to the CpQ (Cyclocross Punters Questionairre). Enjoy!
1. How old are you?
42
2. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?
That’s a challenging question. I’ve lived in Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey (for three months), Connecticut, Michigan, North Carolina, Michigan (again), Illinois, and Washington state – in that order. The longest stretch I’ve lived anywhere was my second time in Michigan, from 1983 through 1999. I’m now in Vancouver, WA.
3. How long have you been racing? As an elite?
This is my fifth season. I’m no elite but have managed to crawl up to the 35+A group.
4. What was your first bicycle?
My first bike was a no name thing with training wheels. Soon after I learned to ride sans training wheels, I got a Schwinn Stingray in a wicked metallic green. I got my first ten speed when I was ten or eleven. It had 26” wheels. I got my first Merckx a couple years later (long story) but it got stolen pretty quick.
1. How old are you?
25
2. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?
I grew up on the 3rd coast (lake Michigan) in Sheboygan, WI where I still live for a larger percentage of time than anywhere else of the year.
3. How long have you been racing? As an elite?
I did my first race when I was 15 so I guess that makes about 10 years. I think 2003 was my first Pro mtb. race.
4. What was your first bicycle?
My first bike was a banana yellow 20″ bike my dad and I made it with random parts. The first bike I bought was a huffy. The first bike I raced on was a GT Tequesta with a Rockshox Quadra 5 – it was rad cause it had shox.
5. What is your road/mtb racing background?
I raced on and off road for a bunch of years mostly in Wisconsin early on with good success. In 2002 and 2003 I rode with the Saturn Development team all around the country and did like 80 races, but never had any really good results. The team folded at the end of 2003 so I went back to mountain biking and shortly after got hooked up on the Trek program which I have been racing on for 3 years now. In 2004 I did the U23 Pan Am Championships and U23 World championships in Les Gets, France with the U23 National team.
I picked up cross in the fall of 2003 and have expanded my schedule each year since. Early this spring I was able to go to Belgium and race Elite World Championships with the US national team.
6. Describe your first exposure to cyclocross.
It’s actually pretty funny how I started racing cross. I had been racing mountain bikes pretty successfully for a few years and in 2003 a friend was going to a cross race in Milwaukee. I decided to go along with my mountain bike and I ended up winning the elite race pretty easily. I liked winning so I went back the next weekend and discovered I could win cross races as well as mountain bike races so I kept going all fall. Then I borrowed a real cross bike and went to Portland in 2003 for U23 Nationals and just got throttled by Jesse Anthony and Alan Obeye, it was an eye opening experience racing in the mud, I had never done that before. I think I finished 5th or 6th.
7. Would you consider yourself a cross specialist?
I’ve had decent results through the last two seasons and even a few really good ones when the conditions fit me. I won the Beacon cross last fall which was a UCI race and also placed 8th at Nationals in 2005 so I’ve probably had some bigger results on the national level racing cross than mountain bikes, but a cross specialist – I’m not sure. I think I can do really well on certain courses and under certain conditions, but I’m still trying to find the consistency that would make me a specialist. I guess more and more I consider myself a cross racer over anything else so maybe I am heading that way?
8. Do you race full time? If not, what other job(s) do you have?
I have basically been racing full time the last 3-4 years although I’m still looking to make an actual salary. I work part-time at a bike shop in Sheboygan were I’ve worked for over 10 years now. I’ve really cut down my hours and the last two years I’ve probably only worked a total of like 200 hours total. I try to keep the bills at a minimum so I can pick up and leave whenever I want and squeak by on prize money. It seems to be working for the most part.
9. Did you go to college? If so, what was your major?
I went to a technical college near Sheboygan for 3 years and have an associates degree in Electro-mechanical technology. Basically it’s electricity, hydraulics, pneumatics, motors, and electronics used in industry to control robots.
10. Describe the first time you shaved your legs.
I think I was about 12 years old and probably didn’t even need too, but thought it was really cool cause all the pros did. I also rode around in the big chainring all the time cause I thought that was cool too.
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