Race Cyclocross!

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…

13. Post race meal?
Nothing special really, but preferably something with meat.

14. How do you wind down after a race?
I might do a 30 min light spin and eat a protein bar.

15. Your idea of the perfect cross course?
It has either mud or sand and has both fast and slow, tough technical sections.

16. Espresso or tea?
Espresso for sure. Tea is more for when I have a cold.

17. For you, what is the essence of cyclocross?
The variety of the courses – cyclocross is the most diverse type of cycling. But I see mud, rain and fog before me when I close my eyes.

18. Tubulars or clinchers?
Challenge tubulars

19. Write a haiku about 2006 CX Worlds.
I never really understood what a haiku poem is. It is mostly something I’ve heard mentioned in the mass bombardment of US Hollywood culture we get on TV. I can do origami though…

20. My mind wanders when I’m racing. What were you thinking about during your last race?
I kept saying to my self ‘COME ON, this why you are racing – finish it! The race before I kept on chanting ‘Tim Johnson, Tim Johnson’ when I was running through the sandpit.

21. Seen any good movies lately?
The last one was Oceans 13. It was OK, but nothing more. All time favorites are Blade Runner and 12 Monkeys

22. What are the last three albums you’ve listened to?
The most resent artist’s albums I bought were:
Dizzie Rascal (UK Grime Rapper)
Public Enemy (25 years and still rockin’ the joint)
The Bees (neo-Beatles)

23. Who is going to win Worlds this year?
Some fast Belgian guy as usual.

24. In three words or less, describe how you feel about top mount cross brake levers.
German safety folly

25. Would you use disc brakes on your cross bike if they were UCI legal?
You don’t brake in cross, so why the extra weight?

26. What is the craziest thing you’ve done to lighten your bike?
A big guy like me should not play with that.

27. Any season goals you’d like to share?
Top 30 in the World, Win the Danish Champs, Top 20 at the Worlds

28. What result are you most proud of?
Cross? The 2007 Danish Champs. Overall in life? Winning the Adventure Race Arctic Team Challenge (www.atc.gl) in East Greenland 2 times.

29. Who has most influenced your cross racing career?
To begin with it was my Czech friends from Hlinsko and LC Kayl in Luxembourg. But recently it has been the people behind my family based Italian team CCV Protek Cyclo Cross Team from Bologna. They made me believe in further development.

30. Is there another rider you train with regularly?
Back home it is ‘Sofa John’, my sisters boyfriend.

31. Why do you think the Europeans are so much faster than the US crossers?
Europeans don’t care about style like bunny hopping the barriers. Winning speed is key. And surely there has been – or still is – some cheating going on. There is more hard work and less talk in European racing.
On the other hand the US cross scene is more friendly and embracive – and in general has far more qualities to it. In Europe there is not a cat. 2,3 and 4 or Singlespeed category at the races. There might be fewer spectators in US, but there are more racers over here. So there are actually more people who truly understand the sport.
The perspectives for the future are way better in the US. Here there are qualities that can be built on, potentially making the sport bigger than in Europe. The marketing perspectives are better. There is much more entertainment here. People dressing up, Beer relay, Cowbells etc. People should just start to believe more in themselves and their scene – and not look to Belgium as the holy country.

I came here for all those reasons – and to bring back about 100 UCI points. Last year I have never felt so welcome as I did I stayed in Colorado and raced the Xilinx and the DBC Boulder Cup races. For this season I figured 2 months over here wouldn’t hurt.

32. Are you married? Have any children?
No, but I hope to bag both things within a few years… My girlfriend, Mette is a dentist, so I guess I just need to ride my bike, cook and look after the kids.

33. Any (other) passions or hobbies in your life?
Cooking keeps me racing, but I also enjoy mountain running and randonne ski touring when I have time to do it.

34. What would you be doing if you weren’t racing cross?
I would be working in the danish public sector promoting sports and active living.

35. Do you have a blog or online journal?
Check my frequently updated homepage www.joachimparbo.dk and say HI in the forum.

36. Any words of advice for those new to cyclocross?
Get dirty and embrace the pain with a smile