Cross love from the soggy northwest
It really is all in the details. All the preparation. Trying to stay healthy. Trying to find some form.
Getting up to drive the moto for me at 6am. Because you have a test at school and the weather report says rain by 9am.
We got on the road, and got the work done.
The second we finish the workout and head back in the rain starts falling.
What a perfect start to the morning.
Thanks Steven.
You are a true friend.
Richard Groenendaal zet punt achter carrière from Productiehuis.eu on Vimeo.
He gives a charming interview but on the parcours, he has a large chip on his shoulder.
To all of the lapped riders and Belgian fans he’s roughed up over the years he says:
“In your face! I rule!”
I like the part where he “hangs” his bike up for good.
do
dont
Photo by: Ken Conley kwc.org/cyclingBarry Wicks is one of the most feared riders on the domestic cyclocross circuit.
The Questionnaire:
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1. How old are you?
25 years old.
2. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?
I grew up for the first part of my life in Welches Oregon, Near Mt Hood. I moved to the Valley in 8th grade and went to Highschool and College in Corvallis Oregon. Now I live in Santa Cruz California.
3. How long have you been racing? As an elite?
I Have been racing cross since 1999, as an elite since 2002.
4. What was your first bicycle?
I had an purple fixed gear kids bike, then upgraded to an Orange Banana seat bike before finally getting a Sekai Jammer in 1993.
5. What is your road/mtb racing background?
I started racing MTB when I was 13 on my Jammer. The first race I did as a dual slalom. Then I started racing XC and eventually found my way to cross. I did some road racing, but found it boring and annoying.
6. Describe your first exposure to cyclocross.
Erik Tonkin was telling me about cyclocross at the last MTB race of the year and told me to have a go at it. I built up an old Autsro Damlier Road bike with 27″ wheels and went to the races!
7. Would you consider yourself a cross specialist?
I race a full MTB season along with the full cross season. I seem to have the most success in Cross, but I would call myself an off road specialist.
8. Do you race full time? If not, what other job(s) do you have?
I race full time, But work a few hours a week at a local Winery, mostly for the sweet wine hook ups.
9. Did you go to college? If so, what was your major?
I went to Oregon State and Majored in Exercise and Sports Science
10. Describe the first time you shaved your legs.
I swam in High School, so shaving my legs for the first time was not a cycling related experience. I liked how it felt though so now I do it all the time.
Superprestige FINALS #6 Hoogstraten- C1
Hoogstraten, Belgium, February 3, 2008
1 Niels Albert (Bel) Palmans-Cras
2 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Fidea Cycling Team
3 Sven Vanthourenhout (Bel) Sunweb-Pro Job
4 Radomír Simunek (Cze) Palmans-Cras
5 Sven Nys (Bel) Rabobank
6 Bart Wellens (Bel) Fidea Cycling Team
Maldegem, Belgium, January 30, 2008
1 Niels Albert (Bel) Palmans-Cras 59.29
2 Sven Nys (Bel) Rabobank 0.18
3 Bart Wellens (Bel) Fidea Cycling Team 0.59
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Lille, Belgium, February 2, 2008
1 Niels Albert (Bel) Palmans-Cras 56.34
2 Bart Wellens (Bel) Fidea Cycling Team 0.31
3 Sven Nys (Bel) Rabobank 0.32
“Those youngsters in front, they just have what it takes, and clearly they didn’t wait for us.”
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.
…or has it?
Can you believe it? The first domestic cyclocross races of the season were underway last week!
Getting started early in a long season of suffering and humility was the Labor day Cyclocross Championships near Seattle followed by the DFL cyclocross series #1 on Wednesday the 5th in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco!
The success of the early season races banks on them being low-key and fun. Training races if you will. And many will. The PRO roadies are tired but still fast and can put in a great early season cx ride. The PRO mountain bikers are on form but, after the brutal punch in the gut the USA took at VTT Worlds are Adam, Barry and Todd going to be out looking for revenge or relaxing with 18 holes and a beer?
The UCI season opener is on the 16th this month in Erpe-Mere, Belgium. But that does not matter to us mortals. A Sven will dominate, setting the stage for a string of race victories this year and into next. We can geek out over the winners and losers of the Steenbergcross or focus on more important matters.
There is hype…
Starcrossed (on September 22nd) has been a cyclocross mainstay since I knew what cyclocross was. The slick corners and grassy off cambers at the Marymoor Velodrome have been the initial throw down for the real renners and with UCI ranking this year the kid gloves are off. A double category 2 UCI weekend is in store with the bastard of all cyclocross run ups at Steliacoom park the next day.
And then there is hype.
CrossVegas is billing itself as the highest quality PRO field in the US! Domestic and International riders oh my! A mere 3 days after the first UCI weekend in the states we will have an idea of who is riding well and who is hurting. Being held on mostly flat and grassy soccer field, I am calling it out as a brutally fast and hot clusterfuck. With jet lagged Euros and anxious domestics gunning for the mere 10 spots of UCI points and glory. First lap crashes will abound and I expect a US victory over a gracious Belgian patron.
Then the season is ON! Or is it?
The weekend of the 30th was set to provide a chance for the East and West coast renners (respectively) to snag some “easy” UCI points with a single C2 race in Vancouver, BC and a double C2 weekend in Vermont/New Hampshire. Tim Johnson took the honors last year in Vermont setting the tone for another dominant season. Vancouver did not hold UCI status last year though Geoff Kabush rolled out of bed and took it handily. (I think I remember that right…)
But not this year.
A city wide strike in Vancouver has paralyzed the city. All city offices (including parks annd rec) are closed up and well, it is hard to put on a UCI event if you cannot get a permit to use the venue. Bad luck for a potentially cool first year UCI race.
A similar yet different story from New England. I’ll let a grizzled dirty old race promoter explain:
“Vermont had no sponsors, and New Hampshire had venue issues. There is nothing but local (non-UCI. ed.) races on week 39 anywhere in the US I think. That’s the bad thing about all these guys trying to go UCI- they fight over dates like mad, then a bunch of em drop out and we’re left with weeks of conflicts and weeks of no racing. USAC needs to tell these new promoters (though VT was 2nd year) that they have to have an established race before they go UCI. It’s the only fair thing to the riders at this point. Shit, those podunk Colorado races could move to week 39 and actually have people from outside of Durango come…”
And there you have it. A hiccup to the season start. He has a point. A few top renners will make the trek to Colorado but, who likes racing cx at altitude? Not this writer. The Colorado promoters put on super excellent races besides not being on either coast. Colorado is home to some of the top cx talent and maybe if all the promoters were better communicators we could have seen a now vacant slot on the UCI calendar filled.
The UCI rankings do not get updated until the day after the first World Cup (October 21st, Kalmthout, Belgium) leaving the US riders plenty of time and a good handful of races to solidify their start positions and UCI world ranking.
Morituri te salutant.
Joachim Parbo called me up to talk about cx and offer his congrats about my Tour of Ohio result! He is coming over to the USA and had tons of news from Europe.
After Bjarne confessed, Parbo lost a bunch of sponsors.
Looks like the Super Prestige series lost a big money sponsor too and are in a financial crunch. Start money is looking leaner and leaner for everyone.
We discussed building a cross commune house in Belgium so we could have a sweet place to stay and race in Belgium instead of renting or crashing on couches.
He is heading over here early in the year and we will be at the first Seattle UCI cross weekend, Vegas and probably Vancouver too. Then Ohio, Granogue, Wissahickon and the first USGP, then he heads back to Europe and I to Oregon.
Ryan Trebon moved back to Bend, Oregon and rumor has it he may head straight to Belgium for the early season, come back for US nationals then right back to Europe for Worlds.
So rumor has it. The USGPs are pretty good money and if he keeps winning them: cash is cash. So we will see.
I was on a ride a couple months back and asked Ryan if he was excited about cyclocross. “Hell yeah.” I appreciated that. When I talk to other racers and pros there is often a lack of enthusiasm about races and the season ahead. Everyone is still focused on the road or mountain season and we usually only see each other at races and are busy getting ready; never a good time for a chat. I meant to write about that a while ago. It was refreshing to hear the top US cyclocross talent geeking out about euro courses, cross tyres and race results.
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I had a brief exchange with the promoter of Cross Vegas and the race is ON! Jon Page is confirmed to race and we can assume: Wicks, Trebon, Powers, Wells, Johnson and co will be at Interbike and will race. It is going to be dry and fast. And hott. I am hoping for some obnoxious Vegas tomfoolery on the course. Strippers as barriers or something.
I’m just saying…
I am billing this as the early season show of force. Trebon vs. Page. On an atypically fast and dusty circuit with every cycling industry nerd placing bets on the winner. To be a complete cross racer you have to be able to race well in any condition, will the stars and stripes be able to step onto the podium above the 2nd place worlds finisher?
Another rumor is that Page may stay in the US for the early season after Cross Vegas. That may have been to race the first world cup (which has been canceled in the US) so, I imagine he will head back soon after Vegas.
Speaking of Jon Page. A masterful comeback to a potentially tragic season. Mission accomplished. The f’ed up shoulder at the first World Cup nixed any chance of getting UCI points for a good start position during the season. And the lack of racing did not appear to hold him back when it came time to deliver the goods. Besides the Worlds podium his results for the month prior were stellar, back of the pack starts everytime. The pro contract is well deserved and a long time coming. When I bumped into Jon warming up at the Superprestige Diegem, I said “hey” in English and he muttered a hello in Flemish or at least that is what I understood. After heckling me for bringing carbon wheels to Belgium, I realized the man is Belgian, we can not claim him as our own anymore. (ps: I saw you on your Cosmic Carbones! At least my wheels were light!)
No matter what Wellen’s says about the podium finishers. Franzoi raced Roubaix; where the hell were you? Oh right, at home nursing a broken wing and filming “Wellens en wee”.
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I am the proud owner of some new FMB cyclocross tyres.
Going back and forth with Francois, we have built a pretty cool relationship.
The SSC Sprint is hott. Going to be great for everything but the muddiest course out there. The side lugs are taller than any other tyre out there and on my recent test rides they hook up very well. I got 34s for sandy and rough conditions. It is not so much a “file tread” pattern as lots of little 2mm spikes.
My digital camera is in Pete’s hands right now so, I don’t have any photos yet.
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A guy wandered into the shop a few days ago and after a brief chat turns out he works at TRP! We get to talking about cross and he is designing the newest TRP cyclocross brakes.
“hang on a sec, I’ll be back with the prototypes.”
TRP is stepping up their game with a serious entry into the cyclocross scene. He rolls back in before closing with the TRP versions of Froglegs/Spooky style calipers! They are not up on the TRP website yet. I’ve been racing on the spooky carbon brakes for the last 2 seasons. They are the best out there. These appear very, very similar in design and weight.
I think we may have a sample pair on the way, here is to hoping the pricing is competitive with the Spookys!
After a spring time hiatus, we’re back with a CPQ from two time US national cyclocross champion Todd Wells. Todd captured the US cross titles in 2001, and again in 2005 and is always a contender. We’ve got a couple of questions about this years goals, and then on to the questionnaire. 
What are your goals this season?
To have a strong World Cup, World Championship and National Championship. To make the Olympic Long team.
Going for UCI points for the Olympics?
Yes. The US will either get to send 2 or 3 riders to the Olympics based on how we do as a country this year. That means the top 3 guys in UCI points have to be high up so our country is ranked in the top 5. Then we can send 3 riders.
Planning on a full cx season again?
I will do quite a few US cross races but just until Nationals. I shut it down after that to take a break.
Ever planning on heading over to Europe for some cx racing?
I raced cross in Europe back in 2002. I did a World Cup and the World Championships in Belgium. It was fun but I had my worst MTB season ever after that. We start up on the mountain bike in March so I need to stop and take a break sometime.
1. How old are you?
31
2. Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?
I grew up in Kingston, NY and I now live in Durango CO.
3. How long have you been racing? As an elite?
I started racing BMX when I was 5 yrs old and did that until I was 16. I didn’t even start riding mtbs until I was 18. I started racing as an elite when I was 21 or 22, then I took 3 years off to go to school and get a real job. I guess that means I’ve been racing as an elite for 9 years.
4. What was your first bicycle?
Some crappy Huffy I broke in my yard on some tiny rock jump.
5. What is your road/mtb racing background?
Like I said, I grew up racing BMX and then switched to the MTB when I was 18. I thought I would race dual slalom and dh but found out I was better at XC.
6. Describe your first exposure to cyclocross.
I threw a mountain bike together with drop bars and did the Super Cup in Boston back in 1998? I got lapped by Gully and all the other top guys. I sucked.
Continue reading ‘CPQ #7: Todd Wells’
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