Monavie Cannondale » Cyclocross

Cyclo-Cross World Cup #8 Roubaix, France

Bart — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:31:48 +0000

Anyone that has toed the line of a cold muddy cyclocross race knows that regardless of your results or race experience you can always look forward to one thing, THE SHOWER!

Mud covered frozen body parts can always be brought back to life in a long hot shower. Bumps and bruises from hitting the icy deck are somehow mended. And even a blow to the ego from from a poor result seems to be softened after a long soak.

For anyone that follows Pro European road racing, the Roubaix velodrome showers take on a special significance. The Roubaix showers are where 7 hours of bone jarring race action through the cobbles of Northern France are washed off. Where the media get a rare personal glimpse of the pro riders. And where the the glory of victory and the sorrow of defeat in a race that defines careers first starts to soak in.

As for the Cyclocross World Cup, Sue did not have her best race and was plagued by a crash at the start that left her trying to play catch up in the thick mud around the velodrome grounds.

Her body was bruised, her limbs were cold, and her ego was bruised. A trip to the showers was never more appreciated!

Keep up the good work Sue.

Training in Belgium!

Bart — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:12:13 +0000

Isn’t it ironic that I spent all season training towards the goal of making the U.S. Cyclocross World Championship Team and then for achieving that goal, my ‘reward’ is training an extra 6 weeks! While most of my cycling friends are enjoying white fluffy stuff on skis, I am one of the lucky few that gets to head out on two wheels.

I understand why cyclocross is so popular in Belgium and the Netherlands. What else is there to do in winter with no mountains in sight? Riding in snow has become my daily reality after the ground was covered Monday morning when I woke up. Lucky for me, I had 2 rest days on deck, so Wednesday was my first attempt to ride. It went well. I enjoyed it, stayed warm and woke up today ready for more.

One difference however was the fog. Deep thick fog! This is problematic for a couple of reasons. One, the roads are narrow, and two, the cars don’t slow down. Add limited visibility and a biker to that equation and you have a recipe for disaster. Fortantly I have a bright orange cannondale jacket!

Ended up having a really fun 3+ hour ride in the countryside near my home in Meise, Belgium.

I love riding my bike and the chocolates not bad either!

-Sue

Terverun, Belgium- food hunt!

Bart — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:31:33 +0000

My last Christmas race was in Tervuren, Belgium which can easily be described in one word, COLD! Since I will not be racing for another 10 days I decided it was time to dive into true Belgian cross culture with a recovery meal sampled from the food court. The food may actuallybe partially credited for drawing all the fans, we all know it’s not the beautiful sunshine!

Directly following the race I was cold and hungry and quickly began my search for classic Belgium cross food. Since the VIP lounge was not an option, I went to what seemed to be the ‘main hangout’ area and scoped out what the locals were eating in hopes of making an informed choice. After all, this would be my first time actually eating the local fare at a race.

Locals with Frites

Local with Big Mouth

Local with Brat

Local with Burger

Local with Brat and Onions- not for the weak of heart or faint of stomach!

Frites with sauce seemed to be the crowd favorite

Now with a good idea of what the locals are eating, I was in search of a good vendor.

Soup Lady

The Frites guy set me up in style!

Drink Guys in plastic yellow suits, Coke or Beer?

Enjoying my first post race Belgian Frites. Not sure my stomach thought it was a good idea, but heck you only live once.

Oh yea, I got 8th in the race! Also check cxmagazine.com for my race write up.

Azencross Loenhout‏ Fashionable Fans

Bart — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 04:24:18 +0000

As January 1st approaches most Americans are preparing for their favorite New Years Day Bowl Game. You know, the Sugar Bowl, the Orange Bowl, and the Rose Bowl. The craziness that is college football may be the closest thing we have to cyclocross in Belgium.

Tailgating, face paint, and player jersey’s. Fans can be fanatical about THEIR team.

Cyclcross in Belgium is much the same with 40,000 fanatics paying 20 euros each to pack around a muddy course and cheer on THEIR favorite rider.

It’s all about the supporter jacket…

It’s common knowledge that Euros are a few seasons ahead of us when it comes to fashion, next year I am getting some moon boots for the pits!

Or maybe leather???

Be on the lookout for “Sue Butler Supporter” hats to rock at the World Championships in Hoogerheide, Netherlands on Febuary 1st!

Enjoy the play by play of Sue’s Loenhout race at cxmagazine.com

Cyclo-cross World Cup #7, Heusden-Zolder, Bel

Bart — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:05:56 +0000

The day after Christmas, “Boxing Day” has traditionally drawn big crowds to the venue in Hofstade. It has been a staple of the Christmas cyclocross season.

This year with a change in venue, I wondered if the the crowds would still come? The answer was YES, with possibly the largest congregation of drunk debauchery I have ever witnessed.

American style cheering for a specific racer and more importantly Portland style heckling of your favorite athlete is an art form that the euro cross fan has just not developed. As Tim and I joined the masses to watch the men’s race we were stared at in disbelief as we yelled the names of Ryan Trebon, Jamie Driscoll, Jeremy Powers (aka J-Pow), and Troy Wells. It was though we were total outcasts and the stares were of shock and disbelief. Sure, the euros made noise, wrang bells, and blew air horns but it was a low level drone of cheers with no one voice being singled out. My voice could definitely be singled out!

As for my race, it was pretty much over 3/4 of the way through lap one when my chain broke. That’s racing, man those wheels are sweet!

I had a great start and used my cat-like mountain bike skills to push through the untracked line and moved around the timid. This was going to be my day. I was dressed for the cold, my legs were firing, and I could actually see the rainbow stripes after the first hard corner. Yes, Hanka was in my sights. It’s funny how things can change in a matter of seconds, a snapped link and I found myself on foot. Oh well, I got a nice jog in and I didn’t quit. Butlers don’t quit! Sure, I may have been the last rider that didn’t get lapped, but I finished. It was weird riding in the back, maybe even embarrassing. It seemed as though the fans felt sorry for me .The course was just too fun to stop. And heck, 35th isn’t bad, a few points, right???

Bad legs in France, bad chain in Zolder, now looking forward to Middelkerke on Monday.
At least Tim is having some good luck with the waffles!