Namur World Cyclocross Cup - the hardest cross race I’ve ever done..
A few people have been asking me if I am disappointed with my result at Namur. I finished 37th and would of been 10 minutes down on the Vos Machine if they had let me through for my final lap. I think that's the most annoying thing. Seeing 37th, 1 lap down, but I wasn't actually lapped. The rule at world cups is that you must be within 20% of the leaders lap time and once you fall below it, you're out.
But I can't kick myself over a result where I rode as hard as I could go with limited resources - it was the hardest cross race I’ve ever done, much much harder than the World Champs. I am happy to know I am at a level now where it's rare to get pulled from races and that I can get myself around some of the narliest courses in the world - Sunday's race was scary at times. There was SOOOO much mud and without a back up bike in the pits, this made it very tough going.
On the start line I was gridded 3rd to last and got a phenomenal take off to move up into 25th position on the main climb. This was no ordinary cross world cup. It was more like a mountain bike race! There was about as much climbing as a standard mountain bike course and a drop off as narly as that to back it up. I remembered seeing a rider in front of me about 1/3 around the course with the ranking no.7 on her back and thinking to myself 'either I am having the ride of my life, or you're in real poor form...' - BUT my fantastic start faded and I must of dropped back to somewhere in the 30's by the end of my first lap. I think my legs blew with the amount of bike carrying involved. On my 3rd lap I thought my legs might give way, it felt like my feet could no longer hold them. Two thirds of the way around the course there was a really scary drop. From the top it had a small drop followed by lots of exposed and slippery roots down into a huge boggy mud pit. You couldn't use the brakes and it was too steep and you just to had to pray that you had the technique right. I rode it on the Saturday practicing the course, got down in one piece, but terrified. Then I did it again to perfect it and managed to fling myself over the handle bars twisting them around 180 degrees! After that I made the decision to run it in the race as to not risk a broken collar bone for the road season and I actually got booed by a spectator! I do my best to ride everything, but I don't see any point in trying to 'be the man' in a race if it could write off a whole year of quality training and racing for the next season. Maybe spectators should think about the bigger picture for the athlete..
The atmosphere as always was amazing, snow falling, big crowds and everyone yelling on support. I'd also like to say sorry to the couple who popped by to wish me luck for the race and I wasn't able to give you a fan card. I'll be honest in saying I didn't expect more than a few people to ask for one and I will be better prepared if I make it to the start line of the World Champs.
I was gutted for fellow kiwi Darryn Medhurst who damaged his leg warming up for the course and wasn't able to race. This would of been NZ's first guy at a cross world cup in about 5 years and Darren was half the reason I was able to get out to the world cup. He picked me up at the train station in Gent, feed me, housed me and drove me to the race, so I felt dreadful that he didn't get to take part. I also have to say a HUGE thanks to Crispin. He came out as Team NZ Manager. Crispin was cool calm and collected through out the weekend, cleaned my bike, acted as mechanic and had to stand in the pits for me while he nursed a nasty cold - what a trooper.
As I've mentioned earlier, any kiwis/aussies reading this who want to give this cross world cup thing ago, please don't think you can do this on your own. YOU NEED A SUPPORT CREW for cross, you won't be let in without a team manager. Feel free to drop me an email if you do want to give it a crack. I'd love to see more antipodeans out here. It will raise your game, raise the profile of the sport and help promote cross down under.
And speaking of Kiwis, Kiwi cross rider Ken Feist was in town a few weeks ago checking out the Scottish cross scene with his plans for more global cross in 2012. Ken was a great laugh and joined us for a freezing ride through the Pentlands where we got to swap stories of Kiwi international riders doing it on the shoe string budget…that’s probably the best way to describe the majority of kiwi riders I know ‘on the bones of their axxx…’ – excuse my language, sleeping on couches around the world, to poor to afford a decent hotel before big races. Ken told one particularly alarming story of a kiwi mountain biker back in the Kennett Brother racing days who sold his bike to pay for his airfare to the race in Europe (in the hope that someone would give him a bike to ride), but didn’t have any left over money for the hotel, so he slept in the hotels backyard and rode on to 5th place at the World Championships! Imagine what could have been done, with a bit more help.
So it’s time for a bit of chill out now, I jump on the plane back to NZ tomorrow just in time for xmas with the family, trying to get excited about 40 hours of non stop travel..and then back into some riding at the NZ National Road Championships. First time in four years, should be fun times.
