Worlds

OK I'm finally back from Belgium and settled again. It was an unbelievable trip. If you like warm weather and mountains for your cycling preference, then maybe Belgium isn't your ideal winter cycling destination. If on the other hand your heros are guys like Eddy Mercyx, Johan Museau, Mario DeClerq, Sven Nys, Bart Wellens or Ervin Vervecken, to name a few, then you'll probably feel like a very privledged person to roll over some of the cobbles and pavement that these men have also ridden over. I'm in that group for sure. Besides, anyone can ride in nice weather.

We arrived on the 14th of January and quickly put together 1 bike each, just to get in a quick ride. We did the other one the next day, all the stuff got there undamaged and on time. There was a lot of snow still on the ground when we got in. The forecast was for cold temps so it was gonna be there for a while. Here is the little A-Frame we rented for the duration of our stay, it was actually on the Master's World Championship course. No lie, 50 meters from the start finish line.

On Friday we went to nearby Kasterlee to preview a course that we thought we'd be racing on Saturday, but we discovered it was actually the Belgian National Championships and the race would be on Sunday. In an interesting twist we were welcome to race their National Championships. Kev had a little issue with a valve on one of his wheels, so we found the local bike shop. The owner was a super nice guy and we found ourselves in the back work area where all the magic happens and like any self respecting bike shop, all the girly pictures hang on the wall. There were also a lot of Bart Wellens newspaper clippings on the wall.

Suddenly Kevin and I were looking down on the floor where there were 2 Team Fidea Ridleys sitting with the front wheels off. In very non flashy style they both said Bart Wellens on the top tube. At first glance I thought maybe it was a signature model that was available for the public, but the block letters were too small for that, and as I said "Are those his bikes?" a little guy walked by us from behind and started putting one of the front wheels on. He sort of had his back to us and had on a jacket with a high collar and a winter hat, but as he turned sideways I could see a little blonde hair sticking out and then his profile. I whispered to Kev "Is that him?" I turned to the shop owner who had a big smile on his face and just said "Ya Ya" as he laughed. Now I'm not one to get star struck, but I gotta admit standing there and meeting Bart Wellens a 4 time World Champion and 9 time Belgian National Champion, was some SHIT!!! Nicest guy you ever wanna meet too, perfect English and he talked about how he visited Boston some time ago with his pal Tim Johnson. Turns out he was a full time mechanic in the shop for 6 years before turning PRO, and he lives about 10k down the road. Later in the week the owner pulled out Barts World Champion bike from 2004, just to show it to us. He had it in the way back room. The thing was beautiful!!!

So we thought we would go race in Holland on Saturday in Bakel. We fought off the jet lag and loaded up our 6 speed Diesel, Ford Galaxy Mini Van and headed North for the 1 hour drive. Beautiful drive. Got there and found out the race was also on Sunday. Crap! We had a hard time figuring out the races and the categories and even the days the races were held on. It's not so clear and lots of various information is contradictory, oh well, no worries. We drove back to Kasterlee and burned some more laps. The course was incredible. Thank god we do our share of mountain bike races. The course was a single track winding through the woods up and down hills around tight corners with trees on the inside and also in the follow through of lots of the corners on snowy/icy "Bend" like conditions. There was also a section in a corn field that was brutally filled with frozen ruts and loose wet mud on the top 2" that had thawed. A LONG, narrow paved section (fake cobbles like bricks or pavers)made up the start and finish area.

Sunday dawned and as we understood it I would race in the B Masters which is men 40-49 at 11:30, Kev would race in the C Masters which was 50 and up and would be at 12:30. It had warmed up and everything was melting rapidly. We got to the venue and couldn't believe how many campers were there! 100s of them. Some big, some more personal, but just about everyone had one and they all set up their tents and awnings and get the work stand out and all the wash stuff. They make us look like a bunch of amateurs in that regard. Totally PRO, and there wasn't even a PRO category at this race. They're used to the mud since the country really never dries out.

We went to sign up and the entry fee was 5 Euro, which we would get back when we returned our numbers. Free racing!!! What the Heck? We get signed in and the organizer tells us my race is at 11:30, but Kevin's is at 10:30.....not 12:30. It was about 9:45 at that moment. A quick change up and a short spin and Kev was off to the line. I put his bike in the pit and then went out on the road to warm up. As I rode out I watched the last part of his start where they came off the pavement and onto a snow, ice and water covered field and then up into the woods into the single track. He was about 15th off the pavement, but they rode like pussies before the climb into the woods and Kev picked off 10 of them right there. He went into the woods in 5th. I did my warmup on the road. In Belgium every inch of road has a clearly marked bike lane or in most cases an actual bike path that runs parallel to the road. I know what you're thinking....those are dangerous because the drivers coming out of side streets and driveways pull in front of you. Not here! The drivers look for bikers first and then cross the path before looking for cars.

The commentator was busy doing the race, but I couldn't understand a bit of it. I had to get down to the start soon. I put my stuff away that I didn't need, dropped a bike in the pit and headed down. When I went by the start they were doing the Podium for Kev's race, and there on the top step fully kitted out in his Captain America skinsuit was Kevin standing next to (on the same step)another guy. This guy was wearing a brand new Belgian National Champions Jersey. I didn't have my camera. I was in the same skinsuit headed to the start.....of course I didn't have a camera, but I wish I did. UPDATE: We have a picture...He won the friggen thing!!! He's National Champion of Belgium as well as America, but they didn't give him the jersey.

My race was unspectacular and there were some serious headhunters in there. I struggled with the jet lag and did my best, but I was way off. I thoroughly enjoyed it though and found it cool to be cheered for as the "Americana". What was wierd was seeing how many actual fans had come out for a non PRO race. These were not people from the other fields. These were townfolk that walked over and plunked down a few Euros to watch the races and socialize in the beer tent. Oh ya, they almost all smoke too, and riding through clouds of cigarette smoke wasn't the coolest thing I ever did. I ended up 15th, the last paying spot. I gave back my number and got my 5 Euro back and another 5 for the prize money. Kev won 30 Euro which is almost $50. They had hot shower facilities there and everyone just walks into the shower with their kit on and gets the heavy part of the mud off of everything before actually showering. Very cool!

Now we had 5 days to get ready for Worlds and I don't intend on boring you with the details of that, but one day sticks out. Wednesday after doing a nice road loop, and some beautiful wooded bike trails, we hit the course for some laps. After a few easy laps we saw a group of guys that really looked like they knew what they were doing. We hitched onto the back of the group and there was one guy riding the whole thing on his tops wearing a Masters World Champion's kit. It was an awesome kit!!! Another had on a white Jersey with the Belgain National Champions tri-colors across it. That ended up being Gert Wellens, Bart's brother. He had just won the "Elite without contract" national title a week and a half earlier. There were a few others too and we went from doing tempo to doing hot laps. It was so cool and also the perfect Wednesday training session. I went from riding the course pretty well to riding it very well and my confidence went way up. We spoke to the World Champ later after we cooled down a bit, he's (was)the 30-34 World Champ, nice guy, his name is Sven Van Eyndt, he got beat Saturday and was suffering from back pain.

Race day. We had our info straight finally and Kev raced at 11:30 and I raced at 12:30. It was gonna be hard to watch his race at all if I was gonna prepare properly for mine. The big thing here is the call up. They do it randomly, but the USA has a history of getting flicked. After I burned a couple of laps before Kev's race I went up to the start grid where half the field was lined up, Kev was on the 2nd row! That's a very big deal.

He hadn't made any friends at the Natz the weekend before, and the guy that was the most upset with him, Mark Verloo, was undefeated all year until that race when Kevin's participation changed the dynamic and another Belgie took the jersey. Verloo was actually in the last row, so this was encouraging for me in regards to hoping for a good call up for myself.

After 1 lap Kev was in the lead with the Belgian Champ on his wheel. There was a gap to the next riders and I'm not sure if Verloo was in there or not. Kev dropped everyone on the 2nd lap, but at the beginning of the 3rd lap Verloo showed up. They rode around together for the remainder of the race and I guess Verloo has some cagey characteristics to his riding and also lots of power and skill. He was able to gap off Kev on the last lap and charge to the line with Kev in hot, close pursuit, but off just enough to see it slip away. An awesome result to finish 2nd at Worlds but also heart breakingly close. 1st is the only result that matters. But he equaled the highest ever finish for an American man at Master's Worlds. I think.

I was all keyed up to hear my name in an early call up. 1st row...nope. 2nd row.....nope. 3rd row......no. 4th.... nada. 5th.....niet. 6th.....not a chance. 7th.....no sir. OK last row it is. CRAP CRAP CRAP!!! There was a fat guy in front of me. I took some risks on the pavement to move up and they all worked out OK. I hit the beach in about 35th or so, where everyone got off and ran except the front row guys. I passed a ton of guys running and hit the woods in 16th. Made a few passes and got to 14th by the pit, where Kev told me my spot. Long way to go, but I told myself I could do it. I passed lots of guys, but one Italian tried to stuff me into a tree, just because I was going faster than him. I wanted so badly to get off my bike and kick his ass right there, but I hit the brakes and waited for a better spot. I passed him on the road.....never to see him again. I got into 3rd place and was in no man's land. At the start of the 3rd lap a former world champion, Danny Verhestraeten came out of nowhere and passed me going onto the beach, he gapped me, but I made good pace on the riding portion of the beach. He bobbled in the deep sand going up into the woods and I grooved a rut and passed him. He was breathing really hard. I kept him between 3-6 seconds for the next couple laps when I started seeing the 2nd place rider. I was feeling good now and had the course dialed, although it was possible to make mistakes everywhere, true cross racing. I closed on 2nd and pulled away from 4th. At the pit on the last lap, Kev said "He's right there....7 seconds" I drilled it as best as I could and was clearly catching him. That lap might have been my fastest of the day. Over the barriers and onto the pavement he was right there, as I pressed hard to gain on him I looked up and just in front of him the guy going over the line (there were some lappers mixed in) raised his arms up in victory. I couldn't believe it. It was the first time I saw him all day, and I just missed catching the 2nd placed guy too.

37 minutes of racing. We always go 45 in the USA, but we were scheduled to do 40 here. I feel like if we raced 1 more lap like we should have that I could very well be World Champion. I was feeling good and they were starting to crack. Oh well, I'm very pleased to go over there and come home with a medal from Worlds. Silver or bronze are the same in my eyes. The only result that matters is 1st! It turns out that the guys in 1st, 2nd, and 4th are all former or present or defending World Champions. There might have been more in the field, I'm not sure...

A HUGE congratulations goes out to Marilyn Ruseckas, from Vermont! She got the job done and will wear the World Champions colors for the following year. An honor I get goosebumps thinking about. Good on ya New England, and USA, way to go Marilyn, and thanks for the tasty beers during our celebration.

Thats it for now, Thanks for reading, JB

Onto World Championships!

Thanks for all the great comments in my previous posts. I guess all you have to do is have an awful start to make a really exciting race report.

Kevin and I and Roger have decided to go to Mol, Belgium for the Master's Cyclocross World Championships. The race is January 23rd, 2010. We'll go 1 week early and do a couple "local" races. One in Belgium and another in The Netherlands. Then the following weekend is the Worlds. We should be well acclimated by then and we'll also be able to ride some laps on the Worlds course.

I'll do my best to keep you posted, JB

Dream Come True!!!

I literally dreampt about this. A lot! It's crazy how much emphasis and importance we crossers put on Natz. I never get nervous too much before big races, but at Natz it's a whole different thing. I guess since I took the whole week off from work, had my bikes driven across the country, flew 6500 miles round trip, rented a mini van, and booked a hotel, it should feel a little different. But I felt the same way in 2005 when the race was about an hour from my house. It's just that it's the best jersey you could ever win. I think it's because Cross is so spectator friendly, that wearing that jersey is better than the road jersey because more people show up to watch and cheer at cross races.

If you're still not doing any Cross, what are you thinking? Come out and give it a go, and you'll probably be hooked.

Anyway, let me start by saying that USAC gave me the flick. I finished 4th at Natz last year, and the top 8 from last year get the call ups. Unless you happen to move up an age group. Then you're just some other schmuck like the rest of the 150 riders in the race. (The 40-44 group had 190....more on that in a bit). The online registration was a classic West Coast fast one. They didn't announce the registration opening until the last minute and even then it was on the eve of a very big race in Providence.....and oh ya, they opened it up at midnight. Plus the site crashed. USAC did NOTHING to insure this process would be fair and practical. So even though I was on the podium at Natz last year, I was buried on the 3rd row this year. You may not think thats bad, but it's basicly a prison sentence and it makes winning an extreme long shot.

The temps had been below zero for the majority of the time we'd been there, but in the early afternoon the sun was out and it warmed into the high 30s. Some spots got pretty moist for a while, but with my race at 3:30 the sun was low and behind the mountains and trees. The temperature dropped fast and the course turned to slip and slide, boiler plate. Catastrophic crashes could happen on 100% of the course.

The gun sounded and we charged up the narrow pavement start chute. It was maybe 150 yards to turn one which was an icy plywood ramp over a curb into a 180. The front row guys got around OK and them some "online holeshot" specialist stacked it in the turn and the pileup ensued. I came to a stop, got off my bike and stood there waiting for people to get up and get going. The leaders were flying away on 3 long straight aways. I finally got through and figured there was no chance in hell of fulfilling my goal now.

Still I wasn't gonna go all this way and not try with everything I had. I later learned I was in 45th place or so at that point. I started passing when I could, but everyone was trying to do the same thing and I lost places in some spots. Everyone had beer muscles. I bumped with one guy and he was solid. I could tell he was a good rider based on how firm he was when we bumped. I looked over when I could, it was Dale Knapp. I made some more passes and took some sweet lines that I had dialed in during my 2 warm up rides. When I went by the pit someone yelled "38th place Jonny GET UP THERE". Another power section and I picked off a few more. Then we crossed the road and went onto the even more technical side of the course. I got hung up in traffic a lot and could see James Coates off the front and all alone with no one in his way. I got through a couple more and up to a hill that was a sheet of ice on the 90 degree corner leading into it. The hill wasn't too bad if you got through the icy approach, but I had to drop to the little ring to get up it since I was basicly starting from a stand still. I got 3/4 of the way up and ran into a guy that just came off his bike. CRAP!!!

I got going through the start finish, and most of the mayhem was behind me since guys were cracking now. Still I was in about 25th. I passed a big group in the next straight away and a couple more here and there. I was moving now, but still way back. I saw that Coates was still gone and Mark Noble was in 2nd also alone. These were the 2 guys I considered my strongest competition before the race. Both have won Cross Natz twice before and Noble is a former British Track Cycling Olympian. I felt awesome and was comfortable enough on the icy course to put down big power, that I just happen to have since my training has been spot on for the approach to Natz this year. Across the road someone yelled "12th Jonny GO GO GO" one more before the crazy downhill dropoff righthander, another just before the u-turn into the run up on the stairs, (I dove hard into the inside line, braked hard and moved him over), another on the stairs, and 1 more before the remount, (I just ran farther than him and passed him on foot then jumped on) Now there were only guys here and there in front of me, but one of them slid out on the icy off camber little rise up to the icy flat driveway, before the icy run/ride up. I couldn't gain any spots there because we just had to go so slowly and will our bikes around the corners.


I did get a clean run at the hill this time and rode it no problem. Onto the start finish pavement sections I had Fergy in my sights. He started on the front row. Boy that would have been nice! I got him just before the pit and Fergy being the good friend he is gave me some encouragement after I passed. Sammy was just ahead with another guy on his wheel. I went very hard to get around them as they were approaching an icy right hander under and around a tree. I let Sammy know it was me as we had talked about so he wouldn't try to block me out. I went into the corner way too hot and hit the patch of ice and drifted BIG TIME. I made it over the ice and onto some dirt with a wild foot out and kept it upright and then clipped in and charged again. A couple of icy u-turns later there was a straigt away and at the end of it another 180. I saw Noble going toward me and only a few more guys between us. I ate them up before the pit and was on Noble's wheel in 3rd place. I attacked by him and across the road. I figured it was gonna take a while to gain on Coats, but as I looked ahead, he was right in front of me getting off the ground. He had crashed in that crazy downhill right hander. It was a very tricky spot. He was able to get up and go, but I was on him going up the stairs. He didn't run fast enough for my liking up the steps and I ended up running into him. I passed him in the remount area and went into the lead....Holy Shit!

OK this is my game now I thought. "See if you can stay with me Mr." I drilled it for the next 2 laps riding everything but the steps and barriers. Lapped riders were everywhere and very much affecting our ability to actually race. I'm so pissed that USAC would rather make more $ in entry fees rather than have championship racing at the championships. I was stretching him out of every corner and he was able to scrap back on over and over. This guy is an awesome bike rider! Finally the dreaded lapper crashed in front of me on that icy rise up to the driveway and I had nowhere to go. I T-boned his bike and my front wheel got tangled in his pedal. Coates went by me there, but I got his wheel. We rode the hill OK, but it was getting much worse at the bottom (at the beginning of the climb) and I almost slid out.

We got 2 to go and nobody else was close to us. He was riding way too slow for my liking, but the way to beat him was gonna be to pass him with half a lap to go and hurt him, get him so gassed that all he do is follow....if that. I sat tight on his wheel and plotted my spot to go for the win. He seemed glad that I wasn't attacking him any more, although I'm not sure I shouldn't have. But once I make a plan, I usually decide thats my best chance to win and I stuck with my decision. I thought to myself "This is what Marky Mac would do, so it should be a decent plan". I also felt very confident in my sprint, because I was way stronger than him in the power sections.

I decided my spot was gonna be just after the pit, on the power grade before we cross onto the more technical side, on the last lap. That lap (the 2nd to last) was pretty uneventful most of the way, but the crowd was absolutely MASSIVE. The sun was pretty much down now and with my sunglasses on I actually remember thinking "it's getting dark". The beer tent, which we went right by and did the barriers with the smell of beer pouring off the fans, was absolutely deafening. Over the icy rise up clean, across the skating rink driveway clean, around the corner I followed Coats into the run/ride up. I bobbled it at the bottom and had to get off. CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!!! He rode it and everyone went nuts for him, he saw the gap and absolutely went for broke. I was gapped off bad! Through the start finish I was about 10 seconds back as the bell rang. I was surprisingly calm and I drilled it the hardest I could in the power sections gaining all the way, and also telling myself that a mistake now would be the end of my chances. I had this side of the course dialed in though, and on the 180 we looked right at each other. I was very close again, but still one section behind. I closed with every pedal stroke and found myself on his wheel at the corner before the pits. I took a brief rest and went around the left hander onto "my section" I actually left a small gap so when I went I could get a better run on him. In an instant I bolted, knowing that I was back in control and had a 10 meter gap. He closed it on the corners after the road crossing, but I knew he would. I had him right where I wanted him.....under pressure. I screamed at the lappers and they moved in time. Up the stairs, over the barriers and over the icy rise up, cleanly, over the icy driveway clean, but slow and careful. He was right on me. I tried to shift into the little ring but my finger was frozen and I couldn't feel the shifter doing anything. I fumbled with it as I rolled toward the icy approach to the run/ride up. It shifted just in time, but I was distracted and didn't find my line. I bobbled again. I didn't allow myself to panic and I knew I was in the better spot on the front. I hopped off my bike as fast as I could, but it was unplanned, so it was a true scramble. I went to run when I felt him run into me, and I could hear the fans all go "Oh!" I ran up there for all I was worth and remounted. Now I was going downhill to the last two paved sections, BUT my bike was in the little ring and my hand was frozen and worthless. I shifted the back first just to get a bigger gear, then I fought with the front, trying to get 'er into the big ring with my useless hand. The second it took felt like an eternity and I stole a look back just as I saw the chain climb up into the business gear.

He was right there and I just turned forward and drilled it. I got another gear and had the lead going into the last 90 degree right hander but was going faster than I had gone through the corner yet. I committed and had to protect the inside line. I made it with room to spare and just poured it on all the way through the line. There was no way in hell I was gonna look back again or celebrate. I could feel I had it, but wasn't gonna risk it. I could put my arms up on the podium.

I did it! My dream was realized, even though I almost screwed it up. Here I am back at the hotel with my race kit still on, and an extra jersey to boot. I didn't mean to close my eyes, but it sort of sums up the contentment I felt at that moment.

To make it an even sweeter weekend, Kevin went out the next day and made it a double for the "Dynamic Corner Cycle Duo".
Kev made easy work of it compared to me and got the holeshot and won going away, after a close 1st lap, by well over 30 seconds or so. It may not be as exciting to watch, but I would have loved to have bored everyone in my race. It just wasn't meant to be. But hey, they pretty much HAVE to give me a call up next year so we'll see what happens.

Sammy also finished up a fine 6th, just off the podium, matching his son Nate's performance earlier.

Teammate David Rath (2 time Natz Champ) stood on the podium in the 60+ category with a fine 4th. A much better way to spend a weekend in December than in a halo with a broken neck. Nice job David!

Also a big congratulations to Paul Curley for winning his 875th National Title. Very inspiring Paul!!!

Thanks for all the previous comments, and for reading. JB

Got It!

Well it seems that I have at least 4 readers, so I'll keep you all posted on the finale of the New England Verge Cyclocross Series.

As you know, this season has been a knock down, drag out street brawl in the 35+ category with the jersey jumping from back to back to back all year.

Lined up in the brisk wind at Goddard Park in RI, for the 14th and final race of the series, Roger and I were separated by 5 measly points and Kevin wasn't far behind either, but it would have taken both of us finishing out of the points or way down for him to win it. It was most likely gonna be a battle for the series between Roger and me. With the point difference between 1st and 2nd in any race being 10 points it was winner take all, or whoever finished in front of the other. Kinda like when we were kids playnig basketball in the driveway and somebody's mom said "time for dinner". We usually said "next point wins".

And so it was.....next point wins.

After our instructions and a hilarious plea for all competitors to keep one foot on the ground til the whistle blew (not mentioning any names) due to a certain "flyer" on Saturday. We were off.

I got my pedal pretty clean and the sprint was a lot less hectic and dangerous than the previous day's. I followed Roger onto the sand and up the steep run. I felt good so I went to the front through the barriers and pressed the 1st lap. Coming into the wet roots befor the pit I dumped it on my left side, Rog got around OK and I was up in an instant. My chain had come off, but I saw that before I remounted and knew I had to pedal it back on. It jumped right on, so I didn't enter the pit which was right there. I didn't lose the wheel and I followed Roger for a full lap. Marky Mac had connected and Kev was just about on now too. Roger peeled off and I went through and drilled it. I stayed there for the next 3 laps on the front with Mark sticking on me like velcro and Kevin in 3rd looking comfortable. Roger slotted in, in 4th.

The good news for me was that Roger didn't look his best and was getting gapped off on lots of turn exits. All I needed was a shred of positive feedback to motivate me more and that was it. I started crushing certain power sections after technical corners, and after he clawed back several times, I finally got him off a little more and he wasn't reconnecting at all. I was pretty pinned, but adrenaline is a beautiful thing if you can control it.

The gap continued to grow and we got the bell. I had some serious support out there in terms of screaming, lunatic, New England Cyclocross fans (Thanks Team BOB and others). The gap was there and I just had to seal the deal with my final lap in New England for 2009. So of course I caught my foot on the 2nd barrier and crashed forward. I scrambled up in a jiff and got back on......LOSER! The only damage done was losing one spot to Mark. He went real slow through the next little section and I passed him as we went by the pits for the 2nd to last time. He sort of challenged my surge, and as we went around the next corner I said "I don't care about winning the race today". What I meant was that I just wanted to be on the front driving it for another half lap or so to guarentee my series win. Then he could go for the win. I wasn't gonna risk nationals by trying to fight Marky Mac in the last few corners if I didn't have to. I think we know how that would have turned out anyway. Kev was just as happy as I was so he didn't try his hardest to beat him either. I literally sat up with a few short sections left to go and crossed the line alone in 3rd with 5 fingers on one hand and one on the other raised, to signal my 6th series win in a row.

Undoubtably the hardest one yet! I almost feel bad, because I really do like Roger that much. Picture a friend of your's in a tight battle for a big series win. You'd be pulling for him right? Well thats our deal. Of course neither of us is gonna let the other just have it, which is what makes it so exciting, but I will say this. I hope he wins Nationals again, since I don't have any teammates in his race this year. It's not gonna be easy though. Natz never is. There's phenominal guys in every category.

A huge thank you to anyone that put up a cheer for me this year. There's a lot of you. I'm glad New England rallied around one of their own this weekend and showed how much they wanted that jersey sticking around these parts for the winter. I'm thrilled to be the guy you all supported. Kevin and I must have had 40 or 50 people wish us luck Sunday morning while we made our preps.....including a classy guy named Roger Aspholm.

An even bigger THANK YOU to Jamie for helping me at every single race this year with his mechanical expertise, pit crewing, soignieur, training partner and of course friendship. Try finding someone that will train with you in the dark in 30 degree temps after you both get out of work at the end of the day, and he wasn't even racing really so that's even more generous.

To one of the best guys you ever wanna meet, and easily the most talented bike racer on the Corner Cycle team. The incredibly loyal and super fast "old" guy.... Kevin Hines. Thanks for all the help and motivation all year long Kev!

After Roger mopped the floor with us in VT on the opening weekend. Kevin came up with this slogan "The jersey is not going back to New Jersey". It may have rented space there for most of the season, but it's home now!

To Sammy, and of course Trish and Nate who gave us a great series to follow in the 45+ and narrowly missed the top step of the final podium to another New England fan favorite. Mark Gunsalis of Team FUJI. Congrats Mark!

And I'd be in big trouble if I left out Nancy. Not only is she my girlfriend, but a fellow athlete (triathlete) and a massage therapist, who just happens to live very close to Roger Williams and also Goddard Park. Let's just say that I had about as PRO treatment as anyone ever did this past weekend. With my back going up in flames in Saturday's race, and chronic chest tightness as well as some pretty sore sticks. I was in good hands.......to say the least. Thanks Babe!

Finally I'd like to dedicate this season long struggle and ultimate victory to the owner of our team and Corner Cycle. One of my closest friends for over 2 decades. A guy that supports cycling and racing at all levels, ESPECIALLY juniors. George (Lefty) Sykes. George doesn't get the opportunity to come out to the races that much, but if you've ever seen him at the races, you know there's no one that enjoys it more. It seems like one of his favorite days of the year, each year, is the final day of the Verge series in RI. He makes it a point to get down there and see his friends and his team race some cross. With the event having a beer sponsor, it's a match made in heaven.

I spoke to Georgey Saturday night to keep him posted of what had happened, and we talked about a lot of different things, but then the conversation got very serious and he explained to me that his Mom was gravely ill and was close to passing. This is a very private thing, so I don't wanna go into detail here, but he said she was with family and comfortably sleeping and everyone had time to understand what was happening and come to terms with it. He said unless she passed before the race he'd be there to cheer us on.

I was really glad to see him pull into the parking lot just as I did in the morning. Half way through our warm ups he told me he had to go.....his Mom had passed. I can't even imagine how hard this is, since my Mom is still with me, but I imagine there can't be anything more personal than losing the person that brought you into the world. The woman that carried you inside of her for 9 months and then nurtured you and raised you. My deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy go out to you buddy.

Well that wraps up another awesome season of Cyclocross in New England. We're off to Bend, OR to try to grab a few more jersies. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading, JB

Lucky #13

Well today was race #13 out of 14 Verges Series races. It was miserable weather. 40 degrees and pouring rain. The field was pretty damn stacked, with Kevin, me and Roger battling for the overall, we also had Matt Kraus back in the mix, as well as both Mark and Frank McCormack. Kurt Perham has been riding super lately, and home court advantage would have to go to Curtis Boivin.

The start was wierd. I didn't get my pedal too quick, but at least I kept my foot on there and didn't slip it. I think the Canadian Steve Proulx got the holeshot. Undoubtably because of his sweet Stevens Carbon race rig.

It didn't take long to see who had the juice. We hit the pavement after a pretty frantic start off and I surfed a wheel until I got up to speed and then went across the small gap to Roger and Kurt and Steve. We dove off the pavement and onto a greasy corner and I ended up taking an inside line which I didn't really want, but I hooked up thanks to the Dugast Rhinos, and blasted off on the exit.

I didn't look back right away, but I could feel that I was alone. Before hitting the long sandy beach run I snuck a peek and saw that I had a handful of seconds on Roger. There could have been 1000 people in the race today, but the 1 guy I had to beat was Roger and he was right there, wearing 2 things I want.....the leader's jersey and a National Champion's kit. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I kept drilling it. So did he. I went by the pits and Jamie yelled "4 seconds". That's not much, but when you're both going full gas, it's something worth pushing for to try and stretch it out.

A lap later.....4 seconds.

2 laps later.......4 seconds......2 laps to go.

Finally I started to see an increase in my lead on that lap and when I got the bell, there was a beautiful thing happening. Kevin was making his way up to Roger after a bad start, and I'm telling you he was way behind Roger at first. He was on him next time I looked and I told myself to focus, but I was hoping I could hang on and then see Kev take the 2nd place points.

Thats what happened, and so after 13 races, with 1 to go I have 665 points to Roger's 660. A five point lead with everything on the line for tomorrow. Very cool.

It looks like 2-4 inches of snow overnight. This is gonna be very interesting!!!

Thats it for now, gotta put my legs up. JB

Ever heard this before?

Battenkill Entry Fees

So the Battenkill Race is up on Bikereg now. It's not open yet, that happens later in the month, but there's something there that really sticks out. The entry fee is $75. SEVENTY FIVE dollars for a bike race! Are you freaking kidding me? If you wanna race the cat 2s or the PRO, 1 race you get the added pleasure of paying $85.

Hey this is America and people can do whatever they want within the laws. But that is dangerously close to a crime. I for one will not be there. I've got a season's full of off road riding, so I see no need to take a Friday off from work drive 4-1/2 hours (each way) and pay $75 to do a race with a very high percentage of flat tires. I double flatted last year about halfway through.

I think if we just go along with it and say things like "Well it's a good quality, unique race", we're asking for other promoters to start doing the same thing. This isn't Triathlon!

I strongly urge all New Englanders to stay in New England that weekend and support "our" races and "our" promoters. If you want the best, most unique ride you can do, enter the D2R2 instead. I promise you won't regret it! It's $50 and you get about $100 worth of value and the memory of a day that will blow your mind.

Do the right thing and boycott Battenkill and their gouging of us. Sure it's not the end of the world to pay that $, but it's the principle and it sets a precedent.

OK I'm done ranting.....JB