Euro 'Cross Camp IX

Belgium: the land of enlightenment?

Published:

January 3, 17:39,

Updated:

January 3, 17:45

By:

Jake Wells

It certainly teaches you toughness, says Jake Wells

I came into this trip not knowing what to expect. I wanted to take away as much as possible from this experience. I am in my early thirties and and have a family, so it is safe to say that I am not the typical demographic for Euro Cross Camp. However, this camp is not only beneficial to someone that wants to experience cyclocross at the highest level but it is also helpful in learning life lessons. Cycling is a tough sport, and it is as much about perseverance as personal fitness. If you are looking for an excuse, you can always find a reason for not doing well in a race. It takes mental fortitude to overcome this and keep lifting yourself back up. Racing in Belgium requires this kind of fortitude over and over again. Being a foreigner in Belgium teaches you that everything isn’t always going to be perfect on race day. You are always rushed for time. Getting parked, setup for warmup and finding the registration can be like embarking on a scavenger hunt. Things may not be perfect, but if you learn how to deal with it, and make it into a positive. The stress level is high and your race day preparation may not be ideal, but the race is still going to happen, and you can either make the most of it and put on your battle gear or watch from the sidelines.

So, is there something magical about Belgium? Are you automatically going to be transformed into some kind of cyclocross powerhouse based on the fact that you make the trip over and race on legendary courses? Absolutely not. It’s about broadening you perspective. It’s about the experience and the knowledge that you gain. You get to catch a glimpse first hand at what it takes to be the best in the world. Not only do you race against the most talented fields on difficult courses, but you see the sacrifice needed to make it at this level. These guys are machines. They eat, breath and sleep cyclocross. Yes, it is about passion and the love of the sport, but it is also about livelihood. Either you choose to learn a skill or work in a factory or become a farmer and work in the fields. In Belgium, racing bikes is a skill. It is a way out of the factory or the field. The kids race against each other every weekend and they take it very serious. The bash each other’s head in because it is serious, as if it’s their job. Even as a junior its a job, and you can make a good living here. When 25,000 people are willing to pay 10 euro each to come watch the race you can see how promoters can afford to get the top talent to show up.

As for the future of cyclocross in the US, the list of selected riders for EuroCross Camp IX was exceptional. Not only due to the talent level of some of the selected riders but also to the sheer number, 20 riders total and 14 being juniors. A handful of these guys have come to the camp in previous years, but for some like myself, this was their first introduction to european racing. For these young riders to be exposed to this lifestyle at this stage in the game is going to be huge for their development. I am grateful to have had this opportunity and to gain this experience. As an ambassador, I hope to pass a long as much of this knowledge as possible. A special thanks to Stan’s No Tubes, Dogma Athletica and all of my sponsors for helping make this trip possible.
 

Finding my feet in the Belgian 'Cross scene

Published:

January 3, 03:29,

Updated:

January 3, 04:25

By:

Sam O'Keefe

Taking in as much as possible from an unforgettable two weeks

My European start position was a metaphor for my European racing experience. At the beginning of camp, I would wait around disoriented before the start, until I was called up with a few others lacking UCI points or Belgian citizenship to the very back of the pack.

When the gun went off, I would chase as hard as I could for forty minutes. I’m looking forward to seeing the front row at nationals.

Even outside of racing, it took me a while to get used to things. The level of support confused me (in Belgium, I never had to work on my own bikes, pin my numbers, mix bottles), and asking for things I needed was difficult. But like in racing, after a few days I settled into the rhythm of things and didn’t feel guilty about lying on the couch for recovery or asking for a bottle of water from the trainer. I saw a steady improvement in my results as well as I adjusted to European racing by sharpening my elbows. I got more comfortable with the battle that was the first ten minutes of a cross race in Belgium.

Not surprisingly, the way I spent my time and energy off the bike at Euro Cross Camp helped the way I raced. With such incredible support from mechanics and other staff, I focused intently on my eating and resting, rather than college applications, bike work, or hurrying to class.
I was never rushed or distracted in warm-up, and the groups of interested fans gave me energy. What made the camp powerful for me was that everything pointed to the races. This smoothed the transition to ruthless European competition, and made me faster.

Geoff Proctor outlined success in racing at the camp as being satisfied with at least two race efforts. I felt the best at the Zolder World Cup and a local race in Bredene, but I learned from the entire two weeks of camp, inspired by the Belgian way of cyclo-cross.

A look back

Published:

January 2, 17:56,

Updated:

January 2, 17:56

By:

Zane Godby

Zane Godby reflects on his Belgian experience

As the Euro 'Cross Camp comes to an end, I am able to look back and see all of the good memories and experiences. As an alumnus of the camp I could go into it and know what was going on. Also from last year I knew where everything was, like the grocery store, registration, and I also knew the routine of the house. But I don’t think you can go to Europe and not experience anything new. I knew I still had some learning experiences to come.

One of those things I learned was that the kids over in Belgium don’t go home and play video games, after school they go to the bowling alley or the movies. I learned that because some of the riders after their ride went to the bowling alley, and there were a lot of kids that went there straight from school. And for the movies, some other riders went to the movie theater in the next town over and the line to get a ticket was out the door. And I might add that it was only a Thursday.

As for the riding in Europe, it is exactly how you would imagine it: narrow roads, cars buzzing close to you, and how you just ride through these little towns with farmland in between them. I didn’t really experience the riding outside last year because it was really snowy and cold, and I rode on the rollers a lot. So riding outside was interesting for me this year. Sometimes it is very hard to find your way back to the USA Cycling house. Therefore an hour ride consists of riding out of Izegem for 30 minutes and then another 45 to 60 minutes trying to find the house again.

The racing was a lot different, too, this year. That is because I knew most of the race courses, and for me whenever I have seen a course before it usually keeps me calm. Also I had a front row start in most of the races because I had UCI points this year. The start is not make or break in our race, but it sure helps to have that little bit of edge on the other racers.

So as all of the riders start to leave for the US and Nationals in a week, the camp is coming to its last days. Geoff Proctor is amazing! He works with all the riders one-on-one, coordinates all the schedules, and makes the camp possible. Also, I would like to thank everybody in my life that made it possible for me to race over in Europe and bring back all the experiences I had.

Is it Actually Christmas?

Published:

December 26, 2011, 16:50,

Updated:

December 31, 2011, 16:51

By:

Cycling News

Luke Haley spends the holiday in Belgium

Christmas is definitely different here from the one I am used to back home in Louisville, KY. I miss waiting at the top of the stairs and run down to our presents and seeing all of them nicely wrapped.

Having the house trashed with wrapping paper as we go and have an awesome English breakfast with eggs, toast, bacon, tea, crepes, raspberry sauce, etc… What I miss most of all is my family but it has been super nice making a new family with all the cycling friends I have made here.

The day started off with the usual getting woken up by Mr. Proctor but little did we know Santa had come (aka Drew Dillman) and brought everyone presents! It started the day off on the right note and everyone was laughing and having a good time. That being said, today was another chill day at the house for most of use. Some guys went to race at Balagem, while the rest of the gang went on easy rides and hung at the house.

From what I heard Balagem was a pretty hard course with some super hard core drops and some long straights. One of the USA riders cracked both his frames so it wasn't the best Christmas he has had.

For the rest of the day after lunch we pretty much hung at the house with each other. We ended up watching an old Christmas movie on one of the only American speaking channels. All of use had a great pasta and ham dinner with some crepes for desert, Thanks to Els for going out of her way on Christmas to make the dinner for us.

After dinner the athletes that didn't race today started getting ready for the Zolder World Cup. I can't wait to race it tomorrow even though we have to wake up at 4:45 in the morning.

Christmas is a very joyful time of year. For some it means going on vacation, others love it because it means they're off school and a ton of people love it because it is a chance to visit with family and friends. One of the reasons I love Christmas is because we get to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ who came into the world on this day. He later died for our sins so that we did not have to pay for the punishment we deserve. Why I am over here I want to race my bike as hard as I can for Him and let His strength and light shine through me. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a nice time hanging out with family and friends. Merry Christmas!!!

Eckmann struggles with travel

Published:

December 27, 2011, 21:20,

Updated:

December 31, 2011, 16:50

By:

Cycling News

Yannick Eckmann tries to get to Germany

My trip has been short this year to the Euro 'Cross Camp. I have been here the past four days at the camp, training and racing hard.

The races haven't gone the way I hoped they would. Besides the bad luck I had during the races here so far I have been struggling to find a way from my last race in Loenhout to Germany. My first thought was finding somebody from Germany who is coming to the race to take me back to where I will be staying. I asked around 14 or 15 people that I thought would be coming to the race. With all the people I have asked, all of them told me that they won't be coming to the race.

I was pretty worried about that because I haven't had a plan B because I was hoping for somebody to be able to take me. Well, after that, I asked Geoff and some other people to help me find a way over. We came up with an idea to take the train to Germany I have been looking for a train that would go straight from Antwerp, Gent, Brussels, or even from Breda in the Netherlands.

I was looking for a straight way without any transfers to Germany. The best way I have found after looking for hours maybe even a day was from Breda to Germany, I was doing my best to avoid Brussels because the last time I was there I felt a bit sketched out and have learned from my brothers experience there.

So now that I got everything figured out on how to get to Germany I have to see how I will carry all my luggage from one train to the other. I have two bike bags and a normal suitcase. The last time I carried that much I didn't have such a great experience, and it was only walking 100 feet. Let's hope for the best and that everything will go smoothly with my travel to Germany and the other guys travelling home a few days later.

Goodbye Belgium!

Published:

December 31, 2011, 16:36,

Updated:

December 31, 2011, 16:40

By:

Cycling News

Jordan Cullen reflects on his first European adventure

A busy week of racing is coming to a close in Izegem as we all get ready to head home and get ready for nationals. This trip has been a great experience for everyone with some amazing memories and excellent racing.

This trip was my first time ever racing in Europe and I really enjoyed it! I loved how much harder and more aggressive the racing was compared to the United States.

I did five races while I was over here, Namur, Diegem, Zolder, Loenhout, and Bredene. My favorite one was definitely Loenhout because the race was pretty muddy, had a pump track section, and a long road stretch.

I had a third row call up for this race. How the starts work here is that instead of a whistle or starting gun, they use a series of lights that go from red to green. I lost a few spots at the start because I was not being aggressive enough but I quickly made up lost time on the running section. I continued making up time and with one lap to go I was in a two person group going for 28th place. I sat behind the other rider until the muddy running section I booked it and then kept the pressure on for the rest of the lap.

I was super happy with my result here and all of the other US juniors did great too! This race was also super crazy in the pits. We had 14 riders all with a spare bikes. What made it even more hectic is, since we were spread out on the entire course you could have pitted, but the mechanic you were looking for was helping somebody on the opposite side of the pit. I only had to pit once early in the race due to a flat tire but the mechanics pulled it off flawlessly.

This trip has been a great experience and I have learned a ton from the racing and living in the house. I really hope to come back here and race some time soon!