(By Scaryfast Racing's Chance Noble)
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With two weeks of rest after my first European racing trip, I found myself back in Belgium for the World Championships in the Netherlands. As I did in the camp, I stayed in Izegem for the races before World's. We had the option of competing in two buildup events. I chose to race only one so I could have more time to recover from the plane flight and time change. It wasn't just any event, but the World Cup Finale in Hoogerheide, Netherlands. The skies were clear and the temperature was a "toasty" 46 degrees Fahrenheit. The course was fast with a few muddy sections followed by a relatively long road climb. I forgot my helmet even after my preparation was questioned the night before by 2004 National CX Champ Jesse Anthony. I managed to earn the nicknames, Sketchster and what I took as a sarcastic Lance Noble.
I was positioned at the back of the field on the starting line accompanied by compatriot Ethan Gilmour who was also last row of 57 starters. American junior teammates Bjorn Selander was given a more generous starting position and Alex Howes and National CX Champ Danny Summerhill did not choose to participate in the pre-World's races. I was the last rider into the dirt, but managed to jump from group to group throughout the race. I finished 2:22 down and managed to pick up 38th place out of 57 starters. The course speed and road sections allowed for massive groups to form. In the U23 and Elite race, a group of about 25 riders formed and stayed intact for the majority of the race.
There were still six days until the World's in Zeddam. I put in a typical training week which was especially enjoyable because of the good weather. The team made the trip to Zeddam a few days before the Championships began to get familiar with the course. The venue has been known to have either epic mud or a super fast dry condition. Unlike some of the "permamud" venues in Belgium, it seemed like the course in Zeddam could have been radically different just by having the temperatures a little warmer. Just as I had hoped, it was extremely fast and technical. It was well below freezing every day so ice was a significant factor especially on the off-camber descent. The descent could be taken at high speeds except for the steep switchback. The race organizers had spread sawdust on select portions of the course, which added some grip.
Another key point of the course was a flight of forty stairs. The stairs were very wide and shallow which made them awkward for people with shorter legs. I was able to take them two at a time, which was an advantage especially in the later stages of the race. Zeddam is usually home to about 2000 people, but on this weekend there was up to 20,000!
We stayed in a small hotel which was conveniently five minutes by bike from the course. The Juniors and U23s raced on Saturday and the conditions stayed exactly the same. I warmed up as usual: a few laps on the course; "fired the bull" (Red Bull); did some ritualistic, pre-race wheelies and I was ready to go. It was 18 degrees Fahrenheit but I didn't feel very cold because it was so dry. I had graduated from last row and obtained a seventh row start out of eight. It helped me a lot especially because there was a crash within ten seconds off the start. I was third to last into the dirt and gapped off the back of the pack. Only the two juniors that went down were behind me. I lost about a minute on the leaders on the first lap but managed to pass through some of the chaos. Throughout the race I saw a ridiculous amount of crashes. Most of which were created by a Japanese rider who I believe caused the crash at the start. I somehow kept it right side up the whole race. After the first lap, I was able to turn some consistently decent lap times. It was strange to see how badly some people crack at World's. There was a Belgian slowly walking his bike with mechanical problems. He was still in a decent position and close to the pits. But he had given up. Come to think of it, he was the guy who backhanded me at the Hooglede, Belgium CX World Cup. I can't say I felt terribly sorry for him.
I also had some strange problems of my own. My feet were pulling straight out of the pedals and I also had the chain go under the Third Eye. This has never happened to me before during a race. Thankfully, when it did I had just passed the pit. I was able to run backwards and change bikes without getting disqualified. This happened on the last lap and I lost about twenty seconds and six places. I still managed to finish 29th, 2:05 down. Bjorn had an insane race getting seventh and only 20 seconds off the win. Danny Summerhill finished in the top twenty, Alex Howes was a few spots behind me and Ethan Gilmour was in there too. I was more than satisfied with my result and glad to end the season on a high note.
The next day, while watching the exiting elite race, I ate copious amounts of waffles, and discovered candy coated waffles and fried Oreos. The latter didn't appeal to me at all along with French fries drowned in mayonnaise. Most of the team flew home from Amsterdam the day following the elite race. In the airport, I somehow found myself wearing mismatched socks, an orange flannel shirt and carrying ONE boot. Troy Wells took the liberty of adding "Peanut" to my list of nicknames.
In Conclusion, my first season racing in Europe has been a great learning experience with results steadily improving. The overseas Super Prestige, GVA Series and World Cup events I did taught me how to work my way up through fields of 60. Without that preparation, I wouldn't have been able to cope as well with the large field at World's. The European racing was a success for the team in general. As for the future, I hope to race the Mountain Bike World's in New Zealand and return to Europe for portions of the year end's cyclocross season with the aim of racing World's as a first year U23. Again, special thanks to everyone that contributed to my trip. I'd like to personally thank Jerry Jayne and the folks at Amgen, Alan Coates, Dorothy Wong, Rick Swanson, Bill Dean, Lee Wilmore, Jeff Steinhart, Ryan Ferro, Nicholas Bierwolf, David Gill and all the SoCal crossers for their support. To Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill, Sportsbase Online, Kool 'N Fit Sport, Detroit Coffee, Clif Bar, Profile Design, Procyclocrossworld and PureSweet!%& for their generous prize donations. And to Jesse Gascon of Shimano, Gary Hanson of Scary Fast Racing, Ed Whinchester, Beverly Lucas of Felt and of course, my family.
Chance
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