A Nice Day Off . . .
Jeff Bahnson gets a well-deserved break
In the past four days the majority of the camp members competed in three races. On Saturday there was the Zolder world cup, on Sunday there was Diegem, and on Tuesday was Loenhout. After Loenhout we were all looking forward to some well deserved time off.
For most of the trip it seems like we have been focusing on riding, getting all of our clothes and riding gear together, making sure our bikes work, cleaning off dirty shoes, trying to stay hydrated, eating healthy, stretching, making sure our legs are fresh for the next day, overall just trying to be as prepared as we possibly can for the next race on the agenda.
After the race on Tuesday I had no worries for the next day, I knew I wouldn't have to get up at 5 in the morning and jump into a van going to another place in Belgium. I didn't have to find all my riding gear, pack up my bottles and food, drink lots of water, carbo-load, or give my bikes a look over.
After dinner that night most of the kids just went into their different rooms and spent the rest of the evening checking e-mail, talking to friends, going on Facebook, listening to music, or watching a movie.
Don't get me wrong the races over here are awesome and I look forward to every one, but sometimes it is really good to just get your mind off things and relax. Today was great, we got to sleep in till 9 and took as long as we wanted to get up, get dressed, and eat breakfast.
For most people there was not much training to do, just an easy spin or no ride at all. There were many trips to the local chocolate shop to pick up presents for friends and family back home. Other people decided to go into town and get some waffles and frites. There was also lots of time spent in front of computer screens. And as always stopping by the Delhaize supermarket and "The Wall" for some snacks. Then we all finished off the day with a trip to the bowling alley, which was super fun, in the end Yannick finished first with 147 points.
It's very easy to get bored while staying over here, being in the house all day and getting into meaningless tasks like checking your Facebook every five minutes. It helps to just get out of the house and do something different from the normal schedule, even just wandering around town for an hour or so can really help you to clear your mind and get refreshed.
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Euro 'Cross Camp Director Geoff Proctor will lead the seventh annual cyclo-cross camp that will run through late December and early January. This year, seven juniors, eight under-23 and three elite racers will make the journey to Belgium to train and race over the Christmas and New Year's holidays in Europe. Of those, just seven are returning Euro 'Cross campers.
The riders will stay at the Under-23 House in Izegem, Belgium, and take advantage of all the infrastructure of the US Under-23 national road program run by USA Cycling's Noel Dejonckheere.
The camp has previously helped the careers of racers like current US National Champion Ryan Trebon, Jeremy Powers and Jamey Driscoll. Read these diaries for hints of who may emerge from this year's crop of three elite, eight U23 and eight junior racers as America's future 'cross stars? Coach Proctor and his riders will take turns contributing diary entries.
Elite Roster
Troy Wells (Durango, Colorado, USA) Team Clif Bar Brian Matter (Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA) Team Gear Grinder Justin Lindine (Maplecrest, New York, USA) BikeReg.com/Joe's Garage/IF
Under 23 Roster
Danny Summerhill (Centennial, Colorado, USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA) Stevens/Classic Cycle Jerome Townsend (Princeton, Massachusetts, USA) BikeReg.com/Joe's Garage/IF Steve Fisher (Bellingham, Washington, USA) Rad Racing NW/Hagens Berman Travis Livermon (Winterville, North Carolina, USA) Champion System/Cannondale Josh Berry (Portland, Oregon, USA) Unattached Joe Dombrowski (Marshall, Virginia, USA) Haymarket Bicycles/HomeVisit Joseph Schmalz (Lawrence, Kansas, USA) KCCX/Verge
Junior Roster
Chris Wallace (Shawnee, Kansas, USA) KCCX/Navigators Ins./Verge Skyler Trujillo (Fort Collins, Colorado, USA) Black Sheep Jr. Cycling Jeff Bahnson (Newark, Delaware, USA) Thule/Van Dessel Matt Spinks (Layton, New Jersey, USA) Team Plan C CX/Stevens Yannick Eckmann (Boulder, Colorado, USA/Ger) Clif Bar Development Team David Kessler (Littleton, Colorado, USA) Clif Bar Development Team Josh Lehmann (Weare, New Hampshire, USA) Sunapee/S&W/Continental Paving
