Feeding frenzy
Cooking for hungry cyclists is no easy chore
It's now been eight days at the US Euro 'Cross camp in Belgium. The races we have done here are a lot of fun and really hard. During the eight days I've been here, I have already learned a ton.
I learned that during the races you have to be really aggressive and that you get a really good start. Another one is that you have to eat properly.
When you see this house and how much food gets eaten, you think you're in a zoo or at an eating contest. Everyday we get dinner served between six and seven o'clock. Els and her daughter Naomi come here around five o'clock to start to prepare the food for the whole crew. It takes about an hour or more to cook the food because it has to be such a big amount for 18+ people, and most of the time everything gets eaten that night or if not, it gets eaten the next day for lunch.
The best thing is then when the food is ready and on the table, Els yells through the house "DINNER!!!" and everybody comes rushing down to dinner so that they get a spot at the dinner table and so that they will still get dinner.
On the second day at the camp, I was wondering how many times she has to go shopping per week. Well the answer to that is she actually goes almost everyday. Sometimes Els comes home with the whole trunk fully filled. When the trunk is totally filled to the top, some food spills out when you open it.
When the trunk is about that full, you know already that the shopping trip was really expensive. Fox told me it is between 1,000 and 2,000 dollars sometimes. The load doesn't hold too long though at the amount we eat each day. The other loads are normally smaller and not as much money.
I want to give a thank you to Els and Naomi who cook for us everyday and to everybody else who helps out making dinner. Also a thank you to the mechanics and to everybody helping out here at the house.
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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
