Oh, and all the NA based talent we take for granted at Trek... Clara and all. Maghalie Rochette has been looking very strong.

Yes, but I'm not getting too excited yet because the domestic NA scene is pretty clearly a few steps below World Cup level. Men and women. There was one race where Rochette flatted like twice, and still casually rode through the field to win.

Impressive, but damn I wish he'd rolled old man 'verde!

Van Empel dabbled a bit on the road, with less success than i expected.

Also isn't nearly as good at XCO as CX. Puck Pieterse and Evie Richards seem to not skip a beat on an XCO course, but Van Empel while still obviously very, very good, isn't the same as the person who owns anyone not named Puck on an CX course.

Impressive, but damn I wish he'd rolled old man 'verde!


All of this happened over the Canada long Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend and I was up north with lousy data and internet.

I heard Wout crashed early, got held up forever, chased like madman, actually had the "fastest" Ride Time on the course but ended up in 8th.

How did Rider Support work at this race? Just curious as Gravel is all new and many of these gals and guys jumping over from the Road - which seemed to be many of them, are used to having a Team Car or at least Neutral Support right there to help out!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Keegan has a huge motor - 302 NP for 5 hours - but is not really explosive enough for Old Man Valverde or that punchy of a course. He made a comment about how Luke Lamperti moved him up but sounded pretty chaotic compared to US gravel courses. Hopefully he learned a lot and will be back for more.

sorry trener never did see this, thank you. settled for cyclingnews blow by blow text coverage. pogi fan here :)

glad to see advertised team mergers unravel, not seeing how that would be good for the sport. JV described as an 'embarrassment of riches' many times as it was. feel free to clear me up on my mis-advised thoughts, all ;)

Loco Matej got some dirt sklz https://www.instagram.com/...hid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I am half expecting to race my SSCX to limit the chance for mechanical issues in the mud. I can only think of one cross race I have done in proper mud, should be an experience.

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That is skills indeed. The high-speed slide on flat corners is hard for roadies. We just don't like it when our rear wheels start to go.

A good option to have, but it depends... Jingle Cross used to be a magnet for mud, but it was never an issue in the rain. Once the rain stopped, though, and things got sticky... yikes!

My best race ever my wife was screaming "pit every half lap" from the start. When I went in I realized she was right -- in addition to the advantage of a clean bike, the pit lane was rideable, while the course proper, although flat, was anything but.

I don't think my wife is too excited to spend a long weekend away pressure washing bikes for me, but them's the breaks. Had her order some proper rubber boots and some cheap rain gear that can get muddy.

Any tips I can give my wife prior to working the pit for me? I did tell her on the bright side my race on Friday is the one before the C2 race so the pro mechs will be showing up at the end of my race.

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You could troll her by calling out random tire pressure changes whenever she's in earshot, see how many you get before she just gives you the finger.

Sulliesbrew wrote:

Any tips I can give my wife prior to working the pit for me? I did tell her on the bright side my race on Friday is the one before the C2 race so the pro mechs will be showing up at the end of my race.

From my wife: "The biggest tip is to just run with the bike to the hose the minute you get it, make sure you have plenty of towels or cloths and a brush helps too." You might want to take a bucket too, in case the power washers are terribly backed up.


You may have to see if you can pit twice a lap, or less often. If things are quick enough to pit every half lap, consider which bike you want on which half of the course...

Keegan also crashed early according to the GCN recap.

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"It's good enough for who it's for" - Grandpa Wayne

I think everyone crashed at some point! Mohoric said he took his flat-corner-sliding too far on one turn and ended up on the ground.

Flat turns at speed are definitely tricky, he’s an ace.

I can often cajole my wife with Mexican food and margaritas. Here to help.

In the post-race interview he said he'd taken the outside long way 'round on that corner in the pre-ride. Then during the race he decided to go inside. He was smiling about it, albeit a bit ruefully.

Dammit, Carl. You're killin' me........

took some cues from that too, artful use of rear brake...guess that's how it's done

I find it to be a mutually agreeable arrangement.

I did not expect Bussi to so handily break the hour record. Excellent performance and execution.

What a ride by Jay Vine!