Chocolate, Waffles and ‘Cross – Mud luge in Luxembourg
- By VeloNews.com
- Published Jan. 2, 2006
On the first of day of 2006 we entered the tiny nation of Luxembourg for the second-to-last ’cross race of my Belgian lactic-acid donor program. The much larger and men’s only GP Sven Nys took place today in Belgium. We opted for the race in the neighboring country so Lyne could compete in the women’s event. She got second, so it was well worth the trip — although she didn’t win any beer this time!
The days seem to go by so quickly here. The sun rises around 8 a.m. and sets around 4:30 p.m., but when it’s raining and the skies are gray, it seems like morning and evening just blend together. Still, the Belgian countryside is beautiful. Small farms and tiny villages are nestled in the rolling green hills and the large, majestic trees are amazing, even without leaves. I think touring by bike through Belgium, hopping from village to village (or brewery to brewery) would be a great way to spend more time here. It would be a lot less painful than going from ’cross race to ’cross race, too!
Today’s event had the feeling of a local race we might have back in the States. It had far less fanfare and spectator amenities than any of the races I have done so far. The course consisted of one long climb into a dense forest and one super-fast, gnarly descent that was more like a mud luge than a bike trail. I crashed early on, whacked my knee and was going to drop out, but figured I could use the practice, so I kept on slogging through the mud. Jonathan Page, who ended up winning, passed me on the descent going so fast and out of control that I thought he was going to plaster himself against a tree. I guess you have to take those kinds of risks if you want to win over here.
While I was warming up on the stationary trainer before the race, an elderly man rolled up next to me on an old Gary Fisher mountain bike. We started talking and I told him that I was an American racer, that I wasn’t Jonathan Page, and that I was from Colorado. He replied, “Oh, yes! Colorado! Great mountain biking! Do you know Gary Fisher?” I told that we had met, but I did not know him personally. This guy went on to proclaim that he is the father of mountain biking in Luxembourg and if I ever see Gary again to tell him he said hello. It was funny, but I guess you had to be there.
Registration today was at the town’s sport center, which is similar to a recreation center in the U.S. On the second floor there was a display commemorating the great Luxembourg rider Jean “Bim” Diederich. Enclosed in a large glass display case was his race bike and wool leader’s jerseys from the 1951 Tour de France and 1949 Tour de Luxembourg. The bike was so cool! It had wing nuts on the axles, a lever on the seat tube to manually move the front derailleur and those funky water bottles that mount to the handlebar. I think it’s only a matter of time before U.S. racers get recognized for their accomplishments like Bim.
After the race I went to the pit to use the power washer to rinse off my bike and what a power washer it was! They had rigged up two fire hoses from a nearby hydrant and even left the fire-station-issue nozzles on. Maybe it’s just that I’m a scrawny bike racer, but those suckers are heavy! I flipped the lever and the high pressure nearly threw me on my ass.
After six ’cross races in eight days I am starting to feel pretty tired. Usually by the first of the year all the wounds on my shins from the U.S. ’cross season are starting to heal, but now I have a whole new set of scrapes, cuts and bruises that should keep me entertained well into February.
Tomorrow I have one last race in Saint Niklaas and one more diary to write. If I survive, that is.
Au revoir!
Did you know?
Did you know Luxembourg is only 998 square miles? That’s 213 square miles less than the state of Rhode Island. This small country has a population of 454,000, which is quite low if you consider New York City has more than 8 million people crammed into 309 square miles. I wonder how many fans would show up for a ’cross race in Central Park?
Brandon Dwight lives in Boulder, Colorado, and is part owner of Boulder Cycle Sport as well as a member of the TIAA-CREF/Clif Bar Cyclocross Team. He is also the founder of Doperssuck.com.
Photo Gallery
FILED UNDER: Rider Diaries