well well Wellens

well well Wellens
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

This is how the Belgian Cross fans roll. This female Bart Wellens fan was rocking the post-race party in the big beer tent (there were probably a dozen beer tents at the venue).

I'm back from an amazing adventure at Cross Worlds in Zeddam, The Netherlands. It was such a good time and the MAC crew represented in stellar form. I'll have more photos and stories in the days to come.

Look out World's, here I come!

I've been on a bit of a hiatus from the blog due to having a lot of balls in the air recently.

I'll get'er fired up again here soon with some stories from 'Cross Worlds in The Netherlands.
I'm heading over to Euro-ville tomorrow evening for a long weekend of adventures in the low countries. It'll mostly be hanging out with drunk Belgians & Dutch watching 'cross races, as well as sampling the beer & food. I'm excited to check out the euro-cross scene and see Sven Nys in person. It'll be like mental training. I imagine I'll be pretty fired up to ride and race my bike. I return on Monday evening so I should have some things posted early next week.

In other news, we just bought a house that has a trailhead to some sweet singletrack (Rockburn & Patapsco/Avalon) just down the street. I envision hitting the trails with lights for some early morning pre-work rides and also after-work mtb rides right out the front door. And then there's the mtb group rides followed by hanging out on the deck grilling up grub and drinking beer. Not to mention good road riding, like hill repeats up Ilchester. I'm looking forward to riding the mountain bike without loading it on the car and driving to the trail head! We close in mid-Feb and will move sometime in March.

Thor had his 9 month check-up and he is still in the 95th percentile on length and 50th on weight...long and lean, with sprinter thighs! We'll have the boy on a mountain bike soon.

That's it for now. I'll keep a journal during my trip and post my thoughts and observations when I return.

peas

Going to World's

Things have been pretty peaceful quiet here to start the new year.

I've been getting in some time on the bike doing easy miles and a lot of on the bike strength work. That has meant many fun rides on the fixed gear or pushing big gears on the mountain bike. Gym time has been spent doing core exercises to strengthen the lower back, abs, etc.
I'm easing back into the training, but it's going pretty well so far.

Thor continues to amaze us. He learns something new every day. And although he seems to have no interest in crawling he loves to stand up. He needs support for balance, but he's really getting the hang of it. It's still a ways off but he may bypass crawling and go straight to walking.

Using frequent flyer miles I've put together a no frills long weekend trip to see the Cyclocross World Championships in Zeddam, The Netherlands at the end of this month. I'm pretty much going to be winging it with very little plans and a small pack on my back so it's sure to be an adventure.

Obviously, ya gotta plan some of the basics, but flying by the seat of your pants leads to some fun experiences and that is something I really enjoy. I intend to see a few sights, eat some good food, drink some good beer, and watch some world class 'Cross. (And hopefully find a warm place to sleep, but that's not a priority.) I'll have a little bit of time in beautiful Amsterdam, but most of the time will be out in the boonies with a bunch of like-minded 'cross freaks. The US crew promises to hang with the Euro's both on and off the course. I can hardly wait!

I should have plenty of stories and photos to share when I return.