The CX course from this weekend was so hard that pros were complaining. When you see 1/2 racers walking the Belgian staircase rather than running it, you know it's serious ****. There was roughly 50' of elevation difference from the lowest to highest point on the course which we climbed four times per lap, then a gigantic 25' climb which took me about 30 seconds to climb at 400w+ just to get up the ******; two sets of 5-step Belgian stairs, two technical limestone rock-climbs, evil dirt switchback uphill you had to run, just pain and misery with like 5-moto-cross feeling downhill twisty sections.

The course designers are buddies and say that for too long, Texas courses were dirt-crits and when Texan CX racers go to Nationals, they complain. So, we are elevating our game in general to compete on the national stage. In general, I raced the course rather than other people and did 12/50 on Saturday at 72*F, 4/12 on Sunday at 21*F.

 

lol:

 

CX season is over, bros:

 

Nice to see Cipo looking fondly at your taint as well.

 

Oh **** god damn:

 

Extra light steerer tube FTW

 

Hill-o-death:

 

Namur was epic. Brutally hard course. Gotta be tough mentally to be Van Aert just about now after getting pipped both days. The women's race was also amazing. Mad props to Nash on her handling skillz. Class of one on the descents.

 

I recently realized that great CX courses have sections of single-track and a feature so hard that the cat-4/5s shouldn't be able to ride it. That Namur course looked awesome.

 

There were two short steep hills on the Namur course that only the top 10 or so Elites could ride it most laps. Here in Socal the promoter mixes things up. We have tight bumpy courses with tight turns packed together, fast flowing "no brakes required" grassy course that are like crits, hilly, dry rocky mountain bike-y courses, deep grass slogs, dead flat courses, other courses with 150' per lap. I greatly prefer the courses that only a few riders can clear or sections that bog others down where the best can maintain momentum. I can drive a bike pretty well so those sections always tips things in my favor against the raw power riders.

 

This is the one corner I could not get up:

 

Yeah, I need to learn and trust myself to get up those hard ones. There was one trip up a hill that was 45 seconds of 16.7% grade, a ******* grinder and the top was the finish line. It wasn't the steepest though, my previous post is a short hill but really steep. The worst series was 7-Belgian steps, ride for 200' on shitty limestone with mandatory hopping a gulley, 130* turn in and up and off camber the whole way, to a 90* turn out whilst still off camber, then about 1 minute of 77-10% grade to a drop, and then another Belgian staircase. It hurt, badly.

 

hustler- you need to build yourself a slalom track:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOQTu4Ig6I0/?tagged=alltime

 

The Namur race was one of the best of the season so far. That off-camber rutted section looked brutal. I'm a WvA fanboy, but you have to admire van der Poel's technical abilities (bunny hopping the barriers faster than everyone else, cruising through the rutted sections, etc.) and how he used them to his advantage.

If you haven't watched the Scheldecross race from Saturday, it's well worth it (especially the ending):

 

Show me the video of him going up that.

 

there's a jeep road that we can pedal up or we just hike up the whole hill when it's super muddy.

 

My dogg has to decide between a used red BMC SRL01 with Enve 6.7s and 6870:

for $4k or a New Trek Emonda 6 Pro for $3000:

I don't know which I'd pick.

 

Also, he's moving to LA, races W2W in a friend's WRL/Chump Miata, races road, races CX, speaks English/Dutch/German/Canontonese, is a pilot. California Miata crew will love him.

 

I am partial to the Emonda, but that is a tough choice. A new Emonda has a lifetime warranty (any frame that is ridden will break in my experience). Also, the Emonda's are comfortable, great handling bikes and super light. I would put the $1k difference into upgrading to di2 and nice tires.

 

whichever bike he fits best.