Grant Ellwood and Chris Key from Europe 2013
BCSD p/b/ BJC riders Grant Ellwood and Chris Key were invited to attend the USA Cycling Euro Cross Camp.
Here is a link to Chris’s Race report: http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/eurocrosscamp-xi/in-a-routine
Read Grant’s Race Report from Waremme, Belgium: (this report was previously posted on the BJC facebook page)
The race in Waremme was a “B” cross, which is a regional-level event. Today there was also a World Cup happening at Namur, Belgium, but the U.S. is only allowed to field 6 riders, and so the the riders who couldn’t do the World Cup raced at Waremme.
“Today’s race was pretty crazy. Registration was in a bar that smelled like cigarettes, just like we heard it would be. Trying to get our numbers we kept getting cut in line by all the Belgians. We kitted up and tried to get on the course but couldn’t the first time because younger kids were racing. We finally got on the course and got our first taste of a Belgian track. It wasn’t too technical, but there were some steep and slick parts in the woods. Everywhere else was flat and muddy, which was slow going and pretty tiring.
After pre riding we went back to the van and got the bikes dialed. The Belgian mechanics taking care of us were pretty funny. 90% of the time you couldn’t understand what they were saying and then they’d look at you and start talking about something and point to your tire. Then they would just start adjusting your pressure and get you to check it. I think I had about 18-19 psi in my tires.
We warmed up on the road and headed to the start. The wind really picked up and it was really cold. Five minutes later we had 6 Americans huddled behind a tree trying to stay warm. At the start line they were calling up everyone and even though I had UCI points I ended up last row. Off the start there was a crash but I avoided it and ended up in top 1/3 of the field going into the first turn. Half a lap later I cut my sidewall and had to run. Fortunately the pit was just about 100 ft away. That was lucky. On the B bike I slowly started passing people and after 2 laps I caught Chris Key who was leading. A lap later Chris crashed and unfortunately broke his derailleur hanger and had to run 2/3rds a lap to the pit. After Chris crashed I just kept focused and rode hard… and took the win! All the preparation that we did to help us get ready for Belgium really paid off, especially our mud practices at Hunter’s Farm. Thanks to my coach Pete Webber, my team Boulder Cycle Sport Devo p/b BJC, and of course thanks to Boulder Junior Cycling.” –Grant
