January 24, 2005 - World Cup Cross

In preparation for the Cyclocross World Championships, Matt White has been racing some World Cup races in Europe and writes the below report from World Cup #9 in Nommay, France where he did the Under 23 men’s event. White raced with the elite men at World Cup #10 in the Netherlands and we should have some images to post soon!

Meanwhile, back in the states, Jon Hamblen has been ripping it up in North Carolina at the Winter Cup Cyclocross Series and took the first two wins for the team in 2005

Matt White’s Euro Diary, World Cup #9, January 16th

I arrived last Friday and took the train to Izegem Belgium. Noel, the US team director, forgot I was coming so I started to trek across town after leaving my bags with the train station employees. I happen to walk past a large glass window downtown and see Noel doing some business at the travel agents. He admitted he completely forgot about me. Finding him by chance saved me a three mile walk to the house.

Saturday we departed Izegem, Belgium for Nommay, France and the World Cup race. We packed the van with gear and snacks and took off. Seven hours and one awesome mountain pass later we were in the town of Nommay. We went for a ride to check out the course that afternoon. It was a typical cow pasture and tiny side street mix with a bunch of nasty steep climbs and descents, and a little mud which was bound to freeze that night in the low temperatures.

I was super nervous for race day, since I hadn't raced in a month and was about to go up against the world’s best. The gun went off and I found myself in the last five into the first corner. No problem, I felt relaxed and I would rather continue to pass people all day then go out too hard and be passed all day. I was able to do exactly that, I wish I had been able to pass a few more than 7 or 8, but that was as good as I could do. Jessy Anthony (my US teammate and Arch nemesis) was about 30 seconds ahead until he flatted and I caught him. He took a new bike and we rode together for a while until I dropped him. On my last lap the course finally got the better of me. Cow pastures are pretty bumpy and as I said the freezing temps were bound to freeze the ground solid, which they did. The whole course was bumps frost and mud. I finally crashed and broke my left hand brake lever clear off. I was fine, a bump on my shin, but it happened right next the pit and I decided that I had enough and dropped out. Luckily they still finished me 22nd. I faired better than my teammate John who after a crash was forced by a bunch of Frenchies into an ambulance, he was fine, but he stood up too slowly, they assumed because he was an American he might sue someone if he was hurt. We had to pick him up at the hospital later. Again he was fine!

On the ride home our Mercedes Sprinter (huge camper style van) broke down on the Highway and we had to push it to a hotel and call a mechanic. We should have been back to Belgium on Sunday night instead we had to wait untill the morning, but we did find a nice pizza place in the middle of nowhere France and had pizza, beer, and banana splits.

That's it for now, next a week of relaxation, long rides, big meals (waffles) and working on the bikes, Next weekend Zonnebeke Belgium C2 and Hoogerheide Holland World Cup. I can't wait to give it another go.

Hamblen Wins Hendersonville Cyclocross, Race #1 North Carolina Winter Cup, January 8th

North Carolina cyclocross series organizer/promoter Tim Hopkins gave riders a preview of the course he will use for a UCI race this November. Troy Wells (Kona/Cane Creek), looking to find some warm weather, came to NC for a week to put in some miles and race before heading to Europe for Cyclocross World's. Fior di Frutta's Jon Hamblen came to the race from his winter home in Winston-Salem and hoped to be able to complete an hour long race after taking a few weeks off from training. From the gun Troy took the lead, followed by Andy Applegate (Kona/Cane Creek) and Jon Hamblen. Troy was able to ride over the first "natural" barrier and hill while Jon crashed and slowed everyone down a bit (so they could safely negotiate the tricky hill). Hamblen soon caught back up to Wells who then attacked several times on the next two laps and got a ten second gap. Jon continued to ride steady and hard to keep Troy within site until two laps to go in the race, with two to go Hamblen realized that he probably wouldn't bonk and he started to real in Wells. Troy, noticing that the Fior di Frutta rider was getting close on the last lap, went into a downhill paved turn a bit hot and rolled his tubular. Jon cruised by him and rode the final half lap alone, taking his first victory of the year.


Hamblen Second in Morganton Cyclocross, Race #2 Winter Cup, January 9th

Decent weather again and a fun course with no barriers. Troy Wells (Kona/Cane Creek) and Fiordifrutta's Jon Hamblen conspired before the race on how to shorten the length of the event, they took the first two laps fairly easy until the lap counter came up and then they began to race. The two worked well together on the flowing course, only attacking each other a handful of times, both were content to just ride hard and get a good workout... Until the last lap which saw the two battle for the lead, up and then down the hill in the woods, all the way to the line, where Wells edged out Hamblen in a viscous sprint. This puts first place in the Winter Cup series in a tie between Troy and Jon. Wells heads to Durango and then Belgium next week to ride a World Cup and the World Championships with his US teammate Matt White (new to Fiordifrutta in '05), leaving Hamblen to lead the series into next weeks event in Greensboro.

Hamblen Wins Greensboro Cyclocross, NC, Winter Cup #3, January 15th

A cold day on the North Carolina Winter Cup Series race number 3, temperatures reaching only into the mid-forties. However, Fiordifrutta's own Jon Hamblen braved the chilly air and started the race, bundled in a long sleeve base layer and full leg warmers (missing, though, were Jon's FdF Biemme full finger gloves which were lost last summer). The course was a bit muddy and strewn with roots, with several mountain bike trails in between the grass and tarmac sections. This didn't stop Jon from jumping to an early lead on the first lap, as Colin Barry (TeamPO) and Jason Morgan (ABRC) fell on the second of four slippery wooden bridges and created a bottle neck in the bunch. Hamblen rode a steady pace the rest of the way to the finish line to claim first place and 5lbs of fresh stinky mud.