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Dirty Words with Adam Craig: Cowbells and epic single-track

By Adam Craig, Team Giant
Published: Jun. 11, 2007
Just your average day on the bike in Switzerland
Just your average day on the bike in Switzerland
Photo: Adam Craig

American cross-country mountain-bike racer Adam Craig has his sights set on the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. That means for the next two seasons, he will be battling it out on the World Cup and National Mountain Bike Series with his fellow Americans for a slot on the U.S. team. And VeloNews.com is along for the ride.—Editor

As globetrotting bike racers, we face various challenges — staying in shape, food, travel, sleep, navigation, luck, etc. Over the years you develop a respectable skill set to deal with these challenges. One skill set I’m still struggling with, however, is controlling the “kid in a candy store” syndrome, which strikes when we get plopped smack dab in the middle of an absolutely stunning environment.

This happened this week in Champéry, Switzerland, where we were staying to compete in the third World Cup of 2007. While driving up the valley with the 3000-meter Dents du Midi towering over the perfect village nestled above a gushing glacial creek, I realized the kid-in-a-candy-store syndrome would control the rest of the week.

I was eating muesli on Tuesday morning as my teammate Kelli Emmett pulled out a map and asked for some route-planning advice. We found her a couple of passes to ride, and looped it out however possible. This immediately gave me rest-day envy — Kelli’s out exploring and I’m just supposed to go for a spin?

Boo! Hiss!

The compromise was to counteract her multiple pass ride with some local exploring. First up was the Galeria, a trail blasted in the face of a 100-meter limestone cliff. Unsure of the legality of the ride, I put on my best “dumb American” face and set about railing one of the more entertaining trails I’ve ever been on. It just happened to be notched into a wall and protected by a two-foot-tall, rickety wooden fence.

Awesome.

From there, responsibility took over and I went to check out the race course, which, it turns out, was simply transplanted from Essex Street Hill in Bangor, Maine. What a nice surprise; I’ve ridden there a few hundred times on the classic, slimy rocks and roots sprinkled over false flats and steep climbs. As I wondered how Kelli’s trek was going, feelings of guilt started to seep into the candy store for our esteemed soignieur, Ms. Elke Brutsaert, who I suspected was still at the hotel trying to e-mail pictures to Giant for posting on the Ride Life website.

I walked in just as she was getting her bike shoes on and made the international gesture for, “Come quick, sweet trails await.” Ten minutes later we were mobbing down perfect rocky switchbacks to the creek and down an über-classic river trail. Even more perfect.

“Oh, dang it, I forgot it was a rest day,” I thought. “Oh, well, one more steep climb wouldn’t kill me.” So long as I could make it back and be napping before Kelli got home from proper training, I figured I’d be okay.

I just barely made it.

The next day our incredibly accommodating British hotel staff pointed me up into the hills toward the Col de Cou for a classic ridgeline single-track in the high alpine. After an hour-forty and 1100 meters of climbing everything from pavement to goat paths I reached the Col. Unsure of where the trail peeled off among the cow tracks, I considered consulting the gaggle of 10-year-olds milling about, evidently enjoying a class field trip, then noticed a prominent ribbon buried with snow along its climb to the ridge.

Must be what I’m looking for. Turns out it was.

I haven’t seen storybook ridgeline single-track like that in a long time, or ever. I popped over rolls with huge peaks in the background. The cows wore proper massive cowbells in the foreground as I faded into old-growth forest — it was an afternoon to remember. You can see from the photo.

But we were, indeed, in Switzerland for a race, and it was a good thing Thursday was deemed an emergency day off in order to rest up from the week playing. One of the most scenic ice baths I’ve ever taken finalized the less-than-optimal preparation for Saturday’s showdown. Unfortunately, Kelli felt the effects of her week spent riding up huge hills and never really got it going in the race. It was the kind of course that if you weren’t charging, you weren’t really going to have a good day. She finished it out midpack somewhere and went out to do some more exploring in the afternoon.

I was pretty sure I was still tired from the week’s riding while standing on the start line, but it turns out I wasn’t. Well, even if I was, it’s already June now and I’m in shape so it doesn’t matter. After holding my 63rd position or so on the start-loop walking festival, I observed my ability to shift into a harder gear and pedal faster at will. That, combined with my Anthem Advanced, gave me the option to take irresponsible and entertaining lines at speed and get away with it, and it appeared that I was going to have a banner day.

Then it started to pour, which was even better. I started passing guys like it was my job, working into the top 20 after about three laps, then continuing to ride through guys as the sun came out for the last half of the race. Somehow I wasn’t derailed by two of the clumsiest dismounts I’ve had — I fell off the bike while it stopped suspended by roots, trees and course tape, much to the amusement of the throngs of spectators. But I kept the momentum rolling all the way into 10th place with two laps to go. I was within striking distance of Thomas Frischneckt in eighth but just couldn’t get there. I’ll settle for 10th and the realization that the hard work does pay off eventually.

Julien Absalon won over local hopes Christoph Sauser and Nino Schurter, a battle I got to watch unfold a couple minutes up the serpentine course. Those guys are fast, but not that fast.

By riding fast I secured myself a spot on the Pan Am Games team — if the UCI updates the world rankings by Tuesday, that is. This is a great opportunity to travel to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, to compete as part of the U.S. delegation in this July 14 event, which only comes around once every four years. Unfortunately, that ixnays the possibility of doing the Cascade Creampuff and Downieville Classic. Maybe in 2009.

Now it’s back home for a few days of bill paying and such before the NMBS this weekend in Park City, Utah. Then we go to the homeland. Not one but two World Cups await in Québec to close out June, and I can’t wait! Maybe we’ll see a few of you there.

Cheers,
Adam and the rest of the Team Giant Euro Crew