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Chocolate, Waffles and ‘Cross - Racing on Christmas Eve

By Brandon Dwight
Published: Dec. 24, 2005
Do you have a Supporter's Club jacket for your favorite cross racer?
Do you have a Supporter's Club jacket for your favorite cross racer?

Typically after U.S. Cyclo-cross Nationals I don’t touch my bike for almost a month, but here I am in Belgium racing a Superprestige on Christmas Eve.

Well, "racing" might be the wrong term to use because it felt more like chasing, but more on that later.

Today, Kiwi, Kashi Leuchs join us for a few days of cross racing in Belgium. He spends most of his time these days in Annecy, France, so it’s an easy trip for him. Kashi doesn’t race much 'cross, but last year he did a Belgian race with Michel and wanted to give it another go this year.

Once again Michel’s mom prepped some delicious meals for us before the race and as I write this she is cranking away on what smells like it is going to be an amazing Christmas Eve dinner. She grew up in Poland and apparently Christmas Eve is very meaningful to her and her family. It will be special to take part in the festivities!

The Belgian feed zone.
The Belgian feed zone.

Following lunch we packed the car and made our way to the Diegem’s town center. We arrived just an hour before the start, so we were kind of scrambling to register and get warmed up, but fortunately ran into the USA Cycling Cross Crew. Brady Kappius (TIAA-CREF/Clif Bar) took Kashi and me to the registration room and we quickly got our numbers, with-get this-no entry fee!

After suiting up, we hopped on the course for a few practice laps and I couldn’t believe the amount of spectators. The course weaved through a section of downtown Diegem and there were people everywhere. They were drinking, smoking and having a good ol' time. There was a huge tent along one section of the course that sounded like a techno-thumping nightclub.

The race was a blast! The course was not too technical, but did require some good cornering skills and acceleration power, which I apparently left in somewhere between Boulder and here.

My goal was to not get lapped, but with two to go I flatted and got passed by the lead group. I’m not really sure who was in that group because they passed so friggin’ fast!

After the race, I walked around a bit and it was really interesting to see how much respect the fans and race officials give to the riders. People were nodding at me as if to say, “thanks for racing” and I even had an elderly French woman ask me for my autograph. Apparently, she didn’t see me race! Regardless, it felt good.

Film maker Sam Smith checks in with Kona's Ryan Trebron and Erik Tonkin after the race.
Film maker Sam Smith checks in with Kona's Ryan Trebron and Erik Tonkin after the race.

I didn’t get much time to talk to the U.S. 'cross campers, so I’m not too sure how things went, but everyone seemed to be in high spirits before and after the race.

Oh yeah, I wanted to mention that Sam Smith, who filmed and produced the cross movie Transitions, is out here filming. He is going to try to give people an inside look at what it’s like racing cross in Belgium. It should be pretty good.

Lastly, I would like to wish everyone a very safe and merry Christmas, especially to my family in Massachusetts and to the crew holding down things at the bike shop. Thanks for supporting my decision to be away from home this holiday season. I miss and love you all!

Merry Christmas everyone!


Did you know?
Did you know that a true Belgian waffle is a thicker than the frozen Eggo waffles that you shove into you toaster in the morning? That’s because a traditional Belgian waffle recipe calls for yeast, which takes time to grow. American cooks took yeast out of the recipe and replaced it with baking powder and baking soda to speed up the process. American chefs took convenience and speed over height and fluffiness. I guess you could say that Americans are fast in the kitchen, but not on the ‘cross course!

Brandon Dwight lives in Boulder, Colorado and is part owner of Boulder Cycle Sport as well as a member of the TIAA-CREF/Clif Bar Cyclocross Team.He is also the founder of Doperssuck.com.

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