Thursday Anticipation

Are you planning to race on Sunday? Vic needs to know. Sooner rather than later. Comment below please. No comment, no racing.



Vic and Juan are planning a recon ride this afternoon. They say you are welcome to join them. 1 pm at the Junk-shon.

Confirmed riders so far:

Vic
Juan (2007 champ)
Chris
Thomas
Jonny B (defending champ)
Jonny G
Darryl
Hal (inaugural champ)
Kevin
Brad
John Paul
Olli

All previous winners will be back for one more shot at glory. That tells you a little something about how important this race is.

Make sure to click on the poster to appreciate the detail of Pieter Bruegel's fine artwork.

Post-recon ride update:

Sweet course. There will be stairs to ride down, hills to run up, some snowy single track, some fast sections, and something not unlike the whorl. It is a little longer than usual. You won't want to do the full six laps. So eating at least two plates is essential.

TNR Report

Good times, as always. After coffee at the Junk-shon, we got the post-Christmas lead out with a short 10 lap race around the Forks Market. The start was a little messy with crashes, crooked handlebars, navigational malfunctions, and all manner of mayhem. But eventually things got sorted out. There were a few near misses courtesy of an ice patch on the corner leading to the ramp behind Muddy Waters Smokehouse. But everyone managed to stay upright. The Secretary and the Saskatchewan chapter were there to spectate. They also took some impressively artsy photos.









Results:

Chris
Craig
Kevin
Graham
Thomas
Patrick
Jonny G


After two races, the series standings are as follows:

Chris 20
Craig 18
Graham 14
Kevin 13
Thomas 12
Luke 8
Patrick 5
Jonny G 4


At the klubhaus, we were joined by Philly, the Chaplain. We explained to him the accidental beauty of the Tuesday Night Ride and general FGBC awesomeness. He didn't seem to get it. Fortunately, the Saskatchewan chapter stepped in to save the day. Just as things were getting awkward, he entertained us with tales of his dugout fly fishing exploits and other assorted oddities. He and the Secretary also provided a brief history of our association with the F&H. We are going on 13 years now. We collectively wondered where in Winnipeg we might find a place to buy a pair of Rock & Republic jeans so that we can lend out support the Honorary Captain's new racing ventures. The tunes were decent, highlighted by Eruption. The bartenders apparently did not appreciate it as much as we did. The station was changed before Eddie was able to finish his work. But at least they let us stay past closing to watch the #1 sports blooper of the decade.

Sylvester CX

Gianni wins his first vicarious cx race of the year, just as Dieter Vanthourenhout won his first real race of the season. It was thanks to Vanthourenhout, in fact, that Gianni wound up on the top podium step. His win combined with Albert's third-place finish netted 250 points for Gianni. Brad the Impaler was second with 215 points. And Jay found the podium for the third consecutive race. He had 190 points.

In the overall race, Jay gained another 90 points on Gary. It's just over 1000 points now. That sounds like a lot. But Jay has narrowed the gap by 430 points in the last three races. So maybe Gary will have a fight on his hands yet. We can always hope. The Secretary has moved 100 points ahead of KK and is now just 105 points behind the Cricket. And all of a sudden it looks like Graham may escape from the cellar. Paul is only 130 points ahead. Jonny G and Matt are not far away either.

Full results here.

Azencross

Two wins in a row for Jay. And three out of the last five. He picked up 465 points today in Loenhout. Dan and Jonny B rounded out the podium with 450 and 440 points, respectively.

In the overall race, Jay has been gaining a little ground on Gary. But he's still over 1000 points behind. I think that should be enough. But it would be nice to end up with a battle yet. Speaking of battles, the Secretary has moved back up to 23rd place. But he did not manage to move ahead of KK. They are currently tied with 9835 points apiece. Paddy has moved all the way up to 5th last. It is Jonny G who now sits in 2nd last place.

Full results here.

TNR

9:30 pm at the Junk-shon.

Winter is Here

The race begins at 6pm sharp. You must swallow your last bite by 7:30 pm.

One plate plus a pint of beer gains you an official entry into the the race. Each subsequent plate counts as two laps. The scale will be there to keep everyone honest. If your plate comes in under the official limit, not only will you be sent back to fill it up, you will also eat an extra samosa.

The buffet costs $20. That does not include your drinks.

The riding portion will be 6 laps of a course much like the one we have used in the past. There will be stairs, long fast stretches, and some singletrack. The first lap will be neutral. Eat 3 plates and you effectively have only a 1 lap race.

The proprietor of the restaurant kindly asked that we let him know how many people to expect. That seems fair. If you are planning to be there, let Vic and Juan know by leaving a comment below.

Diegem

Big win for Jay. 405 points for the BCC stud. He is the Zdenek Stybar of vicarious cyclocross racing. Really, really good. But he doesn't get the attention he deserves thanks to that glory whore named Gary. The Fraggle's 300 points was good enough for second. Olli rounded out the podium with 280 points.

In the overall race, KK extended his lead over the Secretary. And Paddy moved back up a spot to 3rd last, thanks to Paul's goose egg.

Full results here.

Up next: Azencross (GVA #5) in Loenhout, tomorrow.

So it turns out...

after our last roller racing event I had to play a challenge match in v-ball. We have not played well this round. By the third set I was cramping pretty badly from the 45 seconds of bike riding I had just done. (oh yah...45 seconds of sweet pain...serious good times.) So the long and short of it is that we lost and I now do not play on Tuesday nights.

I love tuesday nights even more again.

oh yah...snowboarding in fernie is super duper sweet. They have more snow than southern manitoba. I saw a dude riding the hill on a bike with ski things instead of wheels.

see you tuesday.

Zolder

Gary and Jay reasserted their dominance in Zolder yesterday. Gary tallied 725 points to win the 7th round of the World Cup. Jay was right behind with 705 points. Olli had 695 points, finishing third.

There was only one change in the top 10. Halberto moved ahead of Dallas to take 9th place. But down at the other end of the standings, we did get some much anticipated excitement. The Secretary has become dislodged from 23rd place. He now sits in 24th, 10 points behind KK. That battle should be worth paying attention to as the season winds down. The Secretary has been trying to get under the skin of the smiling face of RRR for some time now. There hasn't been a Tuesday night at the klubhaus over the last little while that hasn't featured some sort of comment about the superiority of a social club to a narrowly oriented racing outfit. KK has not yet taken the bait. The Impaler, however, has bitten so frequently that his jaw is starting to swell. That guy loves him some bait. Which is why we love him. Meanwhile, Paddy inches closer to the cellar that the Young Carpenter has been renovating for the past few months. Sitting in 7th from last after the US Nationals, the Alberta chapter has been in a free fall ever since. He's now only 420 points ahead of Graham.

In the real race, for the first time this season the top podium step was occupied by someone other than Albert, Nys, or Stybar won. Kevin Pauwels pulled off a surprise victory. Nice.

Full results here.

Next up: Superprestige in Diegem. It starts at 10 am. Which is night time in Belgium. Watch here.

We love you all. Almost as much as we love ourselves.

Thursday Anticipation

There was some talk at the klubhaus on Tuesday about kicking off the Nordic Cross season next Tuesday. But that is not going to happen, since it turns out the race organizer has another commitment that evening. Instead, Gluttony Cross will take place on Jan. 3. If you are facing some Christmas feasts over the next little while, consider than an opportunity to get into shape. We will return to the East India Company for the fourth year in a row. But Vic has working on some new challenges for this year's edition. It is safe to say that your consumptive capacity will be tested.

We will still race next Tuesday. It's the second Snow Crit of the season. There is no Hummelt Hockey next week, so hopefully the TNR crowd will swell a little bit.

Nordzeecross

Yesterday's race in Middelkerke gave us a podium that looked a bit different than what we've been seeing lately. We've seen Jay and Gary up there a lot in the last little while. But Gary was a mid-packer yesterday, and Jay finished in a three-way tie for fifth last. It El Presidente's turn to spray the champagne yesterday. He notched his second win of the season, and first since Sept. 27. Bill hasn't been on the podium since Oct. 17. But he stood on the second step yesterday. And Charlene also made a return to the podium for the first time in a while. She's been too busy sewing cycling caps. But yesterday she put that aside to concentrate on finishing third.

Nys won the real race. U23 stud Tom Meeusen was second. And Klaas Vantornout finished third. Albert and Stybar sat this one out. Jamie Driscoll put in a solid effort, finishing 11th. And Powers was 17th. So some are starting to pick up points from the Americans who have shifted their attention over to Europe.

Full results here

Up next: World Cup #7 in Zolder on Boxing Day.

TNR Report

Sweet ride last night. Very, very sweet. Some went so far as to declare it the best Tuesday Night Ride of the year. But the cautious among us wanted to wait and see what next week brings before making such audacious claims. We did the same ride as last Friday, namely river bank trail from the Forks to the BDI. The trails are in fine shape right now. Ride them if you can.








There was some stimulating confabulation at the klubhaus as well. It was so wide-ranging and fast-moving that a summary is not possible. The only thing I can remember is that there were several different occasions that resulted in some sass being directed toward Juan Eppstein. Despite rumours of an appearance, the President did not show up. He was not sassed, however. We do not sass the President.

TNR

Last one before the holidays.

9:30 pm at my place.

FGBC CX Pool Roundup

The North American cx season is done. We turn our attention to Europe for the rest of the season. The action is about to really heat up. Seven races between Dec. 26 and Jan. 3. Good times.

Yesterday's World Cup race in Kalmthout was particularly awesome. Very Nordic Cross-ish. Highlights here. You can watch the whole thing here.

Jay won the vicarious version of that race. And Duester won the Scheldecross on Friday. Results and standings here.

TNR: Special Friday Edition

8pm at the Junk-shon.

In case anyone is wondering . . .

Nordic Cross will not begin tomorrow. The organizers have other commitments, and so do most of the racers. The season will begin sometime after we've turned the page to 2010 and we'll just have to race more frequently to cover all seven sins. It could be worse.

There may, however, be a ride tonight. Stay tuned for further details.

Brew Tube Fridays

Another one from Guinness:

Thursday Anticipation

Presented this week by the Dept. of Style.

One of the many highlights of 2010 will be the debut of a new line of FGBC casual wear. Simple, but to the point.

Spin City

What happened at the Belgium Club stays at the Belgian Club. It wasn't necessarily pretty. Unless your name was Dave Pitcher. He remains the man to beat on the rollers. In the end, the Impaler didn't mount much of a challenge at all. But he did provide some thrills in a couple of very close losing efforts against the young carpenter that were easily the most exciting matches of the evening. Voted best loser of the night, he kept advancing in order to keep the numbers even. And he almost made it to the semi-finals. In the end, however, neither he nor the FGBC trio of the Cricket, Jonny G, and me did not get anywhere close to the podium. But the Cricket and I happily walked aways with some prizes that Pitcher generously donated.


That was a lot of fun. But my legs sure feel like they raced for more than 75 seconds. We managed to fanagle a scheduling change. The next couple of events will take place on Tuesday nights. And they will start a little later too. Much more FGBC friendly. That means we have to show up. And maybe kick a little ass.