Joe Dombrowski's Euro Cross Camp Diary: Last Race, Best Result

For my final entry from Euro Cross Camp, I would like to begin by thanking everyone that helped make this trip possible for me. A big thanks to Mom, Dad, and the rest of the family, Mike May, 53X11 Coffee, Haymarket Bicycles, all individual donors, and all loaners of bike cases and spare parts. Your help is greatly appreciated as I try to continue on in my cycling.
 
Things have finally come to a close. Euro Cross Camp is in the books, as is my season. Some of the guys are staying over in Europe through Worlds in late January in Hoogerheide, while others are going back home to the states to make their last final preparations. Still others, me included, will be going home to begin preparing for the coming road and mountain bike seasons.
 
Euro Cross Camp really was the best possible to way to cap off an already great season. As promised, I learned more racing the biggest Cyclocross races in the world in sixteen days than I learned racing the past year in the U.S. Europe is not a forgiving place and only the fastest guys stand a chance at making it to the top. For a young American cyclist, it’s definitely an eye-opener. The experience was both a humbling reality check, and a point of strong motivation for the future.
 
On Friday, I finished off my European racing campaign with St. Niklaas; a Belgian national race located near Brussels. Because it was the last race, we were allowed to stick around for the rest of the day. Over here, us Americans stick together; along with the camp riders, guys like Page, Trebon, Powers, Gould and Compton share tents, trainers, and race camaraderie with fellow Americans. It’s quite the familial type atmosphere which definitely helps when you are trying to scratch out a result amongst the fastest ‘cross kids in the world.
 
The course at St. Niklaas started on a paved boardwalk along the beach, flew through a tree section, and incorporated some very slick lakeside off-camber. The rest of the lap was grass along with a long strip of beach sand which was about half rideable.
 

Some of the races here use a stoplight system for race starts
 
I came into the race with the same strategy I have had the whole camp: work my way up from the back, riding aggressively, but smoothly. On Friday, the plan worked quite well. From my back of the pack start spot I eventually worked my way up to a final spot of 13th, moving up about 40 spots from my position on lap one. A pretty great result by Euro standards.

Racing my final race here in Belgium
 
My result was good enough for 15 euro prize money. On top of that we received 25 euro start money. It is much cheaper to race over in Europe; for example, typically we pay 3 euro to get into the race, but get 5 euro back for turning our number back in (they recycle them.) That leaves us 2 extra euro. On top of that we usually receive between 25 and 150 euro start money from the promoter, as well as any prize money you are able to collect. It is a very efficient system. Registration is much simpler as well because instead of a license you have a credit card type barcode containing all your information. That way, rather than filling out all your information at the race, the UCI officials just scan the card, pull up your information, and you're good to go.
 
Following the race, us Juniors were able to watch the elite race. We hurriedly got out of our kits, readying to see Nys and Wellens duke it out on the slick course. We found a spot along the off-camber section by the lake. The crowd was absolutely phenomenal, lining the entire stretch of the course, 20 to 30 deep in spots. The off-camber was quite entertaining as well; guys would slip down the slick slope an into the course tape, sometimes narrowly missing a cold swim in the lake. In the end Bart Wellens took the close win with Niels Albert hot on his heels.
 
After the race, the camp went out with the staff and directors Geoff Proctor and Noel Dejonckheere for dinner. Here we enjoyed steak, frites, and samplings of Belgian beers. It was certainly a good way to cap off a great trip and a great season.
 
I leave you with a video teaser from Transition 2 'Cross the Pond . This was a film made a few years ago on Euro Cross Camp, portraying the top American ‘crossers preparing for worlds and trying to make it in the rough and tumble world of European cyclocross. If you turn up the volume there is commentary from some of the American riders, and if you liked my account of Euro Cross Camp you can still buy the video online.

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Joe's Euro Cross Camp Diary is sponsored by 53x11 Coffee, who is donating 15% of all GamJams coffee sales to Joe's fund. If you like Joe's journal, or you like coffee, buy some and help him out.

Comments

[Beth]

Way to go Joe! I enjoyed reading your entries from your Cross Camp Diary. I look forward to following your race results for years to come. Way to represent the US and MABRA!