WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT 1: SWIMMING WITH BELGIES

Today was practice day.  The last practice day unfortunately. The big show, as if you didn't know, is on for tomorrow, not Sunday. But yeah you knew that. The whole world does.

It was just practice - but the whole thing is coming together. Let's just hope the pit faucets aren't frozen like there were today at the Master's race down the road.

Well I thought I'd have days, as in two, to go on about the World Championship here in Looeville, but it looks the Ohio River wants us the hell out of here sooner than later. The news this morning is that the big races, Elite Men and Women are being moved up to tomorrow morning. While this may sound like a bummer, I am frankly worried that it could be worse and that half that course could possibly be under water by tomorrow morning. Watching the river rise while during today's afternoon practice was a little scary.

See these crazy things? These are Big Boy Sand Bags, for Big Boy, Ohio River type Big Boy water.

Yeah the flooding is big news. We hear in Europe that people think the U.S.A Cycling is moving the race up a day so we can all watch the Super Bowl. The other story, the one I like is that they will be able to keep the river from flooding by stacking Cat-4 Sandbaggers along the shoreline.

Sand bag news: these are empty - just waiting to be filled with Cat-4s. Yeah that oughta keep the water from drowning the course.

While the race and the flood were big news, and seeing the best cyclocross racers in the world rolling around town like hipster on growler bikes on the West Side of Grand Rapids, the real thing I'm taking away from experience my first World Championship is meeting the Belgies. The place is swimming with them. They love their cross, and they cross the pond to be here for the big race - come hell or high water.

There are Belgies everywhere here in Looeville. Even though it's cold and the schedules are FUBAR, they seem a happy lot. I wondered why until I studied them ...

The rising water just seems to roll right off their backs because while they are waiting for a flood of Biblical proportions and a cyclocross race of Worldly proportions to happen, they drink.

And then they stop and laugh and drink.

And then they drink some more. A lot more. This was at the SRAM tent party today. It was big Belgy fun, let me tell you ...

But not all of these fine folks from Belgium drank. Some of them went out to to catch a glimpse of their guys training on the course, just like we did.  This lovely couple wasn't drinking. Well, at least for awhile. They were wonderful people - even though they refused to exchange their sweet Sven Nys hat for our nearly worthless American dollars.

Some work funny hats a milled around the course.

Lots of them wore jackets with this guys name on it.

And wore more jackets with his name on it. On the course, ...

... at the SRAM party.

And back at the hotel ...

And in the exhibitors tents there were images of Belgian heroes.

And even his bike with a certain guys name was on display. You're bike looks like this, right?

So while they were getting their jackets embroidered, fitting their hats and putting up their posters, what were we doing? That's right tracking down the real thing. We stumbled on a bike shop advertising that they were going to have the Belgium on hand, as well as a few beers. It was hard to believe ... but it was true! See in weep, Belgie fans ...

Sven Nys. Great champ and great guy. Put up with all our American bullshit, no problem.

Adam got to spend time with his hero. What did he ask him? Yeah training with power. Nys suddenly couldn't speak English anymore.

I was so excited meeting the great one, I fell into a walking coma - sort of zombie like. Nice, Nys.

Not so enthused about being man and woman handled by Americans was Neils Albert who looked like he only had a few minutes between biology classes at night school.

The always jittery and uncomfortable in his own skin Kevin Pauwels, seen here jittery and uncomfortable in his own skin, was rather a good sport about the whole thing.

Notice that when Pauwels is on the bike the jitters and discomfort are all gone. This was shot by Adam McIntyre earlier in the day.

So that's what's new in New Belgium today. Now it's time to rest up, recharge the batteries and get ready to swim with all these crazy Belgies tomorrow. The strange thing is that while this is the only time that the World Championship has been held outside of Europe in its 65-year history, everybody has forgotten about these guys ...

SPECIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUIZ

Yes, we're having a quiz. If you answer both of these questions right, or wrong. Or only answer one, or none, you could be a winner. What's the prize? Tickets to Sunday's World Championship race right here in good old Looeville. We've got plenty of Sunday tickets folks ...

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?

There's been so much focus on the the Belgian team and Belgian fans the rest of the teams are all pushed back in the shadows. Remember these guys? Know who they are? Every one here has seemed to have forgotten about them - and a year ago it was going to be there year. If you don't know, here's a clue they are standing in front of the famous Looeville historic site - the Alamo.

WHO THE HELL IS THE MAN WITH THE KNITTED BEARD?

(Bonus question - get this one right and win two tickets to Sunday's race!)

Sarah McIntyre:" have you seen this guy? He's wearing a knitted beard. Let me know if you run into him."

The man with the knitted beard. He raises it when out walking in the cold, but drops it to below chin position when drinking beer. Name his country of origin and win tickets now!

LET'S ALL GO TO LOOEVILLE FOR THE USGP DERBY CUP

It's been a few years since I've raced the Derby Cup in Louisville Kentucky, but I still have my favorite Kentucky cyclocross racing kit. The embro and chamois butter that go with contain some special, secret sauce - hand made. Thanks Cupcake!

Michigan must be empty because everybody that I know that owns a bike is here. And it's just Friday night! Big Mac, Cupcake, Nancy Lange, JGood, Team Sand Bag, Mark W, JB and the usual suspects. It's not just the great cyclocross scene that brings them here, it's also the horse racing, Churchill Downs, Bourbon, fine tobacco products, Muhammed Ali Museum, Louisville Slugger Factory, The Colonel, epidemic heroin addiction, terrible drivers and great historical sites.

One of my favorite sites in Looeville is the Alamo. 

I really learned to love the Alamo for the great part it had in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. I think that's why the bike scene is so cool here. Remember the Alamo? Pee Wee did ... watch, and remember.

Wrenching in the parking lot of the BP Gas Station.

While the first thing I saw after 6.5 hours on the road when I hit Lullyville was the Alamo, the second thing were cyclocross teams working in the parking lot of the gas station and the motel where everyone from Michigan is now living ... except for a few at the Galt House Downtown. These people were from somewhere called Wisconsin or Minnesota, and there were lots of them. Look like the entire Upper Cold-Ass Midwest is empty right now.

The first thing I saw at the Eva Bandwith Park was Zinn's discarded bike.

Imagine my surprise when I saw Velonews columnist and all-round bike and long crank know-it-all Leonard "Nimoy" Zinn. He just left his bike laying around the WD40 tent like it was free for the taking - or was it? He apparently doesn't need a lock for his bike because it's so big nobody could ride it away to steal it unless they wore stilts.

After checking in at the motel the next thing to do was ride to the course for some practice - while they built the course around you. I was passed by KfC right about there. I was riding full tilt and she was on a trainer.

I don't know if pre-riding was such a good idea as some of the features of the Eva Bandsaw course really scare the shit out of me. While I can white-knuckle my way okay through most of the treacherous shit out there, the thought of blasting through it at race-pace along with a bunch of idiots, and while bonked the hell out in the last lap was not encouraging. I should have just headed straight to the bar - like the rest of the idiots from Michigan.

JGood and the rest of the Usual Suspects, all dark an suspicious looking at the "Social Club."

Number pick up was at a downtown bar that was called something like the "Sporting Social Club" which I think is western cowboy code for "whorehouse," though I have never heard of a whorehouse with a bowling alley and a bunch of skinny bike riding dorks milling around inside. Along with the good Michigan folk the place was also packed with all sort of stars from the cyclocross scene from J-Pow to Katie F*ing Compton, Adam Myerson, the Girl with the Cowbell Tattoo,  Anthony skkkkisisisisisisissdvvss up! Clark, Georgia Gould and a lot of other real small and skinny people. I didn't Ryan Trebon there, but saw him early on the course. They probably don't let him come to these things because he's so tall and they're all so short, like a bunch of jockeys, it probably makes them feel bad so he has to eat alone in his hotel room.

It's not that Ryan's so tall - it's just that everyone else is just sooooooo small. He, Zinn and Wicks should have their own club.

I'm fascinated by number pick up line lately. Wuzup wit dat?

I was the very first to pick up a number tonight - which is the last thing I'm going to be anywhere near first at this weekend.

While you're supposed to pin these on your skin suit, I think they'd make great coasters!

Final stop before sacking out - the Old Spaghetti Factory for some Old Spaghetti! 

The town is full of pro bikers. Sat down in the upstairs bar of the OSF for a quick bowl of Angel Hair and was seated next to Jake Wells and another guy that I think is either his mechanic or his burly spiritual advisor. After that I headed home to pin beer soaked numbers to my suit. I'll smell sooooo goooooood at the start line people will think they're racing against JGood. If I don't break my neck on that downhill tomorrow I'll try to kick out another race report tomorrow.