Euro Racing

I'll try to catch everyone up on the racing over here. This morning Santa brought us all boxers and candy! Today we raced Christmas day on a course out in the fields. Pre-riding the course, I was pretty nervous about the race. The course had three really steep, rutted drops that had us all on our toes. Adding to the ominous air, Lionel broke his frame riding on the road. I don't even know how that happens. We rode some more on the course and then warmed up for about 30 minutes on the trainers. Most of us got called up near the back of the starting grid which was very narrow. We sprinted up the road and got down to business. The first few laps I felt good and passed a lot of people of the slick mud but as the race wore on the thick sod of the course started to really wear me down. I probably should have changed bikes sooner but only one had the mud tubulars so I was trying to stay on that one longer even though it was getting really heavy. With about two laps to go I slowed down a lot and a bunch of people passed me. I ended up getting 27th place and was the last one to finish without getting lapped. Sweet. Nate Morse did really well. Lionel had some more bad luck when he and John Fransisco converged into one line after taking entrances to a drop. Lionel broke his other frame and rode the rest of the race on it without realizing. Changing after the race the embrocation I was using was really hot and hurt a whole lot. Soon we headed back to Izegem to spend the rest of Christmas. Thanks to everyone who has supported me and I will try to post more soon!

Belgium

Our four days of rest are over and it's time to get back to business. Every athlete in the house is racing today in Diegem. We did some fun rides during our time off, got lost, and stopped at bakeries. I think I know every song on Jim now. By heart. And backwards.
The race today looks challenging and everyone is excited. Check back for a report soon.
Thanks for reading!

News from Belgium

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/euro-cross-camp-ix/euro-cross-camp-ix-belgium-brigade


Thanks for your support!

For Latest News

For the latest news from Belgium, follow me on Twitter @StephenBassett1. I'll try to update the blog as much as I can from across the pond. Thanks to all my supporters who came to the bake sales and 865 Cycling! You guys are awesome!

Sponsor Spotlight: Princeton Tech Lights

Princeton Tech has generously provided the Bob's Red Mill Cyclocross team with bike lights. For the front we are using the Push light, which has a lot of really convenient features. First, the light is 100 lumens and has three modes: bright, low, and flash (optimal for high visibility in traffic). Additionally, the lights have a row of small, flashing red LEDs on each side to make you more visible to cars and other riders from the side. Another smart feature of the Push is that it detaches from the mount towards the rider instead of away from him, so the light never flies off the bars by accident when you are adjusting it. Overall, the Push is a great light in a reliable, compact form. The team is also running the Swerve taillight. The switch on the Swerve is simple and never accidentally turns the light off when you hit bumps. The light is the brightest and most visible rear light I've used. In addition to being bright, the Swerve has a unique rubber band mounting system. This system lets you wrap the light around any part of your bike in seconds, without having to use a screwdriver to install a clamp to mount the light on. The light includes two different sized rubber bands or you can clip the light directly to your backpack or seatbag. In conclusion, Princeton Tech lights are the most functional and powerful LED lights I have used and I would recommend them to any rider.

http://princetontec.com

Push Front Light

Push Front Light

Swerve Rear Light

Swerve Mounting System

Sponsor Spotlight: The Stick

This season The Stick has provided me with one of their products. The Sprinter Stick is the recommended stick for athletes who travel because it is the perfect size to throw in your bag. The Stick allows you to massage your own legs, aiding recovery between repeated efforts. The Stick helps during stage races or after any ride. I will definitely have The Stick in my bag for my trip to EuroCrossCamp this year and I will use it between all the races to help me be at my best!

The Sprinter Stick

http://www.thestick.com/

Knoxiecross 2011

A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Sponsor Spotlight: THOMSON seatposts and stems

Thomson has generously supported me this year with seatposts and stems. As I have said before, Thomson products are the best on the market because of their light weight, strength, durability, and adjustablility. Thomson is based out of Macon, Georgia and their commitment of excellence and customer service is unparalleled. The seatposts are lighter than many carbon posts but have much more strength and reliability. The secret to the light weight of the posts is that they are reinforced only at the areas of stress, the front and back of the post. The two-bolt clamping system is easy to adjust and never slips, something especially important for the demands of cyclocross. Another thing that makes Thomson Masterpiece posts the best for cross is the texture of the post. Thousands of tiny rings are machined into the aluminum to create friction in the frame so the post never slips down! I am using both the Elite X4 and X2 stems this year and they are both working great. The X4 stem has four bolts and the X2 has two. The stems are super stiff and perfect for pulling on the bars while out of the saddle. All Thomson products are available in a wide variety of sizes and are entirely made in the USA.

 http://bikethomson.com/

Elite X2 stem

Masterpiece Post

Elite X4 stem

MSG #3 & 4

This weekend I did my first cross races of the year. My dad and I drove up to Domtar Park in Kingsport. I lined up and and had a good start position thanks to Dirk Pohlmann. I was second off the line behind Will Black. I almost crashed when me foot popped out of the pedal coming down the first straightaway but held it up. I rode in second for a while before I bobbled and Will Black rode away. Eric Meuhl rode by me and I rode for a few laps by myself before I was caught by a chase group. Eric Wondergem laid the hammer down and rode away. After that everyone pretty much stayed in the same position. Justin, Thatcher, and I sprinted for fourth and I timed the sprint right this year on what I believe was my fifth time finishing on that particular finish.
 Sunday.  I was really hoping to go for the win on Sunday. I was riding with Noah Niwinski and reeling in Will Black after 2 laps, but then I slid out and my chain fell off the ring and the cassette. I put it back on but my focus was broken. I chased for a few laps then just rode around. I was disappointed in myself but there are a lot more races left.

LOG HOPPING

BIKE RIDING

MORE LOG HOPPING

AFTER LOG HOPPING

EVEN MORE!

BIKE RACE START

BEFORE THE START

STARING AT THE GROUND BEFORE THE START

Thank you to all my generous sponsors: Bob's Red Mill p/b Carroll Composites, Fi:zi:k, Thomson, and Harper's Bike Shop!

Belgium!

I haven't had time to write a full report yet, bu to tide you over here is an essay I had to do for school:

                                            Lessons From Belgium

     Perhaps the most philosophical cat ever to grace the Sunday paper once said, “The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present.” I truly understand Hobbes’ sentiment after spending three weeks in Belgium in a haze of lactic acid and exhaustion. Sometimes everyone is guilty of thinking about what lies about ahead instead of what one is doing at the moment.

        As I landed in Brussels, I thought about how I would be back in the terminal in twenty days. At the onset of the trip, that seemed like a long time. In a jet-lagged stupor, I met with my teammates for the first time in an overpriced coffee shop. The car ride to the USA Cycling house, crammed in a van with five other racers, plus a coach, dragged on. Our meandering ride through town and on the canal path seemed slow. Back at the house, dinner was a relief because it signaled the end of our premier in Belgium. The first day, longing for sleep, seemed to stretch on like a rubber band that refuses to break before we were allowed to rest our heads in our bunk beds.

     Seemingly before we knew it, my new roommates and I were at our first race. As much as the coaches had tried to impress upon us tactics, concerns, and theories, the closest thing I can compare Belgian racing is being lifted from a kiddie pool and thrown into a raging river. No one can tell you how to accelerate up a sidewalk, duck under signs, or keep your wrists relaxed over cobblestones. It was an exhilarating experience and I had never realized an hour and forty minutes could pass so quickly. The paradoxical part of the racing is that during the race, I counted down the laps, anxious to be through with the pain, but as soon as I crossed the finish line I wanted to start again. Once our team had one race beneath our cycling shoes, they began to pass so quickly it was hard to tell one from another.

       Aside from racing, the other part of living in Izegem, Belgium one has to embrace is resting. It is far too easy to lie on one’s bunk and worry about one’s next race or what one will do when he returns home. I had to learn how to relax for a days at a time. I have a restless personality and just lying down and waiting is hard for me. One of the coaches told me he makes it a challenge for himself to see how long he can lie down without moving at all. Trying to heed his advice, I read three books lying in bed, absorbing myself in each one so I would not have to worry about the awaiting trials. Becoming a vegetable for a day may seem like something to avoid, but there is something Zen-like in enjoying doing nothing for hours without any concern for the future.

     Though these were important lessons to learn, I realize now that I am back in the United States that I also have to look to the future to plan how to live the present. I have many goals still to be accomplished and my cycling and academic careers have many years left. My trip to Belgium reminded me that though much of the training I do is with goals months and years away in mind, I should remember to enjoy every day because I will never have that day again.

Team Turner Prochain

As most of you probably know, for the 2011 road season I will be racing for the Turner Prochain Junior Development Team. We went to a training camp in Tucson, AZ a few weeks ago and it was really fun. I really got to know my teammates and they're all really cool. We rode a whole lot while we were there. We had our first race together last week and it turned out pretty well, with two of my teammates finishing 5th and 6th in a strong field. Here's the link to our website: http://www.prochaincycling.com/

Starting line

Drew attacking

The Pack

Brain

Luke (in the middle)

Drew

(Left to right) Drew, me, Brian, Mr. Murdock (our manager), Luke, Sam, Alexey

I want to say thanks to all the people who have helped and supported me in my cycling from the start. All of you have made cycling a really fun thing to do. I hope everyone is doing well and I'll try to keep the blog updated on what's coming up.
This Sunday: Birthday ride
April 2: Hell of the South
April 10: Tour of the Battenkill

TN state championships

It's been a while since my last post. My family went up to the TN state championships race a few weeks ago. Saturday we arrived and it was about 40 degrees. I rode the course with my road teammate Drew Dillman. We started and there weren't very many 2s in the 2/3 race so we sort of took off. I didn't try to stay with Drew because I didn't want to blow up and not be good for the next day. The course was pretty flat but the hills on the back were kind of muddy and technical so that was fun. I finished 2nd, which was good. After the race Jeremy and I washed bikes.
Sunday which was the state championships race we raced with the pros. It was pretty fun. It got pretty sunny and warm so I was taking a lot of clothes off at the start. I hadn't shaved my legs for a while because I hadn't been riding in shorts and when we started the wind felt really weird on my legs because of the hairs. Andy Riordan, who is from TN, missed the start by about 20 seconds I think. Drew took off and stuck it to all the pros for a lap and ended up finishing 4th. I was a little bit off the lead group when Andy Riordan caught me and I drafted him for a lap. Through the technical section, though, calamity struck. As I shifted to ride the hill, my chain came off and got all tangled up in my chainstay. I felt like Andy Schleck or someone. I don't know how long it took to get it back on but it felt like a long time and Andy just rode away. He got a gap on me and it didn't change a whole lot for the rest of the race. A lot of people cheered for me so thank you guys. I ended up 2nd in the TN state championships.
Jeremy won the singlespeed race both days and the points jersey for singlespeed and 1/2, so he ended up with 3 jerseys.
Drew is in Belgium right now. He was the best American at the last World Cup. Good luck at Worlds Drew!

Start

Drew

Drew

me

Drew

me

Jeremy

Jens!

"You taste ze blood in your mouf, and you sink, 'I must go harder!'"

-Jens Voigt

http://www.jensvoigtfacts.com/


Funny!