tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79671630260274236052024-03-08T15:56:50.672-06:00Joseph SchmalzJoseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-53102825466630714212011-07-11T12:01:00.000-05:002011-07-11T12:01:35.181-05:00Iron Hill VideoGood video from the Iron Hill Twilight Crit in West Chester, PA Saturday night. Enjoy <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/4FgHDkEqSS4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-3588683349263639612011-04-19T18:38:00.001-05:002011-04-19T18:38:58.527-05:00Sold<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">TT Bike Sold</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWHd9JEt52I/Ta4c4rId0II/AAAAAAAAAJw/ULvreZM4qwY/s1600/sold_out.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" i8="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWHd9JEt52I/Ta4c4rId0II/AAAAAAAAAJw/ULvreZM4qwY/s320/sold_out.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-62410029263481766572011-04-19T14:27:00.001-05:002011-04-19T14:42:01.218-05:00TT Bike For Sale<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">So it's time to sell my tt bike. It's sad to see it go, but I don't like to see nice bikes like this one sit around and just collect dust. It's a great bike: stiff, fast and looks cool. I didn't ride or race it much maybe 10 times all of last year, so it's like new. I'm not selling it with race wheels, but when I raced it I used a Hed disc and tri spoke and it was awesome. So hear you go -- look it over and if you are interested or have questions e-mail me at <a href="mailto:joeschmalz@g-mail.com">joeschmalz@g-mail.com</a></span></span></div><br />
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">2010 Giant Trinity <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Alliance</place></city> </span></span></li><br />
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Wheels-Bontrager Race Lite</span></span> </li><br />
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">$1,800</span></span></li><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VeYwUi5TGWo/Ta3e2TTNHEI/AAAAAAAAAJo/EkcesLG5w6c/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VeYwUi5TGWo/Ta3e2TTNHEI/AAAAAAAAAJo/EkcesLG5w6c/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-40000713611685682312010-12-31T10:57:00.001-06:002010-12-31T11:16:36.381-06:00Last day in Belgium!<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.2pt; margin: 0in 18.75pt 0pt 0in;">Today is my last day in <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Belgium</country-region></place>. It has been fun but I’m ready to come home. My last race was yesterday in Bredene. It was a C2 and the fastest C2 I’ve ever done. Sven Nys, Stybar, and Niels Albert were there and if you don’t already know – they are the three fastest dudes in World right now. Each of them is making 12,000 Euro a start right now and that is just to start a race! Anyway the race went pretty well for me - other than the start where I slipped a pedal. I was the last guy off the pavement – nothing like starting DFL! The race was really fast and the course was super tacky so you could just let it all hang out. I felt really good and was able to pass a lot of guys early and found myself in a small group right around top 40. It was a lot of fun and really hard to go that fast! In the end I finished 39<sup>th</sup> which is a good result for me being my last race over here. It’s funny to think I might have actually gotten faster over here. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Ok, enough about the race. The most important thing is I got all my shopping done today for the peeps back home. Went to a real chocolate store and bought half-a-kilo of chocolate. It seemed like a lot but I’m sure someone will eat it. I also purchased a large amount of Speculoos. If you don’t know what it is then you’re missing out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine the best thing in the world to spread on your toast or bagel and that is Speculoos! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All right…time to go – Els is cooking Bugs Bunny for New Years Eve dinner! Yum</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TR4JlXC9GQI/AAAAAAAAAI8/ysNhFFhitF4/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TR4JlXC9GQI/AAAAAAAAAI8/ysNhFFhitF4/s320/027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Els cooking Bugs Bunny</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A few days go I did a blog for Cyclingnews.com for Euro Cross Camp. Every rider at the camp does one to help keep everyone up to date on what is going on over here so check them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/euro-cross-camp"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/euro-cross-camp</span></a></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-71659735888458578702010-12-29T00:12:00.000-06:002010-12-29T00:12:34.009-06:00Diegm<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The past few days have been crazy as there is a lot going around the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has been a race the past three days with most guys doing all of them. I raced two out of the three days. My first of the two races was a smaller race in Beernem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pretty cool race that went all thru the neighborhoods and all along a river with a series of steep up and downs and at the bottom of one of the down hills they had a guy standing there to keep you from going in the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the top of the same downhill they had a stretcher to carry off the victims. Anyway it turns out there was a large field as the Elite and U-23s raced together. The start was crazy and being that three quarters of the race was on single track thru the woods, moving up was impossible. I had an ok start but it was just too congested to get to the front. That’s when I was riding with Cody Kaiser and we were just minding our own business having fun when this jerk laid it down in front of me on an icy corner. I had no way to react being that we were on ice so I slide out in a way that I thought I could get back up and keep going, but instead I landed with much more force and the whip lash slammed the back of my head into the pavement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got up seeing stars and got back on my bike and tried to keep riding, but I soon realized I was not able to ride my bike that well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So before I hurt myself more I pulled the plug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, I did not end up with a concussion just a really sore neck and busted up helmet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not the race I had in mind.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I took Sunday easy to try and get ready for Monday’s Super Prestige in Diegem. The course in Diegem is very hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all in town and climbs to the top of town each lap and then descends back down on coble stone streets. There are always thousands of people watching and the elite men race at night so the crowds are crazy big. Our U-23 race had over 70 starters and I started in the very back of the grid. I had an average start and was able to pass quite a few riders on the first lap and more the same on the second lap. But on the third lap I crashed hard and then bobbled in a few corners and lost a lot of spots. I was able to get going again but it was too late and the gaps between groups where huge. I managed to finish on the lead lap and ended up 57<sup>th</sup>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not good and not what I wanted, but it is a “result.” </div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Tomorrow we go to Azencross GVA in Loenhout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It always has huge crowds and is famous for its green whoops. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be a lot of fun and a big U-23 field, probably over 100 starters. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TRrQtdsmDKI/AAAAAAAAAIw/9ClypKtcUkI/s1600/Diegem1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TRrQtdsmDKI/AAAAAAAAAIw/9ClypKtcUkI/s320/Diegem1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Check out the great photo’s from:</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.podiuminsight.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.podiuminsight.com/</span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.tomrobertsonphoto.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.tomrobertsonphoto.com/</span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.eurocrosscamp.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.eurocrosscamp.com/</span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Also check out the final two laps of the elite race in Diegem!</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s28N34wZyZs"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s28N34wZyZs</span></a></span>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-91922139953525622992010-12-25T03:19:00.001-06:002010-12-25T15:44:50.019-06:00Christmas Eve from Belgium<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Super cold now and its only supposed to get colder. The temp is not that bad, but the humidity and wind make it feel frigid. Got out and road yesterday mid-afternoon in hopes of riding in the heat of the day. Hopeful thinking on my part, turned out to be not that bad until the return trip. Not so much fun having the wind blow you across ice covered roads. Anyway I had a pretty lazy day and a good dinner thanks to Els. The slow life will change starting today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to be racing every other day until I leave. Unfortunately I will not be racing the World Cup on Sunday, but its just one race and there are many more for me to race this week. Hope everone has a Merry Christmas!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TRW11mgQzaI/AAAAAAAAAIg/GyRdIlVFu18/s1600/xmas+in+belgium+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TRW11mgQzaI/AAAAAAAAAIg/GyRdIlVFu18/s320/xmas+in+belgium+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-91159458345271527792010-12-21T01:16:00.001-06:002010-12-21T07:20:07.281-06:00Easy Day<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I had an easy day today after yesterday’s World Cup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We just hung out and went for an easy recovery ride over to <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Kortrijk</place></city> for some coffee. One nice thing about living in a house with 20 guys is that it’s pretty easy to get a little group together to go ride. It’s a good thing because the weather is so crappy here that everyone helps motivate each other to get out and ride. Right now there is probably about 6 in. of snow on the ground and the Belgium’s have no way to deal with it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The airports close and the roads don’t get plowed or salted. It all makes for some dicey training rides but good fun!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gearing up for the ride.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Kalmthout World Cup was really hard, as it should be. I didn’t really know what to expect as far as how I would ride. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did ride the exact same course last year in the just a about the same conditions, so I knew what the course would be like. It’s a fun course, mostly flat with a couple fly-overs and four sets of stairs dug into small mounds. The race went alright for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started in the very back just like normal, so I only had one direction to go – up. My start was ok and I knew with the icy conditions I just needed to be patient and not kill myself because it wouldn’t get me any where. By the second lap there was more room to pass and to go faster which landed me on the ground in an icy corner. I led the assault on the ground with my knee and we all know how that works out. Luckily it was the corner before the pit, so just jumped up ran into the pit and grabbed a new bike and I was on my way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have not been riding the greatest lately, so I was pretty glad I finished 49<sup>th</sup> – which is not great but it was on the lead lap. My knee is sore but ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t race again until this Saturday so I should be good to good by the weekend. </div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TRBR0cymmqI/AAAAAAAAAII/IUQN3aQzyP0/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TRBR0cymmqI/AAAAAAAAAII/IUQN3aQzyP0/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having Coffee and getting warm.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TRBSlP2EmdI/AAAAAAAAAIM/0tbxkIRPgIE/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TRBSlP2EmdI/AAAAAAAAAIM/0tbxkIRPgIE/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My real Belgium waffle.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-39824733208512504302010-12-18T14:21:00.003-06:002010-12-18T14:22:07.601-06:00BelgiumThis past week has been pretty crazy. I got back from Bend late Monday and was home for a few days to see some friends and family and repack. Then flew out Thursday morning for Belgium and made it to Izgem yesterday mid-morning. Travel was good with no lost bags or bikes – just a long travel day. I made it to Belgium just in time for the snow and cold weather. Yah! <br />
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Today we raced in Lichtervelde a small town not too far from the house. It was just a small race and pretty low key. The whole goal for racing today was to just open the legs up so we’re not flat for tomorrow’s World Cup in Kalmthout. The start today was a little interesting as they moved the start to the grass because the road was too icy. It didn’t really matter since the grass was just snow/ ice and frozen ruts. They also started the race right after the first guy was called up and I was one of the last guys called up and was still taking my tights off and not even on my bike yet. So I started DFL, which wasn’t that big of a deal since the start was so slow, but still really? So most of the guys just raced half the race and pulled the plug. I followed suit and raced 5 laps one lap pretty hard and then just took it easy and stayed upright. Tomorrow should be fun as they are talking 2 to 4 inches of more snow. We have an early wake up call tomorrow for the drive to Kalmthout.Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-68848342185888946872010-12-10T16:09:00.001-06:002010-12-10T16:29:14.913-06:00Bend Update<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The team has been in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bend</place></city> since Monday night and we have just been hanging out and taking it pretty easy. Adam and Tom decided to do the B-races on Wednesday for fun and both ended up third in their race. Not bad for just doing it for fun. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">For everyone else it’s been the following daily grind: Wake up around 9am, eat breakfast, drink coffee, drink more coffee, look at the computer for a couple hours, get dressed around 11:30 and go ride -- we ride to course and play in the mud for an hour or so and ride back to the house, clean everything, eat, drink more coffee, take a nap or do some intervals on the trainer, eat dinner, then time for the computer/movie or we work on bikes, go to bed, and then repeat. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today is pretty much the last day of this routine because just about everyone is racing tomorrow. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a good thing because we’re all getting restless and bit crazy. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The course is super wet and muddy and a ton of fun. It’s going to interesting tomorrow as the weather is saying 100% chance of rain and snow… could be a day for SCUBA gear. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Yesterday I got some new K-Edge chain watchers in the mail to try out and also take over to Belgium. They are a new cross-specific prototype and are much bigger than the standard road versions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have their own clamp which makes them super strong and durable. Tomorrow should be a good test for sure. Normally I would not want to change or add anything to my bikes right before Nationals, but the new K-Edges are really nice and they’re only going to reduce the chances of a mechanical. It’s pretty cool getting to try out something new and I can’t wait to see what the peeps at K-Edge are going to come up with next. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TQKiJ_ESQVI/AAAAAAAAAH0/h6a51g1vLyY/s1600/k-edge1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TQKiJ_ESQVI/AAAAAAAAAH0/h6a51g1vLyY/s320/k-edge1.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TQKiQk3GnaI/AAAAAAAAAH4/DsFiALzp0N4/s1600/k-edge2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TQKiQk3GnaI/AAAAAAAAAH4/DsFiALzp0N4/s320/k-edge2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-47872225649948356252010-11-30T21:17:00.002-06:002010-12-01T12:59:33.294-06:00Euro Cross Camp Fundraiser<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Big thanks to Oakley for hooking me up with some really cool swag to raffle off and help pay for my upcoming trip to Euro-Cross Camp in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Belgium</place></country-region>. The plan is to sell raffle tickets in <city w:st="on">Portland</city> at the USGP and Nationals in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bend</place></city>. Swing by the KCCX Team set-up at the Challenge Tires Tents. We will be selling De La Paz Coffee Beans as well as selling raffle tickets to win the Oakley Gift Pack. The raffle winner will be announced Sunday, December 12 in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Bend</place></city>. Up for grabs is a super fresh and rare pair of Anti-Freeze Radars, matching beanie and backpack. You may remember these shades from the 2009 TDF and they are all most impossible to get a hold of as only 2000 pairs were made. We will throw in a set of Challenge Grifo Tubulars as well! See you at the races! <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TPW89Omg6uI/AAAAAAAAAHo/DKYRHRyq1AU/s1600/the+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TPW89Omg6uI/AAAAAAAAAHo/DKYRHRyq1AU/s320/the+one.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TPW9FR2g1JI/AAAAAAAAAHs/Mmmhc6WOyCs/s1600/PB270014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="height: 26px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 398px;"></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TPW9FR2g1JI/AAAAAAAAAHs/Mmmhc6WOyCs/s320/PB270014.JPG" width="320" /></div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-50769460906321645672010-11-29T23:28:00.001-06:002010-11-29T23:29:08.926-06:00Jingle Cross RockI just got back from the annual Jingle Cross Rock races in Iowa City. I’ve been going to this race now for 4 years and it’s always been an extremely hard weekend of racing and is great prep leading into Nationals and Belgium. The past two years Jingle Cross has been 3 days of racing with the first race being Friday night. Not sure what I think of racing cross at 8:00 pm in late November but it never turns out to be that bad and I always have a great time racing at night. This year the conditions were dry due to frozen ground and ice made for some slick corners and a sketchy decent down Mt. Krumpet. My call-up wasn’t great and I started in the back. I had a bit of slow start getting thru all the traffic but by the end of the first two laps I finally reached the top 20 only to find the gaps were pretty big between the lead groups due to the technical nature of the course that night. Realizing I wasn’t going any where I ended up riding tempo and maintained my position. This being my first race back from my crash in Ft. Collins, I was taking it pretty conservative and finished 18th.<br />
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Saturday is the big running day of the weekend and probably not my best suited day. Temps were warmer and the course was tacky. The notorious run up Mt. Krumpet lived up to its reputation with shin-high mud in places which made for a very hard slog up the hill. Started the day feeling flat and once again in the back of starting grid. It took nearly two laps to reach the top 20. After about 45 minutes I decided to bag it and save it for Sunday’s C1 race.<br />
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We arrived early to the course on Sunday to find everything frozen solid. The course quickly thawed as the day warmed up to the low 50’s and by 2:30 conditions became much faster than races earlier in the day. The layout of the course was a bit different than the previous days with a bit more pedaling which seemed to suit me. My legs felt much better and rested from the day before. Finally got a good call-up and started third row. I started fast with good positioning going off the pavement only to find myself on the ground in the middle of a pile-up. I got up kind of slow due to getting the wind knocked out of me but linked up with <a href="http://stevetilford.com/">Steve Tilford</a> who reminded me that it was a long race and not to panic and just stay steady. Steve helped pull me around in the windy sections which saved a lot of energy for later in the race. He was big help in keeping the pace steady yet really fast and we worked ourselves back up to the top 20 with about 3 to go. I felt pretty good and decided to put in a good dig to reach the group going for the last few UCI points. In the end, it was too far and I ended 19th. Very frustrating to say the least, but all in all felt like I had a good race coming back from DFL after the crash. <br />
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The rest of the KCCX team had a great weekend with <a href="http://wishyouwereheredontyou.blogspot.com/">Tom Price</a> sweeping the Masters 45+ and Bill Marshall placing top 10 all three days in the 35+. Luke had a good showing in the Cat 2's also finishing top 10 all three days. We all made it back to Kansas by 10:30 Sunday night for 1 day of work and repacking before the team leaves for the last USGP in Portland, OR and then Nationals the following weekend in Bend. Can you say road trip… <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TPSK-v8fJ5I/AAAAAAAAAHc/xOuI3Xy__Mg/s1600/Mt+Krumpt+Run+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TPSK-v8fJ5I/AAAAAAAAAHc/xOuI3Xy__Mg/s320/Mt+Krumpt+Run+Up.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing Mt. Krumpt on Day 2 (phote by Keith Walburg)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TPSLBVxoLDI/AAAAAAAAAHg/2uU05O4H-9c/s1600/Jingle+Cx+Day+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TPSLBVxoLDI/AAAAAAAAAHg/2uU05O4H-9c/s320/Jingle+Cx+Day+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve dropping me on the down hill!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-16457105804199239982010-11-18T21:56:00.003-06:002010-11-19T07:49:13.583-06:00New Belgium BustWent out to Ft. Collin’s for the third weekend of the <a href="http://www.usgpcyclocross.com/">USGP CycloCross Series</a> this past weekend. We arrived on Friday in time to set up the team camp and pre-ride the course. Ft. Collin’s had just gotten their first snow and it was looking like typical weather and course conditions for a cross race. It was actually the first time this season I was thinking about what clothes to wear because it was so cold. The course was very muddy and slimy with not much traction on Friday and Saturday, and I found myself struggling a bit with the slick conditions. Being the first nasty race of the year, I felt a little rusty with my skills in the mud. While pre-riding the course with Zach McDonald and talking about how slick the course was he said “don’t worry, the ruts will save your life.” I soon understood what he meant while following him through the corners and slipping from rut to rut. Unfortunately, my random number draw for Saturday’s race was 69 out 70 racers, so starting DFL was going to a challenge on the slick course. I wasn’t having a great day and my legs just weren’t turning like I wanted them to. I did what I could and finished 53rd. Not a good result any way you look at it, but I suppose you have bad days, and this was definitely one of mine. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TOX0ymPH5jI/AAAAAAAAAHU/xLAp_7xRjmc/s1600/New+Belgium+Day+1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TOX0ymPH5jI/AAAAAAAAAHU/xLAp_7xRjmc/s320/New+Belgium+Day+1.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rut Surfing (photo by Lyne Lamoureux)</td></tr>
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My focus switched to Sunday’s race and with my frustrations from Saturday, I was definitely motivated to have a better race. Showed up to the course on Sunday to find conditions much different. Throughout the day the course continued to get more tacky and much faster than the day before. My random draw on Sunday was 54, slightly better than Saturday, but still in the middle of the cluster. Had an okay start and quickly linked up with my teammate Brad Cole and before long we were top 30 with my lungs on the handlebars. With Brad being from altitude he was absolutely killing me on all the uphill sections! Within the next few laps, Brad had gapped me and I was maintaining my position but not moving up much trying to maintain for the end of the race. With a couple laps to go, I was picking up some speed and passing a few more guys and then it goes blank… I was on one of the fast sweeping downhill sections of the course when I crashed and according to Elizabeth Rangel, I went over the bars and bounced a few times – on my head. After an ambulance ride to the ER and a nice concussion, I was released after an hour for the 9 hour ride home. While in the ER, I got to talk to my next door neighbor, Todd Wells, about his crash. They thought he broke his femur during a failed bunny hop over the barriers. All-in-all it was not the best weekend ever for me. <br />
<br />
Following doctors orders, I took a few days off and rested my brain. Was able to ride today for the first time this week and should be back to training as normal this weekend. Next race up is Jingle Cross over the Thanksgiving weekend. Three days of fun racing in Iowa.<br />
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On a higher note, I made the selection for <a href="http://www.eurocrosscamp.com/">EuroCross Camp VIII</a> and am very excited about going back to Belgium for a second year. The entire roster will be officially announced soon, so more to come. Here is the camp schedule -- I won’t be doing every race, but should be doing 7-8 races. <br />
<br />
2010 – 2011 EuroCrossCamp VIII Program<br />
Wednesday – Friday, 15-17 Dec – Riders Arriving<br />
Saturday, 18 Dec – Lichtervelde (small race; openers)<br />
Sunday, 19 Dec – UCI World Cup – Kalmthout<br />
Sunday, 19 Dec – Maldegem (for riders that don’t make WC selection)<br />
Wednesday, 22 Dec -Team Training Race (Ardooieveld)<br />
Saturday, 25 Dec – Beernem (for riders that don’t make next day’s WC selection)<br />
Sunday, 26 Dec – UCI World Cup – Zolder<br />
Sunday, 26 Dec – Balagem (for riders that don’t make WC selection)<br />
Monday, 27 Dec – Super Prestige – Diegem<br />
Wednesday, 29 Dec – Azencross GVA – Loenhout<br />
Thursday, 30 Dec – Sylvester Cyclocross – Bredene<br />
Saturday, 1 Jan – GP Sven Nys GVA – Baal<br />
Sunday, 2 Jan – Riders DepartJoseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-84071442892430043032010-11-09T21:44:00.000-06:002010-11-09T21:44:13.057-06:00L.A. Cross RecapThis past weekend I was in L.A. for the two UCI cross races at Griffith Park. It’s a beautiful park and the weather was perfect. The courses were on a hillside next to the famous Greek theatre and were very twisty and technical with a lot of loose dirt and gofer holes. In fact, probably one of the bumpiest courses I’ve ever ridden. The best part of the park was during warm up when I rode the climb to the Griffith Observatory which overlooks all of L.A. I had a good random draw on Saturday and started second row. I had a good start and was sitting top 10, but after a few bobbles and getting caught behind a crash all in the first lap I soon found myself dropping back. I raced hard and tried to minimize the damage but soon realized I was out of the top 10 and out of the points so decided to save myself for Sunday and finished 20th. Started back row on Sunday, but the race went much better overall and ended up 12th – still not in the points but not bad considering I started in the back. Overall, the races went okay and I feel that my form is coming up. And I had the opportunity to stay with our family friends down in Irvine and appreciate their help and support at the races. <br />
This weekend I’ll be traveling to Ft. Collins, CO for the third USGP weekend of racing. The USGP is a great series and I’m looking forward to racing on the new venue in Ft. Collins. Many thanks to Joan Hanscom for promoting such a premiere series. The weather is looking good with mid-40’s and sunshine for the weekend. It’s getting close to Euro-Cross Camp selection time. It will be interesting to see who makes the selection after this weekend of racing in Colorado.Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-57710836361917844602010-10-27T08:05:00.002-05:002010-10-27T08:08:44.985-05:00One Month Down...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">One month of cross down and it’s been pretty eventful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Started out in <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Madison</city></place> at the first USGP Planet Cup where I finished 3<sup>rd</sup> both days in the U23 competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not bad considering this was my first weekend of cross racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my way home from Madison, I noticed the registration list for the UCI races in San Dimas were short so I made a last minute decision to fly to California in hopes of scoring some UCI points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out a lot more guys had the same idea and it ended up being a pretty stacked field in dry, hot conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode decent but not well enough to come home with any points. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So after two back-to-back weekends of UCI racing I decided to stay home and do a local race and get some needed rest and training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The following weekend I headed to Texas to help my coach, Adam Mills, of <a href="http://www.source-e.net/">Source Endurance</a> teach a cross-clinic with several of his clients and race a couple of local cross races in Austin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weekend went well with a successful clinic and I won both races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This past weekend I went to the Derby Cup in <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Louisville</city>, <state w:st="on">KY</state></place> -- the third and fourth races in the USGP series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was especially exciting because it was the unveiling of the new venue where the 2013 World Championships will take place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a great venue and is totally dedicated to cyclocross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The course proved to be extremely challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This weekend course conditions were not ideal due to the severe drought conditions and most of the course was dry, loose dirt which made for very dusty conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got off to a rough start on day 1, ending up 32<sup>nd</sup> overall and 5<sup>th</sup> in the U23 competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Started better on day 2 and rode to 25<sup>th</sup> overall and 6<sup>th</sup> in the U23.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am now sitting in 4<sup>th</sup> place overall in the U23 competition half-way thru the USGP series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be staying home for a local race and then heading back to LA for another shot at some UCI points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll keep you posted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cody Kaiser and me racing day 2 of Derby Cup</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TMgisLetHtI/AAAAAAAAAHM/bCxGrY11qII/s1600/Joe+&+Cody+Derby+Cub+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" nx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/TMgisLetHtI/AAAAAAAAAHM/bCxGrY11qII/s320/Joe+&+Cody+Derby+Cub+2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Alex Edwards</td></tr>
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</div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-22207485940725802992009-12-03T10:32:00.001-06:002009-12-03T16:46:16.747-06:00READY, SET, GO!December is going to be a crazy month -- starting with a trip to Portland and Bend, Oregon, then on to Euro Cross Camp in Belgium. I’m just about finished packing and will be leaving today for Portland where I’ll be racing the final 2 races in USGP series this weekend. I’m currently 2nd overall in the series (U23 category) and hope to maintain this standing. It will be a tough race as it the first qualifying race for the U23 Worlds Championship Team. Several of us on the KCCX team will be staying with Kelly Benjamin for a few days in Portland. After Portland, the team and I will be driving to Bend, OR where we have a condo rented. We’ll be able to get some training in for a few days before nationals. I’ll be racing the U23 National Championship on Saturday, December 12th, and then will be flying home on Monday. I’ll catch my breath on Tuesday, and fly to Brussels on Wednesday morning to EuroCross Camp. I’ll be in Europe racing until January 4th.<br />
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I do want to say thanks to Dan Hughes at Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop. I appreciate all the support that Dan and the guys at the store have given me this fall. Go down to Sunflower’s annual Customer Appreciation Party tonight at 7 p.m. and enjoy food and beverage and great schwag. Guaranteed to be a fun time! Unfortunately I will be missing the party because I’m flying to Portland this afternoon.Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-58022359337452751642009-12-03T10:23:00.002-06:002009-12-03T10:29:53.044-06:00Don't Miss the KCCX Fundraiser at ChipotleThanks to Lawrence Chipotle stores for their support of KCCX. Plan to eat dinner in Lawrence this coming Tuesday (12/8) between 5-9 pm at either Chipotle. Flyers are being distributed to everyone we know. For every flyer presented to Chipotle when ordering, 50% of the proceeds will benefit KCCX. Print the image below and bring with you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/SxfnZhD92fI/AAAAAAAAAFY/tJW5UkyRfng/s1600-h/Chipotle-KCCX+Flyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/SxfnZhD92fI/AAAAAAAAAFY/tJW5UkyRfng/s320/Chipotle-KCCX+Flyer.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-13736071631897305452009-11-14T09:11:00.003-06:002009-11-14T11:54:36.522-06:00KCCX/Verge and Source Endurance Rock!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/Sv7JV6mkO4I/AAAAAAAAAFI/wduCvis08hw/s1600-h/SE+Donation.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403977981236624258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 230px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tvckvXS5CnE/Sv7JV6mkO4I/AAAAAAAAAFI/wduCvis08hw/s320/SE+Donation.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Thursday night was the KCCX/Verge 2nd annual team fund-raiser. It was great to see the cycling community come together at the local Trek Store of Kansas City in support of <a href="http://www.kccrossnationals.com/">KCCX/Verge</a>. Not only was it a good time to hang out with fellow cyclists and supporters to talk about riding and racing bikes, but we also got a sneak preview of Warriors of Cyclocross, a new film from Keith Walberg, the producer of <a href="http://www.zerotractionfilm.com/">ZEROtraction</a>. However, the highlight of the evening was a presentation by Adam Mills of <a href="http://www.source-e.net/">Source Endurance</a>. After a few introductions of team members and sponsors by team director, Bill Marshall, Adam presented a check from Source Endurance in support of my 2009-2010 cyclo-cross season. Wow ! I was surprised and speechless. As most of you know, I’ve been working really hard this season to get selected for the Euro-Cross Camp in Belgium. Having support is a key component to success in this sport. With the help of Source Endurance and Adam my training program this fall has been cross-specific with targeted results – and so far so good. I’m currently in 2nd place overall in the USGP series U23 competition. This weekend I’m in New Jersey for races 3 and 4 of this series, a selection race for 2009/2010 US Junior and U23 National Teams. Hurricane Ida has sent rain this way so the courses are sure to be muddy. It will be challenging and fun! So…not only do I want to thank Bill for organizing the fund-raiser, but all the sponsors and local supporters of the team and myself, and especially Source Endurance for their sponsorship. I’ll keep you posted on my results this weekend.</div>Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7967163026027423605.post-30565412852856353382009-10-01T13:21:00.002-05:002009-10-19T07:30:27.935-05:00Riding a Bike...Riding a bike has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Both my parents ride, and my grandfather owns a small bike shop in Atchison, Kansas (Reynolds Bicycles). Think I started out on a 12 inch bike with training wheels and have gone up from there. When I was 9, my grandfather entered me in my first race at the Kansas Sunflower State Games. Ten years later I’m still hooked on racing and can’t seem to get enough of it. I’ve been on several road cycling teams over the years, and most recently the <a href="http://www.mercycycling.com/">Mercy Elite Cycling Team</a> as an elite category 1 racer. My goal has always remained the same – to become a professional cyclist. Throughout the years I’ve been very fortunate to have great mentors and coaching to help guide my development as a cyclist. I’m currently being coached by friend and fellow cyclist, <a href="http://thecoachingchronicles.blogspot.com/">Adam Mills</a>, owner of <a href="http://www.source-e.net/">Source Endurance</a>. Three years ago I finally tried cyclocross, a form of bike racing on courses featuring pavement, grass, sand, mud, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount in one motion. I thought ‘cross would be good training in the off-season to keep me in shape during the winter and ready for the next road season. Well, now I love cross racing as much as road racing. The sport of cyclocross has grown in popularity in the US and is hugely popular in Europe. This year I will be racing for the <a href="http://www.kccrossnationals.com/">KCCX/Verge Elite Cyclocross Team</a>. With an emphasis on junior and U23 development, KCCX is committed to developing young riders and I’m very excited to be part of this team.<br /><br />My goal this year in cyclocross is to attend the U23 <a href="http://eurocrosscamp.com/">Eurocross_Camp</a> in Belgium, and hopefully qualify for U23 Worlds in Czech Republic. In order to attend the Euro Camp in December, there are several UCI qualifying events that I must race (check out my schedule and results).<br /><br />With the continued help and support from all my family, friends, and local cycling communities, I am confident I will succeed.Joseph Schmalzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530626000987317919noreply@blogger.com0