Rasmussen

This from Cyclingnews...

Team Christina Watches claims to have 100 applications

Team Christina Watches is having no problems attracting riders, Michael Rasmussen claims. He expects to have at least 12 riders signed by the end of the year.

"The financials will determine which riders and how many we get under the contract," Rasmussen told Feltet.dk.

He had previously said that he had 50 applications to join the team, but that number has since doubled.

"We have enough riders to start with, let me say this. I am getting lots of requests in my mailbox. It is both sports directors, psychologists, dietitians and more. I would think that about 100 riders have contacted the team,” Rasmussen said.

"The team will be mainly Danish-based, but right now we are looking at the possibilities and then we take it from there. We've got a number of additional requests from the Pegasus.” he said.

I'm still waiting on a contract offer after offering my services.

KS State CX championships

With the MO State CX Championships out of the way, we had decided to spend an extra night in Kansas City and drive to Topeka on Sunday morning for Kansas State Championships.

Sunday was even colder than Saturday, but not as windy. Temperatures may have barely cracked freezing for highs but the conditions felt similar to Saturday.

The first thing I have to say about this race is that they had a good setup. Registration was in the lobby of a swimming complex. That was much appreciated on such a cold day. Turnouts were relatively small so the process was smooth but they seemed organized. And, after registering, you got a nice glass with a few coupons and a tube of Hammer Gel type liquid. This was a nice change of pace from a T-shirt... or nothing at all.

After registering, we hopped on the course between races for a little reconnaisance. The "Park" was largely flat but, in reality, the first half was a VERY gradual uphill while the second half was a VERY gradual downhill. Mixed in were quite a few off-camber turns, a couple runupss some long straights and one good sized hill that was used for a moderate climb and a runup. Overall, it was a very fair course. It may have a little narrow in places for bigger race fields but I really liked the design and give it a big thumbs up. They also had a proper start/finish straight. A wide, long, paved straight like a true UCI race.

I would definitely recommend racing at that venue. Too bad that it is five hours away.

MO State CX race

The 2010 race season has essentially come to an end with this past weekend's State Championships. I have done a poor job of updating this blog all year and figure that a state championship recap is in order.

I have been racing CX for well over a decade. With the exception of a few races down in Carbondale that are technically part or our local race series, I have been safely tucked away in the local Bubba Memorial race series and its Silly Rabbit. I suppose that last statement is not entirely true. I did attend the '07 and '08 Nationals held in KC. Nationals is a whole other ball of wax, with people from all over the country, so I discount it.

This year's State CX was held in Kansas City. For some reason, the KC 'cross scene has held some bizarre mystique about it. I would hear stories of large fields, good courses, etc. I had built up their race scene to the point of being somewhat intimidated and hoping to not get my butt completely bruised and bloodied by the incredible competition.

After driving to KC Friday night, we loaded up the vehicle Saturday morning and grabbed some breakfast at the somewhat odd Eggtc. Eggtc was an interesting breakfast/lunch location with upscale breakfasts and a full bar. Food was a little pricey, but tasty, so I have no major complaints.

When we got to the race course the weather was cold, cloudy and windy. We registered, hopped back into the car to stay warm and watched the Masters race from the parking lot. Watching that race smashed much of the mystique. Fields were not that large and St Louis riders were more than competitive. Each successive race was the same way.

I'm not going to do a race recap because I feel they often mean nothing to the reader. I will say that E.H. Young Park in Riverside made for a fun course. It is a releatively flat location but the course designers made the most of a few mounds and hills and two separate sand sections. Fun course. Not too twisty. Not too flat. Just a nice mixture of features.

I finished 13th which is about what I expected. I did finish better than some who had been doing better than me in recent races, so I was satisfied.