cross worlds in kentucky

[SteveP]

ok,
they just did 2 races in the park in louisville... not the identical course, of course, but our us guys are ripping laps under 6 minutes.
when these belgians and a few others get over here this thing will end up w/ 5 minute laps and a small group.
these guys will fly over here.. it will be something to see.

that said,
whos going to show down there?
im on the fence but probably will make it down.

[chasea]

I'm trying to make something happen. Working through the holidays, most likely. Louisville>Memphis isn't that bad of a schlep.

[Chance Legstrong]

i plan on going.
like i said in the other thread it'll be YEARS before we get CX worlds back
i hope for ice

[burgess1108]

Agree with Chance. This is a opportunity to see some elite CX riders rip it. Took 60 years to come around this first time. Who knows how long before the next.

I'm booked.

[robin3mj]

I bought 2 tix to both days. Not sure if the wife will join me or if I'll be rolling solo and trying to meet up with some V folks. Prob driving down from Chicago.

[Double Clutch]

I've got a pair of tickets for Sunday.

[ldamelio]

Yep - will be a while before they're back. Foregoing the usual annual breakfast event where a bunch of us cross cuckoos from the Phila/NJ area get together for viewing followed by ride. Actual trip down for the real deal this year.

[rowdyhillrambler]

i just got back from louisville an hour or so ago. Went up yesterday, raced a few times, took in the scenery and what not.. The course is really technical, alot of guys/gals saying it was the most technical dry course they had been on all year. Perfect venue though. Not sure how many folks they plan on having for the worlds, but it should be great. When else will you see the worlds in the midwest? 1/2 mile from downtown, beer, bourbon, food, skatepark and probably going to be cold as shit. It is right on the river and always seems to be windy. They brought in a bunch of sand since a couple of weeks ago, they seem to be taking it seriously. Course is an abandoned golf course, rolling to some steep run-ups. Could get very muddy, it is river level, so if it has rained or freezethaw conditions, will be nasty.

I will be there, from friday til monday.. I will probably bring my RV so as to have a place to chill, drink beer, in between the racing.

[vpierce]

Going with a buddy. Interesting to hear current US junior champ and World Cup podium finisher Logan Owen to say the course isn't long enough for a worlds course. Wonder if they'll make a few more changes.

[rowdyhillrambler]

course today was 2.82k, how long does it need to be? They can probably squeeze in another.5-.7k

[rabo]

Niels Albert just said that 21 year old Lars van der Haar is his favorite for the title if the course is dry, so will feel obliged to drive up. Any chance this thing will be sold out for the Sunday?

[roseyscot]

Niels Albert just said that 21 year old Lars van der Haar is his favorite for the title if the course is dry, so will feel obliged to drive up. Any chance this thing will be sold out for the Sunday?

i can't believe they would allow it to sell out. As in, there are infinity number of tickets so they can make as much money as possible. I don't think they'll sell out of bourbon either.

[Human Epic Jolt]

Cask ale runs out all the time.

[EddieBirdsell]

Cask ale runs out all the time.

When it does, it's a pisser, ain't it? Big fan of cask condiitioned ales here. Had some Iron Hill on cask last night. Wonderful.

Trip might be worth it for the bourbon offerings alone. Top flight Euro 'cross racing a nice bonus.

[Human Epic Jolt]

Top flight Euro 'cross racing a nice bonus.

bit west of 'ere but i can try & throw u on a boat.

[jerk]

It's a stupid place for cross worlds. It'll probably be a course for amateurs and it'll be a clusterfuck with riders getting lapped. I think it will be a shit show and the gent globetrotters are aboviously going to win. What's next formula one in Texas?

[Human Epic Jolt]

lol. not bit. typing on the pgone.

[jb1883us]

Just got home from a trip to the USGP. A few thoughts on the "worlds" thing:

1) That course may be "hard" by our standards but obviously needs some serious work to get the Euros out of the low 5 minute range.
2) Ice on those rock stairs spells an absolute mess.
3) Parking? When I e-mailed Joan about a shuttle from the downtown hotels the answer "was not in the works." Obviously street parking like this weekend won't cut it - and in the vicinity I did not see anything paved nearby. Sloppy conditions could lead to a lot of stuck cars IF they were to even let them on the nearby soccer fields.
4) Pedestrian course crossings: just a tad few more needed... And by a tad I mean 40.
5) P.A. system that can be heard more than 100' away from the speakers would be nice.

So aside from all those things that could be worked on, that was a fun weekend of bike riding with friends and from my perspective another well-run USGP. I'm quite certain they will take a lot of what they learned today and apply things to their January/February plans.

SS both days for me and that was a lot of fun. Too bad a few of the cat 2/3's tried to hurt themselves (some successfully) on the berm on the first day. Hope that guy that was taken away on a back board on Day 1 is ok... And the multiple people that snagged themselves on the wooden poles.

Bearded Dan Timmerman and "hoppy" Adam Craig were quite the crowd favorites.

[Chance Legstrong]

At Masters World's last winter
the thaw and freeze created wheel locks for most of the cars that parked in the field
tractors were used to dislodge them

the big picture is I think we get the pics of Kojkside and other recent Worlds venue stuck in our heads with 10's of thousands of fans crammed 10 deep around the course. THAT ain't happen here.
were there even 10 at the finish this weekend?
women101_600.jpg
I know there will be crowds...but lord help them if the river and creeks come up for any reason.

[roseyscot]

seems to me, the organizers in Louisville ought to get themselves on a plane to Belgium ASAP to experience 4 or 5 Euro cx races. Watching the Superprestige this morning and then seeing photos from Louisville shows how minor league the operation here is so far (you call that a flyover?)

Unfortunately, it's probably too late for huge changes, but maybe they'll catch some glaring, missing pieces, like the shuttles for spectators.