will dugan is in belgium for several weeks leading up to february when he will
race the world cyclocross championships as part of usac's U23 team. this thread
is for post updates, diary news, and general info so we can all follow him as he
begins the second half of his 2008 'cross season atmo. i'll direct will and his pals
to the V salon and try to make this ground zero for all will all the time atmo.
just sayin'.
from 23 december
Alas, I’ve made it to Belgium. It is nice here. You know, it’s so cloudy all the time that you can’t tell the time of day has changed at all. When you wake up, it looks like 8AM and cloudy, and when it’s 3PM it looks just about the same. In a way, time is standing still without school and a crammed schedule. The trip was insane. It was a stormy day on Friday, December 19th when I departed Burlington, Vermont. My flight was delayed 3hrs or so. We sat on the plane for an hour and de-iced, once. Twice. There was a young South Korean that I coaxed into sitting in my row because she looked somewhat adorable, and, well, attractive people like to be around other attractive people and Alex Cox who sat to my left is quite attractive and she seemed to be quite the prospect for him to join the “mile-high” club (I’m always thinking of others). It’s psychology. As it turns out, however, it is hard to come across the best of both worlds: most of the attractive girls are somewhat lacking in the field of either knowledge, or IQ, and sometimes it’s both. No names, now, but Natalie couldn’t hold herself back from repeatedly asking the same questions of why we were being held on the plane and about the possibility of missing layovers, etc… She was traveling to her friend’s house in LA. She had Louis Vitton sunglasses or something ridiculously fashionable. Anyways, oh, and I’ve been so fixated on this spoiled and perfect delinquent that I forgot to mention that coincidentally Alex Cox, one of my favorite friends and teammates was on the same flight as I to Philadelphia from Burlingtron, city of the future. We were annoyed with her and her nya nya nyaaa nyaaa BS to say the least. (Alex is the new addition of 2 for the ’09 CCB team.) When it was time to disembark in Philadelphia, I realized the time was 6:20pm and I had to catch a flight to Munich by 6:30. ATTACK.
I told everyone to get out of the way on the plane so people like me could rush to his/her gates and many were thankful. Anyhow, my Indian friend and I who ran from Terminal F allll the way to Terminal A (which, is very far when carrying a bag full of clothes with no strap, just cloth handles) ended up missing the Plane – they closed the doors as we arrived and shook their heads with a “No.” So, that was disappointment number one, but, I have to say, I was smiling most of the way because of the excitement, after all, this was an adventure, not a test. Let’s not talk about my tests quite yet. So the exploration of the world had begun and I was smiling at everything. Oh, I just got to the escalator part (you’ll see it) and I forgot to tell you about the sweating. I was wearing a fleece and carrying these two bags, one of which was very heavy as I said and started sweating like mad and actually went into the bathroom to make sure I didn’t smell too badly and that I didn’t have sweat stains on the back of my shirt. After all, those two things could be potentially very embarrassing. I waited in line for 50 minutes to talk to U.S. Airways Flight Services (located just past gate B 17 if you ever need to know) and they redirected my flight to the Lufthansa carrier to Frankfurt, a city on my original itinerary, only at a later time. I waited to board. By 8:30 we were on the huge ass plane and I was squashed between two very German, Germans. I looked around for a more comfortable spot, and I found a window seat next to another lonely man and thought being next to one would be better than two so that I could sleep without resting my head on another strange man. So, I slept, ate dinner (I selected Pasta over Turkey because I thought it would be safer), and slept and ate breakfast (bread, a piece of cheese, orange juice, and maybe some fruit was thrown in there). I got off in Frankfurt with 2 hrs to find my next flight.
THAT place is huge. I took a BUS. THEN I went through security, THEN I went on maybe SIX escalators, TWO elevators, and FIVE or SIX MORE moving walkways and I was finally there. BUT, now I needed to tell Noel and Geoff how I’d get there and that I was 5 hrs late. It was decided. I had to call. But how? I went to a kiosk and bought a muffin. I thought…”ok, I’ll get some Euros for change out of this and I can then use those for the phone” I got 1 euro after handing him a 5. Too bad phone calls are 2.20. So, a girl was in line behind me. I asked her if she had some Euros I could have for a phone call. She told me she wanted to ask the same question to me. Awesome, a friend in this strange land! We found our ways to the TMobile phone together and her call worked and mine didn’t, but I got some Euros from her for the adjacent Internet station. The email was successful and I had 5 minutes to board. I said goodbye to Carolina.
My final flight. A short one. I was so exhausted from not sleeping after finals, and sleeping intermittently on the long flight to Frankfurt, that I fell asleep instantly and awoke when we touched down. That was nice. Oh. I awoke briefly for the nutty chocolate candy bars they distributed. They were Dutchish and delicious. At baggage claim the cardboard box of wheels I sent along with my bike box were both missing. I called Noel. My ride was coming. I searched outside for an hour, then, after I was sure that was not working, I found him inside after maybe another 15 minutes. It could have been so easy, but we must have walked past each other. Unreal. That’s ok though. My hunger, fatigue, and frustration couldn’t make me unhappy because I was in FREAKING BELGIUM. This is cool for me because the last time I was in Europe I was 17 and my French teacher was my chaperone. Boring.
Joseph and I had a nice conversation on the way home. I got back in time for dinner. A few others had missing bikes. I’m happy to have Nick Weighall, U23 National Champion as my roommate. A very positive young fellow. I speak highly of him, and hope to always unless he gets on my nerves, then I’ll tell him to cut it out or it’s off with his head. “Do you understand, Mr. Weighall?” I’ll say.
My toiletries are all there in my bike case. F. I’m supposed to brush my teeth. It’s important that I don’t have to stay so impressively groomed for any special lady friends around here. After all, there are no girls allowed. Or chocolate, really.
Last night I was getting ready for bed. Nick told me I’d wake up at 3 and then at 5am. I told him he didn’t know how tired I was. I fell asleep at 10pm, awoke at 3 for a few minutes, then again at 5, urinated, stayed awake for 45 minutes, and slept until 8:45. Good rest, but, as the man from Two-Peer in Canada always says “I called it.” Now Nick can say that.
I put together a Specialized Tarmac to ride with Gavin, Shriver, and Cody today. They, too, don’t have bikes. All lost. (PS they found mine and I hope to have my Red SACHS back ASAPATMO. We went to Roubaix. I bought them all Pain au Chocolats for 1.50 TOTAL. Imagine!? That was nice, too. A good 3 hr ride it was. Very pleasant. Shriver’s a character. After, the racers returned from the race I was supposed to participate in and dinner happened. I went to a festival right before dinner, however. And that looked like lots of fun. A 1k race was being held for children, and a 5k for adults. There was lots of beer and coffee and from the looks of signs, methinks some alcoholic drinks included koffe in them. I wonder what that would be like. The Irish like that. I’m a little Irish. I’d better stay away for fear of dependency. My roommate has a problem like that. He also has the problem of doing that and picking up too many strange girls. Maybe he’s going through them all to find his one true love. There are 6.7 Billion in the world. He’d better get moving.
It’s now 10:30pm. I had fun writing this, but I must sleep. Keep it real homies.
Until tomorrow.
from 26 december following the world cup in zolder
Hey,
That was by far the coolest thing I have ever done. Hands down. I'm so psyched to be here. I drilled it all the way to the end and attacked these two Great Britain guys. One came back to nip me but I really went hard. Legs didn't feel stellar going into it, so that's alright. Somewhere mid-field. 30's I think. Froth-mouth and all. It was dry and really fast. I probably could have used some tires with lighter grip, but I went with what I had. 3rd U23 for the day. Not too shabby. HOLY MOLY those guys are so fast. They know how to just attack attack attack. They'll attack just to blow up. It's crazy. But they'll also wait. They don't do that long tt effort. They just snap and bridge. It's different here. No Spinelli kind of riding. Very snappy. Something to learn from. I slept most of the way home in the van and thought of those junior races Joe would take me to. I've gotta write something more on this. I'm very excited. And I think I can do even better in the races to come if I feel better. Thanks for all the help getting me here.
Will
wonderful stuff. thanks for posting it. please keep it coming.
I enjoyed reading this. Will is quite the writer, too...good stuff!! Looking forward to the next installment.
Will, if you're reading this, have a blast over there. I wish you the best of luck! Sounds like a great experience & opportunity...and better yet, it sure sounds like you're the type of person to really take it all in, learn/grow, and GET FASTER! :thumbs_up:
-Jeff
" ONE FOR THE OLE GIP!"
ronnie :)
The first post seemed like he might be on a world tail tour...
but if your Will, I guess you'll get more tail than Sinatra...
DW
Great post !
willys a hoot.
good story, lucky you got there studley w/ the shiite weather in vt.
I was getting all interested when you mentioned the korean girl. What happened to her....?? lol
Dude, have a great time over there and don't forget to check out the local architecture. Belgium (Brussels in particular) is an awesome place for it.
irfan
i wnt pix of these chix.
Le' Administrator
Great peek into your world Will this is great stuff. Post some pics.
in case i forgot to lyk, some of my (will's...) posts may be out
of sync depending on when i can get them pasted here atmo.
12.24.08 Life at the House
“Let me tell you first, that I’ve been around. I’ve been a bouncer for many, many years, Bang, Bang, Bang…” a quote from Bas Rutten, in the next YouTube video I’ll show my fellow roommates in the Belgian house. There is quite a lot of time spent in this house. Breakfast at 8, training, lunch, rest/tear through town on the cruiser bikes, dinner by 6 and bedtime around 10. That’s how the day goes, usually. And between the amusing YouTube videos, sharing of music, and occasional accusation of a foul flatulence, the air is quite content here. All of the riders here are accomplished in at least their passion of bicycles, but they also endeavor in other hobbies and interests. Zach likes photography, my roommate, Weighall likes his girlfriend, for some it’s their first experience overseas, and for me I’m in college. I might be one of a couple here, but I feel a little lonesome in the collegiate club. These guys are serious about riding, and though I’m serious, my focus certainly hasn’t been entirely there all season. I’ve got scholarships, grants, and loans to look forward to next December after I graduate this coming May. This is a new experience for me, and there are riders 4 years my junior here for the second and third time. Yesterday, I learned a little about the route from Izegem to Roeselare from Gavin Mannion and a few other Juniors, where we did some patisserie window shopping and finally made a stop for a few cups of cappuccino at Café Mange. If there’s one thing to learn, it’s that your sense of direction can easily be disengaged in the towns of Belgium. There’s a photo online of me Cody, and Gavin all pointing to where we thought home was once we got to Roubaix on the first day. Matt Shriver was with us, and, unbelievably, none of us agreed on a single direction. Nonetheless we got home after a good 3 hrs after some pain au chocolat, and a nice intro day. I look forward to racing tomorrow. There’s nothing more intense than doing the biggest race of your life your first time in a foreign country.
Will
12.25.08 Merry Christmas, That’s a Ferrari
Today I awoke and took my RS solo for a short jaunt: a planned 60 minute ride before tomorrow’s race. I rode for about 25minutes and came to yet another roundabout (which I always like to take at speed), but this one was particularly drifty. Looking down, my second flat between two days (seriousl?). Flatting in Vermont is about a five times a season event for me, so I was a little bugged. Anyway, since I was alone and used up Gavin’s spare yesterday, I walked to the nearest boulangerie and asked kindly if there was a shop in town to get to. She didn’t know where one was, but a man in line told me about one maybe 1 K away, but that it might be closed. I thought, why? It’s a Thursday. But then I reasoned, why not, since many places are closed Mondays. It was indeed closed, and another lady leaned out of her store and said that it was closed in Dutch. No way, I thought. Sarcasm. So, what is a 15k walk, anyway? I wasn’t going to ruin a perfectly good wheel by riding, so I started the trek, picking up the bike after a little just in case someone wanted to help me out. Cars were passing as normal. I heard a low drum coming from behind… another motorcycle in too low of a gear. Nope- That’s a Ferrari. Cool. It had been a while. I smiled. This was fun. So what if I had to walk a few K’s. Then, a guy pulled over and asked where I was going. English ou Francais, I said. “Where are you going?” “Izegem,” I said. “I help you.” “Alright, thanks.” He pointed a lot for me to put the bike in the trunk and take off the wheels. Nothing like a little Renault. He grew up in Izegem, and knew just where Noel’s boarding house of cyclists was. If you were wondering, he refines vegetable oil for the U.S. I told him how I was wondering why the bike shop was closed today and said, “It’s Christmas!” Realization. I completely forgot about Christmas. It’s not too Christmasy in Izegem, but this gentleman’s spirit was enough to remind me. I shook his hand and he was off. After I grabbed a snack, I hopped on the rollers to complete 1 hr 20 min. It’s not bad around here. A little grey. The weather’s getting cold, but it’s relaxing to have time to train. I’ve done 9.5 hrs since last Sunday, which will put me over 12 for the week. This will be my second biggest training week since the beginning of September. I’m glad. I think this was the right move for Worlds. Special thanks goes to Richard Sachs, the Sachs crew, the Berkshire Cycling Association, and Joe Bazzano for the help getting me here. Merry Christmas, all.
Will
12.26.08 Zoland World Cup
Madagascar, Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. These are the recovery movies Nick and I are watching after today's Zolder World Cup. It was a very tough day out there. I started towards the back (43rd), and was a little hesitant to be aggressive in the start since it was my first race ever in Europe, let alone a World Cup. Others that were supposed to start behind me crept up in front of me on the outside and I didn't argue. I thought the elbow throwing might be a little heavier over here, so I decided I'd let it play out over the course of the hour. The start wasn't as fast as I thought it might be, but the laps were fast. Man the first two laps were SO fast. I was in for it. I suffered a hell of a lot. But the only thing I wanted to do was go hard and fight for every spot. I even managed to crawl my way back up to a group of 4 with 4 to go and by the end, lost all but 1 of them who got by me in the last 1/4 lap. The racing attitude is a little different here. People want to fight for every spot and just about every turn. So, it's a sprint to and from every turn for an hour. I was racing for 39th in my group, and I attacked the Brits like I was racing for 1st and came out 2nd. That's all there was to it. I hope I'm a little more aggressive next time in the first couple of laps, and that I gradually improve. At this point, I think the training and racing here at this camp will only help me. My training was at such a low volume until this point that I hope I only get faster. The biggest contest is against your own head here: how to you keep the fight at 100% every race, every turn.
Stay tuned.
Will
the kid is getting to live the shit i dreamed about but never had the talent or self belief to do. man, you got some good eggs on your team.
zen, piss, vinegar, sushi, pizza, repeat.
wil:Originally Posted by nixage
when i grow up i want to be like yo!!!
shit, i had to get shot at to hang in with a vietnamise girl!!!!
hope tammy is not reading this!
ole,
ronnie :)
is the perfect U23 rider to have on your bike ATMO. He is in the same year as my youngest daughter at UVM and they have known each other since freshman year. I did a short ride with him about a year and a half ago in the Burlington area when June and I were up visiting. Positive, polite and most important for a real talent, no outsized ego. A real gentleman.
Will: Have a wonderful experience over there and ride the crap out of that bike at the worlds. I left a message on your cell, but you had already left for Europe. Go get 'em!
Tom Kellogg
Rides bikes, makes a few
i've never met Will, but he seems like a stud
goodluck bro
great stuff...keep it coming.
best of luck will.
here's a great pic of will on the way to the natz sun pm party atmo.
note the handmade red/white/blue hoodie stripes. totally rapha-ish.
He lost me at "alas" but got me back within 2 sentences. An engaging writer, but more important than that an engaged mind and a positive spirit. I have no idea how he'll do in racing, but I think he'll do very well in life.
Nice sweatshirt, BTW.
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