Last nationals post- the culture of Arkansas , at least as we saw it

Yes, there was racing - going to the course and back to the house took up the bulk of the trip and sadly, this trip was lacking in time to really check out the local flavor as in past nationals . That said, we did get to a few key locations in Fayetteville and sample the local landmarks .

 Long before this trip I had made a point to direct the team to the phenomenon known as the Waffle House. Notorious for its iconic yellow sign and 24 hour availability, the Waffle House has been the choice of truck drivers, the highway patrol and most of all, drunk people. I was determined to make a visit and sample the wares , just like Anthony Bourdain did years ago but without all the alcohol. Four of us went and were astonished at how clean the place was and that the food was tasty , proving that one needn't be totally drunk to appreciate the Waffle House.

On the last night we went out for pizza as to not make a mess in the house that we were leaving early the next morning. This place was very good- Fayetteville has a pretty happening downtown with a lot of good eateries.

Not far from the team house was Rymolenes- a place that is all about pies. The pie selection is not equalled anywhere I have been in my 70+ years on this earth. It was such a hit that a few of us made three trips over the 6-7 days we were in Fayetteville. A very disturbing robotic Santa Clause was there and it would fire up and sing a Christmas song when anyone walked in front of it. I did take a video but I did not post it here as I was worried about the trauma it might cause viewers.

No trip to Fayetteville is complete without a trip to Walmart. I needed a pair of roomier shoes and some hand and toe warmers for the next morning when it would be sub-20 degrees. The giant store had everything we needed. 

Waffle House must have known we were coming as they put out the black and yellow tile that matched the sleeves on our kits. Maybe I should contact them about a sponsorship for next year......

Here's the five-star fare at Waffle House- pecan waffle and hashbrowns with ham and onions. There was a variety of add-ons available , all with special nomenclature.

Mexican food in Arkansas ? Actually, quite a bit of it, although we only sampled one spot-chosen by new national champ Caroline Dezendorf. This place was top-drawer and very affordable. The food and service were both excellent and it was a great place to celebrate Caroline's first national title and the fourth one in the history of the team. 

I got and email from USA cycling yesterday saying that nationals will return to Fayetteville in 2026. Are we coming back ? That will be up to the sponsors and most of all to the riders. As for me, I think I need more pie, more waffles and another crack at that course when there's maybe some mud or better yet, some fresh snow. Big thanks go out to Sightline Construction, Voler, Easton and all the other sponsors that made this trip happen. A big thanks goes out to folks on the team who might have not made the trip but contributed their energy to keeping the team rolling. This whole nationals excursion does not happen without a bunch of support from a bunch of people willing to do the work. A big thanks from me personally as it keeps the lore of the Santa Cruz contingent of CX alive along with my life's work- this Rock Lobster thing.  Cheers until 2026 !

 

Last day- UCI races

The last day came and with it morning temperatures below 20 degrees. We had been hearing about how cold it was going to be and the challenge of racing or doing support in that kind of weather is daunting. That said, Steve and I got up early and pitted for a local Nor-Cal rider and as cold as it was, it was doable. Enzo was to race at 1:30 so we figured that the temperature would rise. It did, but only to 28 degrees but with the clear skies and sun it really was not that bad. Enzo had a 3rd row start in the UIC juniors 17-18 field and had a first lap spill. In spite of this he still finished 24th with some strong riding.

The last race would be both Andy and Max's 3rd race of the week so fatigue was setting in. The weather had warmed up into the 30's and there was not much wind so conditions were greatly improved from the morning. What was going to make this race really hard was the fact that the field was very small and had some of the best racers in the country. Both riders started near the back and had to deal with fatigue and a super strong field. Max was able to stay on the lead lap and finish 14th. Andy had a flat tire far from the pit and a long run as a result was not able to do all the laps but he got credit for 25th. All in all , I would say that this small team is leaving here with some solid results and a great experience. 

 

Day 5 - Caroline double up

Today Caroline raced in her  35-39 age group for a second podium in so many days. So far, all of our elite riders have medaled in this nationals , possibly a first in the 21 year history of the team. Our numbers are not large but the impact of this small team on the big stage of the nationals is considerable.

Later in the day the temperatures dropped and we crewed for former team member Dan English in the UCI U-23 class. Dan has not done much CX this year but his third row start and bike change early in the race didn't keep him back as he rode to 6th place just seconds off of 5th place. It was a very impressive ride-if he had another lap he would have made it to the medals . Tomorrow Enzo races in the 17-18 UCI juniors and Max and Andy race in the UCI Elite race in 32 degree weather- stay tuned.

 

Day 5, pre-race cultural expidition

We finally made it to Waffle House and it did not disappoint , although most of us did not get the full breakfast gut bomb. I opted for the pecan waffle and hashbrowns. Steve got a full breakfast with a waffle on the side. Andy and Max went light as they are gluten free- you can't please everybody. Now its out to the course for Caroline's age group race. Dan English will be racing later in the afternoon. 

 

Day 4- the dinner

Mexican food in Arkansas ? Yes- and it was excellent. This was Caroline's choice for the post win dinner in downtown Fayetteville. The whole team dined for about the same money as two people would have spent back in Santa Cruz. Maybe this was not totally local Arkansas flavor but it was just right for the occasion. 

 

Day four - a day to remember

Team history was made today. Caroline Dezendorf in her first nationals since 2019 has won the single speed race . This makes the fourth national title for the team in its history. She went from the gun and had a battle with two other riders that lasted until the last lap when she attacked and held her lead until the end-no need to unleash her considerable sprint. After years of racing , this is Caroline's first national jersey.

Max and Andy were next in the men's single speed with Andy starting on the second row and Max on the third. The fast start saw both riders in decent position but a rolled tire and a crash put Max back close to the rear of the field. Andy continued to work his way up to the top-10 with Max chasing for a lot of the race , having even more crashes. This did not deter him from keeping the power down and eventually he caught the top-10 and Andy. The two of them rode together for the better part of two laps with Max being able to pick up a couple places to finish 8th with Andy coming in at 10th. Nobody has been out of the top-10 at the nationals this time so far. There's just two more days of racing but still podium possibilites remain. 

 

Nationals, day 3

We only had two riders racing today but it is hard to imagine that things could have gone better. Max Judelson in the men's 35-39 got 4th and a podium. In the next race Andy Wulfkhule also got 4th in the men's 40-44 - two podiums before noon ! The reward after the race was a trip to Rymolene's for some of their famous pie. the pie shop is less than a mile from the house so there's a good chance that we will be back. 

As far as how the races went, Max went from the gun and the leading four quickly gapped all the rest of the riders. With a lap and a half to go Max flatted but managed to still hold onto 4th. In Andy's race didn't have a good start and had to ride through a lot of traffic to get to the top-5 but he worked hard and made it up to a group of four other riders. He managed to overhaul all of them on the last lap and came in 4th with a bike throw on the line to keep ahead of the rider in 5th. Tomorrow is single speed day with Max, Andy and Caroline all with a shot at more medals. The account has been opened and so far this has been a great outing for the team. 

Here's a view of the pie case. I'll spare you the video I made of a singing robot Santa- it was very disturbing.

 

Nationals day two - men's 70-74

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The first day of racing was at least good for one person on the team- that would be me in the 70-74 age group. Last year from the back row I managed to ride to 18th. This year from the same third row position I made it to 10th, my first nationals top-10. The course was as it was the day before- fun and challenging and not everyone's cup of tea. I did see a few crashes and some pretty random errors in riders around me and tried to capitalize on others mistakes as I knew they would do the same if it were me making the errors. Luckily, I had a nearly error free ride and was able to put the power down the whole 5 laps. If the nationals are here next year I am tempted to return as they did a super job of making a fun course and a very low key, low drama environment. 

Nationals - day one- course recon

Ready or not, the nationals starts tomorrow but today was the first chance anyone racing had to see what the Fayetteville edition of CX nationals had to offer for a race course. I did not get any photos of the course but will later this week. I was too busy doing laps, hoping to find that illusive 'flow' that makes for less wasted energy and more fun. After 8 laps, I think I'm about as close as I'll get in that regard. First lap felt slow and ungainly but it did not take long to start understanding each feature of the course and how to keep efficient so that when the energy needed to be there, it would not have been wasted elsewhere on easier parts of the course. There's enough tight turns for little bits of rest but having good balance will be key to making it over some steep little humps in the course without having to put a foot down or dismount. 

For me, there will be just two dismounts- the first is a steep off camber hill that I found faster to run up than to try to ride and possibly topple over or have to do a clumsy dismount. The second is a pair of planks  on an uphill that are the tallest I have ever seen- I'll be amazed if anyone can jump them , but of course the best racers always do. Most of the course is dry and bumpy turf, not unlike California courses-I heard people complaining about the bumps but to me it was nothing compared to Surf City or the old Rock Lobster cup races. There is no mud and it looks like there isn't going to be for the whole week. The race course would be so much more challenging if it rained-it would make for epic world-cup conditions. I guess we won't be experiencing that this week but I'm sure most of the riders are thankful. 

Tomorrow is my turn to see what I can do on this course. Wish me and the team luck- 

One feature not on the course but nearby is the local waffle house. I noticed it as I was leaving the course....maybe Friday morning we will pay a visit.

 

Nationals roster

Off to the nationals tomorrow in Fayetteville, 

Ark. We have a small but strong team showing up this year and many podium opportunities. We have the return of Caroline Dezendorf who will be racing in the 35-39 age group and in women's single speed.Max Judelson and Andy Wulfkhule will be racing age group, single speed and elite. Enzo Berghout will be racing in UCI junior men 17-18 . I'll be racing age group 70-74 and we will have Steve as the pit man again as in the last few seasons. We also will have guest star and former team mate Dan English at the house and he will race in the UCI U-23 class. This means that we will have someone racing every day of the event so Steve and I will be busy in the pit. Unfortunately my Sister who was part of the pit crew has Covid and will have to miss the trip- this is really unfortunate but she hopefully will be back next year to pressure wash bikes and keep the racers rolling. I'll be reporting from the field daily so expect some writings soon. I'll do a recon of the course Tuesday. The weather looks to not be classic CX weather until the weekend when theres going to be some cold temps and maybe rain. Stay tuned.......