NOW.
Esp the part about "racing in europe"
Tonkin is the freaking MAN!
The freaking MAN. Kinda funny. His goals ain't that different than most of us racing here in the states!
Definite roll model in a way. Tonkinator shows you how to be tough. Wicks and Treefarm show us tall skinny freaks that, yes, there is hope. You don't have to be a 130-140 pound 5'8" guy to win on a bike... i mean to win big.
Anyway. that is one of the best reads out there right now when it comes to cross.
Add this quote in there too when you are gunning for the hole shot/trying to get UCI points for a call up:
"The best guys can do well even if they aren’t on the front row. If a rider wants to improve, he should seek out the best competition and not worry about cherry picking out of the way UCI races."
5 comments:
Now I will giggle everytime I overhear someone say a course is too hard or rooty or sandy or this or that. We have it pretty easy over hear. 300 meter sand stretches? Imagine riding/running a sand section three football fields long. It makes the two beaches at Warwick look like the kid's race.
Yeah...
well, you know, promoters and racers here in New Belgium don't like to hear about "European courses are better because _____"
No we don't want to race in january here because it might be cold and snowy...
or
fill in the blank for some excuse to race inside in peak season ;)
blah blah NH might be frozen solid by then but SE Mass, RI, and CT ain't gonna be.
(i shouldn't comment when i'm tired and grumpy)
but i do really pine for a good wet something season.
but, location location location... ya take what you can get where you are... make the most with what the region can offer.
Now... Warwick. Imagine the beach run STARTING from the second one and coming out where the first one exits!!!
That might make almost the 300 meters of sand.
Anyone wanna take that option up with the promoters
Looks possible
sheesh listen to me - like a harder course will be good for my results? Hardly....
Thanks for the linky! I really enjoyed writing the article for all of the reasons folks seem to be responding to it. I really thought it was cool that he had the same sort of goals I had -- even though he was racing with Nys and I'm racing with the local guys.
We talked a lot more about the US UCI stuff and how the Euros think it's a joke. That's one of the reasons they changed the rules a couple years ago -- so some guy racing in Hendersonville doesn't wind up 20th on the UCI overall.
He also said that the fastest guys are from the west coast. ;)
...i'd just say thank you to the three of you... mr. tonkin & mr. hoyer for the interview, & you sir, for presenting it on your site...
...excellent...
Good stuff G. Did you digest his comment on Nys' speed... 22mph avg... on a very sandy cross course... good christ...
I do really enjoy knowing that here's an elite who focuses on the race within the race and the "little victories"... sounds like the rest of us...
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