With a few hours before my race here at Starcrossed I called up cyclocross stud Jeremy Powers of Jelly Belly for some last minute advice.
Neil: Hey Jeremy, its Neil.
Jeremy Powers: Hey Neil, what’s cracking?
Neil: I’m up here at Starcrossed and I’m racing in a couple of hours. Do you have any advice?
Powers: Have you had anything to drink yet?
Neil: I had a beer about 45 minutes ago.
Powers: Oh shit! Okay that’s not good. You’re going to have to wash that down with a little bit of water. Are you being called up to the front line?
Neil: No, I’ll line up at the back.
Powers: Okay, this is what you do. Stay clipped in and blitz all the guys in the first corner and you’ll be fine. What else?
Neil: What type of tire pressure should I be running? It’s a combination of grass, bumps and concrete.
Powers: What kind of tires are you using?
Neil: They are knobby clinchers.
Powers: How much do you weigh? One-hundred sixty five?
Neil: Hell no! I’m about 175.
Powers: Okay try 35 pounds. If you can press the tire to the rim with your thumb it is too low. What else do you need?
Neil: That’s about it. You’re my go to guy for ‘cross questions.
Powers: Before you race shoot down a gel and a Red Bull and you’ll be flying!
Neil: Good advice. Thanks Jeremy.
What you couldn’t capture was the confused look one everyone else faces as we were cooking dinner, and thinking who the hell is Jeremy shouting cross advice to. It was great, and should be an ongoing column for the season.
Hmmm…now that’s an interesting idea. I’ll randomly call Jeremy before all my ‘cross races for advice. He’s going to regret giving me his cell number…