Winter; and a cycling fan's thoughts turn to six day racing - and cyclo-cross. Jeremy Powers is the man currently leading the USA Cycling 'cross rankings. Not only that, he's even more obsessive than us when it comes to talking about tubulars - we like that in a man! We caught up with him as he sat in an airport departure lounge, awaiting a connecting flight - it's like that if you're a pro!
PEZ: Why 'cross, Jeremy?
Jeremy: I ride a full summer road programmes for Jelly Belly but my passion is for cyclo-cross. The duration of a 'cross race is one hour, that suits me; the mixture of power and technical skills. I hope one day to be strong in the last hour of a four or five hour road race, but at the moment a one hour 'cross seems to suit my physiology.
PEZ: You've been racking up the wins.
Jeremy: I haven't been keeping score, but I think it's six so far; what's also satisfying is that I've only been off the podium once in 16 starts.
PEZ: Which result are you most proud of?
Jeremy: I won three crosses back-to-back in Ohio, this year. That was awesome, it's hard enough to win one race, never mind three in a row!
PEZ: Any disappointments in your career?
Jeremy: Not winning a national title has been a big disappointment. I was favourite for the Under 23 title but Jesse Anthony beat me into second spot. But I hope to have good legs for this year's Nationals - I've already been to check out the course.
PEZ: What are your strengths as a cross rider?
Jeremy: I like technical, fast courses, with short hills; my style is punchy. I'm not crazy about a lot of mud - but if it's there, you just go out and ride it! To be a good 'cross rider you have to be able to handle your bike. Take the Nationals; it's forecast for snow, so that could be interesting.
'The cold doesn't bother me.'
PEZ: Room for improvement?
Jeremy: Running is something I need to work on, it's just that if you do a lot of it in training, your muscles get so sore. But as the season progresses, my running definitely improves.
PEZ: Your ideal course?
Jeremy: Dry and fast, but if it snows, that's ok - the cold doesn't bother me.
Powers and teammate Tim Johnson both took wins in Toronto a few weeks ago.
PEZ: Role models?
Jeremy: If you're competing against the big Belgian guys then you can't be in awe of them. But it's hard not to admire Nys; he's so classy, but also very cordial. If he gets beaten he always has a good word for the winner; you never hear him criticising other guys. I've competed against him a few times and he always has time for you - that goes a long way, in my book.
PEZ: Are you an equipment fanatic?
Jeremy: Yeah, one of our sponsors is cyclocrossworld.com and they have everything you could ever want - I mean everything! One of the big differences between the road and cross is that if you're producing the watts in a road race, then you'll get the result. But in 'cross, equipment is so important; if you're on the wrong tubs or running the wrong pressures then that will cost you the race, irrespective of your fitness - it's a sport where equipment can make a big difference.
PEZ: Tyres?
Jeremy: Mavic gives us a truck load of wheels and we tyres for every type of condition. We use Dugast tubulars there's one for every type of condition - Pipistrellos, which are slick but with a diamond tread for fast grass and sand; Rhinos which have an aggresive tread for really heavy mud and Flying Doctors for fast courses. We have 24, 30, 32 and 34 mm tubulars section available, so we're covered for any conditions. Your warm up laps are really important, that's when you choose your race tyres - when you feel what's underneath you. You need a good mechanic who'll watch you ride the tricky sections and tell you what he thinks in terms of tyres and pressures.
PEZ: Goals?
Jeremy: To keep growing the sport in the US, I think all the top guys over here think that way. We want to see World Cups in the US.
Enjoying a hard day at Hoogerheide.
PEZ: Do you go to Europe?
Jeremy: I had a couple of seasons there - my last under 23 and first senior. I got top 10's and finished 17th in the Worlds. There were no podiums, but it was good to be immersed in European culture, like that. I'll be going back over in December and riding there until the Worlds. I do about 40 days of racing; there's a big block of races back-to-back during the Christmas holidays and I'll be riding a lot of them.
Powers takes a huge win at Gloucester.
PEZ: It's a long season for you.
Jeremy: This year I raced on the road from April to the Tour of Missouri, which ended the week before the first 'cross. I have a training camp after the Worlds, then I'll take a month off - that'll be late February into March. Last year I rode Redlands, Georgia, Qinghhai Lakes and Philly Week - so it's a full programme.
A hard-earned check at the Tour of Missouri.
PEZ: Theses are tough financial times for 'cross.
Jeremy: It's difficult for cycling in general, if a company is needing to make cuts then sponsorship is the first to go. The negative media doesn't help, but I think the problem is more lack of dollars than drugs.
PEZ: What do you do when you're not racing?
Jeremy: I listen to a lot of music - I'm getting into doing a bit of dee-jaying. I spend time with my family and girlfriend - I'm travelling so much that every time I go home, it feels like being on holiday!
Here at PEZ, we interview a lot of bike riders; but this guy is one of the most enthusiastic we've ever spoken to. It's obvious he loves his sport - that usually pays off handsomely at some stage.
Want to follow Jeremy some more? Head on over to his blog on Missing Saddle!
The first fourteen stages of the 2010 Giro d'Italia are going to be the standard, delicious Giro fare. The final final seven days are going to be the ... More....
Four nights down, two to go. The racing was hot in Grenoble, the sideshows, arguably, just as hot. Edmond Hood was on the scene, working hard, making ... More....
The dust has yet to settle from the storm of Interbike, but the rains have started here at PEZ HQ, and that means time to strap on that piece of rain ... More....
Yes – it’s been a couple weeks since our last post, but we’re back and rollin' with more Interbike goodies, and the wait is worth it – Here’s what’s ... More....
So we're back from Interbike 2009. The hangover is very nearly gone, the feet are not close to normal, the back is still sore, but nothing itches ... More....
Zen masters let go of ego; teenagers are in the middle of creating one. That makes it a good time to coach mental skills with teens, and also a good ... More....
Cyclocross season is steadily progressing from the early season of warm and dry race days to the downright miserable and ugly weather that define the ... More....
As fall is settling upon the Northern Hemisphere many cyclists are looking forward to both the crux off their off-season and starting to plan for ... More....
With Lombardia and the end-of-season emphasis on all things Italia, what better way to begin the off-season transition than enjoy some quality miles ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: I love Scotland; but there’s no Gazzetta in the morning, most of the coffee tastes like John Wayne brewed it beside the ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: The Centenary Giro has only been over for a few days, but my personal trip to the Corsa Rosa ended back on Stage 5. With ... More....
Roadside Recap: As we make our merry way through the rounds of the PEZ Looks Back, Ed is up for his retrospective on the Tour that was. As the ... More....
Amongst all the gloom and doom of sponsors pulling out disenchanted with doping scandals, and races folding, winter track racing does have its ... More....
They may sound like a lounge singing duet, but there's no schmaltz to these guy's mission; they're trying to build a career playing to that most ... More....
The best team pursuit rider, ever? With national, world junior, Commonwealth, world senior and Olympic titles to his name, Aussie, Luke Roberts ... More....
Here at Pez we pride ourselves on being on the case of who's up and coming - but sometimes even Pez misses the boat. The first we heard of Tom Faiers ... More....
The cheer from the cabin next door to ours - below the Grenoble velodrome - told us that the result Flanders had been holding its breath for, had ... More....
An epic day of rain, pain, and suffering is now behind me, and I’ve got the lactic acid as proof after suffering through a super-tough, 3-climb stage ... More....
Sometimes my best rides have been those with the least forethought, the least amount of time, the most luck, and just plain looking for the squiggly ... More....
Soup, on many levels, is one of the best things to eat this time of year. It’s warm, it’s a great way to stay full without over-eating (when ... More....
The Wounded Warrior Projects Soldier Ride provides rehabilitative cycling events for severely injured service members. Soldier Ride is not about ... More....
Race report: Alejandro Valverde stayed upright to seal his Vuelta victory – the first Grand Tour win of his career. On such a short stage, ... More....
Race Report: Today David Millar won his 5th stage in all his Vuelta’s, he was given one of the swords that Toledo is famous for along with the ... More....
John Murphy has been promising big things for a long while now. The rider has moved consistently up the ranks over the past six years starting as a ... More....
They call it the ‘World Championship of Six Days’ – Munich. And the 2009 winners were – Bruno Risi and Franco Marvulli (Switzerland) from world ... More....
It’s still the off season, but BMC are gradually plugging the holes in their 2010 race roster, while Lotto are trying to do the same for their 2010 ... More....
America will never be Belgium, but as of 2009, it does have its own hardman Classic. In its first professional edition, the Tour of the Battenkill ... More....
Here at PEZ, we adore the mud-filled fun of the cyclocross season, but it's an all too rare event to be able to cover the racing like we do during ... More....
I was at the coffee shop the other day answering questions about those funny gold cranks on my bike (which, during the winter when I am riding my ... More....
We love bike racing at PEZ. We really do. Just like our favorite pros though, there's a time at the end of every season for pause, a time for ... More....
