January 11, 2010. Team Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com Newsletter. While much of the world was focused on Europe as European cyclocross nations held their national championships, Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com were away from the front lines, making sure their form and fitness were at their optimum for their final assault on the World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic on January 31. Team captain Tim Johnson chose to spend his “off-weekend” attending the Surf City Cyclocross in Aptos, California where he had the chance to unveil his new National Champion’s kit for the first time this year.
After three grueling weeks of racing against Europe’s top cyclocross talent, Jeremy Powers and Jamey Driscoll left Europe for some rest and relaxation as their main competition were focused on races in which they could not compete – namely their national championships. Powers returned to his home base in Massachusetts while Driscoll sought out the warm climates and exotic locales of Africa. Tim Johnson, on the other hand, has been on the West Coast since his National Championships triumph on December 13, and has been putting in time at his own personal training camp spread across Bend, Oregon and Santa Barbara, California. Feeling that his training could benefit from some race time, Johnson sought out the Surf City Cyclocross in Aptos, California to get in that much needed intensity and tune up for his own European campaign.
Before Johnson headed out to the race, he made a stop at Bike Station Aptos in Aptos, one of the area’s premier Cannondale dealers. Johnson got the chance to spend time in the shop with around 25 local riders and was even invited to talk about and answer questions about cyclocross racing. “I went up for about an hour and a half and we had about 25 people show up. I gave a little talk and answered a bunch of questions about racing and about nationals. A bunch of the guys there even ride the same Cannondale that I ride, so that was cool too. It’s great to do stuff like that; it’s not hard at all. It’s just hanging out with people who ride.” For Johnson, the real appeal of coming to Aptos to race was to meet and greet some of his supporters who carried him to the third Elite National Title of his career.
Surf City also gave Johnson the chance to unveil his newly minted National Champion’s skinsuit for the first time this season. Johnson worked closely with longtime Cannondale designer, and designer of all the previous Cannondale/cyclocrossworld.com kits, Johs Huseby. Johnson and Huseby created a design that includes many unique and innovative features that may become the norm following Johnson’s example. Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com’s kit sponsor, Sugoi, is to thank or the almost immediate turnaround in getting Johnson into his fresh skinsuit in time for Surf City, a turnaround time of less than three weeks from initial design concept to finished product. Thanks to Sugoi’s hard work, not only will Johnson be able to sport the Stars and Stripes in style, but also he will become even more recognizable to his fanatical American audience when he heads to Europe.
Not only will Johnson have the chance to ride in a stylish National Champion’s skinsuit, he will also be astride a customized National Champion’s Cannondale CAAD 9 cyclocross bike when we next see him in action. Johnson and Cannondale worked together to create a customized color scheme that exactly matches Johnson’s new kit design. Keep an eye open for Johnson when he lines up at the Hoogerheide World Cup in late January and you may just catch a glimpse of Johnson’s Cannondale masterpiece.
Johnson rolled into Aptos on Sunday morning intending to get a good workout and make sure his form was right for the coming trip to Worlds. “It’s one thing to ride on the road and ride outside, but it’s another thing to ride on the dirt and race on the dirt,” said Johnson of his choice to get out and race. “If I can’t get racing in, I’m at a major, major disadvantage compared to the rest of the world.” The course that Surf City offered turned out to be the ideal proving grounds for Johnson’s form and the perfect venue to work on important race techniques that may have gathered dust in the three weeks since Johnson last raced.
Johnson battled throughout the day against the brothers Jacques-Maynes (both of the Bissel Pro Cycling Team), with Johnson holding off Andy, who finished the day in second, and Ben who finished the day in third. “The race went pretty well. It was a really hard course with lots of uphill. It was pretty tight and twisty in some sections and pretty wide open in others and the elevation gain was pretty high. Not only that, but the course was pretty short, so I ended up doing eleven laps, so with three solid hills per lap, I ended up doing 33 hills. It ended up being pretty hard. Especially in January, the hills feel even harder.”
Johnson’s trip to California ended up a resounding success, as Johnson got to meet some of his most devoted fans, and even set a milestone or two along the way. “That’s the first time I’ve ever raced in January in the National Champion’s kit in the U.S. and that’s pretty neat!” Johnson’s win proved that his form and fitness are in the right place heading into late January, and he will be ready when he lands in Belgium to tackle the Hoogerheide World Cup on January 24. From there, Johnson will turn his sights to Tabor, where the ultimate goal of his season still remains: a top ten finish at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships.
