Being a professional interloper has its definite advantages. Earlier this year I got to do a little road bike pedaling with none other than reigning professional downhill world champion, Gee Atherton, his brother Dan, another UK downhill honch, Dan Stanbridge, and the man who keeps so many TdF riders in fresh Oakleys, Steve Blick.

We set out on a ride up Highway 1 out of Santa Cruz, so that we could ride the last climb(s) and descent(s) of the Tour of California stage that was set to finish in our town a couple of weeks later. Blick, of course, brought his A-game office chair fitness, I had my Triple-A beach-sitting fitness, and so the downhillers proceeded to unload a heaping helping of hurt on us.

But the funny thing is that while Blick and I were rocking some proper road cycling attire and sparkly clean bikes -- well his bike was clean anyway -- our training partners were a complete gong show. First, there was the issue of helmets. After the Atherton's sister Rachel crashed head-first into a car a few days before, the brothers made sure to sport their dirt-jumper helmets. That was perhaps only topped by their Great Britain long-sleeve skin suits. And if those two things weren't amazing enough, they ran downhill shoes and great, huge clip-in platform pedals.

As we rolled out of town Blick leaned over and laughed, "No one would believe us if we told them that these guys are some of the most talented bike riders in the world. This is hilarious."



As if from habit formed by years of riding in the laughing group, when the climbing started I slid off the back our our group and started looking for the team cars. Wishful thinking.

After what seemed like forever, I made it to the top where the dudes were waiting. Finally we were going to be able to point the bikes down. Not to mention the fact that I was going to get to ride downhill, side-by-side with pro downhillers. But in what seemed as off to me as I am sure my complete suckiness on the climb seemed to them, we were going slow on the descent. And when I say slow, I mean slow.

So I went to the front so that I could let go of the brakes. I mean seriously, if we'd all been riding tubulars, someone might have melted all of the glue and rolled a tire off the rim.

The descent back into Santa Cruz has basically two parts to it, so when we got to the first "step" I slowed down a bit. To my surprise, the dudes were off the back and it was me who did the waiting this time.

What I'd forgotten is that the lines these guys see and take when they are warping down a World Cup course is constantly changing and much more dynamic than what we are used to on the road. Whereas on the road there is really only one good line -- the straightest one -- in mountain biking that line might not always be the straightest or most obvious.

For the second part of the descent, I was no longer able to leave anyone behind --though I did still get to lead.

Next weekend is the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Canberra, Australia. Good luck to Gee in the DH, Dan in the 4-cross, and also to my amigo Adam Craig, who will be representing the US in the cross-country event.

The next time that you are feeling cocky about your own bike-handling skills, think about the video below. I can't even imagine how long Gee would have needed to wait for me at the bottom of that downhill.

Sean Kelly - Seattle, Washington

"How was the food in Belgium?

Someone gave me a cookbook called Everyone Eats Well in Belgium, which was written by a Flemish woman who describes a country where housewives spend their days selecting only the finest wares  from the butcher, the baker and the green grocer's before whipping up a lavish meal washed down with fragrant ales and finished with rich chocolate bon bons.

My one trip to Belgium took place when I was too young and broke to sample anything other than one waffle, several orders of fries, and a few beers, so I turn to you and your wisdom in this matter."

I might just be more "wise-ass" than "wise" but thanks for trusting me with your culinary well-being anyway.

I read a statistic one time that named Belgium as the country with the world’s highest per capita calorie intake, averaging more than 3500 per person, per day. So I think it is safe to say that everyone does, in fact, eat well in Belgium.

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I had managed to avoid attending any weddings for almost a year until this past weekend, when my friends Holly and Burt went ahead and officially entered the world of marital bliss. It was a very nice event, complete with one of the best roots/country/Americana-type bands I have heard in a long time. The scenery was nice and the weather was typical perfect Santa Cruz.

But perhaps the best part of Holly and Burt’s wedding -- other than the fact that it was 2 cool people’s wedding -- was that roughly more than half of the guests were bikers, and by bikers I mean bikers, not bicyclists.

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Joe Favara - Macungie, Pennsylvania

Joe,

The fact that you have the outstanding name "Joe" makes it fitting that you liked my book. Everyone knows that people named Joe are Cool.

When I was a pro, my training program was devised by yours truly -- the Joe on this side of this interweb-log. It was a bit of a different time though, with most training being done in races themselves. Training programs were more organic, in that they kind of shaped themselves -- not necessarily because they were pesticide-free.

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Sean Kelly - Seattle, Washington

"My very nice carbon bike bought in 2006 developed an odd, intermittent clicking in the bottom bracket that I first noticed in recent rides.  When I inspected the frame halfway through a ride Saturday, I noticed cracks in the bottom bracket shell and extending into the right chain stay.  The good news is I got home fine.  The bad news is it is time to replace the frame.  Considering the time I actually spent in the saddle, it turns out the great deal I got on this frame  was not so great, after all.

When you were racing, I believe steel was still the primary material.    How well did it hold up to the rigors of racing?  Would it last and last as the "steel is real" crowd would have you believe?

I am 6'5" and weigh just under 190, so am larger than the average racer.  Do you know how body size plays into frame life?

I am sorry to hear about your bike. It is always a drag when you've found that comfortable bike, best-fitting jeans or perfectly grease-stained and  weathered hat, only to have them come apart in their prime."

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Citlali Cortés - Flagstaff, Arizona, and Chihuahua, México

"I am a female rider and have been biking for about fifteen years--more seriously in the past five years.  This year I've been hitting the roads a lot and I've really really enjoyed road biking.  I own two Specialized bikes (a mountain bike and a cyclocross, which I use mostly for commuting and road riding), and am considering buying a road bike.  Since I am entirely new to road biking, I'd like to get some advice on what kind of bike to get  (I am a grad student, and  therefore, I have a tight budget).  I am also curious about Women's Specific frames; my mtn bike is WS and my cyclo cross isn't, and I don't know if WS designs really make a difference or if they just are a marketing strategy...  Thanks!"

Your question reminds me of a mountain bike ride I was on a few weeks ago. I think there were about five of us and we were riding some downhill singletrack. I was leading and saw a couple guys riding in the opposite direction. Since they were the ones climbing, we all pulled over to yield the right of way to them.

“There are 2 more including 1 woman,” said the man leading.

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