Tim Johnson...

so.. are you going to win nats or what?...

I'll try my damndest. It's going to be a wide-open race and I really couldn't tell you who's a shoe-in.

JP is really good in bad mud i hear.. and i guess you are good in the snow... so does snow beat mud in the dry?... or is wells or somebody like that gonna wipe the floor with all you guys?...


JP is totally at home in the bad stuff. He's always been really good in deep, dark mud. He's a powerful rider that just rips it up. Snow beat Mud? I'm a big fan of snowy racing where it really makes a difference whether or not you can handle your bike and put your power to the ground. I'm out gunned by a lot of other riders and I need to equalize things to compete. Wells is a huge threat on race day. He's got really good skills, good power and he's motivated. Those three things make a good cross racer.

i like that you have the kind of mental approach where you take into account your weaknesses and look for ways to turn the race to your strengths... thats the key i think.. and its something that big riders think of that other riders dont... when you are thinking of winning any race at any level where things are competitive you have to think that way...
i asked trebon this also...is cross financially viable as a specialization yet?... it looks good and there is a lot of coverage.. but i wonder if its all hype...

Cross is not financially viable as a stand-alone discipline in the states. It's great to make some cash in the (off)season. I hate to put cross in a phrase like that. It's so much more exciting than so many races that we do on the road all year, so I hate to denigrate it. It's not all hype, there are companies realizing just how much exposure that they can get by sponsoring a good cross rider. Our sponsors like Louis Garneau, came in to support Lyne and I and have only be blown away at how great it's been for them. We've given them pictures in all the mags and online the entire fall. To try and buy exposure like that would cost a ton of money.

If Brady(Kappius?) wants to be a cross rider only, then he needs to spend a few more years getting older(physically mature, mentally mature) here in the states racing anything that he can get his hands on(mtb, road, track whatever). When he's about 23,24 or 25 he can start learning how to do it. The only advice that I really want to give any young rider is that while he's a junior or U23, staying in the sport is the only important thing. To win or lose, 1 race or a whole season doesn't really matter. It's a hard sport and alot of his peers will be done racing by the time they could actually expect to compete with the best in the country and world. Patience is the key and have fun.

good answer... i think people tend to expect too much of younger riders... and its true you dont get good until later...

in cycling news you said: "there were a lot of things that made me think that I didn't want to ride anymore"... what things were those?.. you have always struck me as a guy who is just giddy with joy to ride a bike... you sound like me when you say things like that...

You're right. I love to ride my bike, as hokey as that sounds. The reason why I got into this sport is that I liked to challenge myself and I also liked to be around my friends in the sport. When you're racing at a super-high level, like Div 1, where the only thing that matters 24/7 is how
strong you are, then it's not all that much fun. Plain and simple. I'm not talking about riding like crap and not giving a shit if I or my team wins, it's the luxury of being able to switch back and forth. Needing to have fun, might be considered a weakness, but it's one of my necessities. I know I'm not the only rider out there who feels that way. I also know that racing in the US on the NRC circuit or at our biggest races (Georgia, California) it's possible to switch back and forth. That's why I'm psyched to race here.

also... i wanna interview ceslav too.. whats his e mail?

WHo??? Czeslaw? The little Polish guy? Lives in Canada? Don't know his email or if he has one!