The UCI Road World Championships return to the United States this month for the first time since 1986 when they were held in Colorado Springs. Racing begins in Richmond on September 20 with the men and women’s team time trials, and culminates with the men’s elite road race on the final Sunday. Featured on our cover is Brevard, NC, resident and Trek Factory Racing Team member Matthew Busche, who is hoping for a start in the race. Photographer Jesse Peters caught a few pictures of Busche on Richmond’s historic Libby Hill when he previewed the race course in late July. Libby Hill, which overlooks the James River and Richmond’s iconic Lucky Strike building, is sure to be a challenging section of the race and likely packed with spectators.
Busche has had a busy August racing in the Tour of Utah, where he was involved in a nasty downhill crash that took out 20 cyclists. He recovered quickly and then went on to race the USA Pro Challenge about two weeks later. Busche took a few moments to talk with us about the World Championships, the “Conquer the Cobbles” event which takes place on the road circuit race course and is open to the public, and his first childhood bike, which is still in his parents garage back in Wisconsin. For more details on traveling to Richmond to watch the Championships be sure to visit www. richmond2015.com. You can also be a part of history and ride the course when you sign up for “Conquer the Cobbles”. Check out our preview of the event in this issue. The “Conquer the Cobbles” course takes place on the streets of Richmond which will be closed to traffic.
An event like “Conquer the Cobbles” is a once in a lifetime opportunity. For many of us, the opportunity to simply ride free from traffic might also seem like a once in a lifetime opportunity. As cyclists we often find ourselves riding in traffic and unfortunately, motor vehicle drivers in traffic are often focused on their own frustrations—
how late they will be for work, or whether they will have time to stop at the grocery store before heading home to make dinner— to worry about us. They are not likely to be watching for the cyclist who comes cruising up on the shoulder. So, this month our cycling columnist Thomas Henson offers some advice on how to be safe while riding your bike in riding traffic.
Whether you ride in traffic or not, chances are that if you live here in the South, you’re doing a lot of cycling right now anyway. It’s that time of year when most of us are gearing up for our big fall triathlons or simply enjoying the slight drop in wicked summer heat. That’s why our gear columnist James Haycraft is taking the time to share his thoughts about triathlon racing and gear selection, specifically tires and tubes. Can you really “buy speed” by buying certain tires and tubes? Read Haycraft’s column and find out!
If you haven’t guessed it yet, here at Endurance, we’re big on plants, more specifically, we’re big on eating plants. We believe a plant- based diet is key to health and performance. So, we’re featuring a lot of information on diets, recipes and real food fuel choices for your next race or training session. Athletes powered by plants are not new and if you are not one now, you could be. In her article “The Vegetarian Athlete” Nutritionist Chris Newton talks about different plant-based diets and which one might be best for you. Coaches Grandison Burnside and Cyndi Dambacher share their thoughts on real food choices for athletes while training and Brandon McDearis provides a great and tasty recovery drink— a Mocha Cookies and Cream Smoothie. Who wouldn’t want to recover with that! So be sure to check out all our great food articles and get your tickets now to watch the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond later this month!
Inspire. Perform. Endure. — Joe Nuss
