The real deal!

Today's second post brought to you by the color ... SILVER!!!!!!!

If you had given Jon Page a deal at the beginning of the year: crash in warmup at your first major race, before turning a pedal in anger; find out that you need surgery; undergo said surgery and ride like mad on the trainer; stage a comback starting 3rd row, even though you're the defending champion, at your Nationals; feel good but suffer from piss-poor starting positions at the Christmas series because you have no UCI points; start going up and down on your form before regrouping before Worlds because you have no true base ... AND THEN TAKE THE SILVER MEDAL AFTER CHALLENGING FOR THE RAINBOW STRIPES!!!!!!! ... do you think he'd have taken it?!

BIG congrats going out to JP and the entire U.S. squad -- 3-for-4 on the podium this year! Danny Summerhill got things going in the Juniors with his silver, and madwoman Katie Compton came through with a HUGE ride in her first Worlds (and only 2nd race EVER across the Pond!!!!) to also take a silver medal! What an absolutely amazing year for U.S. 'cross on the international scene ... Geoff Proctor must be falling down by now from all the Champaign!!!!

Good on 'ya to Rhonda Mazza for an 11th place finish, almost there in the Top 10, and Tristan for posting up as the last official finisher in the elites ... you know it's painful when WickNasty is only just in front of you!

WAY TO GO "TEAM USA!!!"