We are coming at you from Vallnord, Andorra, for Crosshairs radio episode 41 during which I sit down with Simon Burney, the UCI MTB Coordinator and author ofCyclocross: Training and Technique. Simon is at Andorra to make sure everything goes to plan in the World Cup XCO race. He has a lot on his plate and it was great to have him make some time to chat at the end of a long day.

We recorded in the Trek Factory Racing XC team’s camper, which is parked atop a climb, which among other things, featured in the Tour de France. Between that and the MTB World Cup finish line we could see from the window of the camper, the environment could not be better for a cycling podcast. You can hear the helicopter outside a couple times during our conversation as it evacuated fallen downhillers from the mountaintop, and a bit of other external noise. But for the most part, the traveling podcast studio did okay. Even after some early technical difficulties that had me scrambling to cobble together the backup equipment.

Simon Burney’s book was the inspiration for Skills Drills and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer. When I first interviewed Simon via email in 2009 I hadn’t really thought about writing a book. At least not until he put that thought in my head. We had a wide-ranging conversation about MTB and cyclocross. Having worked closely with the UCI it was really good to hear Simon’s insight on the rules and how they are applied in the United States versus Europe.

Thanks to The Service Course for once again sponsoring the episode. Check out the cleaning kits featuring tampico brushes available at www.theservicecourse.com. And follow along on Twitter at @sc_cycling.

Also, thanks as always for tuning in. If this is your first time listening, you can explore the rest of our episodes here. You can support the show and this site by checking out our swag at www.crosshairscycling.com/shop. Also visit www.cyclocrossbook.com to get your copy of Skills Drills and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer.

If you have a few minutes, go check out Trailside Dailies, the video series I produce for Trek Factory Racing and the reason I’m in Andorra. You can find it on YouTube on the Trek Factory Racing XC page.

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