Today was a perfect day! One of those days you hope for it had poured buckets on Saturday and I was hoping for a little reprieve,I no I like the rain also and the more mud the better but not today! I went to the course early real early, cause I only live about a mile away, yes there is a cross race in my back yard, Rainier Oregon, and my daughters will be there along with my wife and granddaughter, ready to ring some cowbell!

I lined up early and layed my bike down in the front row then did a little warm up running and just tried to keep loose, I was really sitting good, when the whistle blew James was off like a rocket and I tried to hold his wheel up the long climb, but I could feel my legs and lungs popping, we were strung out across the top and it was all I could do to keep the leaders in my sight, we rounded onto the track and I could hear my family yelling my name and so I stood up and tried to hammer up to the run-up where I had a great transition, and a sweet mount, then into the woods onto the single track, where there was a pile up then a jam up with dudes just kinda standing there, shoulder your bike and run, lets go! I yelled! 

The course was pretty cool very fast but with a lot of sections to catch your breath, set on the side of a hill at Rainier High School, the grassy sections were pretty smooth and fast, there was a long muddy section that was pretty hard only because I could not get good traction in the six inch deep muck! up a slight incline and drop right back into the woods for a pretty challenging single track section with a tight turn and run-up at the top back onto the bike and another place to breathe then drop hard left onto the grass downhill right into a sweet sand section of about 30 yards long, this seemed to be where everyone gathered to yell,cheer,encourage, what have you! I had a posse of about nine of my downhill buddies shouting in my face to hammer, and pointing out which lines to hit, then back into the grass onto the gravel road and the climb! it was brutal and I had to stand to stay kinda fast! at least a quarter mile climb of a pretty good grade, this was tuff! but I was motivated, motivated to do better than I ever have and so I pushed it hard! then I seen them the two guys I`ve wanted to beat all year and so I bridged up on the climb and just hung in there for two laps trading places, on the what I thought was the bell lap I made my move thinking I would get to the climb first and try to stay ahead through the technical sections, but Matt hit the climb as hard and took me to the line where he got me I was still thinking there was one to go! Oh well lesson learned don`t lay off, and hey I still beat whom I really wanted to, 42 place baby, a 38 place jump from last week!!!  

West coast Guy

It’s hard for me to say which race is my favorite now; used to be Boom Island, but now I think this race put on by The Hub is at least tied. The weather was cool with a brisk breeze from the north that notched up a bit colder and stronger at the start of the B race. My pre-ride revealed a tricky and punishing course: a 180 triple barrier set-up in fresh mud, some high speed descents, some technical twisty stuff, one short stair run up, some short or gentle climbs, a rhythm section that gave the option of a double barrier, and a long (50m +) run-up back to the finish stretch. I was able to ride the last hill twice on warm-ups, but didn’t know how long that would last.

Pull up to the start after a gentle 25 minute spin on the trainer. People were claiming start-line positions before the last C racer was even through. After a couple of delays, we finally got going. I was able to stay top 20 going into the mud-pit barriers and slowly moved up to top 10 by the backside of the course. Coming up the long run-up, the crowds at the top were so loud and encouraging that the pain just floated away. Through the finish, and I’m sitting 4th. Sweet. I kept looking for more riders in front of me before I realized that I really was only 20 m off the lead rider.

Over the next two laps, I moved up to second, fell back to third when Guy passed me after a strong recovery, then settled into fourth half way through lap three. I was trying to hang onto to a wheel for the headwind sections and kept fighting back to close the small gaps down until two and half to go, when my legs started cramping up a bit. I eased off just enough to let them recover, then kept the pace steady again. Two to go, I was caught by two guys and didn’t have enough to come around them again, but hung on for a while. One to go and a small gap had opened, but the leaders were still no more than 100 meters up the course. I knew I had someone else breathing down my neck so I hit the final run-up as hard as I could to hold steady with him, then got back on the bike so much faster (i almost laughed as I saw him almost stop to climb back on–cross is all about the skill and the strength) to get away and almost fast enough to catch the rider in front of me until I hit the headwind into the finish. Rolled in solo after nearly 50 minutes of racing.

Had to leave after my race to catch the niece’s b-day party, so I haven’t seen official results, but I think I ended up 6th overall, and somewhere between 3rd and 5th in B1 (depending on how they score the single-speed phenom Ezra who lead most of the race after lap 2). Even though yesterday’s result is better on paper, today’s is worth so much more given the much larger and significantly stronger field (I’m guessing 70-80). That and it was on a more true cyclocross course.

If you’re in the Minneapolis area next year for the Mill City Classic, come check it out; you won’t be disappointed.

I finally started my 07-08 cyclocross season this morning at Bay Area Super Prestige #2 at Candlestick Point in San Francisco. I was originally supposed to start at the Lion of Fairfax on 9/29, but a nasty cold knocked me down going into that weekend and I ended up sitting it out. I was bummed about throwing away $40 of entry fees, but stuff happens.

Today’s conditions, however, were about as good as you could get for getting back into racing mode. The course was mostly flat with a good mix of sweeping turns and tight corners, as well as a few short and steep inclines and a looooong stretch of asphalt that ran from the back of the course into the start/finish chute. There was of only one good line through the dirt sections, but thanks to the generous width through most of the course there was more than enough space to pass or bunch up without anyone being in too much danger of getting squeezed out or being forced to dab (once the field got strung out, of course).

My race, Men’s C, was the second race of the day and went off at 8:31 behind the 55+ Men. The weather was perfect - cool and dry with clear skies. I lined up in the second half of the group; my goal for today was to survive and practice the skills, not mix it up on the front where I had no business being, at least not right now. The first lap was a fiasco like always, but after the pack got strung out I was able to find a rhythm and creep my way through the field. My Kona isn’t built up yet so I was riding the singlespeed. The new 36×18 gearing was perfect over most of the course except for the long back stretch, and I ended up getting pipped on the line for umpteenth place by a guy who was able to power around me in his big ring while I was spinning out my tiny gear. If there had been 100 more yards of dirt on the backside I might have been able to hold him off, but that’s racing (and gears).

The course was super fun and I felt like I rode a good, smart race. I also finished on the lead lap (barely), which is always nice. Big THANK YOUs go out to the Pilarcitos crew for sourcing a great venue and putting on a great race and to my awesome girlfriend for letting me drag her out of bed at 6am on a Sunday to take pictures and hand me water bottles! You can check out some pics of the course and the later races here, here, here and here.

Nick in SF

Today was the inaugral Twine Ball CX–brand new course and a promoter new to CX. I originally didn’t know if I would go, but I missed Wednesday’s training race due to exhaustion, so I figured another race situation before Powderhorn tomorrow would be good. The leg and hip are mostly healed from last week’s crash, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

The drive took Nate, CJ, Eric and I to the “outskirts” of Darwin, MN, home to the world’s largest ball of twine. (Don’t ask me how big; we never went to see it, although not racing around it was a bit of a let down.) Beautiful country, under a mostly sunny sky that was quickly turning to mostly cloudy. The park features a tallish knoll (50-75 feet, i’d guess) right in the middle, that I was sure would be included. Sure enough, the course looked brutally tough. Warm-up laps told me it was downright sketchy and too technical for my tastes and skills. The slow rise to the run-up on the last bit of the knoll was okay, but the drop off the other side was nasty and I almost went down the first time through when my rear wheel skidded sideways going around the first of many, bumpy, greasy switchbacks. That led to the only fast (downhill) portion straight into a set of barriers on a rooty singletrack run-up, which was followed by more rooty, greasy/muddy singletrack including one hill that was unrideable. Out of the woods, back to a wide wildgrassy stretch with another greasy short, but not too steep, hill that was rideable (barely) to the last turn into the finish.

As someone said during my warm-up–”didn’t know I would be downhilling today” or need a full helmet, full-suspension, and body armor. My goal quickly morphed to surviving the day with no crashes. I was so low key about it, I never really got a good warm-up in, but I parked myself at the start to get good positioning because I wanted to be among the first to get through that nasty downhill stretch. First time up the knoll, in 5th or 6th place. Passed two or three more on the greasy grassy climb and two more on the run-up to move into second (how’s this happening?). I was certain I would get caught from behind eventually, and was secretly hoping for it for awhile. The Other Guy was in front of me, and I didn’t care to try to chase him down, largely because I wanted to race well again tomorrow.

Last lap, I took it super easy, just trying to ride it clean and not lose my place to stupidity. At the top of the knoll, Eric is telling me I still have 30 seconds. By the time I am half-way down, he yells something like “he’s closing in”, but I don’t know what he’s talking about. I come out of the woods and Eric’s there again telling me he’s right on me. When I look back, I see that a rider I wasn’t looking for has closed down to within 10 meters of me. I focus on getting up the greasy grassy hill and punch it once I’m over the top. I look back at the corner and see that I’ve got plenty of room and coast in for second, a ways behind Guy.

Taking 2nd was a bit anti-climactic since I never really felt like I was racing after the first lap; it felt like a rather slow technical ride for most of the day and my HR monitor showed it: average HR was 166 (ten below my usual) and max was 182, which I’m sure was on the first time up the knoll. My legs are feeling pretty good, so I hope tomorrow can be a good day.

andy

I’m registered, but the timing of the birth of Chick Wah will determine if I go or don’t

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U.S. NATIONAL CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

TOUGH ON COMPETITORS, GREAT FOR SPECTATORS

Kansas City, Kan. ( Oct. 17, 2007) – The course for the 2007 U.S. Cyclocross National Championships promises to be challenging for competitors but perfect for spectators. The nearly two-mile-long course through Wyandotte County Park in Kansas City, Kan., was unveiled today on the race’s official website, www.kccrossnationals.com. Online registration for the Dec. 13-16 National Championships continues through Dec. 8, 2007 Race Director Bill Marshall of KLM Marketing Solutions had a solid blueprint for the national championship course design, having staged several UCI races in the 360-acre park, which features rolling terrain in the scenic setting of hillside oak and lakeside sycamore trees.

“We wanted to make the course very hard,” Marshall said. “Cyclocross is tough, no matter what. Our

intention was to make this course both technical and fast.” The signature element is a pair of back-to-back stair sections, each 40-feet in length, which come about a quarter-mile from the finish line. “You’ll run up the first set of stairs, get back on your bike for a brief time, then dismount and run up the second set,” Marshall said. “This is going to be crucial as we found out in Providence last year at nationals. They had two run-ups close to the finish and it makes it very interesting if it is a tight race.” Another crucial element of the course design was to make it as spectator-friendly as possible, Marshall said. Nearly the entire course is viewable from several vantage points. A barrier section, positioned between a pair of heated spectator tents, will also be a prime viewing spot.

Special attention was given to the start area to ensure that competitors who do not have the most prime starting positions have the opportunity to move up quickly before the course narrows. “That first grass section is extremely wide open and slightly uphill as it leads into the first sweeping right-hand turn,” Marshall said. “We tried to make it as close as possible to the start you would see on a UCI course. Eventually, though, there are a few turns to slow it up and create opportunities to get away.” Where the course doubles back on itself in several places could also prove particularly tricky, he said. “This course has some decent hills – not the steep ones like you saw in Providence for nationals last year but, ones that are going to be tough in all conditions,” Marshall said. “They’re long uphills so if it’s icy, they’ll be particularly treacherous. If it’s dry, the course will be rippin’ fast.”

Racers will also have to negotiate a section of the course that passes close to a pond – one that was

covered in ice when four-time national cyclocross champion Steve Tilford crashed into it during a race last year. Incredibly, Tilford recovered from the frigid plunge to come back and win.

“We’re officially labeling that pond as the ‘No Tilly Zone’ this year to recognize that feat,” Marshall said. Racers will have the unique opportunity to preview the national championship course on Sunday, Oct. 28 at the Boulevard Cup. For more information regarding this race, go to www.kcbike.com  There is no admission fee for the U.S. Cyclocross National Championships. Parking is also free, but only in designated areas. There is no fee for pit access. Official race apparel is on sale through the event’s official website, www.kccrossnationals.com  

ATHLETE REGISTRATION: www.kccrossnationals.com/NEW_SITE/Registration/index.html

About The U.S. National Cyclocross Championships

The best racers in American cyclocross will fight for the right to wear this year’s stars and stripes jersey at the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships December 13 – 16, 2007 in Kansas City, Kan. Four days of epic racing will take place on a technical, challenging and fast course for junior, collegiate, master and elite athletes from all over the country. The event venue will offer spectators multiple vantage points on the action, an Expo area, kid’s activities and beer garden. The event is sanctioned by USA Cycling and hosted by KLM Marketing Solutions

Hi, from the great NW!  After two races of the the cross crusade, I must say that this year there are so many more riders at the events, with nearly 1100 week one, and over 900 week two!  And I expect it will remain like this throughout the series.  Week one (Alpenrose dairy) was promising with good weather and just some damp areas on the track, but when we got to the start 15 to 20 minutes before the start it was a cluster!  Our race alone had almost 250 riders out on the course!  This course had a little of everything.  It started out fast on pavement, onto an old cow pasture, thru gravel roads, back out to pasture, then into the velodrome and the infield, and back out to the pavement. All in all a good, fun day of racing though not the  result I hoped for.  Week two (Horning’s Hideout) was just as fun, and the course harder than the previous week, with more climbing, faster downhills, and some pretty rough open-field terrain.  Me and teammate Guy went to the start even earlier than the week before and once again were at the back.  The start bottle-necked as everyone scrambled from a big open area into a single lane, and some riders went down as soon as they came to the first corner.  The field stretched out once the racers made their way thru the fast parts of the course.  Still had a blast-as always.  Race on.

                                - Jesse

If anyone has 53-54cm cross frame your willing to loan out, let me know. Our man Mikey P. busted his Sunday. Peace out ya’ll.

cj

Boom Island is where it all started for me - my first cyclocross race was last year on this course.  This Sunday was cold and wet.  I rode the 30 minutes to the race followed by a few practice laps.  With a couple technical sections, this course seemed to set up well for me.

The ‘Pyramid of Pain’ was a cool feature in this race.  I pretty much took the lines that P-Max showed us on the Wed. night clinic and was able to pick off a couple riders on each lap.  Unfortunately, I gave back those spots on the front side of the course. When they finally posted results, my name was not on the list.  FPA had already informed the officials of their mistake. (thanks Bro’)  I finished somewhere near the top ten.

Regardless, it was a great day of racing.  Got the hole shot.  Rolled the entire race with a teammate.  Finished well.  Gave CJ hand-ups in his race.  Great times.

Eric

It was the perfect day for cross racing Sunday. Cool, damp, and no real wind. As the others stated there was a huge pile up in the 1st corner that let the front 3rd of the field get gone fast. I tip-toed around the big mess in turn 1 and started hammering as hard as I could. I didn’t want team Ridley to get out of site. Stay with those dudes for the first 2 laps and your gonna have a shot at a win. As I came around a sweeping, fast, gravely right hander Andy was on his way down and there was just no time to react. I was closing in on him and the guys he was following really fast so I had no chance. I T-Boned his bike as he was sliding across my path and I was down like that. I got up and on my way quickly but I could hear my tire leaking before I really got moving.

I walked back to the officials, gave them my number, and asked if they could upgrade me so I could do the A race. The answer was no, only Matt Anderson can do that and he’s not here today. As I was walking around sulking Tim (superrookie) saw Matt pull in and was talking to him about my situation. Long story short, it got done and I did the A race. I had the results and had applied a while back but everything was still “pending approval”.

When the A race started I had some trouble getting clipped in so I was waaaaaay back after the first lap. From then on I just got into a good groove and started passing people. I moved forward the whole race. I was passed by 2 people, Dewey Dickey passed me on the 1st lap, and Doug Swanson lapped me with 2 to go.

No Idea where I ended up and I have a huge bruise on my left hip from crashing. It was a sweet day at Boom Island.

cj