Loading ...Surprising Parents, Defying Human Instincts - Spirit of Cyclocross Entry
February 28th, 2008 Filed Under editorial
Here’s yet another entry to our “Spirit of ‘Cross” essay contest. This one, by Scott Van Bergen, is for any junior considering trying cyclocross, and any parent hoping to inspire their child to join the fun.(View the growing list of published Spirit of Cyclocross Essay Entries here.)
Surprising the Parents, Defying Human Instincts
Umbrellas were starting to appear, as the rain that had been increasing all morning was now really coming down. However, it didn’t dull the roar of the cowbells around me as we stood there watching the racers charging up the hill one last time. One slipped down and had to do it again. I stood there, completely soaked, thinking to myself “Wow, how the heck could this be any fun at all?” I was 12, it was my first taste of ‘cross and it didn’t taste good.
My Dad came home talking a-mile-an-minute about how he was going to do it next season and I should join him, “We could be a team! It would be so much fun!” My mind drifted back to the guys running up the hill carrying their bikes and I thought about it. Long story short it didn’t happen, nor the next season, or even the one after that. Finally over the summer my Dad talked me into it and I got a friend and his dad in on it as well. It was going to be a great season.
October rolled around and the first race came along, and sadly, I was the only one who did it. My friend, my Dad, and everyone else disappeared like when you have to clean up after a party gone bad. They were making excuses “I’ve got too much homework,” “I have to work late” etc. etc. I have to forgive my Dad though, as he had doctor’s orders.
That first race went [More…]
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From Rattle to Cowbell: Spirit of Cyclocross Essay Entry
February 27th, 2008 Filed Under editorial
Here’s another entry to our “Spirit of ‘Cross” essay contest. This one, by Chris Chapron, is for all you new parents out there. We’ll be posting some of our entries over the next week or so.(View the growing list of published Spirit of Cyclocross Essay Entries here.)
From Rattle to Cowbell
Waking up before sunrise is always difficult but when it’s your 16-month old and not your alarm clock, it’s never that bad. Saturday’s race went really well and it only got me more pumped for Sunday’s event: same weather conditions, same course and hope for similar results. However, this Sunday morning came with a new twist from the routine pre-race ritual of getting out the door on time with the car packed. My son woke up ready to play, so my wife suggested that they tag along to the race as neither have been to a cross event before. ”No, it’s not going to work out”, I thought, “we don’t have enough time to pack up the family car with cold weather clothes, jackets, diapers, the stroller, the kitchen sink, find his favorite hat, and get out the door on time”. Chaos would surely ensue, rattling my pre-race routine with the new guests was a new sensation but it would not be the only one that day. I finally arrived in Gloucester only a few minutes later than the previous day’s event, which wasn’t too bad. “Maybe this could work”, I thought. Still, I felt like I needed to rush so that everything would be ready to go. My son couldn’t get out of the car seat quick enough, and was tugging at his gloves to help put the wheels on my bike. All he could say was “wheels…wheels.” I didn’t give too much thought about leaving my leg warmers behind on the kitchen counter, so I shrugged it off and moved along. He followed me around everywhere, saying “hi” to the familiar racers’ faces that I have met over the past few weeks. I then pointed my wife in the direction of the twisty chicane section and run up for the best viewing spot. From there, they could see the majority of the course and stand alongside other fans waiting for their turn to cheer. I could only hope they would appreciate the sport and spot me like a gasping fish in [More…]
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All Crossed Up: Spirit of Cyclocross Essay Entry
February 25th, 2008 Filed Under editorial
Here’s another entry to our “Spirit of ‘Cross” essay contest. This fun one is by Ross Schueller, describing his first ever cyclocross race at a KissCross race. We’ll be posting some of our entries over the next week or so.
(View the growing list of published Spirit of Cyclocross Essay Entries here.)
All ‘Crossed Up
Your teeth are chattering…possibly because you’re cold, possibly because you’re scared out of your mind. Got the sweater on, the full finger gloves, the tights, a warm hat under the helmet. Got you’re game face on, and you are standing with 25 other nutcases at the start line.
What is that guy with the bull-horn saying near the start line? Something about laps…3 laps?
GOOOOOOOoooooo! All the bikes around you are moving…Fast.
First little bit…ok, breathe, find your rhythm and get comfortable. You’re still near the front after 50 feet. I guess that is a moral victory of sorts. At least you didn’t crash before you crossed the starting line!
Man everyone is making a hard right turn ahead…you should probably slow down to get ready…too late, crank it around. Back tire got squirrelly for a second, but you’re still upright.
Right turn has you off the pavement now. On the grass, and a side hill. This is weird…the bike keeps wanting to drift left down the hill. Keep it straight, and keep pedaling damn it. Another right turn coming…no need to slow down this time, the grass is sucking up all the speed you had.
Around the corner and another straight-away on grass…this is easy…
Another right turn and then everyone is flipping a u-turn around a tree in front of you. Man, they are hopping off the bikes fast…must be barriers coming up…remember what you read online about how to…
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World’s Longest Cyclocross Race? Coming this June…
February 23rd, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news, racing
Long-distance cyclist and ‘cross racer Andreas Vogel likes to ride his bike just as much as the next guy. He just likes to ride it longer than the next guy. He’s planned the world’s longest ‘cross race for this June. See his details below:
The Northern California Loop Race - an 800 mile loop through the most beautiful landscapes of Northern California, fully self supported. Yes, it’s a little longer than your usual cyclocross race, but it’s only one lap.
Start 6/21 at 9am at the Denny’s in Willows, CA, for details see the race page on CyclingCalifornia.com
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Why We Race: Spirit of Cyclocross Essay Entry
February 22nd, 2008 Filed Under editorial
As we all anxiously await Issue 2 to hit our mailbox (we’re subscribers too), we’re counting down the days by publishing some of the entries to our Spirit of ‘Cross contest in Issue 1. Our issue 2 has the winning three entries, but there were a lot of other great essays. Here’s one by Brij Lunine, a Santa Cruz tough guy often seen ripping up the masters cyclocross races along with an occasional mountain bike event. Can you relate to the writer? Love it? Disagree? Throw a comment. We’ve got a bunch more coming…(View the growing list of published Spirit of Cyclocross Essay Entries here.)
Why We Race ‘Cross
It’s not some healthy, lung-clearing jog— Mike Ferentino voice-over from Pure Sweet Hell
Up at the same time I have to get up Monday through Friday. Scurrying around, making a good breakfast (always pretty much the same—two eggs and toast), running over the mental checklist from the top to bottom (helmet to shoes), loading way too much stuff into my hooptie for a forty-five minute race—two bikes, tools, pump, even a dreaded trainer on occasion, bye to the family who I’ll miss for a big part of the day. But why? Why do we spend our precious non-working hours running in the dark, nicking ourselves up practicing mounts and remounts, driving all over the Bay Area and beyond only to be able to race at our absolute limit an hour or less?
If I wanted the fitness I could just ride the road or even (gasp) run. If I wanted the fun of bombing around on singletrack I could just go mountain biking. If I wanted the competition there’s always crits, road races and mountain bike racing. What is it about ‘cross that gets us so excited? That inspires such devotion and enthusiasm? I’d like to offer a number of sometimes-interrelated ideas. [More…]
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New Poll and Old Polls
February 18th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news, editorial, publishing
We’ve got a new poll on our site - check it out on the right-hand side of our site.
Our past couple polls were pretty interesting. On racing on snow, over 50% of you said it “makes your heart tingle.” We’re assuming that’s a good thing, but perhaps for some that’s due to a bit of nerves? As I get up there in age, with a family history of heart issues, heart tingling is something I hope to avoid, although I do love racing on snow.
The previous poll was less surprising, as over 50% thought race entry fees should be $20 or less, with another 34% thinking they shouldn’t be more than $30. Who doesn’t want to save money? But yet we all want well-run, organized events. Are those two needs in conflict? Drop a comment. We’d love to hear promoters’ thoughts too.
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Second Issue Done…Finally!
February 17th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news, editorial, print mag
Our second issue (Late Winter) went to the printers last week, and should be a good one. We think we have about three typical magazines’ worth of content in this one (the upside of being young and not chock full of ads), so hopefully it’ll be worth the wait. But who said each issue should get easier? It certainly took longer than we expected — maybe we bit off too much? We had a lot of help with content, as many of you have offered support and contributed, but production was more of a challenge. We’ll have to ramp up in that area for our third issue for sure. Any volunteers? Design or editing skills can come in handy, and there are many perks too! If so, contact us.
Also, we’re trying to avoid the $2.16 per issue first class mailing cost we incurred last issue, so this one may take take a little longer to get to your doorstep, as we’re trying to use the appropriate bulk mailing options this time and not donate our life savings to USPS. Know of someone who’s been meaning to subscribe? Whether that’s you or a friend, there are just a few more days to get into that first mailing.
Here’s a hint of what’s to come:
Wellens reveals his Spirit of ‘Cross to Vardaros in a steamy Belgian trailer at Kansas City while Mo, CJ and 31 other riders eat ubeer oatmeal, thrash new bikes and gear, and race singlespeed balance balls pumped to 20 psi in Estacada wearing golden Speedos to win cool prizes. Hup hup!
Hope you enjoy it!
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CX Highlights from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show
February 9th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news, cyclocross technology
CXM correspondent Brooke Hoyer combed the 5th annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHMBS) in Portland Oregon to find the latest ‘cross offerings from our continent’s best builders. His initial report is below. We’ll have expanded coverage in our print mag.
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I spent a good chunk of the day on Friday ogling the eye candy and the 2008 North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show at the Portland Oregon Convention Center. In it’s fifth year, the show hosts a who’s who of custom bicycle builders. As a dedicated bike geek, I was overwhelmed but the sheer volume of beautiful bicycles. Since I was visiting the show on the press and industry day as a representative of Cyclocross Magazine, I did my best to stick to the script — check out the cross bikes.
Cyclocross’ growing popularity is evident in the show offerings with more than twenty builders bringing a cross bike to the show. The show didn’t offer anything as exciting as Vanilla’s Speedvagen from last year’s event in San Jose, but there were some very interesting new entries to the custom market. The two that stuck out were Courage Cycles based in Portland, OR and Triple-3 Fab from Seattle, WA. Courage offers well thought out steel bikes with very cool custom made dropouts and Triple-3 Fab combines high-end steel or titanium with carbon rears to deliver light and responsive bikes.
Speedvagen was back at the show this year. Sacha White of Vanilla and Mike DeSalvo are again combining their talents to deliver 30 cyclocross Speedvagens to excited buyers for 2008. The big news is that Speedvagen will also deliver 15 road bikes as well. Richard Sachs had a huge booth that featured one of his Sachs team cross bikes as well as a host of Sachs lugs, clothing, and merchandise. Oh yeah, and a bunch of totally free “atmo” (according to my opinion) buttons. I snagged a handful. Paul Sadoff of Rock Lobster was under the weather but still in good spirits and talked enthusiatically about his history with cross.
Richard Sach's distinctive lugs and red/white paint.
Courage has a neat seat tube badge and clean cable routing
Just your standard-issue Portland 'cross bike - Sacha White's coveted Vanilla
Rock Lobster builds some superlight Scandium racers, in addition to his steel and aluminum offerings
333 fab is a new comer to the market, from Seattle, with steel and ti creations, and carbon options.
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Beloved Bike Expert Sheldon Brown Passes
February 5th, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross news, cyclocross technology
Sheldon Brown, the world-renowned resource for all things bike-related, passed away on Sunday night. He was 63. Brown authored the highly popular website http://sheldonbrown.com, was the tech guru of Harris Cyclery in greater Boston, and often helped out many cyclists via helpful answers to tech questions on message boards. Brown touched many ‘crossers lives, via his vast knowledge and articles on topics such as cantilever brake setup, gear ratios, and wheel building, and also by supplying hard-to-find parts for the garage ‘cross project. He was truly passionate about all things bikes, and always had the biggest smile at bike swaps.
We’ll miss you Sheldon!
If you wish, drop a comment below, and we’ll pass it along to his family.
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Women’s Race Photos from Treviso Worlds by Mark Legg
February 2nd, 2008 Filed Under cyclocross photos, photography, racing
Mark Legg was sadly relieved of pit duty when Katie Compton dropped out of the Treviso worlds on the first lap due to her muscle problem. But he’s still a big ‘cross fan, and captured some great photos of the race, with some great perspectives from the pit and start line. [More…]
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