Loading ...Season’s Last Race or First? Cult Cross Wrap-Up
April 8th, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross news, racing
Larry G tried something new this year…a spring ‘cross series in Colorado. The races proved to be the ideal fix for the ‘cross diehards, as well as a great chance for newbies to try out the sport without getting swarmed by huge packs and amped up racers releasing months of cyclocross-less angst. Is he on to something? Check it out yourself in 2009, or consider organizing your own informal or official local spring series. Here’s Larry’s series write-up.
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It’s funny how similar promoting and actually carrying out a cyclocross series closely resembles the actual racing of a cross race…
At first it seems like a wonderful idea, something you are sure to finish and have a great sense of accomplishment when you reach the “one to go” bell. But somewhere along the way, the challenges and obstacles you are faced with become incredibly difficult to overcome. In my case, shoveling out “single track” from two feet of snow for two weeks prior to your first race promotion is a bit overwhelming, then you get it done and it snow another foot and stay cold. Somehow, you manage to get a course ready for riders to race on and you know what, they come, even in the spring, and they race cross like it’s Nationals in Kansas City, they leave it all out there, run the tall barrier sections, ride the three inch deep mud, negotiate the incredibly difficult snow run, survive the “truth or dare” bridge and come through lap one covered in mud with their drive trains begging for mercy.
The racers’ fitness is no where near what it will be when fall arrives, but they tackle the course as if it is fall, cross makes them feel alive and it’s great to be getting a jump start on their road or mountain bike seasons. Every racer talks about the race with a smile on their face when [More…]
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Cyclocross in the (Front Page) News
March 21st, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross news
Last weekend, cyclocross made its spring debut in Eagle, Colorado. A Friday storm brought fresh snow and a challenging drive to the race, but racers were greeted with perfect ‘cross conditions, with snow, mud and frozen tundra waiting to put a fresh coat of ‘cross dressing on their dried-out bikes. The races even made the front page of the Vail Daily newspaper with a story on the new spring series. The race brought out pros, first-timers, and baby-carrying [More…]
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Men’s Race - Live Coverage Underway
January 27th, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross news, racing
The final event of the day is about to begin. We’re here again live. The front line of the race is a wall of Belgian Jerseys. Hit refresh on your browser for the latest update. We’ve only got three Americans today, Tim Johnson, Jonathan Page, and Jeremy Powers, now that Trebon is home healing.
0:00: They’re off! Lars Boom (Netherlands) takes the holeshot quickly, chargig up the nine percent grade. Francis Mourey (France), Ivan Fanelli and Klaas Vantornout (Belgium) are the front four.
4:00 Mourey takes to the front, and Vantornout is dropping back. Where are the Belgians?
6:20 Boom goes for a bike switch already, and comes out of the pits in fourth.
7:22 The leaders come through the start finish. The main Belgians have closed the gap, Vervecken has moved up, and we’ve got a pack of 20 riders up there. Tim Johnson looks close to the lead group.
9:40 Page made it up into the top 20. The race is like a crit in these early laps. The Czechs have moved up now, with Radomir Simunek and Zdenek Stybar near the front. Sven Nys is [More…]
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Live Coverage of the Women’s race is underway!
January 27th, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross news, racing
Live Coverage of the women’s race:
Thirty Eight Women are lined up to start the race, from 12 nations. Hanka Kupfernagel of German, 3-time worlds winner, has to be the favorite based on her recent performance. Looks like Katie Compton (USA), last year’s silver medalist will give it a shot, despite her recent debilitating muscle problems. She’s on the front line, third from the left based on her UCI points. Other Americans to start are Kerry Barnholt, Sue Butler, Amy Dombroski, and Rachel Lloyd.
0:00: They’re off. Daphny Van Der Brand (Netherlands) got the holeshot. Two Americans collide, with one going down. It’s Rachel Lloyd who’s down, but she gets up quickly.
3:00 They’re still bunched up. No clear gaps yet.
6:00: Canadian Wendy Simms is leading the race just six minutes in! There’s a big group still. Katie Compton was last up the first steep (26 percent grade) climb, visibly limping and [More…]
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Day 1 Wrap-Up from Treviso
January 26th, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross news, cyclocross photos, racing
CXM Shutterbug and Correspondent Joe Sales has been doing double duty as a writer and photographer in Italy, providing us with great summaries and awesome photos. He sent in this Day 1 summary below. Like what he’s doing? Drop a kind word in the comments below. View his Day 1 Photos here.
2008 World Cyclocross Championships: Day One
Day one of the 2008 Cyclocross World Championships in Treviso Italy was conducted on a bright, sunny and unseasonably warm day that few American cyclocross fans would consider typical “cross weather.” Although bad weather and cyclocross often seem like two inseparable lovers and it’s difficult to imagine one without the other; today’s racing on a dry and fast course remained quite challenging for the racers and produced two worthy champions.
The Junior men raced in the morning and US National Champion Luke Keough had an impressive start making the initial split that lead the charge up the brutal and challenging 28 percent steep pitch that greets riders early in each lap. Although he was never able to quite reach the front of the race, Keough was able to maintain his early advantage over the majority of a very scrappy and determined group of young racers and produced a respectable 10th overall. Keough, like all of the US Junior team except Steve Fisher, is a first year Junior and his impressive ride today [More…]
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Junior and Espoir Race: Favorites Rule
January 26th, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross news, racing
Sunny skies and relatively warm and dry conditions greeted today’s racers, with little mud on the Le Bandie Lake course in Treviso, Italy. To the casual observer, it might not seem like ‘cross. No mud, snow, ice, or barriers, and many riders in short sleeves. But true to ‘cross, the course still forced several dismounts, and despite the weather, it proved to require tremendous power and bike handling skills typically needed in ‘cross, with its steep climbs, drops, and off camber sections. [More…]
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Kathy Sarvary’s winning ride at worlds
January 24th, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross news, racing, rider diary
Kathy Sarvary, four-time national cyclocross champion, made the trip to Mol, Belgium to contest the UCI Masters World Championships, and came back with a win and a rainbow jersey. She sent us this trip diary of her memorable trip:
Well…it’s finally over! It was a story book ending, to a story book year for me. I’m not sure the reality of what’s taken place has had the chance to sink in.
We arrived a week before Worlds, which allowed me to race in 2 local races…Saturday in Belgium and Sunday in Holland. Both days taught me volumes both by way of course conditions, racing style in Europe and subtle differences in the way the race is staged, officiated, etc.
We connected with several North American racers while in Belgium…and found the bonds developed very quickly. [More…]
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Photos from Hoogerheide World Cup Women’s Race
January 23rd, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross photos, photography, racing
Thanks to Mark Legg, we’ve got some great photos of the women’s race at the Hoogerheide UCI World Cup in the Netherlands on January 20th.
Normally at UCI World Cup Races, Mark Legg, partner of Katie Compton, is running around like crazy to support Katie. At any given moment, he’s wrenching, washing bikes, delivering warm-up or cool-down clothes, and maybe trying to snap a picture or two, if not all [More…]
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Masters Worlds - Final Lew Rollins Diary Entry, Part 3 of 3
January 23rd, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, cyclocross news, editorial, racing, rider diary
This is a continuing series of (slightly delayed) diary entries by Utah’s Lew Rollins, the reigning national Men’s 60-64 National Champion. He traveled with a group from Utah to contest the UCI Masters World Championships, see the sights, and watch a few UCI World Cup ‘cross races. You can read his first entry here and second entry here.
Day 10 (1/18) Today started with a final look at tomorrow’s course. Each of us rode the course several times. The initial combination of sand stretches continues to be the toughest part of the course. The lengthy opening sprint to these stretches of sand is also difficult and not my strength. I expect to be running and not riding [More…]
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Masters Worlds - Lew Rollins Diary Continued
January 22nd, 2008 Filed Under 'cross race results, editorial, racing, rider diary
This is a continuing series of (slightly delayed) diary entries by Utah’s Lew Rollins, the reigning national mens 60-64 National Champion. You can read his first entry here and his last entry here.
Day 4 (1/12) began early as we were on the road by 0630 for a 300 Km round trip to Langemark BE. The CX race in Langemark is part of a series called the Flemish Cup. Race day registration only…passport, international licence & USCF Permission to Race in a Foreign Country letter. Registration took place in a local café called De Sportman. You paid a refundable deposit for your race number. Apparently, almost every CX race in this area is a basically mud fest. [More…]
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