Posts in category editorial

Cyclocross rarely knows such glamour, despite richly deserving it. And Vegas had it all: shiny things, light things, new things, expensive things; trade shows were ever thus. Oh, and the hangovers. I’m sure there were some immense hangovers.

A casual glance at this array of goodies might convince you that their purpose was to make you faster. Anyone who has ever pressed a pedal in anger can tell you otherwise. These gadgets exist solely to tell you how slow you are. They can express inadequecy in figures accurate to the third decimal point. The all-consuming guilt that can be inspired by a powermeter is phenomenal. If I ever find myself poor (poor in a serious way, not poor in my current self-proclaimed, irreverent, slightly flippant way) I will qualify as a psychoanalyst and specialise in treating the anxieties of middle-aged bike racers. I would never go hungry again.

Going to college is great. There is enough parties and beer to make anyone happy. But you have to remember the point of going to school, and that is: to get a degree. Hopefully, that degree will turn into a job. In order for you to get a degree, you need to do your homework.

That homework is keeping me off the bike.

At Interbike on Wednesday, you see beyond the glitz and glamour of carbon fiber road wheels and fixed gear glory. You feel the grass, you smell the dirt, sweat, blood, tears … you know it’s almost time for CrossVegas. You check your watch over and over again, counting down to the moment when you can finally start heading to the event you’ve been waiting for.

The Belgians came, they saw, and, oh man, have they conquered. Well, an American did grab one win and that was a UCI race, so I guess it counts for something. The first week of the international season is under way and is there ever a bunch to talk about! First is CrossVegas, so much going on there. We can’t not talk about this weekends upcoming races in Seattle, Vermont and Maryland. Did you catch the velo bowl? Jurgen Mettepenningen is confident in Pauwels, Aernouts and Vantornout. National Champ Todd Wells will not defend his stars and stripes this January; London Olympics and Louisville 2013 are the goals. Finally, in this week’s Working Man’s Edition there were just too many of you, so instead, there’s a list of all the riders that deserve some respect!

I’ve been in Texas now for about two months, and I have a confession to make: I’m a little homesick.

Initially the thrill of being in a new place and meeting new people kept me from thinking too much about it, but as the dust has settled and I have fallen into my daily routine, I have to say: I miss my crew.

It’s almost Autumn. Hard to believe when the temperature in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, yesterday was in the mid-90s. Our first ’cross race, the target of all my work this past summer, is in less than three weeks. As soon as I got back from Nationals I began thinking about, planning for, and training towards this season. How many times in my life am I going to have the chance to even consider going to Masters Worlds? With their presence in the US for the next two years, it actually is a reality for me. All of the goals I’ve set, every mile on the mountain bike this summer, each circuit on the ’cross course; they’re now money in the bank. This week I’ll finalize my racing schedule for the season and then, with Louisville firmly planted in my mind, I’ll start racing. One more endurance race over Labor Day weekend, and then, cyclocross. Scraped shins, mud of all varieties, ruts, sand, max heart rate, blood, sweat and drool. What could be more fun?

The Euro’s are coming, the Euro’s are coming. Have we really made that much of an impact or is this just a fluke as everyone is thinking about the 2013 World Champs in Louisville? It is officially here though folks, ’cross season’s big kick-off tomorrow. So with that being said, where are the pros going this weekend and what are they up to if not racing? Jeremy Powers, Adam Myerson, Tom Van Den Bosche, Ian Field, Bryan Fawley, Luke and Jesse Keough, Justin Lindine and Weston Schempf are all lining up for the men at the 6th Annual Nittany Cross. And for the women we have Helen Wyman, Rebecca Wellons, Laura Van Gilder, Vicki Thomas and Gabby Day. Tim Johnson is out training with ’cross buddy and fellow New Englander Jesse Anthony; will we see Jesse hit the dirt much this year? Zdenek Stybar gets serious about ’cross, at least on Twitter. Ryan Trebon starts the competition early at the GP Molly Cameron. Telenet-Fidea looks towards the future with Bart Wellens and an all-new women’s team with Nikki Harris, Sophie de Boer, Nicole de Bie and Pavla Havlikova.

I have two of the greatest sponsors in the world. Not only are they both 100% invested in my racing and incredibly enthusiastic about it, they provide services like keeping my bikes in great working condition, making sure that I’m eating enough and if I ask nicely, even doing my laundry.

by Kat Statman Wow, Twitter and Facebook have been blowing up quite a bit recently with all of this ’cross talk, but we’re not quite …

This week: cheap eats. When reading up for this article, I came across two schools of thought: those who ride to eat and those who eat to ride. I can’t pretend to be too partisan, I have sympathy for both camps.

The bikes; different than our ’cross bikes; have weird frames; fat, overstuffed tires and flat bars (where do my hands go?) but in reality, I’ve learned a ton from riding and racing my mountain bike this summer. Lessons that, I’m certain, will come in handy as I make the transition from rock gardens and stream crossings to 40 cm. barriers.

by Kat Statman It’s only two weeks away folks, and the UCI season opener is upon us in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. If you’re reading this, …

The past four days have been all about cyclocross for me. And I have to tell you, it has been amazing. Between seeing how “real cyclists” exist in their normal world to being at the Cycle-Smart Cyclocross Clinic, I have learned so much and met some really incredible people, again reaffirming why I love this sport so darn much. Now that I’m finally at the beach on my family vacation, I get to sit and reflect on the past few days and decide where I go from here. Cyclocross season is only a couple of weekends away, and I’m feeling pretty ready for it.

My pitch to Cyclocross Magazine’s Online Editor Molly for this column went something like this: “Cyclocross racer from New Hampshire moves to Texas. Wacky hijinks ensue.”

Hi, I’m Mark. I just moved from New Jersey to Texas one month ago. I race cyclocross.

It seems like there is always a lot going on in the world of professional bike racing and bike racing in general. We are always prepping for a new season or in the midst of another season. There is almost never a break: ’cross season rolls into road season which rolls into mountain bike season which rolls right back into ’cross season. But it’s that time of year again where we are rolling back into ’cross season, which means more and more ’cross pro rumors and rumblings. Sven Nys has ended his mountain bike season early to prep for ’cross. Tim Johnson and Joshn Huseby are sticking it to the Open Duo Men in Breckenridge. Jeremy Powers heads to Colorado for a little pre-race recon. Ryan Trebon takes on the hardest one day event ever, Rapha Gentleman’s Race. Todd Wells climbs to the sky and beyond. In Memory: Marc Druyts, a Cyclocross Legend. This week’s Working Man’s Edition: Matter vs. Schouten; Lindine heads to the sky.

Want to know what to look for on Cyclocross Magazine this week? Worried you might have missed something last week? Fear not, because we’ve got it all mapped out for you. Every Monday, we have a preview of what’s in store for the week, and we’ll let you know about some of the great articles that you might have missed last week. If there’s any story you’d like us to cover, any burning question you want answered, or any cool racer you’d like to hear from, let us know! Leave messages in the comments, find me on the Cowbell Forums or email molly [at] cxmagazine.com.

The sheer diversity of our cross community is one of the many things that I love about it. Across the country it’s populated by people who have found their way into cyclocross from so many different backgrounds and for such a variety of reasons. Talking with them, learning their stories, is one of my favorite things to do. I come away from every new encounter with a deeper understanding of the fact that we are truly a unique community.

Wow, mid August is upon us and that can only mean one thing, pulling out the practice barriers, heading to the local park and getting our hup on! With that, Jesse Anthony has certainly been getting his HUP on at the Tour of Utah, can he take the points jersey? Johnson and Wells head high to attempt to race 100 miles above 10,000 feet. Amy Dombroski has been productive and looks to be on track with her ’cross program. Daphny Van Den Brand has announced her retirement after the 2011–2012 racing season, can she do the triple? In this week’s working man’s edition: Tristan Schouten and Brian Matter head to the first round of the Midwest Triple Crown, The Ore to Shore.

A short catch-up: I wanted to cycle from Barcelona to Paris… These moments were the crux of the matter, I taught myself some discipline. What happens if you don’t stretch, prepare, feed, or clean properly? Well, lots of things, and few of them pleasant. Each time there was no option but to carry on. I was alone in a foreign country, without much to do except cycle and read and think, and I had a train to catch in Paris. Carry on.

There are some moments that are undefinable. There are some days that are just great. And then, if you’re really lucky, there are weekends full of those moments, one right after the other. This was one of those weekends.

Want to know what to look for on Cyclocross Magazine this week? Worried you might have missed something last week? Fear not, because we’ve got it all mapped out for you. Every Monday, we have a preview of what’s in store for the week, and we’ll let you know about some of the great articles that you might have missed last week. If there’s any story you’d like us to cover, any burning question you want answered, or any cool racer you’d like to hear from, let us know! Leave messages in the comments, find me on the Cowbell Forums or email molly [at] cxmagazine.com.

The summer months really are winding away but the high temperatures of August are showing no signs of relenting anytime soon. With a little over a month before the season gets under way, the rumors and rumblings are starting to get juicy. And, how do we know that? Well on Twitter, Veldrijden_info is no longer silent. So, the big news of the week is Tom Vannoppen’s drug bust. But that really shouldn’t cloud other good ’cross news like Nicole Duke joining the Cannondale–Cyclocrossworld.com team. Nys double flats at the London test event and would rather take an Olympic Medal over the ’cross World Championships. Tim Johnson heads to the high country for a week of epicness, how will the former “roadie” handle seven days of mountain bike racing? In this week’s Working Man’s Edition a new working man’s ’cross team comes to Colorado featuring Spencer Powlison, Grant Holicky and Scott Tietzel.

Last week, I went out on a ride after work with a good friend of mine (who also happens to be the manager for my team, Rockstar Games/Signature Cycles). We were just riding through an area that I had ridden in the past, and it was darn hilly. At one point, I caught myself wondering when the hills were going to end. Actually, I didn’t so much wonder as say it out loud, whining to Blake.

Want to know what to look for on Cyclocross Magazine this week? Worried you might have missed something last week? Fear not, because we’ve got it all mapped out for you. Every Monday, we have a preview of what’s in store for the week, and we’ll let you know about some of the great articles that you might have missed last week. If there’s any story you’d like us to cover, any burning question you want answered, or any cool racer you’d like to hear from, let us know! Leave messages in the comments, find me on the Cowbell Forums or email molly [at] cxmagazine.com.

Over the past two seasons almost everything about my preparation for cyclocross has gone through a dramatic change. And so far every step I’ve taken has yielded positive results. Now, at 61 I know I’m faster and technically better than ever. That knowledge gives me a lot of confidence going into this season with my goal of a good showing in Louisville at Masters Worlds in January 2013.

We’re just over a month away from the opening race of the American UCI ’cross season, Nittany Lion Cross and it’s sounding like things are heating up in the world of pro cyclocross. Cannondale–Cyclocrossworld.com announced the signing of Christian Heule for the 2011 season. Katie Compton won the Steamboat Springs Stinger. Bart Wellens, Sven Nys, Niels Albert, Sven Vantourenhout, Tom Meeusen, Rob Peeters and Ben Berden race with motocrossers for charity.

Train, stretch, eat, sleep, repeat. Such is the life of a racer in training, and I like it.

Want to know what to look for on Cyclocross Magazine this week? Worried you might have missed something last week? Fear not, because we’ve got it all mapped out for you. Every Monday, we have a preview of what’s in store for the week, and we’ll let you know about some of the great articles that you might have missed last week. If there’s any story you’d like us to cover, any burning question you want answered, or any cool racer you’d like to hear from, let us know! Leave messages in the comments, find me on the Cowbell Forums or email molly [at] cxmagazine.com.

Summer heat is at it’s high point. Twitter accounts across the eastern seaboard keep referencing the 90 plus degree temperatures and more and more often the cyclocross hashtag comes up on twitter. So is anything exciting happening in the wide world of pro cyclocross?

Our newest addition to the Cyclocross Magazine staff, UK-based intern David Evans is unveiling his new bi-weekly column all about racing cyclocross “on the cheap.”