Pete Webber blew me away this AM with his surprise to me this AM at the Colorado Cross Classic course at the Boulder Reservoir. He had the M & C mantra, "Hup hup, butterup!" die-cut and sprayed all over the race course today. He let Aiden and I go nuts as well with chalk and stencils around the venue to help motivate the racers...and motivate me to get back to health!

HUP HUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo by Frank Overton

Hmm. At first there were the Belgian NASCAR-esque music videos, now full on vaudeville. Enjoy. Click the @2:06 tag below to get to the good stuff right away. 

The ACA has responded to the needs of our sport as we continue to grow in size every weekend. Jon Tarkington, the ACA's Executive Director distributed this memo this morning on the ACA website as well as va their email distribution channel. I've replicated it here as well as the changes are being instituted as early as this weekends racing:

ACA Cyclocross Rules Updates 10.28

This is going to be a super interesting course. The 2010 Boulder Cup wraps itself amazingly around a relatively obscure but terrain-rich course surrounding the Flat Irons Mall. Super interesting and reminds me of how designers in Europe can 'materialize' a fun course virtually anywhere (think: Diegem weaving through alleyways and back yards!)

Boulder Cup 2010 Course Map

Have a look-see at the course from this gun-camera view. Tell me this isn't going to be hard. 

2010 Boulder Cup CX Race Course Preview Brought to you by www.crossbikereview.com from Steady Pimpin on Vimeo.

I'm jealous of you punks who get to race this weekend! 

Besides Halloween and all the insanity that comes with it, the weekend of October 30 and 31 marks the return of the UCI-sanctioned North American Cyclocross Trophy series to Colorado.

Racing starts Saturday with the Colorado Cross Classic at the classic Boulder Reservoir venue, then heads over to the FlatIron Crossing Mall on Sunday for the Victory Circle Graphix Boulder Cup.

Both races will attract big amateur fields (both are also ACA Colorado Cross Cup points races), plus giant crowds and the biggest CX hitters in North America. Look for Trebon, Parbo, Powers, Johnson, Driscoll, Craig, Kabush, Anthony, Compton, Gould and Boulder’s own Amy Dombroski all battling for the biggie sized winner’s checks – and key UCI points.

While we know all those names, the newcomer to the party is the Colorado Cross Classic and its race director Tim Shea. Turns out that back in the 1990s, Shea was a honch on the Colorado amateur road race circuit. He even won the Cat. 3 state champs title in 1997. But Shea subsequently hung up the race bike for 10 years to focus on his tax advisory business.

Last year, Shea finally decided it was time to start pinning on numbers again, and started showing up at the weekend ’cross duels. The skills were intact and he won a few cat. 4/35+ races before moving up to cat. 3. This year he’s a top 10 threat in the 45+ category.

With all this re-emergence back into the cycling scene and getting a taste of the races and courses that are staples to Colorado racing, he decided to try his hand at race promotion this year. Highlights of his new race include lots of family-friendly activities, and a big title sponsorship deal with security software manufacturer, Webroot.

All by itself the Webroot partnership is huge. It’s not often that big companies from outside the cycling industry jump into the CX fray. Shea told me that the Boulder-based company has stepped up in a major way, making the deal one of the biggest single-event, non-endemic sponsorship agreements in the history of U.S. cyclocross.

Tim Shea pointing out the fine points of Boulder’s Valmont Bike Park…another organization he has dedicated his time to.

Besides cutting a sponsor check, Webroot has provided every CCC competitor a racer bag, water bottle and cowbell. And come Saturday, Webroot will be prominent at the expo, showing off their goods and doing special giveaways. On top of that anyone who ends up on the Colorado Cross Classic podium will take home some free software.

I was able to catch up with Tim to find out what else he’s got planned for Oct. 30 at the Rez. I’d been out with Pete Webber to review the course design for the day…and interesting new twist on an old venue. But I wanted to hear from Tim all the background on setting up this new event.

M&C: So why the interest in putting on a bike race?

Tim Shea: It’s something I wanted to do for a long time. A couple a years ago, I sold my business. Now it’s a new chapter. I got back into cycling and got into cyclocross. When I heard that the Saturday race was available, I figured I should go for it.

M&C: What do you have in store for the Colorado Cross Classic?

Tim Shea: Number one I want to say that I’m very impressed with the Colorado ’cross scene. But from the beginning I felt there was a chance to raise the bar because this is a national series event.

M&C: Tell us about your course and the designer?

Tim Shea: I hired the best guy around, Pete Webber. He’s Colorado State cyclocross champ from 2009 and has been an Elite Racer for nearly 16 years having represented the US at Worlds in the 90’s and has seen his share of courses. Pete’s pedigree is being a master trail builder for IMBA as well…participating in the development of 100’s of trail systems. He has assembled a great course at the Reservoir. There’s high speeds, lots of twists, of course some sand, all the things that makes a well-balanced course.

M&C: What should racers expect?

Tim Shea: First off, it’s going to be a professionally run event. That means saftey first for racers and spectators, efficient organization and registration, great prizes, family activities and of course a great atmosphere. We’re also going to have a racers tent. This will be a place where racers can get a pre- or post-race drink or snack. Peak Sports Chiropractic will be there doing massage. We want to give people a taste of what it feels like to be a pro. Plus everyone who signs up is also going to get a cowbell, a water bottle and a race bag. That all comes from Webroot, who has really gotten behind this event.

The Webroot racer booty.

M&C: How about activities for families and kids?

Tim Shea: We’ll have all kinds of stuff going on. Big expo, beer garden, food vendors, jumpy castle, face painter, a kids bike course, a fire engine. It’ll be a lot of fun for the little ones.

M&C: And there’s also running race on the schedule. What’s that all about?

Tim Shea: Yep, we’re doing what I think is a first-of-its kind event, where people will actually run the cross course. It’s a way to bring in another demographic, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the Boulder County Volunteer Firefighters who lost their homes in the Four-Mile Canyon disaster.

We’ll also be running a raffle to benefit the Boulder Junior Cycling Club. The grand prize is a cruiser bike that’s being provided by the Pedal to Properties real estate company. All proceeds from that will.

To see photos and video of the Colorado Cross Classic course, check out:

http://www.coloradocrossclassic.com/2010/10/wednesday-worlds-course-preview/

You’ll find all the schedule and registration information here:

http://www.coloradocrossclassic.com/

Mat was out at Wednesday Worlds when I had my GoPro. He spliced that footage together at all teh exact moments with his own footage. The guy is amazing...

Dueling Ridley's at Wednesday Worlds from Mat Barlow on Vimeo.

You. You are why I come back. You are why I fear many things. Death. Cancer. The Drink. Breaking bones. And yet you are why I decide to do it again every season. Frankly every day. Staying focused and with that focus achieving a balance that lets me do it all over again.

Every time our beautiful leaves change. Every time I see mud. Every time I hear cowbells. We hear them together.

Therefore I can, due to this, exhale. I can breathe calmly as I pin on my number carefully at my car. In the cold beautiful fall air. I am facing away from you and you can not see my smile as I listen to you. I hear your chatter. It is good. It motivates me. It keeps me young.

I hear your voices around me as I make my way through my pre-race rituals. In the pits. As you walk by. Gabbing to yourselves. Laughing. Talking of the corners. Of how you feel. Of tire pressures. Of your great new bike and your new French tires. Your last night. Your last season. Your season to come.

I feel your arm wrap on my back as you say good morning. You don't know it but I’ve logged that moment in my mind to remember when I am old and can not do this any longer. Your arm on me is like water in the desert. It is felt. And absorbed and channeled.

And due to these feelings, you are the reason I write. And the reason I come back to the sport. And the reason I want to do well. The reason I want to be better. The reason I will be arms up some day again.

Above all I thank you.

My Apology

Today was very rough on my spirit. The crash happened and as we say ‘it is what it is’. It was an unnecessary happenstance. And I wish I could say it was due to the racing and the heat of battle that I went down, but I can’t. But the composure I lost after I hit terra firma in my view was beneath me. So first let me please offer a deep apology to those who witnessed my idiotic acts. The words I chose to use in the heat of the moment were unacceptable as a father, a racer and a community member. I will explain my flood of emotion in a moment but I need for those who witnessed me come undone to hear my apology and know that I give you my deepest apology for words I said in public. You are there on your weekend to have fun and not hear anyone sour the air. It’s frankly why I want to come back every weekend! You are my family. And family should never sully itself.

The day – The Race Action – A Crash – Rebuild again.

Blue Sky: You are amazing. I had results in my In-Box (unfortunately without my name) within a few hours of the race’s finish. The course you prepped and had us race on was so fun, It will be legendary. Each week the designers are OUT-DUELING each other for most memorable course…where the memories are nothing but: “Holy crap, these guys NAILED it!” And Blue Sky just raised the bar. We’ve been racing Xilinx for years and this was without question the most fun I’ve had on the grounds. So, you nailed it. One suggestion: Add one SMIDGEN of length to the course. Just a wee bit on the back South side and you will be golden. Just 1 additional minute. That is IT. No more. Don’t overthink. You’re there.

The 35A’s race was magical. Every single solitary piece I have been working on came together for me personally: Don't win the hole shot/Save some/Watch carefully/Ride Your Race Smoothly/Corner well/Attack wheels… It all just seemed to materialize! No chain was happening. Seeing a target and overtaking him was happening. Being patient was happening. I had every line dialed. From my warm up to executing it during the race, my lines were dialed. Tire pressure DIALED. It was like being on remote control. It was actually quite calming in some super weird way during the race.

Rod ever-faithful captured the course for you, who are far away. Yup. Fun. And Yup, I ran a 34 Dugast Flying Doctor on the front and Typhoon on the back, Money.

Blue Sky Velo CX 35+ part 1 from Rod Yoder on Vimeo.

Midway through our race lapped riders were present. “On your left!”, and they would gracefully move well clear of the line. Deeper into the race I would overtake folks warming up and could feel it was getting ‘crowded’…as in problematically crowded. Very noticeable in terms of the number of folks getting their taste of the course in while we were racing and honestly the brazen-ness of some warming up was a bit too much for me. As I am racing, I would shout ‘Racer!’ on more than one occasion, and I am thinking ‘shit, they must have head phones in…’ as there was no movement when I‘d shout.

Note, I am thinking not of the race at these moments, but of the non-racer’s warming up for their events.

Coming into a particular section with 2 laps to go I could hear the shouts of racers ahead of me. “Racer! At this point I am flying. I’d just overtaken one particular guy to help me spring board to my team mate who I had a mental lock on to work with. Knowing that with one more interval through this ONE section I have been railing the WHOLE race I am on my team mate, Mark, and we together are going to FLY and move up fast. I heard people shouting for a particular guy warming up at this moment to get out of the way and before I know it I am doing the same. I am on him, shouting at him, taking energy and focus from my race to shout at him and say: “Dude! Out of the line! Outta the line!!!!!”. We are both spooked and I jig hard right then HARD left again to get around the apex of the turn we are both converging on. My tire slips as I am in territory I have NOT been racing on and had NOT warmed up on to find the line. I had no feel for where I was pushed out into and was out of the obvious line we’ve been taking all race.

“BAM!”

I’m on the ground…and hear a ‘pop’. Same side as in June when the clavicle snapped. I jump up again like I did that day.

“Holy shit it’s broken! Holy shit its broken! Holy shit I broke it again!” I kept shouting this. To myself. At the ground.

I unzip my skin suit to see if it came through the skin. Nothing. In fact I am pushing hard on the clavicle and…NO PAIN! No movement. Just the same old massive calcification of the break from June. But where is the pain coming from? It’s shooting like a bullet through my shoulder blade. I try to get back on my Ridely. I can’t reach the bar with my left hand. I am trying to literally get my left arm to go forward and grab the hood but it won’t. My race was SO GOOD. I am there! I am having fun! Racing Smart! NOT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I stop. I start to sob. I start to come unglued. I completely fall apart on my hands and knees.

The venom that spouted as I apologize for above is flowing. I need you to know that it was like a purge. As if the fear I have been harboring of falling on this broken bone…and all of the work I put into healing, staying positive and getting fast again…was bottled up and was GUSHING out through my insane eyes and mouth as embarrassing as it is to think about post facto. And I let it rip out between my teeth and mouth. I threw my helmet like a baby shouting at the man who jumped in my line.

I was not me.

Diesel and Phenecie were there. They saw this and guys I am sorry. You are my buds and I want you to see me in another light. I know you do, but I apologize nonetheless.

Since I could train and race again properly in August, I’ve been doing so with a personal vengeance. Yet with this odd fear that was looming…that I waiting for…for what it will feel like to re-fall and re-break my clavicle. I would envision it. Since June I replay the snap! in my ears and mind. I want to win. I want to be one of the fast guys. I want to feel success again as I define it in this case of being first across the line.

Fuck it. It’s happened.

I will stop this line of ranting and idiotic thinking. It’s not positive. It’s not forward. It’s not progress. It’s not improvement. It’s not health. It’s not what I want my boys to learn.

Can’t wait to wake up tomorrow. It’s one day of healing under the belt.

My Thoughts on Warm Ups

We are blessed to have the ACA. These folks bleed cycling from their souls like we all do here. But I think with some small modifications, we could make the racing experience even better. Specifically, I am talking about specific warm up procedures to assist with improving the experience of racers as they get their game on in their event…and all of us who need to experience the course before we race vis-à-vis warm ups on course.

When I raced in Europe, you would NEVER be allowed on course to warm up. I am not sure why we can not replicate that here. A typical weekend of racing in Colorado looks like this categorically:

• JM/W 10-12 8:30
• JM/W 8-9 8:30:30
• JM/W 15-18 9:00
• JM/W 13-14 9:00.30
• SM 35+ 9:45
• SM 35,4 10:40
• SM 45+ 11:35
• SW Open 11:35.30
• SM Open 12:40
• SM 55+ 1:50
• SW 35+ 1:50:30
• SW 4 1:51
• SM 4 2:45
• SM 3 3:45
• SInglespeed 3:45:30

I am wondering what people would think about offering dedicated warm up times throughout the day…exactly like they do in Belgium and elsewhere, where you need to show up early, be there for the dedicated warm-up time before your event and learn the course. It could be modeled like the above with merely  45 minute difference for promoters to deal with (as they must keep volunteers around for marshaling and course set up/tear down):

• 7:30-8:30 COURSE WARM UP
• JM/W 10-12 8:30
• JM/W 8-9 8:30:30
• JM/W 15-18 9:00
• JM/W 13-14 9:00.30
• 9:30-9:50 COURSE WARM UP
• SM 35+ 9:55
• SM 35,4 10:50
• 10:55-11:30 COURSE WARM UP
• SM 45+ 11:35
• SW Open 11:35.30
• 12:20-12:50 COURSE WARM UP
• SM Open 1:00
• 2:05-2:20 COURSE WARM UP
• SM 55+ 2:25
• SW 35+ 2:26
• SW 4 2:26:30
• 3:15-3:30 COURSE WARM UP
• SM 4 3:30
• SM 3 4:20
• SIngle speed 4:20:30

I am thinking through this out loud…and with you as my friends…but think the filed sizes and the number of people DYING to get out and try the course is exceeding our capacities. All race promoters NEED more volunteers (and in volunteering YOU get to pre ride as much as you like while YOU make the course!) and we need LESS people taking up space while racers are on course.

My Thoughts on Picking Up the Pieces…Again

I think I’ve said enough above. 46TXT’s and 22 phone calls. I am in shock. I was not heli-lifted from the scene…nor do I have a life threatening disease. You care enough to ask me what’s up and I love you infinitely for that. It makes me go fast. Today is Saturday, tomorrow is Sunday and I will see how I feel. I’ve been through this before, and will not deviate from my path of ‘having fun’. This is merely a trivial road block.

When you get up tomorrow morning and that garage door opens flooding in the light on your bikes and equipment, be giddy. Get excited. Feel like it will be your day. Your SMOOTHEST day. Or your ONE day without a mechanical or crash. Or YOUR day to be on the podium. There’s so many races within a race. Make your race your best. Let it star with that first gulp of cold air you feel and the first light as it exposes your equipment when that door opens.

Race your race. Be happy. Smile. Clench your fist and look at the folds in your skin as it get's tighter and you say..

Yes.

Portland. Boston. Seattle. Boulder. This is it. Burk Webb has done it. He’s captured how we all spend our weekends. It gives me a new appreciation of everything we put into our game as I see the smiles that occur in slo-mo…and a new desire to dust of my Rush collection.

Cross Crusade Race #2 Rainier High School from Burk Webb on Vimeo.

Enjoy some courses which the Wednesday AM cross crew enjoy with the permission of Boulder Parks & Rec.

Elks

The Rez (Previewing the Colorado Classic UCI Course October 30th 2010)

Let me start by saying this: Yum. An absolutely delectable Sunday up in the mountains with the family and Colorado cross community up in Estes Park, one of Colorado’s most scenic regions. You realize you are nowhere else but the Rocky Mountains when you simply pan around and take it all in…Long’s Peak providing a backdrop that you simply can’t get anywhere else in the world next to a cross course.  Aspen Lodge CX was the second stop of the Colorado Cup and it was an epic affair leaving an amazingly good taste in my mouth. We raced at 9,100 feet above sea level and on a course that I will assuredly have dreams about for months to come. It was a good old fashioned ‘cross deigned to be straight up hard. Event Organizer Chris Grealish of DBC Events and course designer Joe DePaemelaere (of Primus Mootry) put together what in my opinion was something special and fun.

First things first: The course. Joe D used the land surrounding the Aspen Lodge very interestingly. I heard so much bitching and complaining when I got there, I had to see it for myself so I set off the pre-ride with my 8 year old. Yes, it was hard. Yes, it was bumpy. Get over it. I am not saying ‘be happy with what you’re given’. What I am saying is that it was epically challenging and had you absolutely staying on your toes every meter.  It had everything from steep hard pitches to technical features like loose gravel turns taken at speed to beach sand, railroad tie run ups and rock gardens that you needed to ensure you nailed lines through. Yes a kid on a 29’er won the Men’s Open race. So perhaps feature-izing the course a bit more to prevent ride-ability could have been implemented, but…

Oh wait. That’s what they said about Sven Nijs in 1998 when he started KILLING all the Elites with his bunny hopping antics. And what did they do: Removed barriers and made many of the courses grass crits to ‘equalize’ the racing.

Aspen Lodge was a FRIGGING RAD course and I am sorry many racers had tire issues (flats, burps, etc) through the day. That is all part of the challenge and as a new course, we’ve learned and I’ll be back. The last thing I’ll say and end my diatribe: It was Colorado Cross Cup worthy. The course is one dimension in my opinion to getting a Cross Cup label. The course, combined with facilities, registration process, accessibility, were all professional. Parking was an issue but if people realized there was a big lot 200m up the road, that would have been a good improvement (note to DBC: Ensure parking up the road is well marked next year).

And by the way, my 8 year old said his race was ‘super fun!’…and I think these munchkins had it INFINITELY harder than any of us.

Let me get to the action.

My son and I pre-rode Joe’s course together. I tried Dugast Typhoons at low PSI, but switched to Rhinos immediately. It was a course that needed lots of ‘cush’ and tread. I let air out of Aiden’s little tires too! I pointed out all the gotchas to him and when it came to race time, he remembered it ALL. Impressive.

Aiden and Dad pre-riding. Photo by Neal Rogers

Aiden’s Race was SICK! Probably (no embellishment) the best race of the day. His race started by getting taken out from behind and having to jump on and drill it from DFL through the pack of juniors. He pushed all the way past the group of 8/9’s (and some 10/12’s!) with his teammate Vin Hludzinski from Boulder Cycle Sport to catch a strong Oliver Hart, pass him and  made a push to win the race! Oliver CLAWED his way back to nip Aiden in a sprint! Amazing race and I am so impressed with these kids.

On to the big boys. The 35 A’s had a great field. It was a Cup race so all the fellas came out to play of course. My goal was to not pull a ‘Frisco’ and get blown out  in the first lap (‘show up and blow up as Hogan says…) due to altitude. I lined up 2nd row and this would ensure I just chilled for the first lap or two and watched. From the gun, Ward was off the front driving the pace hard. As you can see in this video below from Rod Yoder’s ‘gun turret’ camera, we all almost got flattened by the Finish line ‘inflatable!’ (OK, Chris, maybe fix that next year, ha!). The inflatable was gone by the second lap. Watch Rod’s account of the first lap…and note when the split happens in the first lap due to a crash on the beach. I picked up the bike and just ran to stay connected to the lead group who I KNEW would be drilling it when they heard the commotion behind. Shit, I would have! Ha!

2010 Aspen Lodge CX 35+ from Rod Yoder on Vimeo.

More vantages of our race by Dale Riley (visit his site Crossin’ Colorado!) of the first lap and Ward pushing the pace hard from the gun. This is seconds after coming underneath the falling inflatable.

Aspen Lodge CX - SM35+ Open - Start from Dale Riley on Vimeo.

Dale’s video shows off some of the course features here. The hay bales below should have been replaced by a proper set of boards…but this was a last minute need by the ACA officials so I think they literally grabbed these from the horse stables! Boards next year…

Aspen Lodge CX - SM35+ Open - Lap 1 from Dale Riley on Vimeo.

The race was one of attrition. Just stay focused the whole time on what you are doing within YOUR race. I pushed hard and stayed with my buddy Rob Batey in the 2nd chase group for the WHOLE race. The first 5 guys including Ward, Michael Robson, my team mates Timmy Faia and Mark Wisner and Moot’s Glen Light were gone literally after that gap appeared in Lap 1. There was a lot of commotion going on with crashes but Robson and Ward were aggressive and pushing themselves super hard. No one was going to grab them.

Epic scenery with Long’s Peak in the background.

Batey and I traded turns lap after lap but we couldn’t get anyone back. He and I pushed it in the last lap, drilling it super hard. I could not claw back his 20 meters as he was staying super smooth (nice work Rob!). I was satisfied on the day with 7th, holding smooth myself the whole race. Never ONCE did my Rhinos un-hook and I stayed composed, did not worry too much about the gap in front and kept it together to make it hard for anyone behind to claw back. I simply drove my bike and flowed the course…and I was satisfied.

We have a double header coming this weekend I am REALLY looking forward to. Blue Sky’s Xilinx race and Brian’s ‘Bowl of Death’ at the Louisville Rec Center.

We just need some weather.