Entries in 2011 cross racing (16)
Cross Racing Week 5 | Crits on knobbies
Each week it’s growing. The speeds, the intensity and of course the fun. As a group of old fast guys (or is it fast old guys?) we are thinking better in the heat of the moment, racing smarter, attacking harder and yet, each week, our boy Michael Robson is responding to our charges to reel him back in with authority. Incredible. Kudos to him and back pats to the promoters who are putting on awesome races in spectacular venues here in this incredibly arid fall we’re having in Colorado. Now if only the weather gods could start to cooperate and slow things down from the crits we’re having each week…
Day 1 – Blue Sky Velo at Xilinx
The Blue Sky Velo Club, as I’ve said time and time again, ‘gets it’.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 12:12PMCross Racing Week 4 | Black and White
Black. And. White. Two complete juxtapositions in every sense. And it’s is the only way to describe my experience at the USGP’s in Fort Collins this weekend…
~Sideways rain versus glorious sun.
~Greasy mud track versus pristinely buffed and tacky ‘hero dirt’.
~Minimal crowds who I do not blame for passing on standing in sleet and rain versus hoards of screaming fans, New Belgium beers in hand screaming their guts out. Black and white.
E V E R Y T H I N G was different between these two days for pretty much everyone, but for me in particular it felt amplified. It was extremely memorable…
The USGP’s are huge for National Cyclocross racing and Colorado in particular when the circus comes through.
Cross Racing Week 3 | Leaving it all out there
I’m not sure I will ever master high altitude racing. Each year I travel up the hill I have a game plan on how to manage the efforts required for cross at 9,200ft above sea level. Don’t go too hard off the gun/monitor efforts/Know that everyone is suffering/Ensure a killer warm up before the gun…
It all cycles through my head when heading to Frisco or Breckenridge Nordic Centers (when we used to race there). This past weekend was the Frisco cross…a double header weekend with Day 1 being a ‘Colorado Cross Cup’ points–chasing race. Tim and Scott do a great job with this event, busting their carcasses to get it right…always asking the racers for feedback, likes/dislikes etc. It’s a good thing to go and support those guys for what they do to give us a fun time.
My body is firing pretty good these days. Sleeping well, getting on the bike in the cool air of the fall mornings here in CO. Besides a small head cold, I was amped to race and stay clean. Robson and Faia are absolutely on a stratospheric level…racing just superbly and putting us on the ropes. The ‘second group’ is where the racing has been with each of us in this (frankly) freakishly similar level of fitness which has made the racing super tactical and forcing you to stay super smooth…
Cross Racing Week 2 | Premature Startilation in the Dust Bowl
While the rest of the country was getting bombarded with rain, the high country was as dry as a bone. This weekend brought only a single day of racing, the Boulder Racing Series (no. 2) at Xilinx. It’s a favorite course for Coloradoans with just enough elevation gain, pavement, woods, obstacles and off-camber. A little something for everyone if not more favored to the roadies of the group given it’s long power-paved sections.
35 Open Race
Here in ACA-land call-ups this year are being handled by our East Coast friends at Cross Results. This is interesting as it is using some pretty neat algorithms to assemble the order of riders based on data the ACA provides…which shows a precisely wrong but generally correct ordering of the crew. These guys are data geeks like me and I appreciate the time they are taking to make this all right for us around the country.
The 35 Open crew was called to the line using the Cross Results-generated list and clearly folks had their game faces on. All of us wanted to show well…and at least make it a bit hard for Robson who is absolutely ripping (and never seems to un-rip!).
And so there we are. Lined up. Waiting. All of us know that feeling before the start…
Cross Racing Week 1 | A raison d'être
I’ve talked before about cross and its meaning for me above and beyond just being a sport. It’s an anchor for me in the calendar…helping me pull my spirit through the dog days of late winter and spring, through the challenges of life and work. It’s a beacon that pulses to help me remember I am an athlete.
Cross is a reason for existence. Of course not the reason. It’s one of the core pillars of my life
Join the 2011 Boulder Cycle Sport Cyclocross Team!
Cyclocross season is rapidly approaching and we are getting ready for the best season yet!
The mission of the Boulder Cycle Sport Cyclocross Team is to create a fun and competitive cyclocross team, open to all ability levels. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a first time racer, we will provide an opportunity to take your skills to the next level. Those who have no ambitions of racing, but are looking for a fun social cycling group to be a part of are encouraged to join our growing cyclocross community, too!
Click the image above to learn more about the 2011 BCS CX Team. See you in the mud. Hup!
