Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year from arkansascyclocross.com!

It's been a breakthrough year for cyclocross in the Mid-South.  Let's make 2011 even better!

Remember that it's only a couple more weeks until the New Year Barrier CX Race.  Trevor has put together another great course, this time at Boyle Park in the heart of Little Rock.  If you weren't at the Turkey Burn, this is your chance to enjoy some tough, fun, grass-roots cross racing.

There are two Euro cross races this weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.  They each start at 8am Central, and you can find live streams at cyclingfans.com.  As I've said before, it's a great way to start the day and get some extra motivation for your weekend rides.

Have fun and be safe out there!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Superprestige Diegem

The last two laps of Superprestige Diegem from earlier today. Great, great stuff!

Visit cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Todd Wells instructional video

A day or two before Todd Wells won the 2010 U.S. National Championships, he took time out of his busy schedule to give a cyclocross tutorial for his main sponsor.  It's actually very good!

Cyclocross 101 with Todd Wells from Jim Fryer/BrakeThrough Media on Vimeo.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

'Tis the season for...Euro holiday cyclocross racing!

The week between Christmas and New Year's is a great time for cyclocross fans.  Practically each day has a major European race.  For example, here is an excerpt from Sven Nys' racing calendar:
26.12.10 UCI World Cup, Heusden/Zolder
27.12.10 Superprestige Diegem, Diegem
29.12.10 GVA - Azencross / Cross of the aces, Loenhout
30.12.10 Bredene, Bredene
1.1.11 GVA - Grote Prijs Sven Nys, Baal
2.1.11 Vlaamse Witloof Veldrit, Tervuren

The races usually start at 8am Central time, and you can find links to live streams at cyclingfans.com.  It's a great way to start the day, and great inspiration for those cold blustery winter rides.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

States video is up

Yet another total winner from http://bullyottersports.com/. More cameras than you can shake a stick at, including POV from Noah Singer, the A race winner. Check it!

[Note: You can see Craig Zediker winning the Masters state championship on a mountain bike.]

Arkansas Cyclocross Series Final Episode: State Championship from Bully Otter Sports on Vimeo.

Monday, December 20, 2010

If you think it's too cold to ride...

...watch this video.

And remember that January 16 brings cyclocross racing back to Little Rock.  Be prepared!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Details on the January 16 Little Rock cyclocross race

...are located HERE.

Keegen, Heather, and I will be giving a skills clinic at 8:30am on the morning of the race.  We'll cover the basics of getting on and off the bike, and how to carry it.  All skill levels welcome!

You don't need a cross bike to race cross.  Heather's first cross bike was a vintage Trek mountain bike (aluminum frame, steel fork, purchased in practically unused condition for two bills), and my first cross bike was a Surly Steamroller that managed to fit 32mm file-treads.






Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Don't mothball the 'cross rig just yet

This just came over the wire from Trevor Edwards of Arkansas Cycling & Fitness:

"Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that the New Year Barrier Cyclocross Race in Boyle Park, Little Rock, AR on January 16, 2011 is in the works. All the details are still being ironed out, but hopefully there will be a flier with all the details at the end of this week."

Watch this space for the latest news.

Monday, December 6, 2010

If you weren't at Burns Park on Sunday...

...you missed out.  Simple as that.  Competitive Cyclist put on a State Championship race worthy of the name.
Photos courtesy of Rob Karman
A crowd of racers, family, friends, and curious onlookers enjoyed freshly deep-fried frites (with mayo and ketchup, of course) provided by the race organizers, brats courtesy of The Pantry, and root beer on tap courtesy of Diamond Bear.  The course was fast but tough, with lots of tight turns, a couple of fun, short, and steep drops, a swoopy groomed section of the Big Ballin' Dirt Track Classic race course, a short trip through the playground woodchips, and the confounding Spiral of Death.  The weather, clear and brisk; the atmosphere, congenial.

To top it all off, the Men's A race was an epic knock-down-drag-out mano-a-mano battle that people will be talking about for a long time.  From the first lap, it was clear that local favorite Noah Singer and Jonesboro's Nate Rice were the class of the field.  They were a contrast in styles, with Nate cutting a smooth, classic profile while Noah mashed a big gear and bunnyhopped through the playground woodchips.  Nate repeatedly attacked and gapped Noah, only to have Noah fight his way back up to his wheel.  Spectators were openly wondering when the string on the yo-yo was going to break, and it certainly looked like Nate had things pretty well wrapped up midway through the last lap.

Improbably, Noah started reeling him back in during the final trip through the section of switchbacks on the main lawn.  With 300 yards to go, Nate dismounted and portaged through the woodchips, but Noah bunnyhopped through them and immediately pounced on the pedals, barely catching and then nosing ahead of Nate before the final turn.  Noah managed to maintain that lead to the finish line as the crowd went nuts.  Both guys were absolutely at their limit and put on a great show.

There will be more images, both still and moving, landing here in the next few days.  Complete results are located HERE.
Photos courtesy of Rob Karman

Friday, December 3, 2010

States! States! States!

States are this Sunday!

Burns Park: Start/finish and registration are on Arlene Layman, just west of the BMX track. Ryan and Noah from Competitive Cyclist have done a lot of work to put together a great event. The course is fast, challenging, and spectator-friendly, with roughly equal parts grass, dirt, and pavement. There have been a couple choice edits since the course map was drawn up, including the addition of the soon-to-be-world-famous Double Helix.

If you've never been out to a cross race, this will be a perfect opportunity to check it out.  Last year's race brought people from all over the state, and beyond, and it was a really good times; this year promises to be even better.

Sunday's forecast calls for clear skies and light winds.  Dress warm.

B Race: 40 minutes 10:00am-10:40am
(Cat 4, 5 men, Women Open, Master 35+) Merchandise primes

A Race: 60 minutes 11:00am-12:00pm
(Cat 1, 2, 3, Open) Cash and merchandise primes

Any questions?  Check out https://sites.google.com/site/arcyclocrosschampionships/