Monday, December 1, 2014

2014 Arkansas Super-Prestige p/b The Dillon Group Custom Homes

This post will be updated with the most current information on the 2014 season, as it becomes available.

CLICK HERE for points tallies through race #7

[Note: these results might be missing a couple racers who purchased USAC licences on-site. If you are one of these, please contact the Pointsmistress hladd@uwalumni.com and indicate (1) your licence number and (2) when you purchased the licence.]

A bunch of fun links get posted to the Arkansas Super-Prestige Facebook page.


1) Oct 11, Smoke n Suds #1 p/b De Pijp Cycling Federation (Fayetteville)


2) Oct 12, Smoke n Suds #2 p/b De Pijp Cycling Federation (Fayetteville)


3) Oct 19, Jones Center Cross Race p/b Dickson St Cycling Club (Springdale)


4) Nov 1, ASP Night Race p/b CARVE (Interstate Park, Little Rock)


5) Nov 9, Yell County CX Classic p/b Carr's Chain Reaction (Dardanelle)


6) Nov 22, Cedar Glades CX (Hot Springs)


7) Nov 30, Turkey Burn p/b CARVE (Little Rock)


8) Dec 7, State Championships p/b De Pijp Cycling Federation (Rogers, NON-SERIES)


9) Dec 13, Asher Grand Prix p/b The Community Bicyclist (Little Rock, NON-SERIES)


10) Dec 14, CX@Western Hills p/b The Community Bicyclist (Little Rock, SERIES FINALE)


The cross monkeys have been working behind the scenes ensuring that the 2014 cyclocross season will be the BEST YEAR EVER.


The Dillon Group Custom Homes has once again stepped up as sponsor of the series. If you ever need any home or business construction or remodeling done, give them a call and tell them cyclocross sent you. They do excellent PRO work and you won't be sorry.


The racers have spoken and we have listened.  There are a few tweaks lined up for 2014:

  • SINGLESPEED.  The singlespeed race is open to all comers, lasts 40 minutes, and starts on the same wave as the masters, women 1/2/3/4, and men's cat 4.
  • SLEEP AN EXTRA HOUR.  Sunday events start at 11am.  Last year's state championships was weather-delayed an hour and nobody had any trouble getting home in time for dinner.
  • OPEN* RACE.  You must have an annual USAC license with CX cat 4 or higher to compete in the Open* race.
As you can see on the calendar above, the State Championship race is no longer a series race, which allows more flexibility in scheduling the various age groups, categories, etc. There is also a non-series race the day before the series finale, at the same location as the finale.

In the interest of streamlining points tabulation, we will require that points earners hold an annual USAC license. For detail click HERE. (You are welcome to race with a one-day license purchased on the day of the race. You just won't get series points for it.)

Here's the Sunday race-day lineup:

11:00am (40min) Singlespeed, Men cat 4, Women cat 1/2/3/4, Masters 40+
12:15pm (30min) Men cat 5, Women cat 4, Junior 10-18
1:00pm Kid's race
1:30pm (50min) Open 1/2/3/4

Saturday races will typically start later in the day. Non-series events will have completely different line-ups of categories, age groups, start times, etc.  Race duration is approximate; race leaders are timed for the first lap or two, and then laps-to-go are displayed at the finish line.


Series awards will be given on December 14 at Cyclocross @ Western Hills.  Mantel-worthy awards will be presented 3 deep in all divisions except kid's race (no series awards) and Open (6 deep).  The Open and Women 1/2/3/4 divisions also receive cash awards:


Open $165/140/130/120/110/100

Women $165/140/130

The team award is the famed Arkansas Cyclo-cross Cup. It is a perpetual trophy, engraved with the year and team name, and put in their safe-keeping for the following year. The Cup will be awarded on December 13 at an open house celebration at Vino's from 5 to 7 pm.




OK now for the small print:


All categories (except for kid's race) earn points as follows:

- 1st place gets 10 points, 2nd place 9 points, etc, on down to 1 point for 10th place and lower
- Open race gets double points (except 11th place and lower get just 1 point)
- An abandon earns 0 points
- Individual point totals are summed across the best 7 out of 8 races
- Team point totals are the sum of all individual point totals

Points are tracked based on USAC annual license number.  New license holders carry forward ONE result earned on a one-day license.  Team affiliation is based strictly on the USAC license (shown next to "CX").


2014 Arkansas Super-Prestige presented by The Dillon Group Custom Homes

Categories and Age Groups

In advance of States, a few notes about USAC racing categories, age groups, and singlespeed. But here's a brief synopsis:

BRING YOUR LICENSE TO THE RACE. They will be checking that you are indeed entering the correct race(s). One-day licensees have this one covered.

CATEGORY

Your USAC cyclocross category is printed on your license:

A visual aid

If you are racing on a one-day license, then you are CX:05 if you are male or CX:04 if you are female (there are only 4 CX categories for women). If you want to change your category, you must make a request to usacycling.org. This is not something that can be performed on race day.

RACING AGE

OK here's where it's a little tricky. Because the national cyclocross calendar extends into the new year, your cyclocross racing age is how old you will be on December 31, 2015.

SINGLESPEED

USAC rule §1I1(i) is pretty straightforward:
A Single Speed is any type of bicycle possessing only one rear cog and only one front chainring and with no means of altering the gear ratio in any way during the race.

To summarize, BRING YOUR LICENSE. If you can't find it, print off a copy by logging on to usacycling.org. Do it now and put it in your race bag. [We have also been informed that USAC has a mobile app that allows you to show your license on your electronic device. Yet another option.]

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Points through race 3

CLICK HERE

These results have been updated to fix some problems with M5 and also give two new USAC licensees credit for previous races, per THIS.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Cedar Glades is back

Cedar Glades is back on the series calendar!  I know that many of you heartily enjoyed last year's grueling event.  The race will take place November 22, which is the day before Atilla the Hun mountain bike race.

Make it a full weekend in beautiful Hot Springs!


2014 Arkansas Super-Prestige presented by The Dillon Group Custom Homes

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Cyclocross age

Cyclocross is a unique sport in many ways, including the fact that the racing season (September through February) straddles calendar years.

At the Arkansas Super-Prestige, we've been a little loosey-goosey about racer age in the past.  But the USA Cycling rules are unequivocal:
A rider’s racing age in cyclo-cross is his age on December 31st of the year that the cyclo-cross season ends. (Glossary, USAC Rulebook

That means racer age for the 2014 Arkansas Super-Prestige is age as of December 31, 2015.

Hey, you might have just aged up!

2014 Arkansas Super-Prestige presented by The Dillon Group Custom Homes

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Gateway Cross Cup, St Louis, Oct 25/26


This is an international pro UCI event, with amateur categories being held earlier in the day.  If you've never seen top-level pros race in person...here is a great opportunity.  You can race, then get changed and put away your bike, and watch the big guns do their thing.


Sunday, August 24, 2014

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Single speed clarification

A Single Speed is any type of bicycle possessing only one rear cog and only one front chainring and with no means of altering the gear ratio in any way during the race.
2014 USA Cycling Rulebook §1I1(i)
2014 Arkansas Super-Prestige presented by The Dillon Group Custom Homes

Monday, August 11, 2014

Tentative 2014 OK CX calendar

BRAOK Facebook Page

Here is the tentative schedule for CX in Oklahoma this season! OKGP is still working out its own details of what races will be a part of the series.
Oct 4th- Evoke CX (OKC)
Oct 11th/12th- OKCX (OKC)
Oct 18th/19th- Tulsa Tough CX (Tulsa)
Oct 25th/26th- Charleys Bike Lab (OKC)
Nov 1st/2nd- Stillwater CX
Nov 8th/9th- Open
Nov 22nd/23rd- TLC Prairie CX (Tulsa)
Dec 6/7th- Ruts and Guts (Tulsa)
Dec 13th/14th- Toms CX Mohawk Park (Tulsa)
Dec 20th/21st- OKCX (OKC)
January 7-11th CX Nationals in Austin

2014 Arkansas Super-Prestige presented by The Dillon Group Custom Homes

Saturday, August 9, 2014

There's a new Points Czar in town

The tabulation of Arkansas Super-Prestige point totals will be further automated this year by pulling results directly off the USAC website.  (Somebody once said, Surround yourself with smart people.)

This means:

(1) Points will be tracked based on your annual USAC license number.  New license holders will be allowed to carry forward one race result earned under a one-day license.

(2) Team point totals will be based on your affiliation as it appears on your license.  NO RINGERS!  If you already have a license and want to change your CX team affiliation, you will need to reissue your license ($20 fee).

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Rest in peace, Laura Wooldridge

Much has been written about the shocking, sudden loss of Laura Wooldridge.  I think Joe and Lisa really got to the heart of things with a piece they wrote in Arkansas Outside (We Lost a Hero).

While cyclocross was far from Laura's #1 cycling passion, she still made her presence felt.  When we needed an official's assistant for the 2012 Reservoir Cross race, she filled in without hesitation.  I ran into Laura at one of this year's downtown crits, and she spoke with excitement about working towards her USAC officials license and asked if we'd need officials for the upcoming CX season.  She was always a joy to see, whether on the trail or at the race.

We strongly encourage people to support the Laura Wooldridge Memorial Fund, which will be used to help meet her family’s immediate needs, and also support a memorial in Laura’s name at Pfeiffer Loop, on the north side of the River Trail.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Back to Boyle, June 28

Boyle Park is a great CX venue and there's going to be a work party on June 28.  From Norm Berner:

Dear friends,

On June 28 from 9 am - 12 pm, there will be another important work project taking place at Boyle Park.  We will meet out by Pavilion #3 and divide into various work teams, according to the volunteers who show up to help and the type of equipment that they bring.  We will continue from where our team left off on June 7th, during our recent work session.

A wonderful team from AmeriCorps will be joining us.  Our great friends from Milestone Volunteers at Little Rock Air Force Base who have been providing lots of help over the past couple of months, will be back in town to lend their valuable support.  Between the two of these groups, we ought to be able to "knock down" a lot of brush and weeds!

We need people to bring brush-cutting tools, so that we can continue clearing over-growth and low-hanging limbs.  Gas-powered brush cutters, small chainsaws, limb loppers, swing blade cutters, and any other of your favorite tools to help you cut through the invasive growth, are needed.

Please share this message with all of your members and friends in your various organizations and post on your websites and social media outlets. We still have lots of work to accomplish before Arkansas Outside holds their "Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day" event out at Boyle Park, on October 4th.

Contact me via email, if you have any questions.  So that I might have a better idea as to how many people can come and help out, please have everyone RSVP to this email address.

*** For those of you who have a few extra hours on June 26 from 8:45 am - 11:30 am, I will have 110 youth ages 14-19 from an area 4-H Club coming out to Pavilion #3 at Boyle Park.  This group will be performing a community service project with me, as part of their leadership training requirement.  A few more adults to help coordinate a few projects that will be performed, would be of great help to me.  We are looking for as many leaf rakes that can be rounded up, as possible.  If any of you could help locate some additional rakes and bring them to me on the morning of the 26th, I would appreciate your assistance.  Please mark the name of the owner on the handle, by using a marker.  I will have a sheet to log-in these rakes with the name of the owner and your name and phone number.

Thanks,
Norm

Norm Berner | Volunteer Park Ranger Program Coordinator
501-371-6856 office | 501-353-9519 cell | 501-371-6832 fax
500 W. Markham | Rm 108 | Little Rock, AR 72201
nberner@littlerock.org | ParkRanger@littlerock.org | www.lrpr.org

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Keep Little Rock Beautiful this Saturday at Western Hills!

This is a great way to earn yourself some trail karma.  Fantastic plans for putting in trails, world-class frolf course, etc.  See some details in the press release below, come out to Western Hills on Saturday, and wave the Central Arkansas Trail Alliance (CATA) banner.
https://www.facebook.com/CentralARTrail

Fifth Annual Citywide Cleanup in Little Rock Set for March 8
Citywide effort promotes litter pickup, community improvement

Keep Little Rock Beautiful (KLRB), a certified local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, will host its fifth annual Citywide Cleanup Saturday,  March 8, to promote litter pickup, recycling, beautification and community improvement in the capital city.

The 2014 Citywide Cleanup will kick off at Western Hills Park (5207 Western Hills Avenue) in the historic Western Hills Neighborhood in Little Rock at 8 a.m. on March 8. Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola will issue a proclamation about the citywide cleanup and highlight the work of the Western Hills Neighborhood Association volunteers, who continue to lead successful cleanup initiatives in the neighborhood. There will also be a recycling trailer available at Western Hills Park during the Cleanup for volunteers to recycle plastic, aluminum and glass to help raise awareness about the recycling services offered by the City of Little Rock.

KLRB has chosen to host the Citywide Cleanup kickoff at Western Hills Park to celebrate the great strides that are being made to develop this large area in a way that maintains its natural beauty, while also offering state-of-the-art amenities and activities.

“Throughout this development process, we have received tremendous encouragement from neighborhood and city residents to preserve, protect and promote the natural beauty of the Western Hills Park area,” said Norm Berner, KLRB Board Member and Public Affairs Coordinator for the adjacent Meadowcliff/Brookwood Neighborhood Association. “Folks don't want to see the land bulldozed to build ball fields, soccer fields, or buildings with parking lots, or destroy the wonderful trees. Having all of this natural beauty and open space in just about the center of our city is quite unique and one of the best kept secrets around.”

Sunday, January 26, 2014

#SVENNESS 2.16

If you haven't been washing the #SVENNESS clips, you have a lot of catching up to do!


#SVENNESS 2.16 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Singlespeed

By popular demand, there will be a singlespeed division in the 2014 Arkansas Super-Prestige!

The singlespeeders will be run in the same wave as M4, W1234, and Masters 40+.

FICBP