September Skills-n-Drills

Have received word that Skills-n-Drills will be held Monday evenings in September at Allsopp Park. This will be a great opportunity for riders of all levels to learn, practice, and hone their CX-specific skills. It is not a hot-laps session. Details to come.

Microcross

"Microcross is a practice cyclocross session. It is free to anyone and allows riders to practice the skills needed to compete in cyclocross racing."

It's put on by Highroller Cyclery and runs Thursday evenings. Looks like the first one in on September 6, but check their Facebook page to make sure. A practice session like this is the best way to get prepared for cross season!

Get you some!

Tubeless experiment, part 2

Short little update to the tubeless experiment.

The dreaded burp has not been a problem (knock on wood). But I did manage to pinch-flat this morning, bottoming out on a stream crossing at 35psi. The sealant did its darndest, but no dice. The only time I've pinch-flatted a tubular was on a similar deal. (Now I get to test Hutchinson's tubeless repair kit.)

I really like the Mud 2 as an all-around tire. Great grip, rolls pretty nice on pavement. I haven't tested it in real slop yet.

Bottom line: There is no single fool-proof tire setup. And the Natural State is rough on tires.

P.S. We welcome Leborne Coaching as the final co-sponsor of the 2012 Arkansas Super-Prestige. They can help you get ready for cross season!
P.P.S. We're sorry that you get an error message if you don't type "www." before "arkansascyclocross.com". The cross monkeys are working on it.

Swapping drop bars for flat bars

Apparently the secret is using a really long stem.  Et voila.

http://surlybikes.com/blog/post/an_old_friend_revisited

[By the way, it is perfectly legal, according to USA Cycling rules, to race cyclocross on a mountain bike, on a cross bike with flat bars, on a vintage road bike with knobby tires, or basically anything with two wheels, two brakes, and nothing obviously dangerous on it.  The ultra-picky Union Cycliste Internationale rules only apply to internationally sanctioned elite races.]

Here's a video of Thomas Frishknecht sprinting to silver on flat bars in the 1997 world championships.

2012 Arkansas Super-Prestige

The 2012 Arkansas Super-Prestige (ASP) cyclocross points series will be contested over eight races in central and northwest Arkansas, running from October through December. Medals will be awarded three-deep in five race classes---Open, Women, Fours (USA Cycling CX category 4), Masters (40+), and Juniors (18-)---and the overall highest-scoring team will be awarded the Arkansas Cyclocross Cup.

The 2012 ASP is co-sponsored by Arkansas Cycling & Fitness, CARVE, Chainwheel, The Community Bicyclist, Phat Tire Bike Shop, Spokes, and Leborne Coaching. Thanks to their generous support, the ASP will be awarding $900 $1100 to the top Open and Women's class racers:
Open payout: $150 / 130 / 120 / 110 / 100 / 90
Women's payout: $150 / 130 / 120

Cyclocross ("CX", "cross") is a 30- to 60-minute bicycle race covering a roughly one-mile closed circuit of mixed terrain including pavement, grass, gravel, and dirt. Racers are forced to dismount and portage their bikes over a variety of hurdles, log-piles, or steep ravines, earning the sport its reputation as "the steeplechase of cycling." Because of its unique challenges and spectator-friendly nature, cross is the fastest growing form of bike racing in the U.S.

The ASP season opens with a weekend of racing in Little Rock. On Saturday, October 13, the ASP Night Race takes over Kanis Park for fast and exciting racing under the lights, followed on Sunday with Reservoir Cross, over a tough, hilly, rocky circuit in Reservoir Park. The entire season is listed below.

Bookmark www.arkansascyclocross.com for the latest ASP news, a complete set of series rules, and ongoing coverage of the races.

Date	Location		Presented by
Oct 13	Little Rock	ASP Night Race	CARVE
Oct 14	Little Rock	Reservoir Cross	The Community Bicyclist
Nov 3	Fayetteville	Highroller's Cyclocross Adventure	Highroller Cyclery
Nov 4	Fayetteville	De Pijp's Smoke & Suds	De Pijp Cycling Team
Nov 11	Russellville	Old Post Cyclocross	Poppa Wheelies
Nov 25	Little Rock	Turkey Burn	CARVE
Dec 2	Bentonville	Phat Tire Cyclocross	Phat Tire Bike Shop
Dec 9	Little Rock	Series Closer	CARVE

August is Cyclocross Base Training Month

The cross-monkeys are hard at work making this year the CXbest ever.  The series calendar is holding steady.  We've got several generous sponsors lining up to give the Arkansas Super-Prestige points series its first cash purse.  We'll be rolling out the finalized calendar, series rules, and prize schedule in the next couple weeks.

These hot months are a great time to get low- to moderate-intensity mileage done.  The better your tanline in September, the better your performance in December.  Carry plenty of water and salt.  Wear a cabbage-leaf under your helmet to keep your head cool and sunburn-free.  Be happy in the swelter.

Series schedule...are we there yet?

We're getting very close to finalizing the series schedule.  CLICK HERE to see the calendar as it currently stands.


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