molly
The bikes; different than our ’cross bikes; have weird frames; fat, overstuffed tires and flat bars (where do my hands go?) but in reality, I’ve learned a ton from riding and racing my mountain bike this summer. Lessons that, I’m certain, will come in handy as I make the transition from rock gardens and stream crossings to 40 cm. barriers.
When it comes to Northeast cyclocross racing and specifically Northeast-based cyclocross professionals, most think of the usual suspects: Adam Myerson of Cycle-Smart, Jeremy Powers of Rapha-Focus, Tim Johnson of Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale, the retired Dan Timmerman (formerly of Richard Sachs), Jamey Driscoll of Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale and the list goes on. However, if you attend almost any Northeast UCI level cyclocross race, you will find perennial strong man Justin Lindine mixing it up at the front of the race with the big names in the sport and often finishing on the top of the podium. Recently, Justin took the time to sit down and answer some of my questions regarding his recent move from full time road racer to full-time elite Mountain XC racer, his racing plans for the future and of course, cyclocross.
Longmont, Colorado — The nation’s biggest cyclocross race, CrossVegas, has taken CLIF® BAR as its first title sponsor. The original energy bar made with organic ingredients, CLIF BAR is increasing its annual participation from supporting to title sponsor in a multi-year deal concluded recently.
The past four days have been all about cyclocross for me. And I have to tell you, it has been amazing. Between seeing how “real cyclists” exist in their normal world to being at the Cycle-Smart Cyclocross Clinic, I have learned so much and met some really incredible people, again reaffirming why I love this sport so darn much. Now that I’m finally at the beach on my family vacation, I get to sit and reflect on the past few days and decide where I go from here. Cyclocross season is only a couple of weekends away, and I’m feeling pretty ready for it.
We’ve heard a lot about the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference in the past few weeks from coordinators Joe Kopena, Tim Manzella and Steven Hopengarten, but what about the other conferences out there? We’ve been reaching out all around the country to find out how collegiate teams are making cyclocross season count. Wilson Hale, cyclocross coordinator for the Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference, was kind enough to give us a sneak peek into the makings of a stellar season when schools are situated south of the ECCC. Unlike the ECCC, the ACCC has a shorter season and chooses to host their own races, rather than racing collegiate within standard cyclocross races.
OK people, it’s August, races are coming up quick, and ’cross prep is happening around the country. Now that you’ve dialed in the bike parts, shaved some weight off of your frame (bike or otherwise), gotten the tubies set to roll, what’s left? Well, its time to work on the shoes, two of the key contact points with your bike, and remove the opportunity for dirt, sticks, mud, rocks or other debris to get caught up between the shoe sole and your cleat. Face it, you just can’t go as fast or crush your competitors without being clipped in fully.
My pitch to Cyclocross Magazine’s Online Editor Molly for this column went something like this: “Cyclocross racer from New Hampshire moves to Texas. Wacky hijinks ensue.”
Hi, I’m Mark. I just moved from New Jersey to Texas one month ago. I race cyclocross.
It’s summer in Wisconsin, and that means a lot of criterium racing. We’re fortunate to have two race series here, and as a teacher I have a bit of time in the summer to race.
The result of all the racing is that I’m definitely making progress in my recovery. I’ve felt progressively stronger as the summer has gone on. I don’t think I’ll ever be the rider I was before the crash, but I have become a different rider.
Almost as much as beer, coffee is a part of cyclocross, and cycling in general. Coffee snobbery is fairly common at races, though the Dunkin’ Donuts run remains a time-honored tradition for some teams. This week on the Cowbell Forum, we had a member ask for coffee suggestions, and the forum went crazy. The great coffee debate, labeled “Coffee Anyone” had answers ranging from tiny fair trade roasters to more traditional blends.
Portland, OR — Even though it seems like summer only started a few weeks ago, the cyclo cross season is now rapidly approaching. The Knights of the Crusade have been feverishly working to line up race locations and dates that we think will make for the most kick butt season ever. Our website, www.crosscrusade.com is finally updated and the 2011 race schedule is posted. We will be visiting many of our long standing venues this year and at the same time have made some cool changes. The biggest of these changes is that we will be going to Bend for the Halloween Crusade weekend on Oct. 29/30. The City of Bend is throwing out a huge fuzzy welcome mat for us and is allowing us to race on the same course that was used for the 2009/2010 U.S. National Cyclocross Championships. Cross Crusade presenting sponsor, Deschutes Brewing Co. is throwing a huge party on Saturday the 29th in their warehouse. Which happens to sit just next to the race venue.
Seattle, WA — Low Pressure Promotions, LLC announced the details of the 2011 MFG Cyclocross schedule at its world headquarters in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, WA today. MFG Cyclocross is presented by Raleigh Bicycles for 2011 and will consist of six races beginning in September and will conclude on November 13th at the 3rd Annual Woodland Park Gran Prix.
Not only does the USGP come to Sun Prairie in September and nationals to Madison in January, but with 15 events on the schedule, the Wisconsin Cycling Association will be one of the largest series’ in the US.
We’ve heard, in past Women’s Wednesday interviews, from women who’ve said that finding sponsor money is harder, the payouts aren’t nearly as lucrative and being taken seriously in the sport is more of a challenge. Today, we asked all types of women cyclists the questions, “what is the hardest part of being a woman cyclist? And what’s the best part?” Answered ranged from serious to humorous, and I was amazed at how many women had a lot to say about the cycling scene.
You may have seen the beginning of Lee’s interview with Rob Curtis in his column this past Saturday, but that was only the beginning. Today, Lee continues his interview with Rob Curtis, the wheel-builder behind PSIMET Wheels.
Philadelphia, PA — Nittany Cross, the first two of 14 races in Mid-Atlantic Cyclocross Series, serves as the closest thing to opening day regional ’crossers have to mark the start of a season that for many goes into the new year. On September 10 and 11, local and international competitors from beginner to elite (professional) categories will descend upon the Valley Preferred Cycling Center’s Trexlertown grounds to participate in the frenzied, furiously fun sport of cyclocross.
As you may have read in our previous article on the USA Cycling Board Elections, there are open positions on the cyclocross committee. At Cyclocross Magazine, we recognize the importance of these positions, and because of that, we want to encourage everyone to vote in the elections. Today, we’re presenting our first candidate statement from Brook Watts, who most of you may know as the man who brings you CrossVegas. If you’re running for a position on the committee, email [email protected] with your position and we’d be happy to post it.
Because no one has written much on nutrition for cyclocross racers, we at Cyclocross Magazine decided to ask Fitzgerald for some cyclocross-specific advice. As ’crossers, we have interesting nutritional needs: we race in all types of temperatures and climates, we go hard for 45 minutes two days a week and then recover to do it all again and of course, we do love the beer tent. We’re a nutritional enigma, trying to eat healthy surrounded by waffle carts and chocolate-covered bacon and trying to stay svelte for a long season that often isn’t a racer’s main season is a challenge in and of itself. It gets even harder when racers’ schedules demand a lot of recovery and travel time, and little by way of long hours on the bike. Luckily, Fitzgerald had some tips for us.
On Saturday, a triumphant Todd Wells tweeted, “Just won the Leadville 100 with the 2nd fastest time to Levi, 6:23ish I think!! I’m gonna eat whatever I want …”
Read more to find out what Wells told us about the race.
Want to know what to look for on Cyclocross Magazine this week? Worried you might have missed something last week? Fear not, because we’ve got it all mapped out for you. Every Monday, we have a preview of what’s in store for the week, and we’ll let you know about some of the great articles that you might have missed last week. If there’s any story you’d like us to cover, any burning question you want answered, or any cool racer you’d like to hear from, let us know! Leave messages in the comments, find me on the Cowbell Forums or email molly [at] cxmagazine.com.
Gluing tubulars is tricky business. And writing about it is just as difficult, if not more so. After all, everyone has his or her own gluing style, and everyone will tell you that his or her style is the best one. One of our brave mechanics, Jason Gardner of Jinji Cycles, decided to share his expertise with us.
IN THE COWBELL FORUMS:
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