Lee strives to live, and ride, to the fullest © Annette Hayden

Masters racer Lee Waldman is fumbling his way through technique tune-ups and working on keeping his chin up as the cyclocross season looms. Along the way, he’s found new inspiration. If you missed Lee’s previous column, where he compares middle school life to ’cross races and learns some lessons along the way, go back and check it out. Also, Lee touches on something we’ll explore in greater depth in Issue 10 (coming soon!) – sports psychology and cyclocross.

by Lee Waldman

It’s less than four weeks until my first cyclocross of the new season. If you’re anything like I am, the summer’s been spent in an idyllic world of easy wins. Hey, we can dream, can’t we? Your legs never hurt – much – and you race using nothing but nose breathing. Each and every transition is smooth as butter, and it never takes more than three steps to remount. The pedals are exactly where you expect them to be each time, easily found without a second glance.

If it were only that easy. I’ve had some pretty ugly training sessions in the last few weeks, sessions where it seems I can’t get out of my own way: my remounts are rough enough to bottom out the tires, my feet slip off of the pedals when I dismount, shouldering the bike looks more like trying to lift a 50-pound sack of flour than a 16-pound carbon bike. In other words, there are days when I truly suck. Makes mental preparation a real challenge.

Here’s how I spend the weeks before the first race. First, I go through all sorts of gyrations attempting to convince myself that, “Yes, I did work hard enough this summer. No, I don’t need to lose any more weight. Yes, the training program will work and, no, I don’t need to add in another session of intervals each week.” That’s what I do first, because no matter how hard I work in the “off-season,” I will always struggle to believe in myself – to believe that I deserve what I’ve worked so hard for, that I’ve done it right. Even with a coach who has set me up perfectly for the season, the self-doubt still creeps in. Because of coach Ben Turner I’m better, but that monkey still lurks in the shadows, waiting to jump on my back every time I come back from a ride that I label as “not good.”

I was struggling with this very problem on my way home from a training session last week. It was one of those rides I was describing. Every dismount was an adventure, and I held my breath each time I vaulted back onto the bike. And they were vaults, not the smooth stepping-over-the-top-tube remounts we see the pros do so effortlessly.

As I usually do, I was listening to NPR on my iPod and trying to spin some of the lactic acid out of the legs. So, I’m about half-way home when a story comes on about memory – specifically memory loss in the elderly. It was interesting, but I was tired and only partially listening. The story was about a woman who was losing her memories (not her memory) as she grew into her 90s. She shared a comment that her mother had made. What life is really all about, her mother said, is how we choose to spend our time on earth. How we choose to spend our time on Earth. Wow! Now I was listening and thinking.

Hearing that dredged up a memory of my own, from a forgotten part of my life. In my younger days, I taught skiing. One particular morning, all of the instructors who weren’t teaching went out to clinic with our Norwegian supervisor, Agnar Fjordholm. Cool name, huh? Standing at the top of a pretty steep run, before he pushed off, he looked at all of us gathered in a circle to receive bits of advice, the kind that would immediately transform our skiing. He said, “Ski this run like it’s the last one you’ll ever ski,” and then took off. I’ll never forget that.

’Cross is coming. We’ve all trained hard over the summer, and we’ve put a lot of ourselves into preparing to do our best. We’ve done the physical work. The difference now between winning, whatever that means, and losing is attitude. My promise to myself this year is that I’ll race this season one race at a time. I’ll enjoy every one of them no matter the result. I’ll lay it all on the line every time, living in that one beautiful moment when my body, my bike and my mind are all in sync, working towards one goal. I’ll race as if it’s the last one that I’ll ever have the opportunity to race. And then I’ll get ready for the next one.

Enough. Go ride your bike!

1. Using a Coach and Enjoying the Ride – A Column by Lee Waldman
2. Motivated through Life’s Twists and Turns – A Column by Lee Waldman
3. Lessons Learned – A Column by Lee Waldman

The 2010 championship course has been extended to minimize lapped traffic.

The organizers of Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, Oregon, have released a course map for the championship races, as well as preliminary info about the preceding time trial races to determine start orders for age-based events. For the second consecutive year, the championship course is located on the grounds of the Deschutes Brewery, adjacent to the Old Mill District, but it has been lengthened to help prevent lapped riders from becoming an issue. Returning will be the staircase run-up, set of barriers and off-camber sections, but the addition of a fly-over will allow pedestrians to easily access the vendor area, beer garden and team car parking lots – without needing to cross the course.

The time trials will take place approximately 24 hours before each age-based championship race to determine seeding. Similar to last year’s championship, the top eight from the previous year will receive a call-up to the front row, as will any national champions who have aged up. The rest will be filled in based on time trial results, followed by those who opt out of competing in the TT.

“There’s not going to be anything super technically demanding, we don’t want flat tires or mechanical issues,” race director Brad Ross said of the time trial course. “But it will be physically demanding, with a couple of good long climbs and a good run-up section.”

The time trial will take place at NorthWest Crossing, on the north side of Summit High School. Anxious to get a peak of the course? It’s in the same location as the WebCyclery Thrilla CX Series, running every Thursday for the month of September.

You’ll find a comprehensive profile of the time trial and the upcoming Nationals, as well as interviews with Brad Ross and USAC’s managing director of national events Micah Rice in the just-mailed-out Issue 10, hitting the newsstands soon!

Similar to last year’s extravaganza, the 2010 Nationals promises to offer non-stop action both on and off the course, as worthy events are already springing up to lure you out of your pre-race cocoon and around town.

Preliminary Calendar for 2010 Nationals in Bend:

Wednesday December 8th

• 8am-4pm – Time Trial races in NorthWest Crossing to decide starting positions
• 2pm-5pm – Singlespeed Men and Womens National Championship races

Thursday December 9th

• 8am-4pm – Time Trial races in NorthWest Crossing to decide starting positions.
• 8am-5pm – USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championship races
• 6pm-10pm – Cross Culture Bike Art Festival
• 7pm-9pm – Crossing Barriers masters women’s social gathering

Friday December 10th

• 8am-4pm – Time Trials in NorthWest Crossing to decide starting positions
• 8am – 5pm – USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championship races
• 6pm-10pm – Cross Culture Bike Art Festival
• 7pm-9:30pm – Cyclocross film and music at the Tower Theater

Saturday December 11th

• 8am-4pm – Time Trials in NorthWest Crossing to decide starting positions
• 8am – 5pm – USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championship races
• 6pm-10pm – Cross Culture Bike Art Festival
• 6pm-8:30pm – World premier of Brian Vernors new cyclocross film and live music at the Tower Theater
• 9pm-Late – Cross Nat’s Blowout Bash at Deschutes Brewery Warehouse
• 9:30pm – Clydesdale Cyclocross Championships of the Universe at the Deschutes Brewery Warehouse

Sunday December 12th

• 8am – 4pm – USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championship races

1. Not Yet Registered for Bend? – Late Fee Looming for Nationals Registration
2. Ontario Releases 2010 Cyclocross Calendar
3. USA Cycling Announces 2010/2011 National Cyclocross Calendar

2011 MAC Series

For the first time in history, the UCI cyclocross season will begin in the United States. The Nittany Lion Cross kicks-off both the UCI and Champion System MAC season on September 11th, at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. Domestic and amateur competitors will have two opportunities to race on the weekend as the PACX season starts the following day with the Concrete Crater Cross, named for the world famous concrete velodrome at the heart of the Valley Preferred Cycling Center. In fact, the velodrome will be in action during Saturday’s Nittany Lion Cross for the MABRA Track Championships, giving spectators (and participants) the unique opportunity to walk back and forth between two completely different cycling disciplines.

One nice thing about holding a cyclocross race on the grounds of a stadium facility dedicated to bike racing is that the venue understands the needs of cyclists. With that in mind, the track’s permanent beer and wine concession will be open both days. Also open will be the Breakaway Café concession stand next to the beer stand which, as far as anyone can determine, is the only fully organic, full-service sports venue concession stand in the world. In addition to beer, wine and organic food, the facility also hosts athletic locker rooms and showers.

Aside from the infrastructure, racers will also be treated to a technical track that makes full use of the property’s elevation changes. In an experiment, the Nittany Lion Cross will change-up the usual MAC schedule a little bit by running the Elite Masters and Elite Junior race immediately after the UCI Men and Women instead of immediately before. The change does not affect the concrete Crater Cross because the lower-key PACX incorporates the Elite Masters into the Elite Men’s race for their races.  Registration and additional information for both the Nittany Lion UCI Cross (Champion System MAC) and the Concrete Crater PACX Cross is available at BikeReg.com.

1. Nittany Lion and Charm City Ready to Kick Off East Coast UCI Racing
2. Big Makeover For MAC’s 2010 Cyclocross Schedule – UPDATED
3. Hood River Double Cross to Kick-Start Oregon Cyclocross Season

An easy way to meet high caloric intake requirements. Photo via flickr by Neil Conway

In this week’s adventure, Psychlo Mom confronts the sheer volume of foodstuffs two young ‘crossers can put away. Her answer? Good humor and “Naked Banana Bread.” Did you miss Psychlo Mom’s debut article on “The Calm Before the Storm and a Recipe for Kick-Some-Ass Oatmeal Cookies?” Go check it out.

by Psychlo Mom

Yikes, I’m freakin’ out. Rita Berson, who is housing Valentin Scherz again this season, told me these Elite riders eat about 6,000 calories a day. 6,000!  Mm-hmm, Okee-dokie. So, here’s my reality…I think my family eats that many calories cumulatively. That includes my cat. Let’s be honest – I don’t know what that much food looks like in a day, or where you store it all. I’m talking just plain old where do you actually put that much food in your kitchen? When I first heard that number, I nodded like, yeah, of course. Then I got home and realized that I haven’t a clue what 6,000 calories x 2 riders/day might actually look like. My next thought was, was Rita messing with me?  Was that a joke and I missed it entirely or was she actually serious? I guess I’m about to find out.

Here’s one tiny glitch: I don’t believe in prepared foods. I’m not wacky, like you have to step on your own peanuts and churn your own butter, but I don’t do Chef Boyardee or Jolly Green Giant or anything that goes in a microwave and stinks like…like prepared food. I have a microwave. In the basement. I’m a little snobby about that, too. So whatever this mega-food parade is that I’ll be floating in, it has to be real. And two teenaged starrrrrving cyclocross boys have to be able to throw some of it together without my being involved. And they have to put it away when they’re finished fixing it or they’ll see Psychlo Mom transform into something way scarier than anything they’ve ever encountered on a bike.

School (as in work, for me) doesn’t start until next week, so I can still think about all the yummy foods I’m going to prepare, and they can eat them whenever or wherever  they want. Except on my couch, or upstairs, or basically anywhere besides the kitchen table, the sink or the porch. But still, that four-digit number is plaguing me. I did buy some cashews; they’re fattening, right? But does this mean these guys open the bag and polish off the whole thing in one sitting? If so, we’re switching to peanuts.

Here’s a beautiful little secret: My cx son has no idea I’m writing this. Really. Zippo. In part, it’s because you’re all probably all a little cross-eyed (“Dude, whattaya mean you don’t wanna hear about my ’cross riding business? It’s more interesting than…than…anything anyone else is thinking about. Duhhhhh!”) Whatever. But here’s a snippet of our conversation tonight as we were driving home from the Wawa (that’s pronounced 7-11 in other parts of the country) to buy ingredients I didn’t even use in this banana bread:

Me: Julz, do you think Rita was messing with me when she said that thing about 6,000 calories?
Julz: Chyeah. Are you kidding me? Duh.

OK, Psychlo Mom, calm down. Breathe. This morning my yoga teacher said, “The essence of yoga is being exactly where you are and doing exactly what you are doing in this moment.” She looks like she consumes about 6,000 calories a month.

So, guess where I am right now? Of course I’m in my kitchen, nimwit! I’m baking! Cuz , God forbid my boys eat Tasty Cakes, right? (Something tells me the tenor of this article is gonna shift real soon. Next month: “Twenty Creative Tricks with Twinkies!” ) I’m making banana bread from scratch. Actually, I’m tweaking the Moosewood Cookbook recipe and grinding oatmeal for part of the flour because I think it’s better for you and it will fill you up longer because your body has to work a little harder to digest ground oatmeal. This is how my son interprets that: blahblahblahblahblah.

The rest of the car chat was Julz complaining that everything doesn’t have to be “whole grain organic shit.” Here’s where the yoga really kicks in: he’s still alive. I explained that he is free to purchase and eat whatever he wants on his own time and his own dime, but I am not going to suddenly buy stock in Wonder Bread. Yet.

If the banana bread is nice, you’ll see a recipe for it here. What the heck, there’s giant chocolate chips and toasted nuts mixed in—how bad could it be?!  The house is starting to smell all yummalicious. That’s always a good sign. I’ll let you know how it goes.

[Later, that same day...] Otay…that was not better than a Krimpet (you guys who know Tasty Cakes know how high that bar is). I’m not serving up that round of banana bread on race day. Of course, if Julz and Anthony don’t finish off the dry loaf, I’ll freak out about how they’re wasting perfectly good food. They can smear Nutella all over it, but I’m going back to the kitchen for another attempt at a recipe that makes your eyes roll back in your head. Back soonish with that.

Honestly, the best banana bread I ever made or ate is the Nakedest Banana Bread Ever. We’re talking rotten, old bananas, butter, sugar, a little flour, maybe. This is good; you’ll like it. If the boys on the Cyfac team are riding fast next weekend, it’s ‘cuz this bread is a rush. Try it and fly!

NAKED BANANA BREAD RECIPE:

1 ¼ cup flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter (softened at room temperature)
3-4 very very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, well beaten
½ cup of pecan pieces

1.        Preheat oven to 350. Sift dry ingredients together.
2.       Add butter by hand…mash it up until the mixture is crumbly.
3.       Add bananas and quickly add eggs.  Do not overmix!  The mixture should be lumpy.
4.       Pour into a greased 9”x 5” loaf pan.  Sprinkle nuts over the top.
5.       Bake 45 minutes, or until a chopstick comes out clean.

1. Introducing Psychlo Mom – The Calm Before the Storm and a Recipe for Kick-Some-Ass Oatmeal Cookies
2. Never Trust Pre-reg Lists – A Column by Ryan Kelly
3. A Flying Start to the Off-Season – Part II – A Column By Christine Vardaros

New Englanders have the opportunity to kick off this cyclocross season in grand style with Nor’easter ’Cross at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire. The UCI-sanctioned race itself sounds like a winner, but that’s a small part of what’s on offer. Try this on for size: 13 badass bands, free camping with admission, pro bouldering competitions, climbing clinics and even a free fun trail run. The EMS Outdoor Festival, a celebration of Sport, Music and Conservation, runs September 24th through 26th, with the cyclocross race smack dab in the middle both temporally, on Saturday, the 25th, and physically, as the course wends its way right through the middle of the festival’s base camp and main stage.

We at Cyclocross Magazine are huge fans of integrating races into larger events. Not only does it mean more fans at that single event, but once new folks get a gander at the glory that is ’cross, it also inevitably draws more interest and participation towards the sport. Plus – no offense – it gives us all the chance to hang out with people other than just bike racers once in a while and, in this case, to get our groove on.

I talked to course designer and cyclocross stalwart Adam Myerson, who also runs the Cycle-Smart International race in Northampton, MA., and event promoter Pete Ward to get the inside scoop of what to expect from the event.

UPDATE: The Elite women’s prize list will get a hefty bump, with the top 15 women receiving payout equal to the top 15 men. The goal is to increase women’s participation and to help support the top talent.

Adam, you typically do everything from race logistics to course design to promotion. It must be a relief to be able to focus on just putting on a good race? Tell us how that has been so far (or how you anticipate that process to be). What can we expect from the course?

Adam: I’m using the same crew as I do for Northampton [Cycle-Smart International], so that certainly makes things easier. They all are very good at their jobs at this point, and I really just have to direct and do a lot of the up front work. The fact that I’ve been hired as a subcontractor here, rather than owning the event, has some pros and cons, but so far, mostly pros. The financial pressure of searching for sponsorship is removed, and that’s never been my strength. It does allow me to focus on the course, logistics and catering to my customers, AKA: the racers. What’s different is that I have to balance those needs with the needs of the event as a whole, and really change my perspective on what a ’cross race can be. Pete has a very big vision, and there are a lot of considerations. Learning about what I need to do to make his event successful overall has been a new challenge for me.

The course, being that it’s in the basin of a ski area, is very difficult. It’s shaped like a half-pipe, more or less, with steep climbs at either end, separated by fast, flat sections in the middle. All of the course winds its way through the festival, so there will be literally thousands of spectators on the course. One end even winds around the concert’s main stage. The race is going to be unique in every way.

From the prelim schedule that I’ve seen, it looks like the Elites are midday, with the two Masters racers categories coming at the end. Why did you structure it like that?

Adam: This isn’t a normal ’cross in that it’s part of a bigger entertainment package, and we have multiple events to work around. We needed the feature ’cross events finished before the finals of the climbing competition, and before the headlining bands took the stage. It’s been great, actually, to have some freedom to structure the day in a non-traditional way.

As an outdoorsy-oriented, multi-day event, I assume there will be plenty of camping opportunities for racers?

Pete: Camping is available to festival ticket holders and one a first come, first served basis, which means it’s moving fast. You can get festival tickets when you register at Bikereg.com, and there’s a $20 discount for athletes and friends of athletes. We really appreciate the willingness of Adam and the greater ’cross community to join us, and we wanted to extend that offer as a small token of our appreciation to the athletes for being part of the show.

That said, don’t panic if you miss the boat or don’t care to hang out and see the Main Stage. We’re right in the middle of the White Mountain National Forest, so camping and hotels are everywhere.

The event is September 25th, really right as ’cross season is heating up in New England. What other nearby races can participants hit, if they still have energy after racing, then rocking out Saturday night?

Adam: With the Mayor’s Cup Criterium in Boston on Sunday, and Suckerbrook ’Cross in NH, I think we’re going to see a lot of riders making a big weekend out of it. The best approach is to get a hotel in Lincoln, stick around to watch the show once the race is over, and then head to NH or Boston Sunday morning.

I know there are a bunch of bands as well as other non-cycling activities on tap at the EMS Outdoor Festival. Can you give me a run-down of what to expect?

Pete: Yeah, The Nor’easter’s got a lot going on. Staying on the Sport side of things first, the rock climbing pro tour, the Unified Bouldering Championships are having the 2010 tour championships at The Nor’easter, and that will attract the best climbers from around North America and even worldwide so that will be cool. My roots are in climbing and our company, NE2C Productions has worked hard to build that sport, hopefully with the same dedication that Adam has for ’cross. You can learn more about the UBC Pro tour at www.boulderingcomps.com

There’s also a costume contest “Fun Run,” outdoor climbing and conservation clinics, a big sponsor village, camping and of course on the main stage, music galore.

Any of your personal fave bands taking the stage (I know Adam mentioned “Chick-chick-chick” – I confess to having no idea who that is) or big names we should look out for?

Adam: It’s true; I’m a big fan and was pretty excited when Pete landed them as one of the headliners.

Pete: Man, I like em all…. I guess that’s the issue with booking your own festival! If I had to pick a few out: Obviously having The Gaslight Anthem is great, but on the lesser-known side of things, if you like to get your soul-groove on, I’d say watch out for Eli “Paperboy” Reed and the True Loves. Another band I’m really psyched about is The Constellations. They’ve got a great funk vibe and were recently called out by iTunes and Paste magazine for being “the next big thing.” But, man, we’re lucky most of the bands at The Nor’easter have new albums out in 2010, and they all rock. Heaviest on my playlist lately has been The Walkmen who just got rave reviews from NPR. If you’re interested in the sound of any of these guys, there’s a music player on the festival website, www.noreaster.ems.com, and you can check the music out there. There are 13 bands across two days – not a bad deal for $55, if you don’t mind me saying so.

Will you do anything to lure the climbers or music spectators onto the course to give cyclocross a whirl?

Adam: Since this is our first run through, I’ve been mostly focused on putting on a good show for both my racers and the potential spectators. I think there is almost limitless possibilities to bring ’cross to new people with the event, so perhaps once we see what’s possible, we’ll start to look at more development opportunities like that. This year, I just want to run a solid race.

Any of the NE superstars committed to making the race? Adam, you gonna go out on a limb and predict an early season “W” from your own event?

Adam: Even if I wasn’t the organizer, I would have very little chance of winning this race. It’s way too hard for me, I predict. I will definitely take the start line, though, because I think it’s the best way to know how your race rides from your customer’s perspective. If I know how it feels to race it, I can keep tweaking the course in the future. We’ll release a start list as we get closer to race day.

Who are the main sponsors and what are they bringing to the event?

Pete: We are lucky to have many, many great partners for the Nor’easter. Of course, SmartWool, High Gear and Eastern Mountain Sports are specifically supporting cyclocross at The Nor’easter, so  participants: please let them know what you think about the event if you see them at the race.

For more info: www.noreasterems.com

1. Middle Cross Fall Bike Fest Brings Cyclocross to Boulder Middle Schools
2. Cincinnati UCI3 Festival Offers Lodging Deals, Meals and Bike Washing
3. Valmont City Park Bike Fest, Cyclocross Race and Groundbreaking Ceremony

Štybar looks on tap to do his rainbow stripes proud next season © Bart Hazen

Zdeněk Štybar is showing great form as the cyclocross season nears. Yesterday the reigning cyclocross world champion won the 1.3km prologue, with the rest of his Telenet-Fidea teammates all crammed into the top 11. Tom Meeusen was three seconds back in the hilly effort, good enough for second place. Robert Gavenda was fifth, Petr Dlask sixth, Rob Peeters 10th and Bart Wellens 11th.

As Štybar told the Gazet van Antwerpen, “I barely had time to warm up, because I did not make the plane on Tuesday and had only a few hours before my start in Slovakia.”

Despite snagging fourth in the group gallop finish of the ensuing Stage 1, Štybar lost his jersey by one second to Alexander Porsev due to time bonuses at the line. Štybar commented that he wasn’t terribly concerned interested in mounting an overall GC defense, and that the purpose of his participation in the stage race was merely as preparation for the cyclocross season. Štybar was initially scored as finishing third, which would have kept him in the jersey, but after reviewing, the judges ended up placing him fourth.

According to his Telenet-Fidea team, Styby will kick off his cyclocross season with two races in his home country, the Czech Republic, with a contest in Stribo on September 25th followed by a race in Louny on the 28th. His first trip to Belgium for a race will be for the GvA trophy event in Namur.

1. Wellens, Stybar Show Good Summer Form in Tour of Czech Republic
2. Kevin Pauwels Takes Stage Win, Misses GC at Tour de Serbia
3. Rumors Over Stybar’s New Team Put to Rest

Sponsored by Pur Water Filters

The Kings CX Weekend on September 18th and 19th is the kick-off weekend for the influential Zipp OVCX Cyclocross Tour. This year, the race in Deerfield Township in suburban Cincinnati will also be part of a new grassroots ride series called the “PUR (pronounced “pure”) Ride With Kids Series,” sponsored by PUR Water Filters. Designed as the gentlest possible introduction to competitive cycling for children and their parents, the PUR Ride with Kids is not an actual race, but an opportunity for adults to ride with their kids on a safe, closed race course. According to Corey Green, the lead promoter of the Kings CX Weekend, “This is a series sponsored by PUR Water Filters to encourage kids to ride with their parents or an adult on a real race course and get an idea for what real racing involves.”

The PUR Ride With Kids event at Kings CX on Sunday, September 19th, in conjunction with the Pro-Am Zipp OVCX Tour, will be the second event of a four-“race” series. The first was at the PUR Tour road race earlier this summer. The final two rides will take place in conjunction with the three-day Cincinnati UCI3 International Cyclocross Festival. The third ride will take place at the Java Johnny’s/Lionhearts International UCI cyclocross in Middletown Ohio on October 9th, and the final ride will take place the next day as part of the grand finale of the UCI3 International Festival at Harbin Park in Fairfield, Ohio. All riders in the PUR Ride With Kids Series will have their own race numbers.

There is another connection between the Kings CX Weekend and the Java Johnny’s/Lionhearts International, other than that both are part of the Zipp OVCX Cyclocross Tour and hosting PUR Ride With Kids events. Proceeds from the Kings CX Weekend will benefit the Lionhearts Junior Cycling Team, the namesake team of the Java Johnny’s race.  Lionhearts is a team of children between the ages of nine and 13 dedicated to cyclocross. Each child on the team, which has doubled in size since last year, typically participates in more than 10 races per year.

In concept, the PUR Ride With Kids events are similar to “Kids Run the Bases” day at Major League ballparks or race car ride nights at local Saturday night stock car tracks. In all three cases, children can be inspired by having the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be on the other side of the fence. Doug Dobrozsi, who is a major part of Junior cycling in southern Ohio as well as the promoter of the Java Johnny’s/Lionhearts International, explained some of the motivation behind the creation of the PUR Ride With Kids Series. “What’s true, especially in modern suburbs, is that kids just don’t have a safe and fun place to ride.  By giving them the race course for a little while, we’re giving them a small chance. A second point is that it really takes a friendly adult to help a kid go ride. The adults literally ‘give the gift of cycling’ to kids. Just about every Junior who races had such a person. The PUR Ride With Kids series is designed to encourage that a little.”

With Junior-specific teams, kid- and-parent friendly introductions to the sport, multiple opportunities to race and a new permanent cyclocross facility in Covington, Kentucky, that literally overlooks downtown Cincinnati, the future of cyclocross and other cycling disciplines looks set to continue its torrid growth in the Midwest.

1. Vancouver Island’s Series Final Boasts Free Racing for Kids and Beginners
2. Zipp Re-ups as Title Sponsor of OVCX Series
3. 3-Day Cincinnati ‘Cross Festival Announced