By Karen Kefauver
Goldiberry Skeel fell off her bike and lost a shoe at her first cyclo-cross race. But that did not stop the Velo Bella rookie. She took the mishaps in stride as part of her debut in the Surf City Cyclo-Cross series last year at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
After years of cheering from the sidelines for fiancé
Ben Jacques-Maynes, Skeel, 24, plunged into cyclo-cross with only two mountain bike
races under her belt.
“It’s such a supportive environment, I decided it
was time to try it,” said the
“I knew I could race 30 minutes,” said Skeel. “I was
prepared for that!”
The 30-minute, women’s “C” category was added to
encourage women who had never tried the sport. Prizes were provided by the Velo
Bellas, a group whose membership spans newcomers to cycling as well as
professionals. (www.velobella.org.)
Skeel joined
the masses for
While the Central Coast Cyclo-Cross series will be missed
this year, the Bay Area Super Prestige, with six races, has debuted in
The sport blends both road cycling techniques and offroad mountain
biking skills. Generally, a cross race is characterized by having a 1.5-mile
circuit course which features both manmade obstacles, like 18-inch wooden
barriers, and natural obstacles, like mud bogs, sand pits and logs. The rider
is forced to negotiate the barriers by leaping on and off the bike, running up
hills carrying the bike and jumping back on, all at breakneck speed. Power,
technique and momentum are keys to smooth performance. The rider who completes the most number of
laps in a set period of time (30-60 minutes depending on skill level) wins.
The Schwag Bag
Most series offers prizes to top riders in each skill category. Riders
earn points for placement in each race, which are then tallied at the end of the
series to determine overall standings.
Hugely popular in Northern California, the Pacific
Northwest and the Northeast, cross has a homegrown feel that attracts both
novices and veterans who compete at the world level in Europe.
Northern California is home to top talent in
cyclo-cross, including the powerhouse twins Andy and Ben Jacques-Maynes; Todd
Hoefer, 2002 master’s 35+ national champion and Justin Robinson, 28, of Bonny
Doon, who has claimed a national title and competed internationally during the
past decade. Some of the sport’s top women call Northern California home, including
Carmen D’Aluisio, Rachel Lloyd, Gina Hall and ChristineVardaros.
These athletes will be amongst those competing at regional
series this fall. The pros make it look easy, but spectators appreciate the
bellyflops of the beginners as much as the grace of the champions. Cross
courses are ideally suited for spectators, who can station themselves only
inches from the action and don’t have far to walk around the short course.
Surf City Updates for 2003:
Juniors Race Free
New developments for the Surf City series include a
category for single speed bicycles, and free entry at every race for juniors
(ages 12-18).
“Juniors are fun to watch and are amazingly strong,”
said Jenny Robinson.
“We want to make it a really good experience for
racers,” said organizer Amaral, a former pro mountain bike racer. “We
especially want to encourage juniors with the free race entry.”
New Moms Organize Races
Both Amaral
and Robinson have added a fifth race to the series this year – and both have
added motherhood to their list of accomplishments.
“It’s been challenging,” said Jenny Robinson. “We
must be nuts,” joked Amaral.
But it’s a labor of love. “Everyone is so supportive
of us and racers are so enthusiastic to have the series here in their
backyard.”
Justin Robinson has raced all over the world and
noted, “It’s the best bicycling because of our community. It has that rootsy
feeling.”
While organizers aim to attract more junior racers this year, they also
hope to see a continued surge in attendance by women, especially first-timers.
Goldi Skeel had so much fun last year; she is back
for her second season of cross. She will attach her signature pair of butterfly
wings to her back — a salute to Velo Bella team spirit and the wacky style of cross
racers— and fly into action.
Karen Kefauver is a sports and travel
writer based in Santa Cruz, CA. She has reported on cyclo-cross for 10 years
and will return for her second cross season as a woman’s B for Velo Bellas
testing her first cross bike ever. Contact her to provide story ideas or a free
trip to the worlds at Gerkin@aol.com
If you go:
Details:
www.cyclo-x.com
Surf
City Cyclo-X Series
Noon,
Saturdays, October 12 (Aptos H.S.), 26 (Fort Ord, Monterey).