NorCal/Nevada Cyclocross News

NCNCA Cyclocross News
Updated 1/15/04

Support Adam Switter's Trip to Worlds (1/15/04)

Also, please consider supporting Norcal's top Junior rider's attendance at the World Cyclocross Championships. If you would like to contribute to Adam Switters' trip to Worlds, please email me and I'll reply with details on where you can send a check. Support the future of our sport!

Help Send Rachel to Worlds (1/14/04)

A few people have been asking about this...if you are unable to attend Friday's Fundraiser to support Rachel Lloyd's trip to Worlds, but you would like to contribute, you can PayPal rachel@wholeathlete.com or send a check to Rachel at 334 West Balitmore Ave, Larkspur, CA 94939. Also, if anyone has a double bike case she could borrow, please email me and I will forward your message on to her. Thanks so much for your interest and support!

Pilarcitos/Season Finale, World's Team Announced, Fundraiser for Rachel, Final BAR Results, AOWs (1/9/04)

The Pilarcitos SuperPresige Series ended on Sunday, and along with it, our Northern California/Nevada Cyclocross racing season. The finale was held on a course along the bay near Coyote Point that had plenty of mud, bumpy grass, some up-and-down running and riding sections along the levee - it was a tough little course that was a fitting end to the series. A small Women's Elite race saw Rachel Lloyd hold off Barbara Howe for the win. Adam Switters dominated the Juniors race. In the men's Elite race, Jackson Stewart recovered from crashing at the start line to catch and pass the entire field and won the event by a decisive margin over his Clif teammate Andy Jacques-Maynes. See complete results here. Images from the event are posted on the Abbiorca and Clinton Photo websites. Congratulations to overall winners who received some great prizes thanks to the Pilarcitos sponsors. Here's a list of the series champions for the B, C and Masters Categories:

USA Cycling has posted the official US roster for the World Championships, scheduled on Jan 31-Feb 1, 2004. Congratulations to all the Worlds-bound riders, including the six Norcal riders named to the team: Jackson Stewart and Andy Jacques-Maynes (Elite Men); Carmen D'Aluisio, Gina Hall, and Rachel Lloyd (Elite Women); and Adam Switters (Junior Men).

It is a little disappointing to see only 3 Elite Men going to Worlds to represent the US. Top riders Marc Gullickson, Todd Wells, and Ryan Trebon all opted not to go to the World Championships. It saddens me to see that Cyclocross is still an underground sport in the eyes of sponsors, some riders, and the general cycling public. Anyone who has attended a Surf City, Pilarcitos, or a National Championship event knows otherwise - that 'cross is as popular as any other cycling discipline at the moment (and it's way more fun to watch). Sure, we don't have Lance, but look at how long it took for the US to be taken seriously in Road cycling? Anyhow, I'm not trying to rant, here - and I know I'm preaching to the choir, because we in Northern California are lucky to have such a great CX community, and we are doubly lucky to have sponsors like Clif Bar that see Cyclocross as a sport worthy of a full squad of riders with lots of support. Actually, we are triply lucky because we have dedicated folks like Jenny Robinson, Nicole Amaral, Tom and Alec Simpson, Bob Leibold, John and Linda Elgart, Dave Carr, the Reno Wheelmen, the CCCX folks, the DFL boys, and anyone else I failed to mention that goes out there and puts on our excellent Norcal events (group hug!).

Making the Worlds Team is a great achievement, but it is only part of getting there, on top of expensive travel costs riders must pay steep fees to participate in the event, and riders' teams may not be able to fully support them. To that effect, please consider spending a fun evening of cocktails and music at Rachel Lloyd's Fundraiser on January 16. The proceeds from the event will help one of our favorite local heroines get to the World Championships in France. Hope to see you there!

The final results are in for the 3rd Annual NorCal-Nevada District Cyclocross Best All-around Rider (BAR) Competition. The points were tallied from all NCNCA-sanctioned cross events in our district, and winners are as follows:

Congratulations to all the BAR winners. For full results, see the Rankings page.

To finish off this posting and retroactively cover my butt for missed AOWs, I'll leave you with 3 Articles of the Week posted on Dave Carr's website regarding cyclocross, overtraining, and how it affects your mtb/road season. The three articles are: Rene and Kendra Wenzel's Can you do both 'cross and road (or MTB)?, Joe Friel asks: Should you race cyclocross?, and make sure to read Richard Fries' rebuttal to the Wenzel article.

If I had time, I'd write my own damn article entitled Should I Race Road (orMTB) or How to Have Fun in Northern California January-August, but hey, I'm a CX purist. My 8-month off-season has begun...hmm, I wonder if iWindsurf.com needs a web editor...

Best of luck to you all you year-round racing nuts. I'll probably file a couple more small reports regarding Worlds and any other CX-related tidbits, but this is the end of the regular season updates

Cheers! -Funke

From Tom Simpson: Round 5 of the Bay Area Super Prestige Series will take place on the shores of San Francisco Bay on Sunday, January 4th to close out the season for Northern California CycloCross racers. A new circuit along the levees near San Mateo’s Coyote Point Marina will be the site for the “Pilarcitos Creek” CycloCross – originally slated for Half Moon Bay. See above link for details.

Ed Note: This is a new venue within Coyote Point park - further up the road, I presume - see the directions on the Pilarcitos site for more... -jf

Editor Returns, Districts Results, More Natz News, NorCals in Europe (12/30/03)

Note: Your new editor John Funke was too slammed at work to write this week, so your old editor Dave Carr is back for a command performance. Don't get used to it. --Dave Carr (Thanks Dave, you da man! -jf)

Our District Championships were held the week after Natz, on a similarly muddy course in Livermore. Congrats to new District Champions:

Meanwhile, several of our Norcal studs (the whole ClifBar team) are over in Europe taking in eight big-league UCI races. So far the women have turned in some great results and the men are holding their own too. Here are links to a few reports: Carmen D'Aluisio at cyclocrossworld.com (2 reports); Gina Hall on AbbiOrca.com (Izegem and Overijse).

Followup notes from Portland Natz... A lot was made of Jonathan Page's repeat win in the Elite men, both Page and the race-day announcer called it "historic". In fact, repeat wins have been fairly common at US 'cross nationals--most recently Alison Dunlap's impressive streak of five from 1997-2001. Among the men, NorCal riders have repeated more often than any other region, for example Clark Natwick, Don Myrah, and the campionissimo, Laurence Malone with five straight from '75 to '79. For you results geeks here are a few links: here and here. JP's web site editor qualifies the historic claim a bit: "No one has [repeated] in modern cyclocross history."

As far as Page himself, you can't take anything away from his dominating win...it shows the value of focusing your entire program around 'cross, something that is still hard to do in the US, as even well-supported riders like the Clif Bar team still need a summer road contract to make ends meet year-round. Page is one of the few who took the plunge to move to Europe full time for the fall and it paid off. He even has fans who have started a JP fan forum at cyclocrossonline.be, pretty cool.

The crowds at Natz were maybe not quite the size and volume of the '99 Presidio (the high water mark of recent years) but still pretty impressive. Remember that Portland is almost as bike-crazy as SF, especially if you consider that they have constant rain to contend with. On the Sunday of the elite races, spectators were rolling in all day long on their fender-equipped bikes and by the start of the men's race they were 5 deep on each side of the course. Maybe the only thing missing was a good supply of cowbells--instead the promoters handed out some kind of weird duck-call child's toy. Imagine a thousand of those going off in your ear as you race. There were other logistical issues--lack of parking, no ambulance onsite, no media center--but most agreed from a rider's perspective it was a great event. Looking forward to next year already.

With Natz behind us, the next big milestone is CX Worlds scheduled for the end of January in Ponchateau, France. USA Cycling has announced its automatic selections and for the first time in recent years the list does not include a NorCal athlete. The full team roster including discretionary selections will be announced in early January and is likely to include several of our riders including Carmen, Gina, Andy and Jackson. Meanwhile, we do know of at least one local rider who will attend Worlds: Nick Llewellyn, who will accompany Tom Simpson as the winner of the Pilarcitos CX world's raffle. As for the athletes who will be competing, not watching, they and the American Cyclocross Foundation need your help to defray the ridiculous fees USAC is charging to escort riders to the championship--open up your wallets.

Oh man, so much to report, so little time. What a weekend in Portland! We thought we had mud the last couple of weeks...we ain't got nothin' compared to the goop they had up there. Is it just me or do these guys know how to put on a cross race? Kudos to our friends at Cross Crusade for putting together an excellent event at an excellent venue.

First things first, lets congratulate our newly crowned Norcal-based National Champions James "Alan" Coates (Soulcraft) in the Master Men 35-39 category and Lori Cox (Bay Area Velo Girls) in the Master Women 35-39 race. Alan and Todd Hoefer had an epic battle on their hands. Alan has now expanded his resume to include two 35+ jerseys. Lori has only just begun her cyclocross career after only 5 races, and what a great result for the new developmental Bay Area Velo Girls team!!! The other big Norcal story had to be Redline/Ritchey rider Rachel Lloyd's excellent 2nd place in the Elite Women's race behind an unstoppable Alison Dunlap. Rachel likes it muddy and technical - excellent job Rachel!!! In both Elite races Norcal showed it presence with 4 women in the top 10, and 5 men in the top 20.

The Elite Men's race didn't go as well as we'd hoped for our Clif Bar and Family Cycling heroes (I owe somebody $10), but still very solid performances. Jonathan Page was untouchable - showing off his European form and prowess in the mud, Andy and Jackson fought hard and were both holding podium spots at some point during the race. I asked Ben Jacques-Maynes for a race report - he replied "this picture says the thousand words, I am too tired to write". My own Elite race went really well - I'll hopefully provide my own race report in the next week.

Finally, don't forget that racing has not ended for the year - there's still the small matter of the District Championships to settle, this Sunday at Robertson Park in Livermore.

Surf City Finals - Muddy Memories, Nationals Preview - Mud on the Menu, AOW: More Mud (12/10/03)

Sorry I haven't updated very swiftly lately - I've got a lot on my plate before getting out of town and up to Portland on Thursday.

So, another great Surf City Series has come to an end, and for the 2nd time in 3 years, the finale was an epic schlog thru the soup. Sunday's Surf City Finals at the SLV High School in Felton started under threatening skies but by mid-morning it was beautiful and sunny, though much the course deteriorated to a mud bog by the end of the day. The Master's race saw Thomas Hayles, Rob Meighan, and Todd Hoefer finishing 15 seconds apart. The Men's A race, Andy Jacques-Maynes trotted away with the victory over Jackson Stewart and Justin Robinson. In the Women's race, Rachel completed her near-perfect record in Surf City ahead of Sarah Kerlin and Stella Carey. Congratulations to the overall winners, Justin Robinson, Rachel Lloyd, and Larry Hibbard. For a complete listing of the Surf City Overall Standings, click here.

Well, if it's raining in Northern California (it is), you can be pretty sure it's raining up in Portland, which can only mean one thing: a muddy Cyclocross Nationals. As Todd Wells says "don't bother coming unless you have two bikes". Races start on Friday for some and go right on through Sunday when the Elite Men and Women race. I'm rooting for a Norcal winner - I think I'll put $10 on Andy for the big upset, and another $10 on Carmen. Go Norcal!!!

So, in honor of today's topic (M-U-D if you haven't guessed), I've got 2 articles to whet your appetite (or in this case, wet your appetite) for the goopy stuff. First, an oldie but goodie, is Dave Carr's infamous Mud Index. Second, is Adam Myerson's "Power, Stability, and Confidence - Racing in the mud takes something special". I re-read Adam's article a few times in the last week...good stuff.

From Jenny Robinson: Ladies, Gentlemen, and Juniors…the Surf City Cyclo-X finals are here! This Sunday we will wrap up our 2003 season at San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, CA. Rex has created yet another epic loop for you to test your skills. The end of the cyclocross season is near with nationals a week away and one more local UCI race—make sure you get your fill before the 2003 season is history. JUNIORS RACE FOR FREE, courtesy of Amsterdam Cycles. STUDENTS RACE FOR $5 with ID, thanks to Red Bull. SPECTATORS WANTED—bring a car full. Come for the racing, stay for the food, raffle, and pure joy of it. Get your 2003 Surf City Cyclo-X SWAG. We got another shipment so if we didn’t have the size you needed, try again. We have hooded and crew sweatshirts, t-shirts, and socks. Don’t forget your race number. Got some jingle or cow bells? Bring them along to rally the racers.
Raffle tickets—only a buck a piece. Try your luck at a Steelman Eurocross frame and much more. As always, we thank our sponsors for their exceptional support. Hope to see you there! -Surf City Cyclo-X

Coyote Point and Surf City Recap, Surf City Finals this Sunday, AOW: Peak for Nationals, Bonus: Gina's belated Race Report (12/02/03)

First of all, sorry for no updates last week - I was away for Thanksgiving, hopefully you were too...

How 'bout Sunday's Pilarcitos SuperPrestige at Coyote Point? Wet, gritty, muddy fun! Slippery turns, soft earth, fast pavement, tough hill, that fun sand-box at the top, and of course the beach run which felt entirely too long. There were a few more out-of-towners on hand with a few boys and girls escorting their weather down from the Northwest, along with East Coast powerhouse Ryan Trebon. No shake-up in the usual top 3, though, as Todd Wells schooled the Elite Men's field, with Jackson and Andy topping off the podium - apparently these guys didn't sit around eating turkey, stuffiing, and pies like I did last week. The big news of the day had to be Rachel Lloyd's victory in the Women's Elite race, finally breaking the Carmen/Gina hegemony in the big events - congratulations Rachel! In the Masters 35+ event, James (aka Alan) Coates dominated and showed off his prowess in the mud that won him the National Title in Baltimore in '01. Michael Hosey narrowly won the Juniors event over Adam Switters.

Last week's Surf City race at the Fairgrounds in Watsonville was held under glorious blue skies on yet another great course. Just the right amount of wide grassy sections, tight off-camber sections, a hard ride-up, and that long run-up (again) made a challenging and exciting race. In the women's race, Rachel Lloyd continued her winning ways in Surf City, with Carmen D'Aluisio in 2nd and Hillary Daniels with a great ride in 3rd. In the Master's 35+ race, the Team Clif Bar duo of Rich Maile and Chris D'Aluisio worked together off the front with Rich prevailing in the end once again. In the Elite Men's race, the fearsome Norcal Foursome of Jackson Stewart, Ben Jacques-Maynes, Andy Jacques-Maynes, and Justin Robinson established the early break with one wannabe (me) hanging on the back of the group for dear life. After dropping the deadweight (again, me) they fought it out to the finish with Jackson outsprinting Ben for the win, and Andy in 3rd.

The Surf City Finals will be held this Sunday at the San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton. Looks like more rain might be in store, which should be great training for Cyclocross Nationals the following weekend.

Speaking of Cyclocross Nationals, are you ready? This week's Article of the Week again comes from my friend Adam Myerson at Cycle-Smart, and covers how to prepare these last 2 weeks before Nationals and is entitled Peaking For Nationals.

One bonus article I've included this week is a Clif Bar Team Race Report that Gina Hall sent me before my Thanksgiving hiatus, please excuse my tardiness. Late or not, it's always enjoyable to get the perspective of those we love to watch race and win. Thanks Gina. Enjoy!

In honor of Team Clif Bar's exploits back on the East Coast, this week's Article of the Week is (Clif Bar Team Director) Pat Flanagan's account of the last few weekends of racing. The Article is very entertaining and is entitled I Suck at Bowling. Enjoy!

From Jenny Robinson: The fourth race of the Surf City Cyclo-X Series will take place this Sunday, November 23 at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Rex has designed another epic course on the diverse terrain of the fairgrounds-- rolling grass, slick dirt, smooth pavement, off-chamber traverses, and heart- thumping run-ups. It’s gonna be a good one! Surf City Specials; JUNIORS RACE FOR FREE, compliments of Armadillo Cycles & STUDENTS with valid I.D. race for $5 thanks to RED BULL. As always, we will have free Clif Bars and Gu at the reg table. Delicious tamales with rice and beans will be sold this weekend by our food crew. There may even be an espresso cart on site to satisfy your caffeine needs. Enter our RAFFLE for a buck ($1) a ticket and try your luck at a Steelman Eurocross frame and lots of other goodies. Raffle to be held at the season finale on December 7. Have you seen our 2003 clothing? We brought back a 10-year-old retro Surf City design by Robert Kurosawa. Pick up a t-shirt or a crew-neck or hooded sweatshirt from the registration tent. Surf City thanks its sponsors. We couldn’t have any of this fun without them. We encourage you to go to our sponsors page and send a quick thank you note to one or ALL of our many sponsors, thanking them for supporting the 2003 Surf City Cyclo-X Series. It’s good Karma! Don’t forget your race number. See you on Sunday!

Ed Note: In my humble opinion, the Fairgrounds is consistently the BEST cyclocross course in Northern California, and this weekend's race will be run with the Start/Finish in the big lawn area which makes the race especially exciting to watch because you can see much of the course from the Finish area. Bring your friends! -JF

I could not believe the race reports from back East this morning - great news from our Norcal Clif Bar Team as they went 6 for 6 in the Elite Men, Elite Women, and Masters 35+ events. In last week's report I made what now looks like a prophetic statement - hoping that Jackson Stewart or Andy Jacques-Maynes would score their first big UCI win this year - and what happens? They both win. Yeah yeah, thank me later, guys. In Saturday's Highland Park (UCI C3) race in New Jersey, on the final lap Andy Jacques-Maynes attacked the lead group including Todd Wells, Mark Gullickson, Jackson Stewart, and Ryan Trebon and held on for the win in the Elite Men's race, with Jackson 3rd. In the women's race, Carmen D'Aluisio and Gina Hall dominated the race with Carmen winning top honors. Rich Maile rounded out the Clif sweep winning the 3-up sprint for the Masters 35+ race. In Sunday's Cycle-Smart International (UCI C2) in Massachusetts, Jackson and Todd Wells made the final winning move, with Jackson surviving a last-lap attack from Wells and outsprinting him for his first UCI win - and Andy rounded out the podium in 3rd. I'm anxiously awaiting a first-hand account of how it all unfolded and how much teamwork was involved. The Women's event was another showcase of Carmen D'Aluisio and Gina Hall's domination, finishing 1-2 once again, well clear of the rest of the field. Rich Maile took a decisive win in the Master's race. Ben Jacques-Maynes (Family Cycling Center) was a solid 6th place in both Elite Men's races. Huge congratulations to Team Clif Bar for placing all of their riders on the podium on both days.

Saturday's Sonoma Valley CX at Infineon Raceway saw some rain and a little mud on Dave Carr's fun course consisting of grass, stairs, long pavement stretches, and some technical corners. The Women's A race saw Rachel Lloyd solo for the win with Sarah Kerlin and Josie Beggs rounding out the podium. In the Men's race, Jason Moeschler attacked Mark Wier (downhiller/single-speeder extraordinaire in his first CX race) and an inspired Mike Telega with 2 laps to go for the win. Kenny Williams and Larry Hibbard won their respective Master's events. There was a good turnout in all events and we look forward to returning to this venue in 2004. Thanks Dave!

Pilarcitos #4 CANCELLED, SVCX Saturday, Racing in Southern Cal, Weekend Recap: Surf City #3 and Brown and D'Aluisio Rock the Point, AOW: Improve Your Skills (11/11/03)

First, the bad news: This coming weekend's Ravenswood Pilarcitos SuperPrestige (Nov. 16) in Menlo Park has been CANCELLED. The venue's permit was unexpectedly cancelled at the last minute with no replacement venue available. This really bites, especially on the heels of such a great weekend of racing - Tom was frantically trying to put something together at another venue but it didn't work out on such short notice. Anyhow, you know the drill - spread the word, tell your friends...

Do not despair...we still have a couple of good events on the calendar this weeked. The Sonoma Valley Cyclocross at Infineon Raceway will be held on Saturday thanks to Dave Carr and the folks at Napa Valley Velo, as is the Silver Dollar event up in Reno. If you're as tired as I am you'll probably want to take Sunday off, anyhow.

From Brent Prenzlow: With the disappointing cancellation of next Sunday's Pilarcitos UCI race, I wanted to invite our Nor Cal cx friends down to our Sunday race in Vista (North San Diego area). We offer a great course in a nice park -- mostly fast dirt trail with some sections of grass or pavement. We also have a nice $700 cash payout (Top 8 men and Top 5 women). Come mix it up with some different competition! Races are at 10, 11, and Noon. Here is the race flyer.

Weekend Recap: What a most excellent weekend of racing. We saw some great turnouts (esp big B and Masters fields) and great racing on both days at Surf City #3 on Saturday, and then again at Coyote Point (the replacement venue for El Palo Alto) for the 3rd Pilarcitos SuperPresige event on Sunday. The Surf City course was tough with that big ol' (poison oak, Tech-nu) run-up, a paved climb, and a bit of mud to sap your strength. The Coyote Point course was a reversal of last year's CCCP race with the big hill still being the dominant factor, along with all those deep woodchips interspersed with some fast pavement sections. The Elite Women's races saw the awesome Norcal trio of Carmen D'Aluisio, Gina Hall, and Rachel Lloyd finish 1-2-3 on both days. In Surf City's Elite Men's event, Clif Teammates Andy Jacques-Maynes and Jackson Stewart sprinted out the finish with Ben Jacques-Maynes in 3rd. On Sunday, Travis Brown scored a big upset and edged out Todd Wells and Andy Jacques-Maynes in a real nailbiter at Coyote Point, for his first UCI victory of the season. Andy and Jackson are really knocking on the door this season - here's hoping at least one of them can score a UCI victory this year...or maybe even Nationals? Keep at it, guys, we're behind you all the way...

Dave Carr has bailed me out once again - this week's Article of the Week covers some tips for improving your skills from some guys that really know what they are talking about. Here it is: Filthy-Fun with Cyclo-Cross.

Surf City Saturday, Wells, Gully and Grande at Coyote Point Sunday, Christine Vardaros Injured, No AOW (11/7/03)

From Jenny Robinson: Surf City Cyclo-X #3, Saturday, November 8; Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Watsonville.You want rain? We’ll have rain! Juniors race for FREE; courtesy of Amsterdam Cycles. Students with valid ID race for $5; thanks to Red Bull. If you want first dibs on the 2003 Surf City Clothing bring some extra dough. See you on Saturday for some good, honest racing!

This Sunday's Pilarcitos SuperPrestige at Coyote Point (note venue change) will feature some of the best riders in the country, with Todd Wells, Mark Gullickson, and Ann Grande joining the Norcal Elite for what should prove to be some very exciting racing. No telling whether they will come down for Saturday's Surf City race, but there is probably a good chance that a few of the big boys/girls will show up...

I'm very sorry to report that (Velo Bella/Sally Spicer rider and 2002 Worlds Team member) Christine Vardaros has fractured her leg in a crash at the November 2nd Clif Bar/ECV Cyclo-Cross in Gloucester, Mass. Christine is hoping to return to racing before the end of the season. Get well Christine!

Finally, I'm sorry that I have not supplied an Article of the Week in a couple of weeks, as things have been very hectic around here - my dog and best friend Marco has been diagnosed with Cancer and we're dealing with that. Please, if you have a suggestion of a good article you've read, fwd it to me.

Pilarcitos #3 Venue Change, Casino CX Report, More Norcal Results from Back East, Cross Weather for this Weekend's Double-header? (11/3/03)

This Sunday's El Palo Alto Pilarcitos SuperPrestige has been moved to Coyote Point due to construction at the Byxbee Park venue. Please spread the word. More info is available on the Pilarcitos Website.

The Reno Wheelmen put together an amazing course for yesterday's Casino CX (UCI C3) event. Those of us who braved the snow and chain restrictions on I-80 were rewarded with a very difficult and exciting race on a long course (8+ minutes/lap) over pavement, dirt roads, steep run-ups, and sandy corners. Altitude junkie Bart Gillespie travelled from Utah to pick up a decisive win in the Elite Men's race, leaving Jason Moeschler, Justin Robinson, Aaron O'dell, and myself to snap up the remaining podium spots and UCI points. Rachel Lloyd ran away with the women's race (at press time I didn't have the women's top 5 - sorry). Keep an eye on the Reno Wheelman website for official results.

Over the weekend, Norcal riders Ben and Andy Jacques-Maynes, Gina Hall, Carmen D'Aluisio, Christine Vardaros, and Jackson Stewart travelled back to Worcester and Gloucester, Massachusetts for the big UCI Cat 2 doubleheader, where the fields were stacked with talent. On Saturday, the Clif Duo of Carmen and Gina took 2nd and 3rd behind Alison Dunlap, with Christine (Velo Bella) in 6th. In the Men's event Jackson Stewart (Clif Bar) secured the only Norcal top 10 performance with a solid 6th behind winner Ryan Trebon. In Sunday's race, once again Alison prevailed with Carmen in 2nd and Gina in 4th. The Norcal men bounced back from Saturday's race to finish with Jackson Stewart outsprinting Mark McCormick for 2nd place behind winner Todd Wells. Andy (Clif Bar) and Ben (Family Cycling Center) finished 4th and 10th, respectively. Rich Maile and Chris D'Aluisio were also on hand for the Masters 35+ events with Rich and Chris finishing 1-2 on Saturday, and Rich getting 2nd on Sunday.

The rain (and snow) have started falling in Northern California, and it looks like some real 'cross conditions are in the forecast just in time for this weekend's Surf City/Pilarcitos doubleheader. Remember that Saturday is at the Watsonville Fairgrounds, home to the epic muddy finale to the 2001 Surf City series. Expect all of the Norcal Elite to be on hand for both events, and maybe a few of the big names from the Northwest and/or Colorado trying to pick up some UCI points at Coyote Point - come check out the action!

Un-controlled Burn, Clif Team Scores Back East, Sonoma Valley CX Update, This Weekend's Races (10/28/03)

In keeping up with appearances (Dave Carr says I whine too much), let this serve as an official complaint to the man upstairs that it's too dang hot for cyclocross. This past weekend's races were held at a brain-sizzling 90+ degrees - it's almost November for cryin' out loud! I'm starting to wonder why I ordered that long-sleeved skinsuit. That being said, we were still treated to a truly excellent 'cross course in Soquel at Surf City #2, with ups, downs, grass (yes, green grass can you believe it?), and barriers that were begging for you to test your bunny-hopping skills. In the A race we were treated to what I call a "teamwork clinic" by Justin and Ben...oh, and no surprise, Rachel won again...and so did Larry...

Team Clif Bar (plus Velo Bella's Christine Vardaros) travelled back East to Delaware and Pennsylvania last weekend and picked up some impressive results. Carmen D'Aluisio, Gina Hall, and Christine Vardaros scored 1-2-3 finishes both days, and Andy Jacques-Maynes and Jackson Stewart shared 3rd and 5th places in both events. This coming weekend promises to be another huge weekend back East with the above riders plus Family Cycling Center's Ben Jacques Maynes hitting the big Cat2 UCI events in Worcester and Gloucester Massachusetts.

Napa Valley Velo has updated info on the Sonoma Valley CX at Infineon Raceway. By popular demand they have added Master 45+ Men and Women B events, and all women now have their own separate race. Also online reg. is now open.

The weathermen are saying we're in for a cooling trend so this coming weekend should be great racing weather - and it's another good back-to-back NorCal/Nevada weekend with a Sacramento race on Saturday before Casino's big UCI event on Sunday in Reno. Since a lot of the big names will be back East, this will be an opportunity for some regional riders to pick up some UCI points.

This Weekend's Surf City Venue Changed, Guadalupe Results and Photos, Casino UCI Event Info (10/24/03)

Sorry, I have not been able to update the site in the last 7 days. Just a quick update today, more to come next week. I did not have time to compile the latest BAR rankings this week (as well as a few other requests) - please bear with me. Thanks for your patience!

The Surf City folks have announced that this Sunday's race (and Saturday's clinic) has moved to Soquel High School because of a controlled burn at Fort Ord. See the Surf City website for more info. Tell your friends... Soquel makes a great cx course plus a shorter drive for most of us, so it's all good...

I'm sure you saw that results for Guadalupe Pilarcitos race are posted on the Pilarcitos site as well as images from the race on the Abbiorca site.

The Casino folks have sent us the flyer for the Casino Cyclocross UCI (C3) Event in Reno on November 2.

Surf City/Pilarcitos Date Conflict Resolved, NVV Race at Infineon Raceway (10/15/03)

Good news!!! The November 9 date conflict between Surf City and the Pilarcitos has been resolved with Surf City moving their event to one day earlier - Saturday November 8. Please make a note of the date. That should make a great weekend of racing, and perhaps it will even lure some of the out-of-town Elite down to Watsonville for a nice warm-up for the Pilarcitos SuperPrestige race the next day. Remember, back-to-back racing is good for you...

Dave Carr has released information on Napa Valley Velo's Sonoma Valley Cyclocross at Infineon Raceway on November 15th. Click here for more details.

Pilarcitos Race #2/Clinic Update, Southern Mines Update, Mud in the Northwest, Surf City #1, Article of the Week (10/14/03)

This Sunday is Race #2 of the Pilarcitos SuperPrestige in Redwood City, and please come out and see me at our Sycip Clinic at the same venue on Saturday - it is a USCF-permitted clinic and non-licensed riders can get a $5 day license at the event. Note the addition of the notice on the Pilarcitos website regarding lapped riders - the pulling of lapped riders in the USCF races (like the B event) should not occur this weekend. Also note that in ALL events riders should be aware of lapping riders, and are required to yield as to not interfere with the outcome of the race.

Bob Leibold has informed me that the calendar for the Southern Mines events is outdated - the race on Nov 15 is actually Nov 22, and there is another race on Dec 13 along with the correctly listed event on Dec 28.

Some of the Norcal Elite travelled up to Seattle and Portland this past weekend and got some impressive results in the mud, and the men even got to race against former world champ Erwin Vervecken. Saturday's event in Seattle saw Jackson Stewart, Ben Jacques-Maynes, and Andy Jacques-Maynes finishing solidly in 5th, 6th and 7th place respectively, and in Sunday's event Andy finished an impressive 4th place with Jackson in 5th for the second straight day. In the women's events Gina Hall and Carmen D'Aliusio had their hands full with Alison Dunlap and Ann Knapp finishing 1-2 both days, but both riders rode to strong 3rd and 4th place finishes in both events.

Surf City #1 happened Sunday at Aptos High School - what a tough course with mind-bending turns, bone-jarring descent, and of course the killer hill followed by the killer run-up. Justin Robinson and Aaron O'Dell rode away (from me, among others) with the A race with Justin taking top honors, although Aaron really seems to have taken his riding to a new level this year, brushing shoulders with the big boys for the past 2 weekends. Rachel Lloyd dominated the women's race with Sarah Kerlin and Stella Carey rounding out the top 3.

Speaking of Surf City, this week's Article of the Week is a spotlight on Surf City entitled Cyclo-cross Welcomes Newcomers and Veterans Alike and was submitted by Santa Cruz sports and travel writer (and Velo Bella rider), Karen Kefauver. Thanks Karen!

Pilarcitos Super Prestige #1, Raising the BAR, Surf City Update, Article of the Week (10/7/03)

Sunday Oct. 5 saw the first big race of the NorCal season - the first stop in the Pilarcitos SuperPrestige UCI Series at Milagra Ridge, Brisbane, CA. Tom Simpson managed to create a challenging course in spite of the area's flatness - the bumps and sand and gravelly corners all conspired to create the necessary elements for an exciting race. The Women's Elite race saw the Clif duo of Carmen D'Aluisio and Gina Hall finishing in front of Rachel Lloyd, w ith Christine Vardaros and Sarah Kerlin rounding out the top 5. The Elite Men's race saw Mark Gullickson powering away for the win with solo rides for the rest of the top 4 - Andy Jacques-Maynes, Jackson Stewart, and Ben Jacques-Maynes - and Justin Robinson won the 4-way battle for 5th. The results are now posted on the Pilarcitos website..

We have decided to go forward with the BAR rankings per the 2002 rules. Only USCF-sanctioned races are included in the rankings (which again unfortunately excludes Surf City from the BAR, sorry). Note the rankings are only as up-to-date as the information (i.e. results) that are passed to Casey from indvidual race promotors, so at the moment only the Sac #1 and #2 results are tallied.

The Surf City website has been updated - all the venues have been announced, including this Sunday's event at Aptos H.S. Nicole and Jenny also wanted to pass along the following: (1) Swap meet is happening at the first race. (2) Juniors (ages 12-18) race for free, compliments of Amsterdam Bicycles. (3) Anyone who brings a junior racer who's new to the Surf City Series receives $5 off their entry fee. (4) Collegiates (with a current student ID) race for $5 at the first race, compliments of Red Bull. Kudos to the Surf City folks for trying to promote the development of the future of our sport.

I received a great suggestion for Article of the Week via email, and since I didn't see anything that quite covered it on-line, I threw something together over the weekend - this week's article Run, Ride, Hop: When and How discusses when it's best to ride, when to run, and when and how to hop...

We haven't heard the last of our beloved Dave Carr - he has penciled in a race for Napa Valley Velo on Saturday, November 15th, somewhere up in Wine Country. More to come on that front.

So, the racing season is in full swing here in NorCal and the East Bay and Sacramento Series' have already hosted two races each. Abbiorca.com already has some photos up of early racing and Russ was even spotted snapping photos at a DFL Urban Outlaw Cyclo-Cross-Dress race last week...yikes, those are some scary pix (yes, that's me in photo #1 - and I'm not proud of it...). The first race in the Pilarcitos SuperPrestige UCI Series is on Sunday, so expect to see all the big names of the West Coast in action for some exciting racing.

Ok, my call to the masses has failed and I haven't gotten any good suggestions for an Article of the Week, so I'm going back to my old standby, coach, and friend Adam Myerson of Cycle-Smart for the third part of the CX bike setup series: The Secret Set Up Part 3: The Little Details. Yeah, I know your 'cross bike should be set up by now but there are probably a few stragglers out there - like the girl that bought my old frame on eBay last week...

Ed Note: It was brought to my attention that it sounded like I was slamming the Pilarcitos Series in my last editorial rant - this is not the case and sorry if it sounded like that - it was intended to be more of a call for promoters to work together next season and figure the whole thing out. The Pilarcitos folks have been very gracious in rescheduling events (that were on the UCI calendar for months) to accomodate other local series races.

Finally, my very own Article of the Week - the 2003 NorCal/Nevada Cyclocross Season Preview. What the heck do I know about CX? Not enough, apparently - so I asked my heroes Jackson Stewart, Christine Vardaros, Justin Robinson, Andy Jacques-Maynes, Carmen D'Aluisio, Ben Jacques-Maynes, Gina Hall, Rachel Lloyd (earth to Rachel, come in Rachel?), Alan Coates, and Todd Hoefer for their input on the upcoming season, and there are some bold predictions...click and enjoy!

CCCX Cancelled, Racing Begins, Clinical Success, Preview Coming... (9/23/03)

Bummer, the folks from CCCX have confirmed that there will be no Central Coast Cyclocross races this Fall. Hopefully they will be back next year - they really put on some great events at great venues (like that sweet Fort Ord course). One other cancellation is the Sacramento Oct. 4 race - but Linda says they might move it to Oct. 11 - another open day on the schedule.

Racing has officially begun with the first East Bay race last Sunday. I haven't seen any results but I did hear that Justin Robinson rocked the A race, not bad for a guy that recently had a baby... ;-)

Speaking only from our Sycip Clinics so far, it seems there is quite a bit of interest in Cyclocross this season. We have been having a steady stream of newbies and intermediate riders wanting to get more into the sport, and everyone seems really excited about this CX season. Bring it on! Our last SF clinic is this Wednesday, but check out our Oct. 18 Redwood City clinic or any of the other great clinics listed on the calendar.

As promised, the 2003 Season Preview is in the works - I'm still waiting for a couple of responses - probably in the next couple of days. That will be this week's Article of the Week - sorry for the delay.

Ed Note: Hopefully this season is one of growing pains for Norcal CX. The addition of new major series like the Pilarcitos UCI events is great for the sport and region, but with a tightening schedule it is this editor's opinion that next season we should have more communication between the race organizers to hopefully come up with some great weekend racing - I.E. looking at the East Coast and Northwest Calendars we see some weekends where the organizers have obviously teamed up to create some events that will attract racers to some excellent back-to-back races. Typically in the past we have had some bigger Sunday events, and perhaps a small Saturday event the day before - it is still questionable whether somebody is willing to put on a major Saturday race or series (notable exception: last year's CCCP/Napa combo).

Velo Promo has secured the District Championships for Sunday, December 21 as part of the East Bay Series. See the calendar or the East Bay site for details on this as well as this weekend's Race and Clinic. The Surf City site has also been updated with details on their 2003 schedule.

CX-ers on the Road, NorCal Season Preview Next Week, Tires and Wheels (9/16/03)

Ok, I'm almost ready to pack it in and the season hasn't even begun. Why, you ask? Because I watched the SF Grand Prix yesterday - specifically I watched Jackson Stewart, Andy Jacques-Maynes, and Ben Jacques-Maynes storming up the Fillmore Hill eight freakin' times. Watching them disappear around the corner onto Broadway evoked images of my NorCal CX racing experience with them...you know, disappearing up the road...ugh. Kudos to them for some fine performances. Also, the women's race was super-exciting and Carmen D'Alusio, Gina Hall, Stella Carey, and Christine Vardaros were all spotted hammering up the climb. Oh, and I won my own personal battle as I fought to defend my great viewing spot on the inside corner of Fillmore and Broadway that I got up at 5:40AM to secure. Yes, Andy, that was me screaming in your ear. Many of our local heroes and NorCal CX regulars were also active in Saturday's San Rafael Cycling Classic, as the results show.

Speaking of local heroes, next week's edition of the NCNCA CX site will feature our much-anticipated 2003 Cyclocross Season Preview with commentary on the upcoming season from Justin Robinson, Carmen D'Alusio, Andy Jacques-Maynes, Jackson Stewart, Alan Coates, and Christine Vardaros (and hopefully Gina Hall, Rachel Lloyd, Todd Hoefer, and Ben Jacques-Maynes if I can actually get in touch with them, or they get in touch with me).

Oh, and in other local news, some hairy kid named Cameron Falconer may or may not have dusted a field of cross-dressing cyclocross hooligans (on his single-speed cx bike, no less) this past weekend in an event that may or may not have taken place in some god-forsaken wasteland on the East side of SF.

This week's Article of the Week is in honor of another CX-er I saw storming up Fillmore on Sunday. If you are bewildered by the plethora of wheel and tire choices for cyclocross (tubular or clincher? what tread pattern? etc...), Cycle-Smart's Adam Myerson attempts to shed some light on the subject in The Secret Set Up, Part 2: Tire and Wheel Choices for 'Cross.

Ed. Note: for those of you that think I'm going overboard with the East Coast Articles, please feel free to enlighten me with your own suggestions (or even your own submissions) for an Article of the Week.

No News is Good News, For the Newbies, Nostalgia, to BAR or not to BAR? (9/8/03)

Not much to report this week, the calendar seems to be pretty much set for the season, no additional dates have been added - though we are expecting updates from Surf City, East Bay, and Central Coast as soon as their venues are confirmed and their respective websites are updated for the 2003 season.

The clinics have begun and there might even be some covert racing going on somewhere. In observance of the clinics and all the newbies out there that have been emailing me about getting into racing, as well as in honor of our dearly-departed NCNCA CX site editor, this week's Article of the Week is Dave Carr's Introduction to Cyclocross. Yes, this article has been around the block a few times, but for good reason...

Shameless plug: Dennis McGovern and I will have our first free Introductory CX Clinic this Wednesday in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. For more info on this or other clinics, see the calendar.

Feeling nostalgic? Nancy and Russ Wright have compiled a photo album of great shots from the 2002 Season on their Abbiorca website entitled Cyclo-Cross People+Moments 2002, thanks guys!

A number of people have asked about the NCNCA BAR (Best All-around Rider) Competition for 2003 (note the Rankings page). We are still unsure as to how this will be handled this season - many people expressed dismay that certain local events weren't included in the BAR because they were not NCNCA (or USCF this season) permitted events. It is a big item on my To-Do List this season to try and work with the officials and promoters to hammer out a solution. Check back in the next couple of weeks for more details.

Some notes on equipment if you are competing in a CX race on the UCI calendar (in the USA the only classes you will find on the UCI calendar are: Elite Men, Elite Women, U23, and Junior 18). If you are not sure if your race is on the UCI calendar check with the race organizer.

Juniors, there are NO gear limits for cyclo-cross races held under either UCI or USCF rules.

The frame of the bicycle shall be of a traditional pattern, i.e. a road frame.

Wheels of the bicycle may vary in diameter between 55 cm and 70 cm, including the tire with both wheels the same diameter, the width of the tire shall not exceed 35 mm and it may not incorporate any form of spikes or studs. Wheels
need to have a minimum of 12 spokes.

Ed. Note: The above restrictions ONLY apply to the categories listed above, any other categories at the same event do not have the stringent "cross bike only" restriction (i.e. flat bars, wide tires, and/or mountain bikes are OK - but lose the bar-ends). For local purposes this restriction only covers the Pilarcitos Superprestige events and the Casino event on Nov. 2. For more information on UCI licensing, see the 2003 License Notes below. -JF

The calendar has been updated with more clinics than you can shake a stick at. Yes, cyclocross is en vogue at the moment so if you or anyone you know is thinking of jumping on the bandwagon, or honing your rusty 'cross skills, there is probably one somewhere near your back yard. It's a great way to get into the scene without jumping head first into a race. Oh, and it's not just your "off-season" anymore...for some of us it is the "in-season".

Rumors abound about the DFL Cyclo-Cross-Dress Series starting someday next week...somewhere...for details go to your nearest Goodwill store and look for a guy with shaved legs trying on dresses - unless, of course, you are in the Castro...

So, by now you're probably in the midst of replacing those parts you "borrowed" from your CX bike back in the Spring when something went wrong on your road bike (yeah I know you did). Lucky you, I have chosen the following as this week's Article of the Week: The Secret Set Up (Part I): Dialing In Your Cyclo-Cross Bike by Adam Myerson.

After 4 years of tireless service to the NorCal Cyclocross community, Dave Carr has stepped down as Editor of the CX pages. Dave has cajoled me into keeping it up-to-date from this season forward, so contact me with your updates/issues/complaints, etc.

Kudos to Dave for keeping us informed via this website, writing race reports, promoting races, and for being an integral part of the NorCal/Nevada cycling community for all these years. And of course, thanks for the articles - like Dave Carr's Mud Index, which has become the standard by which the slopply stuff is measured. We're hoping for more good stuff in the years to come. See more of Dave's handywork on the NVV Cyclocross Circuit. If you wish to personally thank Dave this week, send him an email. Thanks Dave!!!

The calendar continues it's evolution - the Elgarts have sent us their flyer for the Sacramento Series. The DFL Series is supposedly starting in the next 2 weeks, somewhere in or around San Francisco, but in keeping with the spirit of the event it is up to you find out the exact dates and locations - we at NCNCA certainly don't condone such outlandish behavior...

So, if you're perusing this site this early in the CX season, you're obviously thirsting for some cyclocross wisdom, so I figured I'd quench that thirst with an "Article du Jour". My coach, Adam Myerson of Cycle-Smart, has published some great articles on cyclocross and racing in general. Since it's high time to get out those running shoes and start getting your legs ready for those dismounts, run-ups, and hurdles, here is an article entitled Running for Cyclocross. Enjoy!

As we approach our first races next month, the calendar is taking shape. The date conflict between Surf City races and the Pilarcitos UCI events has been resolved with the latter graciously re-scheduling many of the events to accommodate Surf City's usual bi-weekly format - the one remaining conflict stands on November 9. Note the addition of the Silver Dollar CX series.

If you are new to cyclocross, or just want to improve your skills, there are a number of clinics already on the calendar, and more will soon be scheduled - please check back next week. If you have questions about getting into cyclocross, see Dave Carr's Novice Racer Q & A.

Not sure if it's officially official, but the word is that Portland, Oregon will be the site of the 2003 ***AND*** 2004 Cyclocross Nationals - and from this year forward each chosen venue will host Nationals for 2 consecutive years. Well, at least next year we won't have to wait in suspense until mid-summer...

Ed. Note: As of 8/18 Dave Carr is no longer the Editor of the CX pages, so contact John Funke regarding issues with the NCNCA CX site.

For those Worlds' bound riders (and others) the usual alternative to a January natz is traveling to Belgium to get in some hard core Euro' racin g prior to worlds'. This year, national team coaches Noel Dejonckheere and Geoff Proctor have set up a Euro' cross camp at the legendary "Belgium House" profiled in Velonews. The camp is for both official national team athletes as well as up and coming hopefuls. For more details see the announcement.

Following the NCNCA's rapprochement with the USCF this year, riders will need a USCF or NORBA license for many cyclocross events in NorCal. It's not clear yet how many local events will opt for USCF sanctioning or go it alone with other sanctioning organizations. In any case, you can buy one-day licenses or annual licenses at the race or thru USCF. (If you bought a USCF license last December, for example at Natz or Redline Cup, it should be valid through the end of this season). Riders wanting to enter elite classes at UCI events should buy an international license. Make sure to check each race ad carefully for license requirements.

It has become almost a yearly event for the USCF to propose moving CX Nationals to January, to coincide with other Euro' championships and to better prepare Worlds'-bound US riders. However the debate was apparently put to rest recently; our sources confirm that Natz will again appear in December, specifically Dec 13-14. The rumor mill also indicates Portland, Oregon will host the championship. Speaking of the USCF, I have to hand it to their web page editors; their reliable lack of current information is what keeps low-budget news sites like ours in business.

Following the pattern of recent years we have a number of UCI sanctioned races announced in the USA, apparently fewer overall than in past years--though not in NorCal, where last year's Coyote Point promoter Tom Simpson has penciled in no fewer than six UCI races locally for his new Bay Area Superprestige Series. Additionally, the USCF is likely to continue using UCI points for Worlds' selection, so you A's better get your licenses. As for the rest of the calendar, it is still early but we have a tentative local schedule. See all the details in our calendar page.

Every year the emails start to come in earlier. It's pretty standard for me to get inquiries about the 'cross season in early August, but I think this year set a record when I got a message in mid-July from a rider wanting to know the Natz date so they could plan their schedule. Hard core, baby! All I can say is, cool your jets because it's still a few precious weeks before the real fun begins. Stay tuned, 'cross fans.

CX redux: previous season info (8/1/03)
Looking for old CX pages? Follow these links to 2002 NCNCA front page and calendar/results; 2001, 2000 and 1999.

Novice racer Q & A
Q: How do I get started in cross? A: Try this introduction.
Q: Do I need a license to race? A: Yes. Read the license notes in the calendar.
Q: Where do I find a clinic? A: Check the calendar again.

Q: Can I race on my mountain bike? A: Use the Surf City guidelines:
"Vehicle: Any complete, functioning bicycle with two wheels and knobbies.
Bar ends must be removed or turned backwards."

Q: What category should I enter? A: Categories are self-selected. Basic guidelines:
If you are new to racing, or a beginner MTB, or cat 5 on road, enter "C."
Sport MTB, or cat 4 or 3 road, try "B". Expert MTB or a cat 2 road or higher should do A's.
If you don't like the category you picked, try another!