8/15/2005
- THIS IS LAST YEAR'S SITE
If you have bookmarked this page, please delete or update your old bookmark to point to the NEW 2005 site at:
http://www.ncnca.org/cyclocross/2005/
4/25/2005 - Tentative 2005 Calendar!!!!
Our 2005 Calendar is already coming together, and the promoters are collaborating very well to bring us a full calendar with as few conflicts as possible. The biggest news for Nor-Cal/Nevada Cyclocross has to be that the final 2 legs of 2005 Crank Brothers US Gran Prix of Cyclocross will be held here in Northern California, on two of our best courses: Watsonville (Velo Bella) and the series finale in Golden Gate Park (Pilarcitos). Here's a huge thanks to the Pilarcitos Cyclesports and Velo Bella folks for committing to the grand undertaking of these Category 1 UCI events. It will take a good amount of sponsorship to put these events on, so if you can help out, please contact the Velo Bella and Pilarcitos folks via their respective websites. More great news: Velo Bella is also planning a series on many of our favorite courses, in what can only be decribed as a "Surf City Revival" of sorts, though I'm not sure if the "Surf City" moniker will remain. Other than that, we already have a surprising number of dates spoken for already by most of our favorite NCNCA promoters. ['05 Calendar (tentative)]
4/25/2005 - Better Late than Never - Worlds Stories from Barb 'n Sarah
Sorry, I should have posted these months ago, but they snuck them out there without telling me. I also lifted the image (above) from Sabine Dukes' pics page. [stories] [pics]
2/1/2005 - Strong US Presence at Chilly CX Worlds in Germany
The US Men and Women travelling to the Cyclocross World Championships fared pretty well in the wintry conditions of St. Wendel. NorCal's own Velo Bella duo finished impressively, with Sarah Kerlin in 19th and Barbara Howe in 26th. The top US Woman was Ann Knapp in an impressive 7th place behind winner Hanka Kupfernagel. The Men's race saw Jonathan Page and Ryan Trebon up front and in the action, finishing 14th and 15th respectively behind winner Sven Nys. Results: [women] [men]
1/27/2005 - US Masters at Masters Worlds
David Gill sent a report out about the US Men and how they fared at Masters Worlds in Belgium last week. A few of the Norcal crew made the trip... [details]
1/20/2005 - Velo Bella Article
Ella Lawrence has provided another great article to CyclingNews. [details]
1/19/2005 - Santa Cruz County Championships Results
Results are up on a temporary website for the Santa Cruz County Championships/ Peak Season Winter CX held last Sunday in Watsonville (the race website is down). Photos are also up on Abbiorca. Looks like a fun day was had by all (see image at right). [results] [photos]
1/14/2005 - You Want Mud?
More reasons to race this Sunday...from David Gill [details]
1/12/2005 - Peak Season Winter CX this Sunday
The final race on the 2004-05 Northern California Cyclocross Calendar will take place this Sunday at Watsonville Fairgrounds. Proceeds of the Santa Cruz County Cyclocross Championships and the Team Relay event will benefit MBOSC in their quest to keep mtb riding legal in Nisene Marks. [details]
1/12/2005 - Metro Santa Cruz Article on PureSweetHell
Ella Lawrence did a writeup on the film, which is showing Sunday evening at the Rio in Santa Cruz [details]
1/12/2005 - CCCX Champions and Final Results
After 2 weeks of solid rain, the stage was set for all the competitors at the final race of the Central Coast Cross Series held sunday Jan 9th in Ft Ord. [more...]
1/6/2005 - CCCX Finals Sunday
The final race of the Central Coast Cyclo-Cross Series is set for this Sunday Jan. 9th, in the East Garrison area of Ft Ord. [more...]
1/4/2005 - CRC Donates to Barb Howe for Worlds
The California Road Club has donated $1300 to Barbara Howe for her trip to the Cyclocross World Championships [details]
1/4/2005 - PureSweetHell Screenings
In case you missed it in Portland here's your chance to see it! Two more screenings of Brian Vernor and Willie Bullion's West Coast CX production "PureSweetHell" are conveniently scheduled around two of the final races in CA...on Saturday January 8th (Bakersfield) and Sunday January 16th (Santa Cruz). Note the Santa Cruz screening is a fundraiser (and after-party) for Velo Bella's worlds-bound riders... [details]
1/3/2005 - Southern California Cross Cup Finals
The much anticipated finals of the Southern California Cross cup are upon us. The race will be held at Hart Park, Bakersfield CA. this Sunday January 9th. The rain is falling and the parcours is looking just splendid. Be prepared for all ranges of mud [more...]
12/29/2004 - District Results
Sorry, I think Bob Leibold was out last week, and I've been out of commission since the race (herniated disk, ugh...). So we've been a little slow to post an update. Bob put together a great cross course last week out at Robertson park in Livermore - a fast course with lots of high-speed dismounts and a 42-step stadium run-up. Anyhow, kudos to the new 2004 NCNCA District Cyclocross Champions:
Justin Robinson - Elite Men
Barbara Howe - Elite Women
Linda Elgart - Women 35+
Mike Hernandez - Men 35+
Larry Hibbard - Men 45+
John Elgart - Men 55+
Erick Riggs - Junior Men
12/21/2004 - Help Send Bellas to Worlds
I just realized I never posted a congratulatory message to Sarah Kerlin and Barbara Howe for being selected to the World Championship team [story] - belated Congratulations! Anyhow, Velo Bella is doing some fundraising to send Sarah and Barb to Worlds. It is super expensive ($3,750 each!). Velo Bella has set up a paypal link on their website www.velobella.org, or they will gladly take checks. The address is:
Velo Bella
724 Eureka Canyon Road
Watsonville, CA 95076
Thanks in advance for your support!
12/20/2004 - So. Cal Surprise
While we're all waiting for official NCNCA District Championship results, get a load of the the photo at right - Lance Armstrong and newly-crowned 40+ National Champ Mark Noble going head-to-head in yesterday's So. Cal Cup race. [report/results]
12/15/2004 - Nationals Reports!
Scroll down to see the many race reports posted today!
Have you heard a Belgian UCI official comment that it's "too muddy"? I did. After two epic days of racing in the slop, on the eve of the Elite race, the course that began is "sloppy" and "greasy" on Friday, deteriorated to a bog for Saturday, only to revive itself (with a little help from the organizers) for Sunday's elite races to the point that the course became a perfect test of skills and fitness for the nation's top 'crossers. By Sunday, every single part of the course was rideable, and yet most of us still had to get off quite often because we lack the power and precision of, say, a Jonathan Page to push through it. Anyhow, the Nor-cal Elite gang didn't look too shabby this weekend, either. Gina Hall hung tough in 2nd behind surprise Elite Women's winner Katie Compton, and then the Velo Bellas started pouring across the finish line with Sarah Kerlin with an awesome 5th place, Christine Vardaros in 6th, Barbara Howe recovering from a slow start in 9th, Melodie Metzger in 14th, and Erin Kassoy in 17th. The Nor-cal Men didn't figure as prominently in the top 10 of the Elite race as usual, though Jackson Stewart rode an incredible race in 7th, Andy Jacques-Maynes finished an astounding 11th after an epic journey across the Pacific, Justin Robinson was his usual solid self in 13th, and Ben Jacques-Maynes finished 14th in the throes of an asthma attack. I've got some first-hand accounts of the races (below) as well as my own personal Nationals experience so sit back and enjoy the reading!
The other big Nor-cal news for the weekend was the dominating performances by our new National Champions: Melodie Metzger (Collegiate Women), Sarah Kerlin (Master Women 30-34), Justin Robinson (Master Men 30-34), and honorary Nor-cal rider Mark Noble (Master Men 40-44).
So...you've read all about the exciting races for the Elite Men's, Women's, U23, and Junior national titles (or if you haven't, you can read all about them on Cyclingnews.com or VeloNews), but if you really REALLY want to know what it was like, NCNCA.org has the exclusive rights to the following race reports:
Jackson Stewart reflects [details]
Andy Jacques-Maynes' Intercontinental Race Report [details]
Ben Jacques-Maynes' Asthma Attack [details]
Sarah Kerlin's Podium and Party-Hopping [details]
Justin Robinson's Cakewalk [details]
Intrepid roving reporter Ella Lawrence Battles the B's and Food Poisoning [details]
NCNCA Editor John Funke is Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride [details]
Enjoy!
12/15/2004 - Salute to All the Nor-cal Top 10's
Hopefully on the target page is an all inclusive list of the Nor-cal top 10's. I included folks from ALL of California and Nevada, because "those guys" in Southern Cali don't have a website as great as ours down yonder. That being said, they're doing something right down there because all the Junior top tens are from the Scary Fast Racing Team in Southern Cali - kudos to the Scary Fast folks for getting the kids into the sport! We in Northern California need to take note. [details]
12/14/2004 - Nationals Elite Report from John Elgart
John Elgart has filed his own report from Nationals entitled Trebon Almost Turns the Page. PS I'm still waiting for an image before I file my own report...
12/13/2004 - Cross Season Is Not Over...Even If You're Not Going to Worlds
In addition to this Sunday's NCNCA District Championships, there's still the Central Coast Finals on January 9th and Team Santa Cruz's recently announced Peak Season Winter Cyclocross race (this is the first ".cx" URL I've seen...cool!) on January 16th. Also, our friends to the South are trying to cajole their Nor-cal friends to race on January 2nd by putting on a race as far North as possible (Solvang) and offering more prize $ if we show up, see the Solvang race flyer here.
12/13/2004 - Nationals Update Tomorrow
This editor is too tired and busy (hey, cut me some slack, it's my son's 2nd birthday) to write my report and scour the official results to find all the Norcal top 10's. Some of the results, by the way, are a little wacky (i.e. don't make fun of me until they fix my placing in the Elite race). Besides, I still don't have an Image of the Week submitted for use on the site, hence the dry CCCP image at right remains...and what is a report without a corresponding image?
12/13/2004 - Dirty Pictures...
Images from Nationals abound, Dave Carr compiled a list of sites with images from Nationals. [details]
Also, Mike Natchway informed me that he has more photos from Coyote Point on his website.
12/13/2004 - Nationals Wrap-Up This Evening
A full report from an epic muddy weekend in Portland should be on the way this evening, but in the meantime all hail the dominating performances of our newly-crowned California-based National Champions:
Melodie Metzger (Collegiate Women)
Sarah Kerlin (Master Women 30-34)
Justin Robinson (Master Men 30-34)
Mark Noble (Master Men 40-44)
12/08/2004 - "Pure Sweet Hell" Screenings in Portland
West Coast CX fans have been anticipating the release of Brian Vernor and Willie Bullion's "Pure Sweet Hell" cyclocross film. Those of us heading up to Portland will have an opportunity to view it this Saturday at the Doubletree (the official race hotel) at 4:30, 6:30, or 8:30pm. [details/trailer]
12/08/2004 - Pilarcitos Wrap-Up
The final overall results have been posted on the Pilarcitos Website. Congratulations to the overall winners: Richard Maile (A Master 35+ Men), Henry Kramer (A Master 45+ Men), Amrita O'Leary (B Women), Aaron Beardsley (B Men), Jeremy Ferguson (B Junior Men), Beverly Chaney (C Women), Jeff Crofton (C Men), Austin McInerny (B Master 35+ Men), Bruce Lodge (B Master 45+ Men), and Evan Adams (Single Speed). Also, photos from the weekend's races are posted on the Abbiorca site as well as on Garrett Lau's site.
12/06/2004 - Dave Carr's Nationals Preview
As everyone is gearing up for another muddy trip to CX natz in Portland, John asked me to provide a short preview... [more]
12/06/2004 - Pilarcitos CCCP UCI- Hall and Frischi Rule the Sand
Saturday's course was hard, but Sunday's UCI Category 1 Cyclocross at Coyote Point was downright brutal. The Pilarcitos boys reversed the Bianchi course for the CCCP event making the big hill so much harder thanks to a little up and down in soft mulch that put you into the climb with NO momentum whatsoever. Throw the "sand pit" into the mix (2 foot drop into 75M of deep sand) and we're talking about some serious pain. The course may have been different, but the winners were the same - with Frischi and Hall emerging victorious again. In the Elite Men's race, Thomas Frischnecht (Swisspower) extricated himself in the closing laps from Ryan Trebon, Todd Wells, and Barry Wicks, finishing in that order, with Erik Tonkin rounding out the top 5. Justin Robinson was the top Nor-Cal rider in 6th, which I think was actually the ride of the day given that Justin is hardly riding his bike Mon-Fri - the guy just knows how to turn it up! Ben and Jackson both had some mid-race troubles that put them out of contention for the win. In the women's race, Gina Hall (Missing Link/Bianchi) solo-ed once again followed by the same four riders from the previous day, albeit in a different order: Christine Vardaros, Wendy Simms, Barbara Howe, and Melodie Metzger. Mitchell Peterson won the Junior A's race over Adam Switters. I'll post another entry on the Pilarcitos Overall when it becomes available, with nods to the winners in ALL categories. [report]
12/05/2004 - Pilarcitos Bianchi Cross UCI - Frischi and Hall Rule the Mulch
Saturday's UCI Cat 2 Bianchi Cross at Coyote Point saw some stiff competition in the men's and women's elite races on the wood chips, dust, and hills at Coyote Point. Gina Hall solo-ed away from the women's field, with the Velo Bella duo of Barbara Howe and Christine Vardaros separated by 1 second in 2nd and 3rd. Wendy Simms and Melodie Metzger rounded out the top 5. The Elite Men's field contained possibly the better part of next week's top 10 at Elite Nationals, plus Thomas Frischnecht, of course. In the end, Frischi (Swisspower) prevailed over Todd Wells and Ryan Trebon, with Ben Jacques-Maynes and Jackson Stewart rounding out the podium. Adam Switters had a great ride to win the Junior race. Tom Simpson submitted a report to Cyclingnews: [report]
12/05/2004 - For the Jacques-Mayniacs...
Ella Lawrence put together a nice write-up/interview for Cyclingnews on Nor-cal's favorite twins, Ben and Andy Jacques-Maynes. Which one are YOU rooting for at Nationals? [details]
12/02/2004 - Pilarcitos: Final West Coast UCI Races This Weekend
The Nation’s top cyclocross racers will be preparing their toolkits with some very special equipment for this weekend’s UCI doubleheader at Coyote Point. Tires, raingear, extra wheels, helmets, and … sand toys – because while Saturday’s “Bianchi ‘Cross” Category 2 event just skirts the beach, Sunday’s soviet-inspired “CCCP – Cyclo Cross @ Coyote Point” Cat. 1 series finale dives directly onto the sand and shells for 75 meters with winter high tides lapping at the edge of the course fence... [more + photos] [race details] - note new race times!
11/30/2004 - Sonoma CX - BJM and Vardaros Prevail
Those of us who weren't couch-bound or travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday were treated to a fun race on Saturday on a beautiful Fall day at Infineon Raceway. A night of steady rain left just the right amount of mud on the course to make a few tricky and power sections, but all in all a good, hard course with a big hill, 2 hoppable barriers (gasp!), and a long stair run-up. The Elite Women's race was again dominated by the Velo Bellas, with Christine Vardaros taking the win over Sarah Kerlin and Barb Howe. The Elite men's race was won by Ben Jacques-Maynes (Sierra Nevada) who rode the entire race with his brother Andy (2nd). Jackson Stewart finished 3rd. There is a good write-up on Cyclingnews.com about the race. [results] [photos]
11/30/2004 - Sac Wrap-Up: Yeater and Elgart Take Overall Awards
The Sacramento CX Series completed its 6th season of grass roots cross with a 20% increase in ridership over previous years. In the overall competition former winners Davy Yeater (Monticello) claimed the Open A’s and Linda Elgart (Webcor/AltoVelo) the Women A’s titles. Davy won by taking the final race in Ione ahead of Dean Dealy (DiSalvo). Cameron Falconer (Hunter) had two wins but placed 3rd overall because he did only 3 races. Linda edged out Amrita O’Leary (Huangoche) and Hollie McGovern (Rad Racing)... [more] [results]
11/28/2004 - So. Cal District Cyclocross Championships
Home Depot Center will host the Scary Fast California District 4 (Southern California) Cyclocross Championships on Dec. 5 [details]
11/25/2004 - Sac Series Finale
The Sacramento Series wrapped up this past weekend with what looked like a fun race on their new Ione course (see image at right - looks fun, eh?). I don't have the complete overall results yet, but we do have individual results for this weekend's races (Saturday, Sunday). Thanks to the Elgarts and all sponsors and folks that put on this great grass-roots series. Images from the weekend races abound thanks to MyPhotoNow [view] and Scott Clark [view].
P.S. the folks at MyPhotoNow informed me that they are giving a percentage of sales back to the Sacramento series - sweet!
11/25/2004 - Infineon CX Update - SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY!!!
INFINEON RACEWAY CYCLOCROSS REVVED UP FOR SATURDAY - Master B, Single Speed and Kids Race Added. [details]
11/24/2004 - GGP Follow-Up Take II
One thing I missed in covering the GGP race was what an incredible ride Chance Noble had in the Elite race finishing in 13th. Why is this so notable, you ask? Because Chance is 15 years old. He's really turned up his game this year, though we know he's got the genetics - we've been watching his father Mark tear up the Elite and Masters fields for years... keep it up, Chance! By the way, Tom Simonson has posted updated final results to the Pilarcitos website. [details]
11/19/2004 - GGP Follow-Up
A brief writeup on the race appeared on Cyclingnews today. Mike Nachtwey posted some photos from the GGP on his website, including some stunning scenics of the venue. Abbiorca posted their photos earlier in the week.
11/19/2004 - GGP in 2005
Good news from Tom Simpson about my new favorite venue. [details]
11/19/2004 - Sacramento Series Finals This Weekend
Reminder: Sacramento Cross Series - Final Week-end, Nov 20-21. [details]
11/16/2004 - Pilarcitos Golden Gate Park "VeloSweep" - Bellas Sweep Women, AJM Dominates Men
OK, how much fun was it to have a race in the country's best city park? Great turnout on a beautiful day and a really fun and technical course lined with screaming SF cross fans. A little rain during the week set the course at a solid Grade 1 on the Dave Carr Mud Index - utterly perfect! San Franciscans came out of the woodworks to participate in this event, as evidenced by the big turnout in the Masters and Men's C fields. The Women's race was won handily by Sarah Kerlin, with her Velo Bella teammates Barbara How and Melodie Metzger solo-ing in for 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the Men's race, as expected Andy Jacques-Maynes (Specialized) ran smoothly away with the race which left a 4-way struggle for 2nd, which - happily - your NCNCA CX Web Editor (Sycip) was able to claim after surviving mutliple attacks from Aaron O'Dell (Rock Lobster), who finished 3rd. Our good friend Mark Noble (Amgen) travelled up from So. Cal to give the Nor-cal Masters a wake-up call for next month's Nationals - man, the 40+ field in Portland is going to be STACKED. Here's a big thanks to the Pilarcitos crew for putting together a great race at a great venue. Hopefully this will become a SF tradition! [preliminary results]
11/15/2004 - Jackson and BJM Back East
Jackson Stewart and Ben Jacques-Maynes travelled back east for the weekend's UCI double and they both finished firmly within the top 10 both days at the Chainbiter 6.0 (Farmington, ME) and the Cycle-Smart International (Northampton, MA). On the first day Jackson showed he's coming into form, finishing 3rd behind winner Ryan Trebon and his new Clif teammate Mark McCormack. In Northamption, Ben (Sierra Nevada) claimed 5th behind winner Mark McCormack.
11/15/2004 - Updated Results
Results on the calendar are up-to-date for almost all races, including latest results from the Sacramento and Casino Series.
11/13/2004 - Sac Series Finals Next Weekend
Sacramento Cross Series - Final Week-end, November 20, at Granite Beach; November 21, Howard Park, Ione (NEW COURSE!). [details]
11/12/2004 - Eurocycling PR
Dugast 28mm's in stock just in time for Nationals! Stop by the Eurocycling Imports tent at the GGP Race on Sunday. [details]
11/12/2004 - Pilarcitos Sunday Race PR
Somehow I neglected to post Tom's previous press release about Sunday's race: Bay Area Super Prestige Round 3 - We're BACK in the Park! [details]
11/12/2004 - Pilarcitos Retro Sunday
Golden Gate Park Homecoming for NorCal Stars on Sunday. Check out the cool retro photos at the bottom of the page. [details]
11/12/2004 - January Bakersfield Race
Sam Ames has sent a flyer for the Southern California Cyclocross Finals (Jan 9.). I added it to our Nor-cal calender because he asked me nicely.
11/09/2004 - Run/Ride/Hop Article Update
While perusing my Inbox I came across an email that Ben Jacques-Maynes sent me last year after I put together an article entitled "Run, Ride, Hop" about when to stay on the bike, when to get off, and when/how to bunny hop in cyclocross races. Ben had some great comments on bunny-hopping so I thought I would re-issue the article with notes from the master added. Enjoy...
11/08/04 - Casino GP UCI - Hall wins Women, Ben and Andy School the Men
For two years running the Casino GP in Reno has been the best-kept secret in the Norcal/Nevada district. Hopefully that will change next year because this is a great race at a great venue. Dave Eastwood put together a fast course with some great varied terrain over dirt, grass, and pavement. In the Elite Women's race Gina Hall rode away from the group in the midst of the Junior men's leaders, while Sarah Kerlin and Hillary Daniels rounded out the podium. In the Men's race, Ben (Sierra Nevada) and Andy Jacques-Maynes (Specialized) rode away from the field on lap one and never looked back, and Jackson Stewart came in 3rd. Adam Switters won the UCI Junior race. Full results are here. Thanks to the Casino crew for a great race!
11/08/04 - Back East - Howe Takes Another UCI Race
Barbara Howe continued her winning ways on Saturday at the Westra-Lower Allen Classic in Pennsylvania. Howe's Velo Bella teammate Sami Fournier finished a strong 3rd. Joshua Snead, Nor-cal's only Elite Men's rider in the field, finished a strong 5th behind winner Todd Wells.
11/08/04 - Spirit of Surf City Writeup
See writeup on Cyclingnews.com from last week's race. [details]
11/04/04 - Infineon CX Update
Infineon CX to Benefit Ross Dillon Fund. [details]
11/04/04 - Calendar Update
The US Nationals website it up. Bob Liebold has posted more results for East Bay CX, as well as added two races to the Southern Mines CX series over the weekend of Nationals for those who are not going up to Portland. See the calendar for details.
11/02/04 - CNN 'Cyclocross Fever' Article
A friend pointed out this article in today's CNN Health section, so I thought I'd pass it along...
11/02/04 - Spooky fun in Watsonville
Halloween brought beautiful weather and a fun bunch of folks (in and out of costume) to the Watsonville Fairgrounds for the Velo Bella/Roaring Mouse Sprit of Surf City Race. The course was a twisty and technical layout that included the famous Poison Oak run-up WITHOUT a barrier at the bottom, which actually made riding the hill an option. Brian Miller took full advantage of the hill in his small ring and won the A race over Cameron Falconer and Aaron O'Dell. Velo Bella's Katrin Tobin and Andi Mackie finished 1-2 in the women's A race, ahead of Janie Dalton. Todd Hoefer is stepping up his game as Nationals approach, winning the Master's race. Full results are posted here.
11/02/04 - Results from Back East - Maile Sweeps Masters
This past weekend's US GP of Cyclocross double-header in Gloucester, MA featured deep fields offering a preview for the competition at next month's Nationals in Portland. Rich Maile won both days over ex-teammate Chris D'Aluisio. Saturday's Elite women's race saw Gina Hall come in a close 2nd behind Ann Knapp. Velo Bella's Barbara Howe finished 4th, with Sarah Kerlin and Christine Vardaros just squeaking into the top 10. The Elite men's race saw Ben and Andy Jacques-Maynes finishing 5th and 6th respectively behind winner Geoff Kabush. Jackson Stewart finished 8th. In Sunday's race, Ann Knapp prevailed after a crash forced Gina Hall back to 5th. Howe (4th) and Kerlin (7th) finished strong once again, and Alison Baumhefner rounded out the top 10. Ryan Trebon won the men's race on Sunday, with our Nor-Cal men just outside the top 10.
10/29/04 - Spirit of Surf City PR
Sounds like a fun day our friends at Velo Bella have planned on Sunday...and don't forget to turn your clocks back Sat night! [details]
10/27/04 - Highland Park (New Jersey) Info
Steve Litvin, promoter of the Final Round of the US GP of Cyclocross on Nov. 21, sends his West Coast friends an invitation, and a reminder that the cheap lodging deal ends soon. [details]
10/25/04 - Pilarcitos #2 - Pontoni and Hall Rule the Stick
Current Italian Cyclocross Champion Danielle Pontoni continued his strafing of the West Coast cyclocross races yesterday, showing up at Round #2 of the Bay Area Super Prestige series at Candlestick Point, where the Pilarcitos boys assembled a fast, tacky, turny course over the bumpy terrain. Pontoni rode with the leaders for a few laps and then decided it was time to go. Dave Wyandt won a hard-fought race for 2nd over Justin Robinson and Cameron Falconer. Gina Hall dominated the women's race (I'm beginning to think she's not really retired after all), ahead of Sarah Kerlin and Kate Maher. Chris D'Aluisio continued his winning ways in the M35+ race. Congrats to all the winners. Results are on the Pilarcitos Site. Also, a nice little blurb on Velonews.
10/25/2004 - East Coast Wrap-Up - Howe Takes Two and BJM Scores First Win.
Great news coming in this morning from the UCI races on the East Coast. 2nd-year cyclocross newbie Barbara Howe (Velo Bella) took both races at Saturday's Wooden Wheels Cross (Delaware) and Sunday's Wissahickon Cross (Philadelphia). In Saturday's race it sounded like the Velo Bella duo of Howe and 2nd-placed Christine Vardaros used some great teamwork - congrats to the Bellas! In the Elite Men's races, Ben Jacques-Maynes was 3rd on Saturday behind winner Barry Wicks, but bounced back on Sunday for his first CX victory of the season - sounds like Ben has recovered from a hard and successful road season.
10/25/2004 - So Cal Updated Calendar
Updated Southern Californai CX Calendar sent by Sam Ames. [details]
10/21/2004 - Pilarcitos Super Prestige PR
Bay Area Super Prestige Round 2 on Sunday. And what is this about Frischi and Golden Gate Park??? [details]
10/21/2004 - First Timers at Surf City
Are you a woman racing cross for the first time this season? Velo Bella's got you covered... [details]
10/20/2004 - More Results Posted
Results are linked on the Calendar page for almost every race to date.
10/19/2004 - Geeking Out: CX at Interbike
Dave Carr just informed me that Cyclingnews has a wrap-up of all things cyclocross at this year's interbike - and that he really wants a pair of the Cane Creek Crosstop Carbon levers for Christmas...
10/17/2004 - Andy Cleans Up in Utah
I haven't seen any official results yet (ok, here they are: #1, #2), but I heard from a very reliable source that Andy Jacques-Maynes took BOTH Elite Men's UCI races this weekend in Utah over Marc Gullickson. Congratulations Andy!
10/15/2004 - Casino UCI Info Update
David Eastwood has sent more info on the Casino UCI race in Reno on November 7. Oh, yes, and he even sent an aerial course map of the re-designed course.
10/11/2004 - Mud and Pain, NW-style
I'm popping the Advil after a painful weekend of racing in the Northwest for the opening rounds of the Crank Brothers GP of Cyclocross. In Saturday's Mudfest, we were treated to a mud clinic by noneother than former World Champion Daniele Pontoni himself. Andy Jacques-Maynes (5th) was the lone Nor-Cal rider in the top 10. In the Women's Elite race, Ann Knapp took top honors while the Nor-Cal trio of Christine Vardaros (back from two wins the previous weekend back East), Sarah Kerlin, and Hillary Daniels took 6th-8th place respectively. In the Masters 35+ race, Chris D'Aluisio scored an impressive last lap victory over reigning Masters 30+ Nat'l Champ Richard Feldman.
Sunday's Tacoma event was held on the hardest course I've ever experienced. There was no mud, but lots of elevation change including a truly cruel 80-meter thighbuster of a run-up followed by a good climb afterwards. In the Elite Womens race, Gina Hall prevailed with the Elite Velo Bella Nor-Cal duo of Sarah Kerlin and Barbara Howe rounding out the podium - great job for the ELITE Bellas! Also in the top 10 was Allison Baumhefner in 8th place. The Masters race saw D'Aluisio fall just short of winning two in a row with Feldman coming around him right at the finish, Rich Maile was just behind but put in a valiant last-lap attack that got reeled in on the final sprint. The hard-fought Elite Men's race was won solo by Adam Craig - once again, Andy Jacques-Maynes hung tough in 8th. The pace of the Elite Men's race was so fast on this course I almost quit after one lap.
Complete results for both races can be found on the GP website.
10/11/2004 - Rock Lobster/Jeff Traugott Guitars Cross Team PR
NEW CROSS TEAM FOR 2004-05. [details]
10/7/2004 - Reminder: NO Pilarcitos Race this Weekend
Tom Simpson wants to make sure you don't show up at Watsonville this weekend, and to remind your friends. [details]
10/6/2004 - Results are in
Results have been trickling in from the first 3 weekends of racing. See the calendar page for the new results links.
10/6/2004 - Velo Bella PR
VELO BELLA ANNOUNCES FIRST ALL FEMALE ELITE CX TEAM. [details]
10/4/2004 - Sonoma Valley Cyclocross inked into the Calendar
Dave Carr just informed me that Napa Valley Velo's Sonoma Valley Cyclocross at Infineon Raceway has been confirmed for November 27 (to replace the tentative Nov 13th date). The Calendar has been updated...
9/30/2004 - Santa Cruz Sentinal Article
Karen Kefauver wrote a nice article for the Santa Cruz Sentinal on CX and some of the upcoming races in the Santa Cruz area. Click here to see the article.
9/29/2004 - EBCX Date Change
The East Bay race scheduled for Oct. 16 has been moved to Oct. 23. Venue is the same - see the calendar for details.
9/28/2004 - Pilarcitos #1 Results and Images posted
Results are posted on the Pilarcitos site. Abbiorca has images from the race as well as from the first East Bay race. By the way, if you'd like to advertise that you have images posted from any event, please email me.
9/28/2004 - Pilarcitos #2 Moved Back to Oct. 24, and Back to Candlestick
Don't head out to the Fairgrounds on Oct. 10 unless your shiny new ride is a Palomino - the venue for Round #2 of the Bay Area Super Prestige series has been pre-empted by an equestrian event. Instead, Tom Simpson has moved back to the original Oct. 24 date, and back to the trendy new course at Candlestick Park. Fairgrounds fans will have to wait until Halloween - but I, for one, am happy because it no longer conflicts with the Portland/Tacoma UCI weekend.
9/27/2004 - Pilarcitos #1 - Fun Day at "the Stick"
Those of us who headed out to Candlestick Park yesterday for round 1 of the Pilarcitos Bay Area Super Prestige were treated to an excellent day of racing on a great CX course - a flat, fast, bumpy ride with quick ups and downs and a bit of deep sand in the corners, some wide open pavement, and plenty of spectators. The Elite Women's race was dominated by the supposedly-retired Gina Hall, followed by Barbara Howe and Sarah Kerlin. The Elite Men's race saw our So. Cal friend Brent Prenzlow drop his companions and overtake Ben Jacques-Maynes (after a mechanical) for a well-deserved win, and I coughed up a lung to keep Josh Snead from catching me for 3rd. Chris D'Alusio edged Rich Maile in the Masters 35+ event...more results to follow when they are available...
9/27/2004 - Sac Results from last week
John and Linda sent some results from last week's race.
9/26/2004 - Surf City Info
Velo Bella has posted a PDF with info on the upcoming Spirit of Surf City race and clinic over Halloween weekend.
9/25/2004 - Central Coast Info
Keith Defiebre wanted to let you know that the CCCX.org website is updated with info on the Central Coast Series. This series has expanded to include separate categories for 35+ and 45+ Master B's, and start times have changed since last week.
9/22/2004 - Sycip/Big Swingin' Clinic Saturday
Cyclocross Skills and Training clinic Saturday at 2pm at Candlestick Point (race course for Sunday's Pilarcitos race), presented to you by team Sycip and Big Swingin' Cycles.
9/21/2004 - Casino CX Info Released
Jim Crompton released info on the Reno Wheelmen's Casino CX series beginning October 3rd. These dates have been added to the Calendar.
9/20/2004 - Season Underway
Well, the first weekend of racing is under our belt, including (who would believe it) a little rain - the photo at right is from yesterday's race. I haven't seen any results yet. The only result I know of is Cameron Falconer's perennial dusting of a bunch of cross-dressing fools in the DFL series (I should know, I was one of those fools). I'll let you know when results are up from the EBCX and Sac races...
9/20/2004 - Pilarcitos Bay Area Super Prestige Series PR
The Pilacitos website is ALIVE! and kicking - with all the information regarding the 2004 "Bay Area Super Prestige CycloCross" series. [details]
9/16/2004 - CX Worlds in US Someday?
The United States could host the world cyclo-cross championships within five years and will likely see a World Cup stop as soon as next year. How cool would this be?
9/15/2004 - Racing Starts this Weekend
The first *official* NCNCA races start this weekend, with Saturday's Sacramento race in Folsom, and Sunday's East Bay race in Castro Valley. Unofficially-speaking, you may find some cx-related activity at Candlestick Point on Saturday morning - but that is strictly hearsay...
9/15/2004
- Pilarcitos Oct. 24 Date Changed to Oct. 10 (changed back to Oct 24)
Due to a scheduling conflict at the Fairgrounds, the Oct. 24 Pilarcitos race
has been moved up to Oct. 10. No big deal except for the few of us that
are travelling to Portland or racing in Sacramento. The Oct. 23/24 weekend
is now wide open on the calendar.
9/12/2004 - Almost Back from Vacation
Sorry there hasn't been much news lately - I've been on vacation so I haven't had my ear to the ground. If you don't like it, all I can say is shut up and ride - more than anything you'll need your fitness come the end of this month. Nancy Wright apparently thinks Ben Dodge's quads will get you inspired for the season, as her submission for this week's image implies (it is now apparent why the editor of this page hasn't appeared in the weekly image)...coincidentally Ben's clinic schedule is revamped, so if you plan to attend one, please read.
9/11/2004 - Alan Factory CX Team PR
Alan team still looking for Norcal- based riders [details]
8/31/2004 - Sonoma Valley CX Tentative Date Announced
Our old friend Dave Carr has penciled in a date for this year's Sonoma Valley CX at Infineon Raceway, on November 13th. I was a little skeptical a couple months ago, but the calendar is really filling up!
8/30/2004 - Sacramento Schedule Update
John and Linda Elgart have sent an updated calendar for all of the Sacramento Races and Clinics. Included in their new calendar is a race on Sept 18 - the first official NCNCA Cross race of the season!
8/30/2004 - Calendar Still Tentative
Sorry folks, our Calendar is still coming together - both on specific dates (still waiting to hear back from many promotors as to specific locations and even dates of some events), and the appearance of the page - the actual Calendar page is under reconstruction. Please bear with us...
8/30/2004 - Dugast PR
Dugast cross tires now available in the Bay Area! [details]
8/26/2004 - US GP of Cyclocross
Information on the new national points series, the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross has been posted. Glaringly absent from this series is a Northern California event. Given that roughly 1/3 of the US riders in the last 2 World Championships came from Nor-Cal, and that our district hosted 6 UCI races last season, this is, to say the least, a major snubbing. Still, I suppose it's nice to have a National Series again. Let's hope it doesn't dissuade promotors like our own Tom Simpson from trying to get in on the game next year (though I know he tried this year - thanks Tom) - we need to be a part of this series in the future.
8/24/2004 - NW UCI Race Correction
OK, this probably doesn't make any difference to most of you, but just a heads-up that the dates of the races on UCI weekend in Tacoma and Portland are in the wrong order on the UCI website (and hence were wrong on our calendar - fixed now). Unfortunately, I had already made my flight plans so now my whole trip is screwed up! Anyone know if it's possible to drive from Tacoma to Portland in 1.5 hours???
8/21/2004 - More Clinics and Rides
I have been getting a steady stream of training ride info and requests, see the Rides page for info on getting together with CX-ers near you. Also, we Sycippers have released our clinic schedule (pdf), come one, come all...
8/20/2004 - Southern Cal CX
Our good friends to the South would like me to point out that they, too, have a cross scene, and here's proof - Brent Prenzlow sent us the So. Cal Race Calendar, and they even have an Urban Cyclocross Series (Word doc)...with prize money!
8/17/2004 - New Site is Up!
Welcome to the new 2004 NCNCA Cyclocross Page. I'm still updating some pages so for now please be content with this page as well as the rough calendar page. Many thanks to Albert at HappyGoFun for contributing our stylish new look. This season we are hoping to keep our content fresher and more up-to-date with the latest news and schedule changes. Our new look also includes the Photo of the Week provided by Abbiorca.com each week (at right - ok there are no photos yet from this season so I chose one of Mr. Jackson Stewart from our last big race in January).
8/17/2004 - Calendar Update
The 2004 Calendar is taking shape, though it needs a little work, both on my part to make it look good and on the promoters' part to iron out a conflict or two. Probably the biggest news this week is that our friends at Velo Bella have stepped up to have the Spirit of Surf City CX Race and Clinic on Halloween (get it?) weekend at everybody's favorite venue - the Watsonville Fairgrounds.
8/17/200 - Clinics, Clinics, Clinics...
For the newbies, as well as those of you who want to brush up and improve your cyclocross technique, a few clinics are already on the calendar, including a Velogirls women's cyclocross clinic on August 21st (this weekend). Ben Dodge released some dates on his clinics down in Palo Alto. Additionally, I will be conducting a (Sycip/Big Swingin') clinic on Sept 25 the day before the first Pilarcitos race on the actual race course, as well as some free clinics in Golden Gate Park in the next few weeks (details soon).
8/17/2004 - 'Cross Nationals 2005-2008 Venues Announced
From USA Cycling - Cross Nationals hosts set for next four years. I'm not sure how I feel about this...New England to host 2005-2006, Kansas City 2007-2008. [view article]
8/3/2004 - New Site In-Process, Rough Calendar
Hello, folks. We're in the process of re-designing the website for the 2004 season. Please bear with me for the time being. In the meantime take a gander at the evolving calendar (moved to calendar page), and dust off your cross bike because it's time to get on it! If you're feeling nostalgic, feel free to peruse the articles, action, and updates from the 2003 Season here.
The 2004 Calendar is beginning to take shape. As we have been fearing for the last few seasons, the Surf City series has been cancelled this year. Let's all bow our heads in memory of this great event, and hope that it will be revived in some form in the future. Many thanks to Jenny and Nicole and the whole Surf City Team for all those great years of racing. The good news is that the Central Coast Cyclocross Series (CCCX) will be coming back this year, and as far as I know, all the other series like the Pilarcitos SuperPrestige, East Bay, Sacramento, Casino (etc) events will be rounding out our calendar...
Editor