Cross Nationals Names Official Bike

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (November 29, 2005) - To celebrate more than 30 years of American cyclo-cross, promoters of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships have selected the Specialized TriCross as its official bike."When you trace the roots of American cyclo-cross you go back to Northern California in the 1970s. There are parallels between this great company and this great sport," said Communications Director Richard Fries. "This is a company that is not afraid to be bold. Look what they did with the Stumpjumper, making a high end bike available to consumers worldwide. Then look at their TriCross line of cyclo-cross bikes introduced this year. It's bold."

Specialized will also showcase its carbon fiber road bikes, the Tarmac SL and Roubaix, its new line of high performance optics, as well as its Body Geometry shoes, saddles, clothing and helmets, in a fully heated exposition tent positioned in the infield of the venue. Select New England Specialized dealers and other leaders of the cycling industry will also participate in the expo.

Infield tickets for the event, which grant access to the start-finish venue, the podium and media presentations, heated expo tents, and the Harpoon Beer Garden, will also serve as coupons to receive a special gift redeemable at participating Specialized dealers.

"Not many people remember, but we've got a long history with cyclo-cross. Our first off-road race team back in 1984 had some of the best cyclo-crossers in America including Laurence Malone and Dave McLaughlin," said Mike Sinyard, founder and president of Specialized Bicycle Components. "Today we support two outstanding elite 'cross athletes, Andy Jacques-Maynes and Chris D'Aluisio, who also happen to work for Specialized. We've supported 'cross and most types of competitive cycling over the past 30 years because we're all fans of the sport and because the input we get from the world's best racers has allowed us to constantly refine and improve our bikes and equipment."

Check out what else Specialized has to offer at www.specialized.com

For more information about the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships, visit the website at www.cyclocrossnationals.com

About Liberty Mutual:
Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a leading global insurer and sixth largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. whose largest line of business is personal auto based on 2004 direct written premium. As of Dec. 31, 2004, LMG had $72.4 billion in consolidated assets and $19.6 billion in annual consolidated revenue. The Company ranks 111th on the Fortune 500 list of largest corporations in the United States based on 2004 revenue.

Liberty Mutual Group offers a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, workers compensation, commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, general liability, global specialty, group disability, assumed reinsurance, fire and surety.

Liberty Mutual Group (www.libertymutual.com) employs more than 38,000 people in nearly 900 offices throughout the world.

About Roger Williams Park:
Known as the 'Jewel of Providence,' the award-winning Roger Williams Park attracts more than 2 million visitors per year. Cited by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America's premier urban parks, Roger Williams Park was designed by Horace Cleveland. Roger Williams Park is located just south of downtown Providence, the capital of Rhode Island.

About USA Cycling:
USA Cycling is the official cycling organization recognized by the USOC and is responsible for identifying, training and selecting cyclists to represent the United States in international competitions. USA Cycling, doing business as the USCF, NORBA, and USPRO, controls nearly two dozen major events each year and issues permits for up to 3,000 more.

About the New England Cyclo-cross Association:
The New England Cyclo-cross Association is the committee formed specifically to promote the 2005 and 2006 Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships. Headquartered in Arlington, Mass., the core members of this committee have experience promoting four national championships and dozens of national caliber events.

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PRESS RELEASE: Rhode Island Hosts Verge NECCS Finals

A state better known for its yacht racing, Rhode Island will become the center of American cyclo-cross with this coming weekend's Verge New England Championships Cyclo-Cross Series Finals, the W.E. Stedman Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross, on Saturday, and the Castor's Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross, on Sunday.Building up to the following weekend's Liberty Mutual U.S. National Championships, the Ocean State twin bill will provide perfect preparation for Nationals as well as a race-heavy end to the six-race Verge NECCS. With top riders from all across the U.S. flying in to get a final shot of racing before Nationals, overall Verge NECCS winner's will be decided in Warwick on Sunday

"I can tell you that Castor's GP organizer Matt Bodziony and I are very proud and excited to be hosting the Rhode Island Race Weekend," says Joel Brown, organizer of Saturday's W.E. Stedman GP. "Who would have ever thought that Rhode Island would become the epicenter of US cyclo-cross!? This coming week, Rhode Island will indeed be ‘The biggest little state in the Union.'"

Coming into the Rhode Island "double dip" Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) maintains a slim 15 point series lead over four-time defending Verge NECCS champion Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar), but with double points on offer for Sunday's race an off-day for either rider could prove decisive. While Johnson and McCormack concentrate on racing each other for the Verge NECCS crown, non-title contenders Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai), winner of the final USGP, Barry Wicks (Kona), winner of the USGP #5, and Jeremy Powers (Jelly Belly-Pool Gel) may well throw a few wrenches into the overall points chase. Michael Cody and Matt White (both Fior di Frutta) sit fourth and fifth, respectively, in the points hunt and could steal a few decisive points from either Johnson or McCormack. Under-23 Series leader Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar) has cinched up his Verge NECCS title and appears likely to finish in the top-three in the Elite Men's points as well.

With Elite Women's points leader Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) missing the final weekend due to commitments in Europe, the Women's overall title hangs in the balance. Sitting second behind Bessette, Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication) needs a solid weekend to take the overall Series jersey away from the absent Canadian, but winning the Series remains well within Bruno Roy's grasp. As well, Mackenzie Dickey (Bicycle Alley) remains mathematically in contention for the overall points races.

The Verge NECCS overall awards for all points-scoring categories will happen at 4 pm on Sunday, following the Elite Men's race. Racers finishing in the top 3 in their category overall are requested to attend the awards ceremony. For the Elite Men and Women, cash prizes will only be awarded to those who attend the final overall podium ceremony.

Going into the Rhode Island weekend, Verge NECCS leaders are as follows: Elite Men, Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau); Elite Women, Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau); Under-23 Men, Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar); Masters 35+, Jonny Bold (Corner Cycle); Masters 45+, Colman O'Connor (Bicycle Link-MBRC); Junior Men, Jerome Townsend (Bicycle Alley); B Men, Pascal Bussieres (Abbrsuz LA GoeLiche); Cub Juniors, Jared Reuta (44Velo); Masters 55+, Phil Bannister (Putney-West Hill).

The 2005 Verge NECCS is sponsored by Verge Sport, makers of quality cycling apparel, and specializing in custom clothing orders; Cycle-Smart: Solutions for Cycling, personalized coaching for all cycling disciplines: Greyhound Juice, warming salves and skin care products for all athletes; Felt Bicycles, builders of the best bicycles in the world: BikeReg.com, the solution for all of your online registration needs for cycling events; and Litmus Designs, integrating web technology and graphic design solutions for your business needs.

Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
x- October 15 - Downeast Cyclo-Cross, New Gloucester, ME
x- November 12 - ChainBiter 7.0 Cyclo-Cross, Farmington, CT
x- November 13 - Cycle-Smart International Cyclo-Cross, Northampton, MA
x- November 26 - Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-Cross, Sterling, MA

December 3 - W. E. Stedman Co. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross, S. Kingstown, RI
December 4 - Castor's Grand Prix, Warwick, RI

For more information on the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com

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Cyclo-cross lets you ride, get dirty like a child again

By Lindsay Nash, Citizen-times.com :: HENDERSONVILLE - Asheville cyclist Cara McCauleyconsiders it a sanctioned way to play in the mud and get a little bike racing in along the way.McCauley, will join about 200 cyclists from across the country and Canada in bringing out their bikes for this weekend's North Carolina Grand Prix at Jackson Park in Hendersonville, the first internationally sanctioned cyclo-cross bicycle race south of Washington, D.C.

"It's 45 minutes of pain," said McCauley, who races for BMW-Bianchi. "But it's fun to challenge yourself with the different obstacles. Every course is different. It's never the same race twice."

Cyclo-cross races consist of multiple laps of a short (2- to 3-kilometer) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to dismount, jump barriers and remount, said Timothy Hopkin, senior athletic program supervisor for Henderson County Parks and Recreation Department and founder and organizer of N.C. Cyclo-Cross.

"It's really fun," Hopkin said of the sport. "It's what you want to do as a kid - ride fast, ride on the road, do some dirt stuff and get muddy."

During the past eight years, the sport of cyclo-cross in North Carolina has grown, Hopkin said. What once started as a small race is now a Union Cycliste Internationale-sanctioned race, which puts the event at an international level.

The N.C. Grand Prix, presented by Cheerwine Soft Drink, will be the highlight of the N.C. Cyclo-Cross Series and the Georgia Cyclo-Cross series. Races on both days will begin at 10 a.m. for the novice riders and end at 2:30 p.m. with the men's elite race.

The race, organized and promoted by the Henderson County Parks and Recreation Department, is very spectator-friendly, Hopkin said, especially since the course is close-looped. There are events for all ages, including a youth fun ride.

McCauley, who considers the sport a hybrid of mountain biking and road biking, rode the race course last weekend.

"The course is awesome," she said. "It will be one of the best I have ridden this year. There is a good mix of everything. It's not too technical and won't favor the mountain bikers or road racers. It's going to be hard."

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Cookes garner cyclo-cross fame

By NANCY HAGGERTY, Poughkeepsie Journal, NY :: The miles are in the thousands, the titles numerous. But this week, like every week, Rebecca and Paul Cooke will bike, logging more hours and more miles.The Hyde Park couple are accomplished in multiple cycling disciplines.

But their current focus is cyclo-cross, a sport capturing an American audience after years of popularity overseas. And, specifically, it's on the December 9 National Championships in Providence, R.I.

Coming off an up and down season, Paul, 48, a St. Francis Hospital anesthesiologist, believes his initial goal of a top-10 finish is probably out of reach for this year.

But Rebecca, 45, who, has done only 15 cyclo-cross races — six this fall — after Paul convinced her to try the sport three years ago, has a shot at a title.

Road racing since 1987, she was in and out of the sport for 10 years before doing it on a regular basis. And, boy, did she do it. While living in Massachusetts, Rebecca was New England's top road racer in her age group in 1997, '98 and '99, winning the New England Road Championship in 1998. After the Cookes moved to Arizona, she became the Arizona time trial champion in 2000 and in 2001-2004 was state criterium champion. In 2002, Rebecca also captured the masters National Road Championship, riding to victory in 109-degree heat. And this past June, just two months after moving locally, she claimed New York's masters time trial title.

"She's the most accomplished woman in the world," Paul said with obvious pride.

That seems as much the result of hungry-dog-seeking-bone determination as talent. Losing to a more experienced/technically stronger rider in her first ever cyclo-cross race in 2002 not only wasn't acceptable but doubled her resolve to improve. Three races later, she won the Arizona state championship.

"I have more of an internal competitive drive than external. My achievements have been based more on passion than ability," explained Rebecca, a full-time medical billing student who trains five days a week.

Change in concentration

With little left to prove in road racing, she has concentrated the past two years on cyclo-cross. A typical road race lasts three-to-four hours, a cyclo-cross race 40-45 minutes.

But cyclo-cross is all high intensity. Rebecca will typically complete five-to-six, 2- to 3-kilometer laps that can include hills, forest trails, pavement and grass. Usually each lap has three barriers that require her to dismount, run carrying her 18-pound bike, and remount — no easy task.

"It's constantly changing. It's an all-out effort," Rebecca said. "You're always looking ahead and always concentrating. So many things can go wrong."

Paul, a veteran of 250-300 road races, hopes to join a road race team next year and record a top-three finish in his age group at the New York time trials. But after two years as Arizona masters champ, Paul, who juggles eight-to-14 hours of weekly cycling with a fluctuating work schedule, also hopes to do well in cyclo-cross, where he often faces 100 riders.

With an opening mad-dash sprint (his weakest element), sprints out of corners, barriers and some rough terrain, injuries seem inevitable. And Paul noted he and his wife share the philosophy, "It's really not cyclo-cross unless there's blood involved."

That said, "The thing about cyclo-cross is you fall a lot but usually it's on dirt and usually you're not going so fast that you really hurt yourself," added Paul, whose road injuries include a broken rib from being run over by another cyclist.

Rebecca, whose bone-diseased right wrist was fused in 2000, knows all about injuries, most also suffered road biking. But for motivation next month she can remember missing the 2003 cyclo-cross Nationals after breaking an ankle in a "stupid, low-speed fall" six days earlier.

Although beating many 20-something racers this fall, she'll race in masters under the national format, likely facing the 2003 and the 2004 national champions.

"It will take a fair amount of luck to win," Rebecca allowed.

But it has never been only about winning.

"I love what I'm doing and I want to do the best I can do ... There's always something to be improved on," she said.

And, with every race, that challenge continues.

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In spare time, Baker a cyclo-cross masochist

By: Neill Woelk, Daily Camera, Boulder, CO :: Jonathan Baker is 31 years old, works full time for a computer software company in Boulder and is an elite cyclo-cross competitor in his spare time.And what, you ask, exactly is cyclo-cross?

According to Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body of cycling:

"Cyclo-cross is a discipline run on 2.5K to 3.5K circuits, including clearings, roads, country lanes and paths through forests. The riders have to do several laps of the circuit over a period of no more than an hour. To make their way along steep paths, muddy tracks and artificial obstacles, sometimes the riders even have to carry their bikes.

"This discipline, which is splendid in itself, is at the same time an unbeatable school of cycling, where you have to combine riding technique, courage and the peak of physical fitness. Technical backup is allowed, which is one of the main differences with mountain bike disciplines."

That's the official description.

But there are other, more succinct definitions.

American racer Chris DiStefano: "Cyclo-cross is snot-blowing, lung-searing, leg-breaking pain."

Now let's get back to Baker, who spends eight hours a day behind a desk for BEA Systems, a Boulder firm — not the type of job that lends itself to "the peak of physical fitness."

That means Baker has to fit his training in wherever and whenever he can. This time of year, when the days are short, it means riding to work from his Boulder Canyon home, about 35 minutes one way, another hour or so of riding at lunch, and then the ride home.

"Sometimes that's not enough," he admits. "Then I sit on my (stationary) trainer at night."

A California native, Baker moved to Boulder three years ago from San Francisco "for a lifestyle change." Part of that change included more cycling and more racing. A latecomer to the sport of cycling — "I was a skateboarder and smoker before I started riding a bike" — he's making up for lost time in a hurry.

Since the move to Boulder, he's graduated from recreational cyclo-cross races (if such a thing exists) to the hard-core, elite circuit. That usually means flying out Friday night to a national race, competing on Saturdays and Sundays, and returning home late Sunday night — just in time to catch a little sleep, get up and ride to work early Monday morning.

Sounds fun, right?

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it," Baker said. "It's not something to do if you don't love it."

Cyclo-cross is closely related to mountain biking, but the bikes are more similar to road bikes, with lightweight frames and narrow tires. The frames have to be lightweight because of the one aspect of the sport that separates it from other cycling disciplines: During the race, competitors must hop off their bikes at full speed, hoist them onto their shoulders and carry them uphill over obstacles that prevent them from actually riding their bikes up the hill.

"You have to learn how to jump off your bike going 20 mph and keep running without missing a beat," Baker said. "That has to become second nature. If you have to think about it, you're in trouble."

Then there's the little matter of weather. The cyclo-cross season starts in the fall and runs into the winter. The U.S. Championships — this year to be held in Providence, R.I. — are usually held in early December (Dec. 10-11 this year).

That means the chances of snow, sleet, freezing rain and ice get better every week.

"You have to be a little masochistic to be a bike racer, period," Baker said. "You have to be a little more masochistic to be a cyclo-cross racer.

"You just have to be mentally tough — and if you feel you are mentally tougher than your competitor, you have an edge."

Races aren't canceled because of weather. Rather, the mud, snow and ice contribute to what are fondly known as "sufferfests" among the sport's aficionados.

"It's not as if we enjoy the bad weather," Baker said. "You learn to persevere. You just tell yourself you're tougher than the other guy.

"But I'd never say it's fun when it gets so cold you can't even grip the bars."

Baker remembers one particular race a couple of years ago in Gloucester, Mass.

"We raced in a blizzard," Baker said. "It was miserable. When it was over, people's hands were in so much pain they were crying when they finally started to warm up."

Baker's results suggest that he has the right blend of masochism, mental toughness and athletic ability. A winner of the Colorado overall cyclo-cross title a year ago, he committed this year to racing at the national elite level. Currently, he is ranked ninth in the nation and is among the top 50 in the world.

Baker rides for a Boulder-Longmont squad, "Primus Mootry Cyclo-Cross Team Delivered by Denver-Boulder Bicycle Couriers." The team is sponsored by Joe Depaemelaere, the owner of Primus Mootry, a custom framer builder, and also gets support from Denver-Boulder Couriers owner Chris Grealish.

And what kind of financial reward is in it for Baker? Will he soon turn to racing full time and quit his day job?

"If you finish in the top 10 at nationals, you might make enough money to break even when you figure in all of your expenses," Baker said. "Nobody retires off their money from cyclo-cross."

So, let's review: snot-blowing, lung-searing, leg-breaking pain. Hours of training around your real job. Virtually no financial reward, and the always-enjoyable threat of frostbite.

"I couldn't imagine not doing it," Baker said. "It's what keeps me balanced. If I didn't have cycling, I couldn't work eight hours per day."

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Marin dominates Quad Dipsea

By: Barry Spitz, Marin Independent Journal :: It was a banner day for Marin at Saturday's Quadruple Dipsea. Roy Rivers of Mill Valley captured the men's title and Rachel Lloyd of Fairfax won the women's division in a race that saw the lead men and women trade places several times. Novato's Larry Castano become the first person to finish the Quad 20 times.

Rivers' arrival in Old Mill Park in Mill Valley, after four crossings of the Dipsea Trail, was greeted with loud applause. Rivers, popular in Marin's running circles, has been near but not at the top of his four previous Quad runs (he was second in 2002 and fourth last year). He took the lead for good at the bridge over Redwood Creek in Muir Woods on lap four with just two miles left in the grueling

28-mile affair, winning in 4 hours, 14 minutes and 38 seconds, a personal best by more than 7 minutes for the 48-year-old.

"This feels so good," an elated Rivers said immediately after the finish. Known for the occasional "bonk" - he collapsed and needed medical

attention in a run over the Dipsea Trail just a week ago - Rivers took a more conservative approach.

"I ran the first lap chatting with (fellow Mill Valley runner) Tim Knudsen," Rivers said. He also took five helpings of a glucose supplement, including two on the critical second Stinson Beach-Mill Valley crossing, the bane of all Quad competitors. It resulted in strikingly even splits of 1:01, 1:03, 1:06, and 1:04.

Rivers grew up in Larkspur. After graduating with a computer sciences degree from Berkeley, Rivers spent the 1980s as a professional mountain bike racer.

Eric Grossman of Virginia, leading until Rivers' pass, struggled home second, 3:25 behind. Knudsen, in front during laps two and three, was another 3:22 behind. Veteran Quad racer Greg Nacco of Sausalito took fourth in 4:25:14.

San Rafael's Mike Sweeney was the first in the over-50 division in 4:54:47. Gard Leighton topped the 60-plus set in 5:29:20. Setting a record as the oldest finisher was 79-year-old Mike Tselentis. He started at 7 a.m., an hour early.

Castano, 52, arrived at 6:27:32 and was immediately presented with a black commemorative plaque. He quipped, "(It) looks awfully like a tombstone." Castano, whose 20 finishes were consecutive, said, "I'll keep running the Quad as long as John (Medinger, the race founder) keeps directing it and God and my wife

permit me."

The women's race was also a seesaw affair. Larkspur's Diana Fitzpatrick, a four-time Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon, led into the third lap. But going up Dynamite Hill out of Muir Woods, both her calves went into spasms and she was passed first by Lloyd and then by Kim Holak, last year's winner. Salt tablets given by a fellow runner enabled Fitzpatrick to finish in third place.

Lloyd held the fore to Stinson and back for the win in 5:01:33, which was 21st overall. Her slowing splitsÊ- 1:09, 1:13, 1:18, and 1:21 - are typical of most Quad racers. It was the first outright running win for Lloyd, 30, whose main sport is mountain biking. She's a professional with a best of 13th in the world cross country championship and a ninth in the world cyclocross championships.

"I run just three times a week," said Lloyd, a native of Bellingham, Washington, who also works as a massage therapist. "During the race, my quads got pretty trashed, which was tough, because that's where my strength comes from."

The 240 starters were treated to perfect crisp, clear weather, and a dirt surface rendered ideal by the previous day's light rain. Some veterans called it the Quad's best conditions ever.

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Pontoni finishes tour in style

By David Alvarez (Cyclingnews.com) :: Warm and sunny weather greeted the 49 elite starters for Japan's largest cyclocross race on the banks of the Yasu river.This would be the only chance for domestic racers to take UCI points this season. To add to the level of difficulty, the race counted as a national team selection race, and was the final race of Daniele Pontoni's three-race tour of Japan.

Pontoni took some time on the previous day to help design the course, the result being a much more technical course than previous years; this would prove to be troublesome for many riders throughout the day.

Lining up on the start line were several Japanese cycling standouts, including national cross champion Keiichi Tsujiura, former national cross champs Masahiko Mifune and Masanori Kosaka, current national MTB champion Raita Suzuji, Shimano-Memory Corp rider Yoshiyuki Abe, and more.

Bridgestone-Anchor rider Tsujiura jumped from the start, and a small group of the top riders made their way to the front after the first technical section, a rocky descent along the riverbank. But before long, Pontoni was off the front. Able to gain time on each technical section, he rarely looked to be working hard and comfortably soloed to victory. Tsujiura came in not too far behind in second place.

The most exciting race of the day came in the battle for third. After a terrible start, Subaru-Miyata pro Mifune slowly made his way through the field, finally taking the last podium spot in the last 500 metres. Next week's race will see a new venue along the shores of Lake Biwa, and is the last warm-up before the national championships the following weekend in Osaka.

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Cyclists team up in sport, life Salem (Massachusetts) now home for dynamic duo

By Christopher L. Gasper, Boston Globe, BEVERLY, MA -- Doting on each other at the Atomic Cafe in Beverly, Lyne Bessette and Tim Johnson appear to be just another young married couple, who finish each other's food and sentences.n reality, they are two top-level professional cyclists and cyclocross stars, a union of two of the best off-road riders in North America. Cyclocross is a discipline of cycling that calls for riders to navigate twisting, obstacle-filled circuits of asphalt and grass. The obstacles require riders to dismount their bikes and run up steep terrain or hurdle roadblocks.

Johnson, a Middleton native, was the first American to earn a medal at the World Cyclocross Championships, bringing home a bronze in the under-23 category in 1999. He is a four-time US national cyclocross champion. Bessette, a two-time Canadian Olympic cyclist as a road racer, picked up cyclocross after meeting Johnson four years ago and was a natural. Bessette was named Cyclocross Woman of the Year in North America in 2001 and recently won the six-event US Gran Prix of Cyclocross.

''They have an awful lot of fun with each other," said Johnson's mother, Claudia. ''I think because they do the same thing they understand each other a lot better, perhaps."

Johnson and Bessette moved to Salem in September to be closer to Johnson's family and spend the cyclocross season together -- on and off their bikes. They formed a two-person team.

''We built this team just for us so we could race together and we could travel around the country and do these races as our own team, just the two of us," said Johnson, who finished second in the men's US Gran Prix of Cyclocross. ''And, if I need to share a hotel room with my teammate, it's not so bad."

The two met in 2001, when Johnson joined the Saturn Cycling Team, which at the time was the top road racing outfit in the United States. Bessette was already a member of the team. While training together in Buellton, Calif., they realized that they liked each other as much as cycling.

''It was kind of funny because I had just sworn off girls at that point to focus on cycling," said Johnson.

Bessette said, ''I didn't even know him, but I saw his picture on Velonews because he had just won cyclocross nationals and I was like, 'Oh, he's going to be my teammate. I like that.' "

Johnson, 28, and Bessette, 30, were married in July 2004, a little more than a month before Bessette competed in her second Olympics.

However, what should have been one of the happiest years of their lives was one of the most difficult. The two cyclists spent much of 2004 apart. Bessette was training for the Olympics and Johnson had gotten the big break he'd been dreaming of -- a chance to ride on the European road racing circuit.

Johnson signed a two-year contract with the Girona, Spain-based Saunier Duval Cycling Team in late 2003. But Europe was not what he expected. Being away from Bessette, feeling in over his head as a rider, and illness took a toll on the normally sanguine Johnson.

''He was trying to hide it so I wouldn't be affected," said Bessette. ''I was going through a really important year for me. But I could tell he wasn't the Tim that I knew, that I knew when he's happy."

After the season, Johnson got out of his contract and signed on with a small American road racing team. At the same time, he planned a return to his roots.

''That [European experience] explains a lot of the reason we moved back here," said Johnson, who began his career at age 14 riding mountain bikes in Lynn Woods. ''The person I am here is the person that I like and the person that Lyne likes and the person that my family likes. But over there I was somebody that I didn't like. Tim the 'cross rider is the guy who is aggressive and confident. And the person I was midseason 2004, I didn't care about anything. I was scared and I was riding like crap."

Both Johnson and Bessette have performed well this cyclocross season. Starting with the Michelob Ultra Gran Prix of Gloucester on Oct. 29, the couple had a three-week run in which they each won a race. The run ended last Sunday, when they both finished third at the Clark Natwick Grand Prix in San Francisco.

Yet, there is no argument over who the best cyclist in the family is. That honor goes to Bessette, who was on the verge of winning a medal in the 2004 Olympics as a road racer before an accident knocked her out of the race. In January, Bessette, who won 13 straight cyclocross races this season, will try to become the first North American woman to reach the podium at the World Cyclocross Championships.

Bessette, who did not begin competitive cycling until age 21, is a hero in her native Quebec, where cycling enjoys the same popularity it receives in Europe.

''She is world-class in all events," said Steve Pucci, Johnson's mentor and the race director of the Cycling Club of Beverly (CCB). ''She just happens to be doing 'cross this time of year, but she's also world-class on the road. She is like the New York Yankees and [Tim] is the Florida Marlins or Triple A."

Bessette just recently signed on to ride overseas with the T-Mobile team for the road racing season, while Johnson will ride for the US-based Health Net Pro Cycling Team. Both are confident that the arrangement will work out better this time.

Bessette said that the toughest part for the couple is separating their careers from their marriage. Bessette said that she plans to retire after the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, as she wants one more shot at a medal, before starting a family. Johnson is the type who will ''be out riding his 'cross bike 20 years from now, when he has three kids," Pucci said.

Johnson's mother, Claudia, said that her son's marriage to Bessette is built on more than bicycle riding. ''I think that the life they're building together, cycling is one element of it," she said.

It may only be one element of their relationship, but it was the most important one in forming their bond. ''Cycling brought us together, that's for sure," said Bessette. ''If it wasn't for cycling we wouldn't be together."

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ACTION ALERT: Colorado Cycling Events to be Banned!!!

Please help out your fellow cyclists in Colorado by signing this petition. The Colorado State Patrol has added an alarming new policy banning the biggest bicycle events in Colorado! Their new policy limits bicycle and triathlon events to 2,500 riders, but this limit can be lowered at any time putting every event at risk. Bicycle tours, races, charity rides, group rides, and triathlons are all affected. Please follow this LINK to the petition. Thank you!

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Fundraiser offers participants a chance to bike, hike, get messy

(Kathyleen Ellyn :: Statesman Journal) This event is a little bit different than the sort of item that I usually feature in the column because it's not a fundraiser for a nonprofit at this point.But it's a short step from putting on a successful event to sponsoring an event that breaks even and raises money for a good cause -- and this one is good for your health and your heart rate.

It's the Pringle Creek Community Cyclocross Race, scheduled to begin with registration and warmups at 9 a.m. Saturday at Pringle Creek Community, 2110 Strong Road SE, in Salem.

Now, I pedal gently around the rural back roads where I live and occasionally take a mountain bike out on an easy cross-country trail -- but if I had the time (and the body) to condition for it, I'd cyclocross because it's the bicycle equivalent to cross-country horse racing (which I've done). In a word: it's a blast.

Cyclocross, for those of you unfamiliar with the event, is a high-endurance hybrid of cycling, mountain biking and hiking on a short 1-to-2-mile course filled with difficult obstacles and terrain, steep slopes and mud pits. It's messy, intense and fun to watch, too.

This is the first time in 13 years that Salem has hosted an event such as this, and I hope it will be the start of a series of great biking events.

The Cyclocross is sponsored by Pringle Creek Community, Santiam Bicycle and the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association.

Professional cyclists, such as Salem-born Omer Kem, will be there, as well as sales representatives from Kona and Bianchi bikes.

Free bicycle maintenance workshops and other bike-related activities are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Painter's Building.

Food provided by The Mount Angel Sausage Co. will be available for sale.

You won't freeze, as there is an indoor heated space and covered outdoor areas for spectators to observe the race.

Race categories include junior and master categories for men and women.

Race fees range from $5 to $20.

Call Chris Morscheck, Santiam Bicycle, at (503) 831-1040 or James Santana, Pringle Creek Community, at (971) 285-7744.

Attachment-disorder seminar is scheduled

The citywide effort to create successful foster homes for children removed from homes where methamphetamine has wreaked havoc continues.

Now, Nehemiah's Ranch for Youth has arranged an informational seminar about attachment disorders, 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the ranch's training-center offices, 7625 Sunnyside Road SE, Salem.

The program will feature presentations by Dr. Debra "Kali" Miller, the founder of Corinthia Counseling of Portland and Susan Scott of the Northwest Neurodevelopmental Training Center in Woodburn. Miller is a licensed psychologist and specialist in dealing with reactive attachment disorder. Scott will explain the "brain-retraining" method of rehabilitating children with attachment disorders.

The program is free for adoptive parents, foster parents, caseworkers and the public, but space will be limited to 100 people, so please R.S.V.P. to (503) 315-0772.

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Storm, Gould take MAC 'cross; Baker, Fitzsimmons prevail in Central Coast

(From Race Promoters Press Release) :: Racers from 15 states and the District of Columbia converged on the Washington, D.C., suburb of Reston, Virginia, on Sunday for round seven of the $30,000 Verge Mid Atlantic Cyclocross Series.The Capital Cross Classic presented by The Bike Lane was the largest cyclo-cross race ever held in Virginia or the district area, with 250 entries comprised of seven classes competing in five events.

The featured DARCARS Chrysler International figured to be a wide-open affair with many of the national riders deciding to skip this UCI C2 event for races in Europe or Thanksgiving at home. Stepping into the void were eager racers from as far away as Wisconsin who wanted to make names for themselves and score some serious international points.

At the start of the race, four riders immediately separated themselves by a small margin from the rest of the starters: Defending Verge MAC champion Ryan Leech (FORT-GPOA!) and three North Carolinians, Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo), Jon Hamblen (Fior di Frutta) and Charlie Storm (Inland Construction-BTD). Meanwhile, Wisconsin's Tristan Schouten (Trek-VW-Michelin) was overcoming a bad start and a last-row starting position, but nobody noticed - yet.

By the end of lap one, the lead group was down to three as Aspholm was dropped. The first bit of drama in the race occurred on the next lap when the previously unnoticed Schouten bridged the gap to the leaders to make another foursome. For the next two laps, Hamblen and Storm unsuccessfully launched attacks, while Storm countered and Leech followed. Then Hamblen crashed.

"I just lost the front tire in the turn around the tree," he said.

The lead trio was not working well together, however, and Hamblen put in a massive effort to bridge back up, while Aspholm hammered by himself in fifth place. Several laps of small attacks ensued until Leech took advantage of the cat-and-mouse play by the leaders as they came up the asphalt finishing straight with three laps to go. Only Storm could respond and the two instantly opened a 100-yard gap on Hamlin and Schouten.

Storm counter-attacked on the long hill less than a minute later, opening a huge gap that he would keep to the end. Meanwhile, Hamblen recovered from his earlier effort after his crash and put in another huge effort in a vain attempt to catch Storm.

When asked if he was too tired following the effort to rejoin the leaders after his crash, Hamblen said, "Nah, Charlie rode a good race. He just picked a perfect time to go and nobody could follow him."

In the preceding women's elite race, presented by The Bike Lane, Idaho's Georgia Gould (Kona) took a fast start, stretched her lead with a fast middle and topped it off with a fast finish to completely dominate the race and take over the points lead in the Verge MAC series.

As eventual second place finisher Mandy Lozano (Easton-Kona) put it, "Well, (Gould) decided to go off by herself and left us to race." And race they did. North Carolina's Lozano, points leader and defending champion Betsy Schauer (FORT-GPOA!), and local favorite Melanie Schwartz (Squadra Coppi-Van Dessel) battled most of the race until Schwartz, racing with a broken thumb, faded. Left with a one-on-one battle, Schauer knew what she had to do.

"I can't sprint," she said, "so I knew I had to try to get away. But I couldn't get far enough ahead." Lozano's comment mirrored Schauer's. "I just followed her and sprinted by at the end," said Lazano, grinning. "I just go foxy on her."

Race notes

* The race benefited "Trips for Kids of Metro DC" an organization that takes urban youth on mountain bike rides to teach them about life, health and nature. Trips for Kids participants represented over half of the junior field, with all of them in their first race. One, Antonio Phillips, finished on the podium in fifth place in the race won by Morgan Gerlak of team Alan Mid-Atlantic.

* Mike Yozell continued his domination of the masters division, leading teammate Gunnar Shogren to a FORT-GPOA one-two sweep ahead of Blair Saunders. Randy Root of Team Snow Valley-Sibex was the highest placed 45+ rider in 5th place overall, while Fred Wittwer was the highest-placed 55+ rider.

* Peter Rubijono (Harris Cyclery), made his weekend drive from Massachusetts worthwhile by dominating the B race.

Baker, Fitzsimmons prevail in Central Coast 'cross
Nearly 200 racers competed at round four of the Central Coast Cyclo Cross Series, held at beautiful Manzanita Park in Prundale, California.

Racers were faced with bright sunshine and cool winds on a course that featured technical sections, sand, grass, one solid run-up, and many fun turns.

In the men's elite division, Jonathon Baker (Primus Mootry) of Boulder Colorado, won impressively by 22 seconds over national 40-plus champion Mark Noble (Amgen Cycling), and by 2:04 over Simon Vickers (Rock Lobster).

Baker established a early lead while the determined Noble, who was fresh off his U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross win one week prior, worked his way through the field to join him at the front. Baker then gapped the flying Brit and didn't let anything keep him from the win and his instant cash pay-out. Not even a stray dog that crossed Bakers path with two laps to go could slow him down - Baker left some tread marks on the startled poodle and held on for the win.

David Wyandt (Father) took fourth place, 30 seconds behind Vickers, who has had a stellar 'cross campaign this season. Anastasio Flores (Cal Giant Inc.) held off Aaron Kereluk (Rock lobster) by a bike length to claim fifth on the day.

Ann Fitzsimmons (Velo Bella) claimed her second CCCX win in as many races, dominating the women's field to win by more than two minutes. Fitzsimmons seemed fresh and at home on the challenging circuit, which had ample traction from recent rains.

The ever-improving Fitzsimmons is really finding some nice form as of late. She raced the B division two years ago at this same venue; now, she is racing for money and claimed a cash payout as she crossed the line. Stella Carey (Kelly Bike Co.) took the silver medal and a small cash reward, holding off hard-charging Lori Cox (Velo Girls) by 20 seconds.

Race notes

* District champion Henry Krammer (Cal Giant Inc.) won the Masters 35 division ahead of Mark Howland (Black Market Racing) and Larry Hibbard (Family Cycling Center).

* Mark Abele (Boure) remains undefeated in the Masters 45 division, winning his fourth race in a row ahead of Jim Gentes (Family Cycling Center) and Doug Hatfield (Family Cycling Center).

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How do I jump on my bike when it's moving?

By: Matt Kelly (Bicycling Magainze Dec. 2000) Q. I've tried jumping on my bike while it's rolling--like you cyclocross dogs--with varying degrees of success. How can I avoid squishing my sensitive stuff when I jump on?A. Matt Kelly: It took me a long time to get the hang of it. I finally started watching tapes of the '96 and '97 'cross Worlds and paid close attention to how the best riders did it. What I noticed--and started doing--was landing on the inside right thigh, rather than putting my crotch directly on the seat. That makes the move flow more: It looks like you're stepping onto the bike, instead of hopping.

Matt's 6 Rules for a Flying Mount
1. Don't lean forward: "While running with your bike, your upper body should be upright and balanced."
2. Lower your seat slightly: "It shouldn't be a hop to get on your saddle. You should be able to stand next to the bike and swing a leg over, and you shouldn't feel like you're coming down in the seat. It should feel like you're sliding on from the side."
3. Hands near the hoods: "This gives you immediate control--your fingers are close to the brakes."
4. Don't stutter-step: "Some people prolong their mount by making small steps before committing to throw a leg over. The fastest, most efficient way is to throw that leg over within one to two big steps after clearing a barrier or obstacle."
5. Right pedal forward: "You shouldn't have to search around for the pedal when your leg comes around. With the right pedal at the three o'clock position, the move is also more like a big step forward than a hop."
6. Land on the inside of your right thigh: "Don't aim to plant your butt directly on the saddle. Hit the inside right thigh and then slide down. This offsets the pressure and keeps your private parts safe."

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Local Digest: Cyclocross kids climb to top of podium

Courtesy Santa Cruz Sentinel :: Santa Cruz County's youngest cyclocross racers found power in numbers at the fourth Central Coast Cyclocross Race on Sunday at Manzanita Park in Prunedale.Santa Cruz riders swept the top three spots in the 13-under category, in which seven of the eight entrants hailed from the county. The winner was Noah Karter, who finished five laps in 42 minutes, 37 seconds. Raymond Mendoza and Trent Knebel, who took second and third, respectively, were a lap back. All three ride for the Bicycle Trip team.

In other results, Jonathan Baker made a trip from Boulder, Colo., worth the miles when he won the men's Elite category. He finished 10 laps in 59:10, with Oxnard's Mark Noble 22 seconds back and Simon Vickers of Santa Cruz trailing by 2:04. In the four-racer women's Elite category, Soquel's Stella Carey took second to Ann Fitzsimmons of Morgan Hill six laps in 41:04.

Aside from Karter, the only county resident to win a race was Watsonville's David Samples, a Cal Giant Inc. team rider who won the men's Category B race seven laps in 46:13. Second place honors went to Meghan Barr of Watsonville in the women's Junior race, Mark Howland of Santa Cruz in the men's Masters 35+, Jim Gentes of Soquel in the men's Masters 45+, Melanie Dominguez of Aptos in the women's Masters 35+ and Janel Lodge of Santa Cruz in the Category B women's.

The six-series race continues Dec. 18 and Jan. 8 at Ford Ord in Monterey.

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Cyclists push through muddy conditions

(Iowa City Press Citizen, BY: Adam Pracht) It wasn't difficult to guess which bikers had finished racing Sunday at the Ashton Cross Country Track Field. They were the muddy ones.The racers were competing in a fall and winter sport called "cyclocross," which combines elements of off-road cycling with cross country running.

Wearing a Santa Claus hat, race director John Meehan said about 200 people participated in the second annual TIAA-CREF/Coralville Jingle Cross Rock despite the constant drizzle that soaked the ground.

Meehan said the race raised money for the Children's Hospital of Iowa, where he's a pediatric surgeon. He said the course included going through a creek bed and going over board barriers, requiring racers to dismount.

"You have to carry your bike," Meehan said. "That's what separates cyclocross from regular bike races."

Instead of a set distance, bikers try to complete as many laps of the two-mile course as possible in a set amount of time, with a final lap or laps after that time.

The race paid about $4,000 total with the top prize in the elite race at $800.

The elite race participants included Jason McCartney, who races on the same team with Lance Armstrong, and Steve Tilford, five-time mountain biking world champion.

Mike Edwards, 33, of Iowa City competed in the B race Sunday and said that unlike road races, cyclocross was more individual.

"It's great," he said. "It's off road and mud and barriers. It's just interesting."

Jason Weldon, 29, of Iowa City also competed in the B race. He said cyclocross was challenging because the constant dismounts made it hard to build momentum and coast. He compared it to a sprint as opposed to a long-distance race.

Watching the races from under an umbrella, Dali Mar of Coralville watched her husband, Mani Colón, compete in one of the races with her children. Mar said it was an event the whole family could enjoy.

"He loves bicycles, and he rode this morning, and we came here for him," she said.

Colón said he's been riding bicycles for about 30 years, but it wasn't until he came to the United States from Puerto Rico about two years ago that he discovered cyclocross.

"You need to be in a good physical condition, and you have to have a strong heart as well," Colón said in Spanish.

Meehan said the event is planned for next year as well as the Thanksgiving weekend, with the race extended to a two-day event.

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Cyclocross categories to be revamped

For 2006 USA Cycling will be designating a Cat 1-4 designation on racing licenses for cyclocross. Riders will then need to apply for category upgrade or downgrade as is done now for USCF or NORBA.

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Cyclo-cross nationals begin Dec. 9

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Nov. 18, 2005) – Just a reminder - the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships take place Dec. 9-11 at Roger Williams Park in Providence, R.I.

There will be an entire week's worth of cycling and cultural events in the Ocean State leading up to the nationals. Promoters expect to host nearly 1,400 competitors to this three-day event. National champion jerseys will be awarded in 25 categories. Each day’s final race will be a featured event, with collegiate men racing Friday, pro-elite men on Saturday, and pro-elite women on Sunday. Sunday will also feature the Liberty Cup, a non-championship invitational event for men.

Cyclo-cross is a hybrid of road and off-road cycling. Cyclists compete on a tightly woven course for a timed period, ranging from 30 to 60 minutes. Designed with hurdles and steep slopes, courses force racers to dismount their bikes and run for short sections on the course. These compact courses create fan friendly race venues, with spectators able to watch nearly all of the racing action. Racers compete regardless of weather conditions.

For more information, visit: http://www.cyclocrossnationals.com/.

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"Transition" Screening TONIGHT!!

On Sunday November 27th the Minuteman Road Club will present a free screening of the film "Transition" a documentary of the 2004 cyclocross season.Adam Hodges Myerson (the featured racer in the documentary) as well as Sam Smith (the film maker) will both be there to introduce and elaborate on the film.

The showing will be at John Harvard's Brew House in Framingham, MA.

The discussion will begin about 7pm and the screening will begin about 8pm.

Come out and see some great race footage and get an inside look at the story behind the racing. This award winning documentary is a behind the scenes look at the most exciting form of cycling. Get to know the racers that make up the American 'cross scene as they battle - week in and week out - in the fall of 2004. Insightful and humorous interviews along with gritty racing action make TRANSITION a must see

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CCA 2006 International 'Cross Bids Deadline December 10

November 26, 2005 - The Canadian Cycling Association is currently accepting bids for the hosting of 2006 international cyclocross events. Organizers wishing to submit bids must complete and return the following two documents to the Canadian Cycling Association office no later than December 10, 2005.For additional information, please contact Rémi Bérubé, Competition Coordinator, at (613) 248-1353 ext. 2602, or at competition@canadian-cycling.com.

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Cyclocross Videos!!

Cyclocross vids are now available through Google Video...just follow this link to the videos including Star-Crossed Cross from last year and the Clif Bar Grand Prix also from 2004.

Google Video!

Yahoo Video!

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Bessette, Johnson Win at Snowy Sterling

Billed as a sneak preview of the course for December’s National Championships in Rhode Island, Saturday’s Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-Cross, round four of the 2005 Verge New England Championships Cyclo-Cross Series, presented by Cycle-Smart, added an extra bit of intrigue: a healthy blanket of snow. The Sterling, Mass. course, designed by National’s course guru Tom Stevens, was already challenging before the four inches of white fluff came down on Thanksgiving Day, but the added element of dodgy traction and sub-freezing temps made for an epic day in the fourth race of the 2005 Verge NECCS.

Verge NECCS Elite Men’s points leader Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) reveled in the slick conditions, taking a solid victory over four-time defending Verge NECCS champ Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar). McCormack’s teammate Jesse Anthony got the action started on the first lap as the Under-23 Series leader pushed the pace hard going into the race’s main run-up. With McCormack falling back due to a technical bobble in the treacherous conditions, Anthony and Johnson were on their own. Johnson powered away from Anthony on lap three, cracking open a lead that, while seriously threatened in the waning laps, never disintegrated totally.

McCormack fought back in the closing four laps, trimming Johnson’s margin down to a mere six seconds with two laps to go. But while McCormack could see Johnson he couldn’t catch Johnson, who goosed the pace just enough to make a last-lap lead change impossible. McCormack settled for a credible second, while Johnson solidified his overall Series lead. Anthony rounded out the top three and also finished on top of the U-23 podium.
“I had a great start, pretty much the best one I’ve had all season,” said Johnson. “I knew there would be a lot of crashes on the first lap and with the slippery course a good start was important for staying out of trouble. Some guys definitely lost time because they were caught behind crashes, so I picked a good time to have such an excellent start.”
Using the B Men’s race as a warm-up, in which she finished third, Elite Women’s Series leader Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) ran her Verge NECCS win streak to four with a run away romp through the snow in Sterling. Bessette led all but the first 100 meters of the race, showing why she already has two cyclo-cross titles to her credit so far in 2005 – Canadian National Champion and U.S. Gran Prix Champion. Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication) and Mackenzie Dickey (Bicycle Alley) collected the final two podium spots, but the day belonged to Bessette. Sterling marked the Canadian’s final Verge NECCS race of the year as her schedule in the coming weeks will take her to Europe for a World Cup.

“The Series has been great preparation for going to race in Europe,” said Bessette. “It’s too bad I have to miss the final weekend but I feel lucky we have such good races in New England in the first place. I’ll be ready for the World Cups I think.”

The 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series concludes the weekend of December 3-4 with the Rhode Island “double dip” of W. E. Stedman Co. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross in South Kingstown and Castor's Grand Prix in Warwick.

2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series #4
Gearworks Bay State Cyclocross, Sterling, Mass.

Elite Men
1. Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau)
2. Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar)
3. Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar)

Elite Women
1. Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau)
2. Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication)
3. Mackenzie Dickey (Team Bicycle Alley)

The 2005 Verge NECCS is sponsored by Verge Sport, makers of quality cycling apparel, and specializing in custom clothing orders; Cycle-Smart: Solutions for Cycling, personalized coaching for all cycling disciplines: Greyhound Juice, warming salves and skin care products for all athletes; Felt Bicycles, builders of the best bicycles in the world: BikeReg.com, the solution for all of your online registration needs for cycling events; and Litmus Designs, integrating web technology and graphic design solutions for your business needs.

Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
October 15 - Downeast Cyclo-Cross, New Gloucester, ME
November 12 - ChainBiter 7.0 Cyclo-Cross, Farmington, CT
November 13 - Cycle-Smart International Cyclo-Cross, Northampton, MA
November 26 - Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-Cross, Sterling, MA
December 3 - W. E. Stedman Co. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross, S. Kingstown, RI
December 4 - Castor's Grand Prix, Warwick, RI

For more information on the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com

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'Cross Dismount: Hop barriers cyclocross-style

(from mountainbike.com) :: The Expert Tim Johnson's reappearance on the cyclocross scene marks the return of a barrier-jumping superstar: The 28-year-old is a four-time National Cyclocross Champion, and the first American to ever medal at the World Cyclocross Championships. After two years focused solely on road racing, he's back doing what he loves, and he's taking it seriously; he's been running--and honing his scary-fast dismount skills with his speed-freak friends--since August. We caught up with Johnson as he was preparing for a motorpace session, and got the scoop on the best way to get off your bike, over a barrier, and back on--in a hurry.--Brian FiskeCheck your speed A perfect dismount means you're traveling the same speed before and after the barrier. "You don't want to slow way down and then have to accelerate hard on the other side," Johnson says. Slow down to a speed you can maintain to the other side of the barrier, and get ready for the fun.

Go Belgian When it comes to the actual dismount, Johnson has one piece of advice: Get off the bike any way you can. "There's the smooth, graceful way to dismount, where you swing your right leg over and step between your left leg and the top tube, but that's tricky," he explains. "I just swing my right leg over the back of the bike, pop off the left pedal, and boof, I've got both feet on the ground and I'm running. It's the real Belgian way to do it."

Cash 'n' carry On short runs, leave your left hand on the bar, put your right hand on the top tube, near your seat tube, and lift the bike over the barrier. (Johnson's trick: Throw the bike with a little curve so the wheels swing out a bit-then you don't have to lift it as far.) On longer runs, grab the bike by the down tube and lift it to your shoulder. Slide your right arm through the triangle of tubes, and reach your hand around the front to hold the left side of the handlebar. Clamp the down tube in the crook of your elbow to steady the bike.

Let it down easy Drop your bike too hard on the other side of the barrier, and your chain's going to come off. "Gently place the bike back onto the ground," emphasizes Johnson.

Push, Slide and Go With both hands on top of the handlebar, push the bike forward and swing your right leg up so your right inner thigh is on the saddle. Then slide yourself into position. "The better you are, the less of a jump there is," Johnson says. "That saves energy, which means you'll have more power for the last lap when you're going for the win."

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Happy Thanksgiving

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PRESS RELEASE: Gearworks 'cross provides preview of nats

Those racers motivated enough to push away from a second helping of turkey and toe the line at the Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-Cross Saturday in Sterling, Massachusetts, will get a sneak preview of what to expect from December's U.S. Cycling Federation Cyclo-cross National Championships in Rhode Island. Round four of the 2005 Verge New England Championships Cyclo-Cross Series, presented by Cycle-Smart, Gearworks will use a course designed by veteran Tom Stevens, the man also responsible for laying out the course at nationals."The two courses are very, very similar and the weather conditions will be about the same too," said Stevens. "They're both wide open with some hillsides and almost the exact same amount of elevation gain. If there's one course this year that will best prepare you for nationals, this is it."

The forecast for a holiday week of inclement weather should have Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) licking his chops as he enters Sterling. Johnson, leader of the elite men's Verge series, always excels in bad conditions and the prospect of snow and mud seems perfect for the former National Champion. But four-time defending Verge NECCS champion Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar), sitting second in the points race, has also proven himself handy in the late-fall muck over his career. The elite men's race promises strong performances from the Fior di Frutta duo of Michael Cody and Matt White as well as U-23 Series leader and overall threat Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar). And Connecticut's own Jeremy Powers (Jelly Belly-Pool Gel), fresh off his turn on the European World Cup circuit, is rumored to have the Sterling race penciled in on his schedule.

Having gone a perfect three-for-three in Verge NECCS races in 2005, Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) will look to keep her streak alive in Sterling. Coming off her only defeat, at the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross finals last weekend in San Francisco, the reigning Canadian champion will face a top regional field, including Tara Ross (Victory Brewing), Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication), Mackenzie Dickey (Bicycle Alley), Amy Wallace (Verizon Wireless), and Rebecca Wellons (GearWorks-SpinArts).

Going into the Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-Cross, Verge NECCS leaders are as follows:

* Elite men: Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau).
* Elite women: Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau).
* Under-23 men: Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar).
* Masters 35+: Jonny Bold (Corner Cycle).
* Masters 45+: Chris Long (Independent Fabrication-Gotham).
* Junior men: Jerome Townsend (Bicycle Alley).
* B Men: Pascal Bussibres (Abbrsuz LA GoeLiche).
* Cub Juniors: Jared Reuta (44Velo).
* Masters 55+: Phil Bannister (Putney-West Hill).

Following the Gearworks race, just two races remain in the series: the W. E. Stedman Co. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross December 3 in South Kingstown, Rhode Island; and the Castor's Grand Prix December 4 in Warwick, Rhode Island.

The 2005 Verge NECCS is sponsored by Verge Sport, makers of quality cycling apparel, and specializing in custom clothing orders; Cycle-Smart: Solutions for Cycling, personalized coaching for all cycling disciplines: Greyhound Juice, warming salves and skin care products for all athletes; Felt Bicycles, builders of the best bicycles in the world: BikeReg.com, the solution for all of your online registration needs for cycling events; and Litmus Designs, integrating web technology and graphic design solutions for your business needs.

For more information on the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com

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KLM Marketing Solutions to host UCI Cyclocross & 2007-2008 cross national championships

(Overland Park, KS) – The Trek Bicycle Store of Kansas City, The Trek Bicycle Store of St. Louis are pleased to announce the KLM Marketing Solutions UCI Cyclocross Race and the Kansas/Missouri State Cyclocross Championships. KLM Marketing Solutions will host their first UCI event to hone their Cyclocross skills in preparation for the 2007 & 2008 National Championships.Competition will take place at Wyandotte County Park located in Kansas City, Kansas. The 360 acre facility is a riders dream with fast terrain and painful run-ups. This will mark the 2 nd time that a National caliber Cyclocross Race & National Championships have been hosted in the Kansas City Metro Area. Slimen Und Grossen www.slimenundrossen.com hosted a Super Cup event and National Championships in 2000, which happened to be the coldest day on record. "We are very excited and honored to be the host for this great sporting event. We have put a lot of time and efforts into bringing the event to Kansas City. The support has been overwhelming from the Kansas City, Kansas Parks & Recreation Department, Unified Government of Wyandotte County and the Kansas City Sports Commission; all entities are dedicated to making sports an important part of Kansas City." Said KLM Marketing Solutions President Bill Marshall. For more event information visit www.kccrossnationals.com

www.kccrossnationals.com

http://www.kccrossnationals.com/images/NEW/Cross_Race_Guide.pdf

http://www.kccrossnationals.com/NEW_SITE/12-03-05/index.html

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Mifune gets the win in Japanese 'cross opener

By David Alvarez (cyclingnews.com)

Cyclocross has officially started in Japan, and Sunday marked the opening of the Kansai series, the largest in Japan. This year's series will again see Japan's only UCI event, as well as the Japanese national championships in Sakai, Osaka. Former world champ Daniele Pontoni is also scheduled to make an appearance at the UCI event in Yasu in less than two week's time.Hiyoshi Dam again marked the first race of the series this year. Roughly 200 racers toed the starting line. As promised, it offered a hard course full of thick mud and rocks which were to cause the downfall of several riders through punctures and mechanicals.

In the elite men's event, after a fairly slow start, former national champion Masahiko Mifune took the race by the reins and set off an a 55-minute solo adventure, and the race was on for second place. A group of five settled in for the next two laps. David Alvarez, sitting in fourth, suffered a healthy mechanical right after the pits and jogged for more than half a lap, ending up at the back of the field. The front riders continued to trade attacks until the pecking order was more or less set. At the end of the day, Mifune crossed the line in first and almost had time for a shower as the next rider came across three minutes later.

In the women's race, Kansai veteran Sakai made her mark on the series with a dominating win. The category 2 men, run at the same time, featured an exciting battle, with the top two riders together for the whole race, until Masahiro Izawa broke away on the last lap and took the win. Next week against Daniele Pontoni he may wish he had slipped back to second place, as the win hands him a mandatory upgrade to the Elite category.
Results

Elite men

1 Masahiko Mifune (Subaru Miyata)
2 Akio Soga
3 Akira Ishii
4 Shinji Kubo
5 Katsunori Irie
6 Shuji Sasai
7 Masanori Matsui
8 Yoshiki Kanei
9 Kinumoto Motoji
10 Atsushi Yamamoto

Elite women

1 Masakiyo Sakai
2 Keiko Ikeda
3 Ryoko Mori

Category 2 men

1 Masahiro Izawa
2 Masaki Tanaka
3 Koichi Nakanishi

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Palmer Cyclocross Race cancelled for this year/ Bike Swap pending new location

It is with great regret that I have to announce the cancellation of this years Palmer Cyclo-cross. The Team Douglas Bike Swap is tenatively still on, at a new location-pending approval from the owner of the space. Our host for the past 11 years, Pathfinder RVTHS, has finally been able to install a new gym floor, and quite understandably, they are not allowing special events in the new gym. This has unfortunately given us the choice of having either the swap in a new location, or the race without the swap. It's a tough choice, but given that there is a very full racing calendar but no other bike swaps, for 2005 we are going to run the swap and not the race. We will continue to search for a new venue that can accomodate both a race and a swap meet (suggestions always welcome!) and hopefully look into holding the Palmer race again in 2006, possibly earlier in the season.The bike swap will hopefully be moving to a new venue- we should have approval by Monday, and I will post all the necessary details. I hope you'll all be able to join us for our 12th year- same great swap, just a new location. Please pass this infomation on to all who might be interested- this change is last minute, and I'd hate to have people miss this great event. Registration for the swap spaces will still be on BikeReg.com, so at least that stays the same. For those of you who just can't bear the thought of missing an 'old school' cross race, I highly recommend heading out to Plymouth and racing at Bill Sykes race next weekend. The descent through the woods is always a blast! And of course don't forget the Sterling cross race- a great way to burn off that holiday tofurky....I'll post more details about the swap as soon as I have confirmation. Thanks to everyonefor your support of this great event. We'll be back- I promise!!
Thanks-
JD Bilodeau
Pioneer Event Productions
Team Douglas

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Foothills Cyclocross Race #4 Pictures Posted

Pictures are posted from today's Foothills Cyclocross race. Some pictures from Cat. 3, 4, Pro Women, and Pro Men. Take a look in the GALLERY!

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Final BC 'Cross Race This Weekend

provided by Normon Thibault

November 9, 2005 - Frontrunners and Multi-Sport promotions are proud to host the last race of the 8 race B.C. Cyclocross Series this Saturday at Beban Park. So far this year all the races in the series have had record turn outs for their events. With the season winding down and double series points on the line we are hoping for a great turn out on our re-designed and tweaked course.Last year we had a huge number of beginners trying out their first ever cyclocross or bike race and we are hoping that we have a bunch of people come out again on Saturday that are curious about cross or are beginner riders. The beginner course removes a couple of sections of the course that are a little more technical so it is less intimidating. As with all our races we will have a learn to cyclocross clinic with Team Kona Rider and 2 time National Champion (2003 and 2004), Wendy Simms, starting at 10:45. She will take riders around the course and point out various features and explain techniques. For the first time we have a FREE kids race. This race will be over a short course but we will have some cool features such as mini barriers. This is open for all kids that that do not want to do the beginner event. Cost for the event is $20 with a Cycling BC license. Beginners without a license pay a little more to cover insurance. Kids riding in the kids event are FREE.

We have some awesome draw prizes including a set of FSA RD200 Wheels donated by Orange Sport Supply.

Schedule: CROSS CUP FINALS
"Cross on the Rock" Race # 2 :: Nov. 12th BEBAN PARK

Registration: 10:45-2:10 (up to 20mins before your race)
Course open for pre-riding: 11:00-12:00
Learn to Race cyclocross clinic: 10:45-11:30
Beginner race 12:00-12:50 (Race time approx. 40 minutes for 1st person)
Kids Race 12:50-1:05
Women's, Master's, Intermediate race 1:15-2:00 (Race time approx. 45 minutes for 1st person) Women will have a separate start 1 minute back of the masters + intermediate.
Course open for pre-riding: 2:00 -2:30
Expert (A) race 2:30-3:30 (race time 60 minutes for 1st person)
Last of the awards 4:00

Sponsors include: Adidas, Arrowsmith Mountain Cycle, eNVy-Orange Sport Supply, Helly Hansen, Frontrunners, Schwalbe, Howard Johnson Hotels-Nanaimo and NRG Enterprises
...and with support from: City of Nanaimo, Nanaimo Parks and Recreation.

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Florida Cyclocross Championship Series

CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Plans for the second Citrus City Cyclocross Series are under way. Director Lance Riddile has received the USA Cycling designation for the 2006 Florida State Cyclocross Championship events. Riddile, a City of Largo recreation supervisor, has again chosen the spacious, wooded course near East Bay Drive and Highland Avenue. The layout is suitable for the running and dismount sections. The state race dates are Jan. 15, Jan. 22, Feb. 19 and Feb. 26. For information on racing or volunteering, contact 727 518-3021 or lriddile@largo.com

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Washington State Cyclocross Championships Tomorrow!

For the second time in three years, Fort Flagler State Park is host to the State Championship in Cyclocross and Emerald City Cyclocross Race #6.

In addition to all-ages, all-ability bike races, a cross-country fun run will follow the cycling events on Saturday.This is an excellent spectator event, where viewers can walk the 1.5 mile circuit, or see a good portion of the race for the start/finish area, where hot drinks and food (including Marrowstone Island berry and apple pies) are served.

Note: Any cyclist can enter to race the State Championship, but must be a member of the United States Cycling Federation. One-day licenses are available for $10.

All participants must sign the insurance waiver at registration, and show their cycling license (except for fun run). Runners simply sign in.

This race benefits the Friends of Fort Flagler, which maintains the park with volunteer labor. For more info check out the race flyer HERE.

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Brothers battle to finish of FIAC National Cyclocross Championships

By KAREN KEFAUVER
Sentinel Correspondent

WATSONVILLE — As identical twins, Andy and Ben Jacques-Maynes are accustomed to sibling rivalry. The one-upmanship carries over to the arena of bicycle racing, where both garnered national recognition. The brothers’ keen sense of competition was on display Sunday at the 2005 Federation of Independent Associations of Cycling (FIAC) National Cyclocross Championships, held at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville.

The men’s 60-minute elite race capped a day of racing that began at 9 a.m. and attracted an estimated 200 athletes. Men, women and juniors (under age 18) competed in events ranging from the beginner to the elite levels of competition.

Soon after the 1 p.m. start of the elite men’s race, the Jacques-Maynes brothers rapidly pulled ahead of the dozens of other professional-caliber racers to capture the lead. As they left much of their competition behind, it was as though the brothers share a genetic talent for the sport of cyclocross, in which they have been a fixture for years both in Northern California and in races around the country.

The pair battled for dominance on the looping course, which encircled the fairgrounds. Winding through flat bumpy fields, leaning into hairpin turns, and jumping on and off their bikes to leap over barriers and to run up hills, the men’s field was fast and furious under looming rain clouds.

Ben Jacques-Maynes eventually shook his brother off his tail, creating a 20-second gap, which he maintained up to the finish line. While Ben Jacques-Maynes of San Jose finished the race first, it was his brother, Andy Jacques-Maynes, of Capitola who was named the Men’s 2005 FIAC National Cyclocross Champion. (Only elite racers who chose to purchase an ABR racing license were eligible to win the championship. Andy Jacques-Maynes bought one; his brother didn’t).

"That was by far the tightest and toughest race of the year," said Ben Jacques-Maynes, who rides for the Kodak Gallery Easy Share/Sierra Nevada Team.

His brother agreed.

"He went straight for the throat," said Andy Jacques-Maynes, a member of the California Giant/Specialized Team.

Both 27-year-olds had it tough: Andy Jacques-Maynes logged more than 230 miles on his bike in the week prior to the race while his brother was losing sleep as a new dad.

"One of us had to crack first," said Ben Jacques-Maynes with a grin.

Third place men’s elite finisher Justin Robinson of Bonny Doon was also sleep-deprived after the arrival of his new daughter.

"I am just happy to be out here," said Robinson, who received massive applause for bicycling up a brutally steep hill with about a 25 percent grade, which nearly every other racer chose to run up instead of ride.

In the women’s elite race, Sarah Kerlin of Santa Cruz, finished first and was also named the 2005 FIAC Women’s National Cyclocross Champion. Kerlin, who races for Velo Bella, credited her road racing skills for her victory.

"It came down to a matter of tactics," said Kerlin, who chose the right time to surge ahead of her closest competitors.

Kerlin has been traveling the country to compete in cyclocross but has found that racing locally has really honed her skills.

"It helps to be out here suffering," she said, adding that the national competition will be arriving in Watsonville at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds on Saturday, November 19, for a Grand Prix race.

Following Kerlin in the elite women’s field were Lauren Constantini in second place and Stella Carey of Soquel, in third.

Dozens of other Santa Cruz racers enjoyed top three finishes, winning medals and prizes in their categories, including Janel Lodge of Santa Cruz, who won the Women’s B race and Phil Sims of Santa Cruz, who won the singlespeed race. Larry Hibbard won his Masters A race despite a nagging cold.

"I would race on my deathbed," said Hibbard, 47, of Aptos, who has been racing cyclo-cross since 1986,

Race Director David Gill was pleased with the turnout.

"It all came together," Gill said. "Our volunteers from the UCSC Cycling Team and from Team Santa Cruz really came through."

For full race results, visit . The FIAC National Cyclo-cross Championships are unrelated to the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships which will be held Dec. 9-11 in Providence, R.I.

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Farmington, Northampton Host Verge NECCS Double

As the season’s temperatures hover near freezing through fall’s ever shortening days, the Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, presented by Cycle-Smart, enters the heart of its ultra-competitive schedule. In the first of the Series’ two “double dip weekends” the Verge NECCS makes stops in Farmington, Conn. and Northampton, Mass. November 12-13.Saturday’s Chainbiter 7.0 at Farmington’s Winding Trails Park offers one of the most challenging courses in the Verge NECCS. With a combination of wooded trails, open fields, paved sections, several small climbs and dips, and one massive sand pit the Chainbiter never fails to sort out the strong riders. Last year’s race went off under a blanket of snow that quickly turned the races into mud baths, the only muddy race of the 2004 NECCS.

One of the national ‘cross circuit’s “must attend” events, Sunday’s 15th Annual Cycle-Smart International will draw tremendous fields to Northampton’s Look Park. With a fast and technical course that rewards a combination of brute strength and a deft technical touch, the Cycle-Smart International re-creates the Euro ‘cross experience in Western Massachusetts. This year’s edition will see the ’05 major race debut of former national champion Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai). Wells will face a crew of on-form Elite Men in Look Park, including Verge NECCS leader Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar), Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau), Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar), Barry Wicks (Kona), Erik Tonkin (Kona), Matt White (Fior di Frutta), Mike Cody (Fior di Frutta), and his own brother, Troy (TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar). Elite Women’s NECCS leader Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) will be looking to keep her winning streak going in Farmington and Northampton. The newly minted Canadian National Champion brings a 10-race win streak coming into the weekend and has yet to face a serious challenge so far in 2005.

Going into the Farmington/Northampton double dip Verge NECCS leaders are as follows: Elite Men, Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar); Elite Women, Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau); Under-23 Men, Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar); Masters 35+, Jonny Bold (Corner Cycle); Masters 45+, Chris Long (Independent Fabrication-Gotham); Junior Men, Jerome Townsend (Bicycle Alley); B Men, Pascal Bussibres (Abbrsuz LAGoeLiche); Cub Juniors, Jared Reuta (44Velo); Masters 55+, Phil Bannister (Putney-West Hill).

The 2005 Verge NECCS is sponsored by Verge Sport, makers of quality cycling apparel, and specializing in custom clothing orders; Cycle-Smart: Solutions for Cycling, personalized coaching for all cycling disciplines: Greyhound Juice, warming salves and skin care products for all athletes; Felt Bicycles, builders of the best bicycles in the world: BikeReg.com, the solution for all of your online registration needs for cycling events; and Litmus Designs, integrating web technology and graphic design solutions for your business needs.

Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
October 15 - Downeast Cyclo-Cross, New Gloucester, Maine
November 12 - ChainBiter 7.0 Cyclo-Cross, Farmington, Conn.
November 13 - Cycle-Smart International Cyclo-Cross, Northampton, Mass.
November 26 - Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-Cross, Sterling, Mass.
December 3 - W. E. Stedman Co. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross, S. Kingstown, R.I.
December 4 - Castor's Grand Prix, Warwick, R.I.

For more information on the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com.

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Cyclocross Training and Racing Plan

Looking for some guidance in training for the remaining cyclocross races this season? Look no further. Courtesy of Craig Undem (www.roadcycling.com) Cyclocross, or cross, is beauty in motion, a skill-building workout and good old-fashioned fun. The beauty is how the riders gracefully flow from bike to road, and then effortlessly back on the bike again, making the transitions look much easier than they are. Along with the seasonal change comes a few issues with the weather and as a result you gain high-level bike handling skills in all conditions. You will learn more about cornering your bike in one season of cross than three on the road.

If you are a Road, Track, Tri or MTB racer looking to add a secret weapon to your racing arsenal, cross is perhaps the easiest way to improve your technical skills, keep intensity in your training in the off-season and have a great time in all kinds of weather on your bike.

What is Cyclocross?
Cyclocross races are 30 - 60 minutes on 1-2-mile lap courses on a combination of dirt and pavement and include some running and getting on and off the bike to get over barriers or run up hills. Cyclocross is a great cross-training supplement and easy to fit into your fall/winter schedule because the races are short and held, rain or shine, on nearly every weekend in the Seattle and Portland areas from September til Christmas.

Cyclocross Skill Sets
Cyclocross develops a toolbox of aptitudes: descending, technical transitions, accelerations, running, cornering, time trialing and explosive starts.

If you are a beginning rider, expect cyclocross to develop your power and stamina while working on your cornering and descending skills. You will also get a great cross training workout with the running and lifting of the bike. For intermediate riders, cross will maintain anaerobic conditioning, train upper-body and running muscles and take your time-trialing to the next level. For elite racers, cyclocross is the place to hone high-speed transitions with agility, develop further handling skills and get that short, hard power training that is difficult to maintain in the off-season.

Here is a story from one rider. "I was in a criterium after my 2nd year of racing cross and there was a crash on a fast downhill section and it was right in front of me. I found myself compressing, then springing over the crashed rider! Because I had tried bunny-hopping in cross it was purely instinct and saved my race." As in any training, you develop those skills and abilities which you demand of yourself and nearly all of the tools you will develop in cross will help you next season.

Training for Cyclocross
If you decide that cross is something you want to give a whirl, you can either just jump in and use it as your once-a-week anaerobic skills session in the off season, or if you have tried cross as a beginner, you might want to get a bit more focused.

Take a mini-break of 1 week to 10 days and then rebuild some strength and endurance base prior to the first races. You will need this recovery because of the large power demands and high anaerobic system stress of cross. Slower pedaling intervals and some time in the gym during this rebuilding period will give you the power necessary to survive a cross race at the front and help to prevent over-training.

At a basic level, cyclocross is like any other endurance racing, the higher your aerobic capacity, the faster you will go. The starts are 100% full-on sprints to the single track, so lactate tolerance and anaerobic system development is critical. In addition, like any good time trial, you must develop the ability to recover while at or near your threshold.

Sample Cross training during the season

Monday


1hr Recovery ride or rest with lots of post-ride stretching, especially hamstrings, groin and lower back.

Tuesday


AM Run 20-30 minutes.
PM 1.5 hr road ride w/ short hard intervals.

Wednesday


Hard cross workout
Barriers and running transition practice with short technical race intervals.
Short race endurance practice 15-40 minutes.

Thursday


AM Run 20-30 minutes steady medium
PM 2.5 hrs on road easy

Friday


Rest Day
1 hr spin very easy
Stretch and hydrate

Saturday


1.5 hr cross or road ride with 2 x 5 minute medium intervals and 2-3 race intervals of 2-5 minutes each with 5 minute recoveries

Sunday


Race (including minimum 30 minute warm-up and stretching)

Some pointers if you start to get serious about cross

* Practice starts. Typically start in the big ring and large rear cog. This eliminates trying to shift chainrings as you are accelerating. Set up a 50-foot grassy straight with a turn into some single-track and find a friend or two to race for 6 - 8 starts.
* Set up a short cross course with whatever barriers you can put together. The regulation height maximum for barriers is 16 inches, although you will find many promoters use shorter ones.
* I like to take 1 month off from racing before the first cross race. This helps the brain and body rebuild for what can be a five month (September to February) season for the elite.
* Although it is often tempting to continue racing immediately after cross because fitness is so high, I recommend taking a rejuvenating break. This is key in establishing a good yearly cycle.

Transitions on and off the bike
Whether cross is the focus of your year or simply a training tool, to survive a cross race will require being able to mount and dismount from the bike to get over barriers and run up hills.

First practice lifting the bike and find your two grabbing locations. Use 2 fingers under the top tube and find the balance point where both wheels rise evenly from the ground. This will be where you grab the bike for barriers and short runs. Next grab the downtube, usually in about the middle, and practice lifting the bike onto your shoulder for longer runs. Do 2 x 20 reps of "bike ups", lifting the bike from the two basic holds up into the position you will carry it.

Once you have established your grabs, start practicing mounts and dismounts at walking speed. First ride around on some grass and practice swinging your right leg over the bike and coasting as that leg dangles straight down behind your left leg. Keep your hands on the hoods and practice cornering and coasting as long as you can like this.

Once you feel comfortable riding and coasting like this, then step the right leg between the bike frame and your left leg still on the pedal, and begin to walk. (Hint: click out of your pedal with the left shoe before you start and just stand on the pedal to avoid staying clipped in once you dismount.) Practice stepping the right foot through for fast and flat dismounts, typically into barriers, and simply step back off the bike for slower (the cowboy dismount) typically uphill. Practice both ways very slowly until you feel comfortable, each time just throwing the right leg back over the saddle and remounting at walking speed.

In practicing the remount, start at walking pace and keep it very slow until you eliminate repeated hopping on the launching foot onto the saddle. Work toward one smooth lunge onto the right pedal and instantly begin to pedal. Keep your eyes looking forward; use your peripheral vision to help your feet find the pedals. Just keep pedaling, your feet will find the pedals. If you need to take a quick glance down at the pedals before you remount, do it. Just like the dismount, once you feel comfortable (or at least not totally spastic) then add a little speed, and eventually a flat barrier, then a full 15-inch high barrier to practice regularly.

Running for cross
Running is essential for racing cross at a high level. You can't avoid it in a race, and although you might hear of guys who don't train their running, on courses with longer runs or very muddy conditions, they will suffer. Although most racers can sprint up a cross run-up, an untrained runner will not recover as quickly or be able to stay with good runners on the longer runs.

Running is best approached in a similar way to your cycle training. Start easy and build up a base of moderate running time, typically three times per week for 20 minutes for a couple weeks, then add some longer threshold intervals and then peak your running with short, sharp hill accelerations during a moderate 30-minute run.

Running Program

Pre Season


10-50-minute runs beginning with walking the downhills and flat portions* and working toward steady threshold intervals with recoveries 3x/week.

Season


20-30-minute runs starting with 3 x 3-minute intervals at race pace 2x/week.

Peak


20-30 minute runs with short explosive uphill running bursts of 5 - 30 seconds 1x/week.

*Running uphill is very similar to the pedal stroke and is the ideal transition because it is easy on cycling-trained muscles and decreases your risk of injury.

Quick Cross Tips

* Steer the bike underneath you, do not lean body into corners.
* Lift butt at least slightly off seat through corners.
* Pedal while remounting, even if pedals aren't there yet.
* Ride easy for 15 minutes and stretch prior to practicing barriers to avoid pulls. Practice perfectly smooth transitions, slowly first, add speed later.
* If you feel rough and out-of-control over barriers, slow down a notch or two.

Conclusion
If you want to be a better bike racer and take your riding to a new level, then cyclocross is for you. To get better at the technical side of cross, watch the best. Go out to Seattle or Portland cyclocross races where you will see some of the best racers in the country ride the same course you just finished as a beginner and then study books, videos or DVDs to learn more and to mentally rehearse smooth transitions. For Seattle Cyclocross info check out: www.marymoorvelodrome.org and for coaching packages look to: www.trainright.com. Now get out there and get muddy!

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Bessette, Johnson score `cross wins in Canada

(Reprinted from Velonews.com)
By Rob Jones
This report filed November 6, 2005
A day after its national cyclo-cross championships, Canada's first-ever UCI sanctioned C2 cyclo-cross event took place in Aurora, Ontario, just south of the Saturday's championship site.

While the majority of the field consisted of riders who had ridden the day before, there were a number of Americans, including one significant addition to the men's field: Lyne Bessette's husband and teammate Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com - Louis Garneau). The pair showed why they are considered among the top riders on the continent this season by riding away from their respective fields to record wins.

The Aurora course did not feature the wilderness terrain of the nationals the day before at Hardwood Hills, but the organizers made up for it with a circuit that twisted and looped around a recreational facility, creating what men's champion Peter Wedge (Kona Les Gets) said should have been the championship circuit.

Unlike the previous day, there were no torrential downpours, however, rain from the night before made grassy sections treacherous and wind gusts of up to 80kph had riders groveling into cold and brutal headwinds.

Unstoppable
Bessette took control on the first lap of the women's race, but a slide out at the bottom of one descent spun her around 180 degrees and allowed Saturday's silver medalist Wendy Simms (Kona Les Gets) to catch up. Bessette again opened a gap, but was much more cautious in doing so Bessette remains the undisputed Queen of `Cross in North America "Wendy is a strong technical rider, so I knew she would do well on this course," Bessette said. "I could open up on the power sections, but she would gain some time back. I've been doing some technical races in the East, so I'm getting better, and I was able to hold my own." But Simms was having problems of her own that negated some of those technical skills. "I went down all over the shop," Simms said. "I had too much tire pressure. After I changed my bike it got better. But I'd make time up then I'd fall, then make time up ... so it was frustrating."

Bessette would eventually win by 27 seconds, with Tara Ross (Victory Brewing) taking third and Stacey Spencer (Cycle Smart) in fourth. Bessette remains undefeated this season, earning ten wins in ten starts.

Johnson, considered a favorite before the start, left no doubt in anyone's mind that he deserved the designation after a blazing fast 6:50 opening lap. Greg Reain (Steven's Racing), silver medalist a day earlier was the only rider to even attempt to challenge Johnson, and he was 20 seconds down by lap No. 2, eventually finishing 2:10 back.

"I know Peter well, but not Greg," explained Johnson, "so I wanted to give it a really good push at the beginning and see how he would go after yesterday. I was actually hoping for rain - I had set up the bike expecting a downpour - so the pressure in my tires was a little on the low side."
Reain, while not necessarily thrilled with two second-place finishes in two days, was still happy with his weekend.

"It wasn't too bad," he said. "I'm definitely racing at a higher level than last year." Behind the front two, a constant shuffling of positions kept things open for the first five of the day's nine laps. Nathan Chown (Italpasta) was the first to take up the pursuit of the two leaders. He was eventually joined by several riders, including Wedge, who worked his way up after a poor start. Resplendent in his new national champion's jersey, Wedge quickly took control of the chase group.

Andrew Pinfold (Symmetrics) tried a flyer, but Wedge bridged up, followed by Espoir national champion Christian Meier (Symmetrics) and Matt Hewitt. Chown, Pinfold and Hewitt eventually faded, leaving Canada's Elite and Espoir champions to battle it out for third. With two laps to go, Wedge finally opened a small gap in the technical sections, which he was able to hold to the line.

"Christian and I were really beating each other up all day," said Wedge. "We were yo-yoing - I would take time in the technical bits and the sand, and then he would slowly come back up to me. I was just able to hold on to the end."

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Felt and Greyhound Juice Join Verge NECCS

The Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, presented by Cycle-Smart, is proud to announce Felt Bicycles and Greyhound Juice as the newest sponsors of North America's premier regional cyclo-cross series.

While based in Southern California, Felt has thrown its full weight behind supporting cyclo-cross in New England. Beginning last year with its sponsorship of Verge NECCS champion Mark McCormack and continuing into 2005 with the addition of U-23 National Champion Jesse Anthony, Felt has endeavored to bring its company philosophy - “To design, develop and deliver the best
bicycles in the world. Period." – to the world of cyclo-cross with the F1X 'cross bike.

“Felt has gained so much from our association with such great elite riders as Mark McCormack and Jesse Anthony,” said Felt Marketing Manager Beverly Lucas. “It was a no-brainer for us to say a resounding 'yes' to the opportunity to sponsor the Verge Series. The Verge Series is the epitome of what cross racing is all about - we learn from it and, most importantly, we bloody love it!"

For more information on Felt Bicycles go to www.feltbicycles.com or call 1-866-4FELTUSA.

Started in Seattle by bike racers Greg and Sirikit Valentin, Greyhound Juice offers full line of skincare products, including every cyclo-cross racer's favorite, a pre-race warming salve. Created from a base of shea butter, Greyhound Juice's salves ward off the cold and wet all too frequently visited on the Verge NECCS in November and December.

“My introduction to bike racing was in cyclocross, so I am partial towards this discipline,” said Greg Valentin of Greyhound Juice. “In fact, our first product is a muscle warming salve that is ideal for cold weather riding that is so often associated with cyclocross. Given that the NE series is such a successful series and that there is a great chance for a large audience, I am willing to invest my marketing in the series.”

For more information on Greyhound Juice go to http://www.greyhoundjuice.com or visit your local retailer.

The 2005 Verge NECCS is sponsored by Verge Sport, makers of quality cycling apparel, and specializing in custom clothing orders; Cycle-Smart: Solutions for Cycling, personalized coaching for all cycling disciplines: Greyhound Juice, warming salves and skin care products for all athletes; Felt Bicycles, builders of the best bicycles in the world: BikeReg.com, the solution for all of your online registration needs for cycling events; and Litmus Designs, integrating web technology and graphic design solutions for your business needs.

Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
October 15 - Downeast Cyclo-Cross, New Gloucester, ME
November 12 - ChainBiter 7.0 Cyclo-Cross, Farmington, CT
November 13 - Cycle-Smart International Cyclo-Cross, Northampton, MA
November 26 - Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-Cross, Sterling, MA
December 3 - W. E. Stedman Co. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross, S. Kingstown, RI
December 4 - Castor's Grand Prix, Warwick, RI

For more information on the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com

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