See you Tuesday night! You can’t go wrong with $5.00 racing. Racing in Fort Collins is fun!

A big thank you to YourGroupRide.com for putting everything together.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

First race of the year with my Velo-One Cycling squad was last Saturday with Boulder CX Series #1 at Xilinx.

This race was exactly 7 days after the Steamboat 50. To say that the legs weren’t ready yet would be an understatement. I came in 36th out of 65 or so folks in Cat 4. Not great, not terrible. Felt strong just couldn’t hang on during the middle laps. The rest of my Velo-One team did fantastic!

Next up is racing at New Belgium Cyclocross Series this Tuesday then Boulder CX#2 @ Interlocken on Saturday.

HT On The Off Camber for the video and race report.

Looking forward to lot’s and lot’s of racing this fall!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

SCPS #1- Irvine Lake CX
Photo: MRock Photo Group (Socal FLickr Group)
Despite a cool summer in Southern California, the start of the cyclocross season known as a fall sport saw temperatures hitting 99 degrees just in time for the elite races, and it was a hot start to what looks to be another great cyclocross season in Southern California (SoCal). Even with the record temperatures for the first week of racing SoCal did not have everyone sitting indoors as more than 350 riders who showed for some heated cyclocross competition.

The 2010-11 SoCalCross Prestige Series continues to grow with over 20 races from San Diego to San Luis Obispo this season and so many exciting stories to unfold.
The Series has grown 300% over the past four seasons and in part the women of the sport the largest growing categories. In years past most of the women’s events meshed with men’s fields which either created some conflicts with riders finishing their races early or some aggressive passes from men. However, with some changes and restructuring of race categories this summer the Series has created a structure that allows the women’s fields to race together without the company of men. The response was positive from the women on course and showed some of the best women’s racing in Southern California as the ladies had the stage to put on their own show.

Elite Women:
It was a close battle at the beginning of the race as pro mountain biker Allison Mann (Rock N’ Road Cyclery) introduced herself to the women in her first year of cyclocross by taking the hole-shot. But, coming out of the barriers the field was lined up and Amanda Shaper of the newly formed SDG Factory team took the lead until an unfortunate crash put her out of the running. From this point it was Mann all the way. Dorothy Wong (TEAM SoCalCross) was in hot pursuit of Mann with the rest of the field but once Mann saw her time to break she attacked and continued to open her lead, lap after lap, for her first cross race and victory of the season. Ultimately, the chase group separated and the battle for second was exciting as Wong and Shaper went back and forth chasing Mann. In the end it was Shaper with second, Wong third, Jill Sisamis (Team Duke) fourth, and Rebecca Siegel (TEAM SoCalCross) to round out the top five.

Elite Men:
The pace was set by Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air/Specialized) and Brandon Gritters (Rock N’ Road Cyclery) as the two ripped off from the start to lead out the race. The field stayed together tightly through the first two laps and then began to break apart. Once, the lead group separated it was Taberlay with Gary Douville (Platinum), Dana Weber (Trek), Gritters, Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/B&L), and John Behrens (Bailey Bikes). But, even this pack did not last long. After a few more laps with the heat, crashes, and water feeds riders were slowing on course. Taberlay attacked and took a lead that separated him from the group and he kept the gas on all the way until the end. While, the chase group duked it out for second place. Eventually, it was Weber who attacked on a pit entry that Prenzlow took to gap the group into three riders. By the end it was Taberlay to take the win, Weber in second, Gritters who fought his way back after some crashes and bike troubles for third, and Douville in Fourth. Prenzlow who was just off the back of the group finished fifth to round out the top five with small gaps him to top of the podium spots. It was Behrens alone in sixth. Fritz Bottger seventh and teammate Eric Christenson (SDG Factory) eighth for the final podium spots.

The hot start to the beginning of the cross season was fantastic and required a lot of sacrifice and help that Dorothy Wong was very thankful to receive from her club team and many other local riders. The racing was exciting and obviously dominated by the strongest mountain bikers in Southern California.

Stay tuned for next weekend as SoCalCross brings back UCI racing to Southern California with UCI Kross-toberfest Weekend presented by Focus Bicycles. The two-day festival will bring a wide variety of bicycle events including a velo swap meet, Route 66 Custom Bike Show, a mountain bike ride for kids hosted by Pasadena MTB Club and IMBA. A women’s road ride around Puddingstone Reservoir hosted by the Women’s Cycling Challenge, themed Meet Up Ride… Route 66 from Santa Monica and San Dimas. A Saturday Night Krosstober-fest Haus Party hosted by Mafia Racing, Attack Cycles and Ritte Racing and of course two full days of cyclocross racing action from Junior to World Class riders such as Danish National Champion Joachim Parbo (Leopard Cycles), Chris Jones and Zach McDonald (Rapha-Focus), Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycles), Adam McGrath (Feedback Sports/Van Dessel), Chris Shepard (Rocky Mtn. Cycles), Nor Cal’s Barbara Howe (Ibis Cycles) and Sarah Kerlin (HRS/Rock Lobster), So Cal’s Kendall and Alexis Ryan (Team SoCalCross), Allison Mann (Rock N Road). Temperatures are predicted to cool off but the racing will continue to heat up!

For more information about the Series and the UCI Kross-toberfest Weekend go to:
www.socalcross.org

Growing up among the 1,341 people in Taylorsville, Miss., Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell probably didn’t encounter the best coaches or the greatest competition. Which probably helped him reach the NFL. Studies show that small towns are better breeding grounds for athletes than cities, and sports psychologists are using these data to question our ideas about talent development.

Only one-in-four Americans come from towns of fewer than 50,000 people, but nearly half of NFL players and PGA golfers do, according to two recent studies. The small-town figures for golf and baseball are just under 40%. The studies use 1980 Census figures because they most closely represented the birth year of pro athletes.

A co-author of the studies, Queen’s University’s Jean Côté, attributed the small-town overrepresentation to a number of factors. These include the accessibility of sports role models in little towns, the cultural values placed on sport (think “Hoosiers”), and even the “big fish little pond” effect, which can be a positive reinforcer for young athletes. Dr. Côté also argues that, despite the prevailing notion that kids need to specialize early and immerse themselves in 10,000 hours of repetitive training, small-town athletes excel precisely because they spend more time playing outside of schools and leagues.

“In bigger cities, youth sport is overorganized and overcoached,” Dr. Côté says.

Dr. Côté admits that potential superstars eventually have to move to get superior training, but specialization before age 13 or 14 is more likely to produce a tired-out teen than a Tiger Woods, he says.

Then there’s what might be called the boredom factor. As Jason Campbell once said, in Taylorsville, “you have nothing else to do but sit outside and throw a football at trees.
—Austin Kelley, WSJ.com

Our boy over at VeloDramatic has posted his cycling tab. Yep. The money he has dropped on cycling in the past few years. Lads, check this out then have a sit down with your wife. Your gear needs an update. And no more pearl izumi. Time to grab some rapha, panache or assos.

From VeloDramatic. “No excuses, no apologies. It is what it is. There’s no denying I’ve spent a lot on cycling in the past few years (some of it is my wife’s gear) but I’ve got more enjoyment and payback out of this passion than can be accounted for in mere dollars and cents. There have been one or two purchases that didn’t work out, but almost everything in the closet has its place in the starting rotation, and all the bikes get ridden.

I doubt publishing the Tab will help any of you persuade your spouse your own gear habit is healthy, that’s a line of reasoning that never seems to work. It may point you in the direction of some good kit that you’ve missed though, and it beats gambling and drinking. And if it strikes you as lunacy, and that makes you feel good about yourself, that’s OK too. Enjoy.”

VeloDramatic.com Cycling Tab.

Don’t miss the clinic starting at 5:30, all 100% free!

More info at: http://www.yourgroupride.com/cyclocross

The season has almost begun!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

In case you’ve missed it, registration for the USGP of Cyclocross in Fort Collins (The New Belgium Cup) is open.

The New Belgium Cup
November 13th and 14th, 2010

The third weekend of the USGP of Cyclocross races into new territory in 2010 – heading to Fort Collins, CO for the USGP’s first visit to CO since 2006. Fort Collins is home to a number of cyclocross standouts – including Georgia Gould, Meredith Miller and up and coming junior Skyler Trujillo – so the competition for hometown domination is sure to be intense!

The course will feature a deceptively tough course – native grasses that require power, terrain and elevation changes, dirt and pavement – all given the Fina treatment for something extra special.

I’m signed up for both mornings, Category 4. We race at 8:00 am both days, brrrrr!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Our friends at YourGroupRide.com sent me a few updates to the Fort Collins Cyclocross calendar.

Update to the New Belgium Cyclocross 2010 series:

When: 430-730ish pm every Tuesday in October (5th, 12th, 19th and 26th)
***These are NOT happening in September as originally posted.

Where: New Belgium Brewing

More info to come. To keep up to date on cyclocross in Fort Collins bookmark this page:
http://yourgroupride.com/local-races/new-belgium-series/788-fccx-series-

Crazy Joe is a ton of fun. It’s less than 1 mile from my house (in the field south of Fossil Ridge High School) so I think I need to show up…

For more info on Crazy Joe Cross 2010 click below:
http://www.yourgroupride.com/local-races/crazy-joe-cross/789-crazy-joe-cross-2010

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Cyclocross at New Belgium in Fort Collins is right around the corner. The first race in the series starts on September 7. Click here to check out the 2010 American Cycling Association cyclocross calendar.

This video got me pumped up!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

I get this in an email today, “PS, don’t get the Angry Birds game. It will suck your life away.”

So, I am beginning to see a trend. A friend gets an iPhone and they disappear.

Surf sessions are missed because they stay up late uploading apps. They spend hours playing ‘angry birds.’ At a dinner party with cool music they keep on yelling out the band, song and album name because they are obsessed with ‘shazam.’ I get it. Technology has captured us. And I kind of dig it.

Think of it this way. The next time you paddle out at trestles it might be empty. Because everyone is playing with their iPad. You are out for a trail run and the single track is in great shape because no one biked it during the rain tearing it apart. They weren’t biking in the rain because they were playing with their new apple product.

What do you think?

Last mental picture, you train for months to prepare for a half-marathon. On race day you find yourself passing dozens of people on a small climb. As you pass them you look over and see that everyone is playing with their iPhone. They didn’t do the training because they were playing with their iPhone4 32G. So now they are hunting for a song to pump them up and get them over the hill.

Tell your friends about the new phone and then join a club to keep yourself motivated so you can beat said friend at the next 10K.

Riding and Surviving in Orange County

We don’t know about you, but watching “Le Tour de France” last month made us all want to hit the streets on our road bikes! And there are plenty of beautiful places to ride in the OC—over 1,000 miles of bikeways (and according to the OCTA more to come!).

But some riders in the OC actually fear taking that road bike out of the garage. Why? Well, it’s because of the never-ending battle between motorist and cyclist. You may remember the recent tragedy in LA’s Mandeville Canyon that Bicycling magazine called “the road rage incident heard ’round the cycling world.”
Two riders were riding side by side on a steep, narrow road when a neighborhood resident came up behind them in a car. The driver exchanged some words with the riders, then pulled in front of them and slammed on his brakes. One of the riders went headfirst through the back window of the car and was seriously injured. The driver was found guilty of six felonies, including assault with a deadly weapon.

Many drivers feel resentment towards riders who they feel are not “sharing the road” by riding abreast. Some feel that they need to “teach cyclists a lesson”.

Rock n’ Road has been involved for years in the movement to increase the education of both motorists and cyclists in following the laws and co-existing peacefully. We’re sure you all do your part in educating your non-cycling friends and family on how they can respect the rights of cyclists, but it’s important that we all do our part too. You can help by:

* Riding on the road—the right side, not the left or the sidewalk. Share with cars so you don’t cause “road rage”! Single file if you need to.
* Using front & rear lights when riding at night. We’ll help you pick some out.
* Take good care of your bike: a well-tuned machine is a safe one. We can help you with this too!
* Obey lane markings & road signs, use hand signals so drivers know your intent.
* WEAR A HELMET! We have lots to choose from—and will help you find one that fits, looks, and feels great.

For info about OC cycling bikeways check out;
http://www.octa.net/bikeways.aspx

This Month’s Deal:
*Click on the coupon and print it out to redeem at your favorite Rn’R

The Fort Collins Cup
November 13th and 14th, 2010
www.usgpcyclocross.com/RacesResults/FortCollinsCup.aspx

The third weekend of the USGP of Cyclocross races into new territory in 2010 – heading to Fort Collins, CO for the USGP’s first visit to CO since 2006. Fort Collins is home to a number of cyclocross standouts – including Georgia Gould, Meredith Miller and up and coming junior Skyler Trujillo – so the competition for hometown domination is sure to be intense!

The course will feature a deceptively tough course – native grasses that require power, terrain and elevation changes, dirt and pavement – all given the Fina treatment for something extra special.

More info at:
www.usgpcyclocross.com/RacesResults/FortCollinsCup.aspx

and:
www.yourgroupride.com/local-races/usgp-fort-collins/152-usgp-fort-collins-/726-the-usgp-moves-to-fort-collins-this-november-

U.S. gran prix of cyclocross from Jim Fryer/BrakeThrough Media on Vimeo.

HT YourGroupRide.com for all of the info.

Very much looking forward to this event. I hope it’s snowy, muddy and nasty!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

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-DSheek
I love the world of technology especially when it will give me updates of sales or other shop events I might enjoy.