NorCal Cycling News – Cycling and Racing in Northern California

For the men … the class of the field has to be  and . To say Carney is in superb shape is to call the kettle ‘black.’ Lea’s results from T-Town recently speak for themselves … but, this is the show – and Carney has brought the guns (including a 59t chainring). Some would tip Lea in the timed events, and Carney for the mass starts … but, after seeing the butter melted over the last two days of Carney on his TT’ing rig … lookout. This is going to be a massive battle.

But that’s the thing with the Omnium – there are 20 other guys out there giving it full gas and trying to take David’s aim at any Goliath within a stone’s throw.

is here again … but who knows what kind of shape he’s in, or what events he’ll actually race. If there’s no prize money, Zack rarely gives full disco to his wheels. But, he’s the crowd favorite … well, the portion of the crowd with tattoos, piercings, and a clue to what’s cool. So, he’s my darkhorse to make the podium+ this year. That’s … IF he’s been training. The lazy fuck.

is here, too. And just because he’s 106 years old doesn’t mean he can’t whoop the shit out of most of these ego-bags. It’s a long order for him to win any of the events … but he’ll be consistent and you just might see the legend sneak up high on the final standings. Very high if he’s spot on.

is here and has been sticking his flower out in Lo-Cal of late … attracting a bit of buzz. But, since he was taking 1/4 lap pulls a few weeks ago while in a break with my girlfriend at a LAVRA cup race … i won’t say he’s on my list of favorites for the podium. But if you wanted to watch one of the craftiest, explosive riders in the US – put your eyes on Carroll … and do NOT underestimate his tenacity. This guy can rise above when there’s a crowd to inspire him.

Cody O’Reilly is the perennial hardman … and just oozes talent. Mosty i just am glad he’s racing cuz that means his dad’s rad hair may show up.

Charles Huff … holey shit, Huff is going to race this thing. There’s only two words to describe this beast: game-muthafuckin-changer.

If there’s one guy who can spoil the Carney/Lea party … it’s this destructo-bot. The race got interesting when this boy entered.

Kit Karzen – yup, the golden boy of SoCal will be strong. He’ll be smart. He’ll turn himself inside out at just the wrong time. What a talent. Let’s see if his brains trump balls this year. Cuz his got big clangy ones … and they can get in the way, yo.

My picks?
1. Carney – on experience, and anger cuz he wasn’t listed in the USUCK pre-race write-ups.
2. Lea – by a whisker and a disgusted glance.
3. Huff. or, he wins.

The women’s race … may have just gotten very, very interesting.

Rumor is that  may be out sick … which basically throws the entire race into a tizzy of ‘wholeyshit, i just might.’

wasn’t registered … but if she doesn’t pony up the hundreds for this race, it’ll be a crime. Higgins is the favorite on paper for the win in this event … as she’s exceptional in the flying lap, 500m, and very, very gritty in her mass starts. But, will she enter?

Last year’s podium rider,  is leaner and meaner this year and working off of 6500ft living for the past couple months. awww yeah, Triplett is hungry for it. She’s a solid flying lap and 500 rider, and can always, ALWAYS dig out a scratch result … the question will be if she can pop off a big PR in the pursuit. She’s hungry for it … but hasn’t specified for it. She’ll have to do it with balls.

My own  has specified for the pursuit and is aiming for a big result in that discipline. Her flying lap could be super smooth, too … so, it’ll likely come down to who’s going to bring the brass tacks to the mass starts in deciding who takes the top steps on the podium. Beth is still developing, and coming off a racing season that started January 1st and hasn’t stopped since … but, she’s ready. Real, real ready.

… this is my favorite up-and-coming rider. She’s a phenomenal tactician and technical rider … able to find wheels and wholes like she was born out of Carney’s womb. She’s put in some good road racing this year, and it’s showing in her form already. Just watching her these last couple days you can see that the engine is bigger, more confident. I very much look forward to seeing if she can crack a strong pursuit … she doesn’t have to be great in the TT … she just has to be strong. Because her 500 is going to be stellar, and her mass starts are going to be shining. I look for Hayduk to better her 5th from last year. Big time.

is coming into speed. Big speed. There’s only a few riders that have the acceleration of Hanan … when she turns the screw, it goes deep and splits wood. But, she’s late this year in building fitness, so it’s going to be a massive test of her toughness to keep her scoring against the big engines massing for this year’s Omnium. Hanan will be on the podium, though.

Lauren Hall – the true darkhorse, but already showed a few cards last weekend at the final pre-Natz race at ADT. She’s wicked tough, super smart, and will absolutely be ready to dish out some pain. This could be the woman who takes the gold if Hammer really is too sick to race. Big darkhorse … like Trojan style. Can’t wait to see this thing shake out.

Win it when it counts.

Photo by

College Cyclery Compound, West Sacramento

25 September 2011

 

With the cyclocross season now well underway in Northern California, the Sacramento Cyclocross Series opened its season yesterday at the College Cyclery Compound in West Sacramento. The wind blew throughout the day and was particularly strong toward the end of the event. Good fortune prevailed, however, and a repeat of last year’s dust bowl failed to occur.

The course is on a long, narrow stretch of land extending westward from the Sacramento River. There is a “BMX” section, with jumps, berms, and a flyover bridge, but the rest of the course is flat, bumpy single track. An outward leg goes headlong into the wind before a tailwind brings everybody back on the return leg. The wind made for challenging runs on the outward leg.

In the Women’s A race, Sarah Maile (Ventana Mountain Bikes) won over a battling Jen Jordan (Sycomp Racing/Team Affinity)…whose race was hampered by a mishap amongst the BMX berms and whoop-de-doos. Sarah’s win came despite last October’s injury to her thump that still plagues her…the hard, bumpy single-track made it hard to hang onto the bars. In ebullient fashion, Sarah said she was “still going for it.”

About her race, Sarah said, “it’s windy and bumpy out there, the BMX section was super fun, but you had the head win on the way out [and] you got the tail wind on the way back.” “Jen gave me a run for my money at the beginning. I didn’t have the greatest start, Jen took off and I was chasing at the beginning. She had a little mishap; I got a gap and just kept going.” Gone with the wind.

 

Former Sacramento native, Mitch Trux (Team Off the Couch) won the Men’s Category A race. Mitch said, “I wanted to see the course so I hung back for first lap [and] once I saw the course I just went for it and tried to get up there. I was going slower than I needed to so [I] just amped up the pace a little bit and got to that pace that I knew I could stick for 60 minutes.” Gone with the wind.

Several racers were in contention during early laps but suffered flats or fell back. Asked about the wind, Mitch replied “[the wind was] kinda rough [so] I just zipped up and got low and used all my roady skills. Trux also said, “the Sacramento fans are great. [The Compound] is a nice little hideout, I really appreciate [Terry Cox, caretaker of the Compound] letting us come out and have good fun.”

Colin Samaan (The Bicycle Business) took second step on the Category A Men podium with Keith Hillier (Marc Pro – Strava) coming home third. Jen Jordan (Sycomp Racing/Team Affinity) was second ahead of third place Stace Cooper (Metromint) for the Women’s A podium. Full race results for all categories, from TimeYourRace.com, are available at http://www.bicyclingevents.com/SacCx/Results.asp. The Sacramento Cyclocross Series runs next at Harry Renfree Field, Sacramento, on 8 October 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 2 hours or less from most locations in the Bay Area, Sacramento is a reachable destination that too often remains far away culturally. But it is does have in common the focal point for a terrific off-road cycling and cyclocross scene. The 2011-12 Cyclocross season will be the second with Brian Joder, of BicyclingEvents.com, as the promoter for the Sacramento Cyclocross Series. The events were well organized last season, after Joder took over a Series successfully built up for 3 years by Rich Maile. Now approaching his second season, Joder will look toward continuing its growth. This interview explores Joder’s expectations and thoughts for the upcoming ‘cross season.

NCC At the last event for the 2010-11 season, you said the Sacramento Cyclocross series went extremely well. With hindsight, do you still feel that the series was successful?

Joder I do still think we did pretty well and that for a first year we did a lot of things right. Attendance was up over [the previous season] and we were able to add 3 more races so yes, I am pleased.  Many racers were probably “holding their breath” as to what a new promoter would do with this Series, especially one that promotes mostly mountain biking. I think my crew and I have put most if not all of those fears to rest. No race or Race Director is perfect, but I feel we satisfied a very large percentage of racers that attended our events.

NCC What were some of the highlights from last season?

Joder Well, let me see: nice full classes, great racing conditions, horrible racing conditions, the fun and competitive camaraderie, some great new venues, [and] a lot of smiling dirty faces.

 

NCC What changes are you implementing for the 2011-12 season?

Joder One small schedule change – like tradition, we are moving the A’s to the last race of the day. Other than that we will have a couple venue changes and for the most part keep our current way of running races.

 

NCC This summer, you mentioned your intention to take one event and “move westward” this season. What is the venue for this event?

Joder Well we did not get as far west as we liked, but we managed to secure the College Cyclery Compound in West Sacramento.

 

NCC How does the Sacramento Cyclocross Series fit into the sports well being in Northern California, the State, and the Nation?

Joder The popularity of cyclocross is definitely on the rise. It is a new and fresh event for many racers [and] we get a lot of first timers checking out cyclocross. We have a lot of great venues in Northern California. I could easily see a national event being put on here. The City of Folsom has even suggested/encouraged such an event.

 

NCC The Sacramento Cyclocross series has some notable competitors…including Cody Kaiser, Bjorn Fox, and Masters National Champions, John and Linda Elgart…these racers often travel to a face the competition at other NCNCA events. How will the Sacramento ‘Cross community benefit from including more Bay Area competitors?

Joder I think the variety of racers will also increase the quality of racers. The racers you mention always bring something special to any race, it is great to see that level of competition, and also to know they started their careers in our area.

 

NCC Do you have an advantage over other cyclocross promoters from Northern California/Northern Nevada given your operations outside of the NCNCA and USA Cycling?

Joder Well, if you look at the Bay area races they are not USAC and they get a great draw so I do not really think we have an advantage over one series or another (in that respect). I think for certain events USAC is needed, but more importantly I feel running our races in our own format allows us to accommodate a larger range of racer, specifically the new racer who does not want to get a license just to get a taste of CX racing. It generally makes it more affordable and allows me, the race director a lot of latitude when running a race. That said we do look at the governing bodies when it comes to rules and regulations to try to keep some consistency for racers who do race USAC events.

 

NCC What are the attractions for the Bay Area ‘Cross community to compete in the Sacramento Cyclocross series?

Joder As I mentioned, the CX scene is growing and this also means the number and quality of racers is growing. As you pointed out we have some fast local racers. The competition between the Bay Area and Foothill racers will make for some great racing – this also adds to more spectators who attend the events.

 

NCC What other reasons would attract Bay Area competitors to the Sacramento Cyclocross series?

Joder I would say that we have some great venues, run a well organized event, and [have reasonable] fees. On top of that we have a very high end chip timing system developed by us: instant scoring, EZ registration etc. We do everything we can to make it a great racing experience.

 

NCC You have some great support for your events from TimeYourRace.com and Ace Course Design Company. Can you say something about this and other sponsors?

Joder TimeYouRace was started a couple years ago by Gene Redmon and [me] specifically to tackle the issues of complex scoring situations in every type of race or race series imaginable. We then integrated our own “chip” timing into Gene’s software as well as online registration. We have been very successful with the complete package. It has allowed us seamless instant results even when we’ve had 500+ racers and 30+ classes racing at the same time – it’s one of our best tools and a favourite of the racers as well.

Ace Course Design Company (ACDC) is Asa Salas, an integral part of our crew. She is the whiz behind most of the courses. She has a “PhD” in trail building and competes in all cycling disciplines. This allows her to build some great courses and understand them from the “inside out”. She even races some of her own courses when she can, she’s a great competitor.

The sponsors last year were great, especially since we took over the series a bit at the last minute. Most of the main shop teams in town stepped up to the plate and contributed everything from prizes to people power. It is this type of support that allows a series like this to be successful and also keeps the community as a whole involved.

 

NCC Do you have any other comments or thoughts about last years or this year’s CX season?

Joder Only that if you have even the slightest interest in CX racing, I would encourage anyone to come out and give it a try. We still manage to keep a pretty easy going atmosphere and fun is always a priority. I would also like to say thank you to all those that helped out last year and we look forward to another great season.

 

The upcoming season’s event calendar for the Sacramento Cyclocross Series is available on-line at http://www.bicyclingevents.com/SacCx/ as well as on the NCNCA CX Calendar.