Bay Area Super Prestige Cross Race
My first cross race in over a year ended with a a tubular pulling off the rim... guess I should have checked the glue! So stuck around and took some pictures of the masters and single speed races after me.
More Fazio Farms CX from Jeff Curtes
Photographer and Speedvagen cross racer Jeff Curtes snapped some great photos of me during this past weekend's Fazio Farms CX race. The course is a really flat and rutted farmland that features three steep climbs and descents that have been created by the farm construction equipment. It makes for a really cool course visually as you get to ride in and around the construction equipment. It's also tough as hell but a lot of fun. Thanks Jeff!
Richard Sachs + House Industries Cyclocross Exhibition
Whenever I'm in NYC I always try to swing by the Rapha Cycle Club for a well-made coffee and a brush up on my cycling history. They've currently got a great Richard Sachs + House Industries cyclocross exhibition going on with tons of ephemera and unique House-designed souvineers on display. Richard's personal backup race bike is the star of the show, and it is a beautiful sight indeed. I especially love the hand-painted Cole race wheels. If you're in the area don't sleep on this great little exhibit. It'll be on display until September 21st. More details on the Rapha blog.
#crossishere
If you race enough cross, sooner or later you're going to go down. There's a little more blood in summer cross because there's no slippery layer of mud to cushion your fall.
Regardless of how you feel about early season cyclocross, it is a fact of life (at least in Portland). I'd race cross year round if they'd let me, so I couldn't be happier. Summer cross is a different beast than the typical raining, freezing, muddy mess we get in the fall. It's much faster due to dry ground, but to me it no less fun. More photos to come throughout the (now very long) cross season in Portland.
Grand Prix Ryan Tonkin race #1 at David Douglas Park in Vancouver, WA
Grand Prix Ryan Tonkin race #1 at David Douglas Park in Vancouver, WA
Grand Prix Ryan Tonkin race #1 at David Douglas Park in Vancouver, WA
Cross training on Leif Erickson trail in Forest Park
Keizer Rapids CX series. Very dry, hot and lots of singletrack. The course will not look this in a couple months time!
Stay tuned, LIOTR frame stickers coming to the store very soon!
Cyclocross season is done.
My first complete cyclocross season is in the record books. It's amazing having access to such prime cross conditions in around PDX, and a full calendar of amazing race action to keep you busy from August to late November. At one point I was doing four races a week. I had some pretty tough moments, and a couple injuries that kept me humble, but it was all worth it for the feeling of that one race where I rode away from the pack and stayed away for six laps. I never won a race before, and if I never do again, that'll be just fine with me.
Next year I'm looking forward to having a bit more experience under my belt. You really do learn something new in every single race.
Here's a gallery of iPhone shots I got throughout the season. Next year I'll be taking a film camera with me to the races.
Whaaaaat... I won a cross race!
Well I never thought that would happen. I've come in second and third and a few top tens, but actually winning a race? No way, never, not going to happen. Until it happened.
Battle at Barlow cyclocross photos
Some Instagram shots from an epic weekend of cross racing in PDX. The mud pits were hub deep, the temps were warm and the racing was awesome.