Post-Christmas Fun!

"Check the weather, check the avalanche report, check the nordic grooming report, look outside, GO!" This has been our program since Christmas as the weather has kept us on our toes...but in a good way.

Take a guess at what we did on this day.

My plan Sunday was to get in a long snow bike ride regardless of the weather. The "High" avalance danger simply made the choice "feel" a little better since the snow has been piling up non-stop. JayP, T-Race, Jill, and I rallied for a ride in Wilson, WY on snow-packed backroads. It snowed non-stop all day.

Jill stuck it out with me til' the very end. Nice work Jillie-o.

JayP was off the front frequently in the techy sections.

With Michelle taking some well-deserved time off, we headed out for a snow bike today to see what the Big Holes trails were like. Yesterday's warm temps followed by temps in the 20s today left the trails firm and fabulous.

Kenai is an excellent snow bike buddy

Merry Christmas Everyone

Weekend +

I never get tired seing big fluffy flakes float straight down from the sky.

This morning accounted for the "+" part of the weekend Blog post because with 8-10" of new reported, I had to join the Fitzy's for an early run on Glory. Ed & JJ, I was thinking about you two today!

See that "poof" of snow in the middle? That is Jannine getting her pow groove on. I was not far behind.

As of noon on Monday, it is still coming down.

The rest of the weekend was excellent as well:

Saturday - 5 hour snow bike ride with JayP, T-race and Jill
Sunday AM - Michelle, the hounds, and I went hunting the elusive Christmas tree
Sunday PM - Snow bike ride with Michelle

The Human Factor

I have avalanches on the brain lately and immediately after completing my Level 1 avalanche class over a week ago I dove right into reading “Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain” by Bruce Tremper. Tremper’s book is an excellent read and complimented the Level 1 class nicely. The book also reinforced what I thought when I walked out of class: Snow pit study, rescue strategy, and hazard evaluation are all important but Human Factors cause me the most concern.

What are the human factors? According to Tremper, the human factors that repeatedly get people into trouble in avalanche terrain include familiarity, peer pressure, the herding instinct, competition, poor communication, the “sheep syndrome” (blindly following whoever is leading), the “horse syndrome” (a rush to get back to the barn), and the “lion syndrome” (a rush for first tracks).

Let’s just say that my radar is on for things like:

“XYZ slope is safe; there are always tracks on it”

“XYZ slope is safe; I have skied there for 5 years and have never seen an avalanche”

“Let’s go to XYZ slope before anyone else gets there”

“My fingers are frozen and I am late for work so I am just going to drop in here and head to the parking lot”

“I ski this all of the time, don’t be a pu$$y”

The Fatback is Phat!

My new 19" Fatback frame is finally built up and I was able to get out for my first snow bike ride of the season yesterday.

This project began last February, the day after the Su 100, while Chris E. and I were visiting with Greg at Speedway Cycles. After sitting on a few bikes and playing with rim & tire combos I knew I had to pull the trigger on a Fatback. I applaud Speedway for putting so much passion into developing the Fatback and for sourcing the special parts that help take snow biking to the next level.



Two of my main reasons for buying the Fatback were:
1) Better fit with a 19” frame – my Wildfire frame is a 17” (Med) and is too small
2a) Better performance at low PSI – the new 80mm rim distributes the load more evenly than the 65mm Large Marge and I am no flyweight.
2b) It is dead sexy, in a voluptuous kind of way

After close inspection, I am very pleased with the build quality of the Fatback frame, the 80mm wheelset, and the steel fork/rack combo. Greg at Speedway has been awesome to work with. The rest of the parts were taken from my Wildfire FatBike frame and moved over to the new frame to complete the build.

I snapped a few pics to highlight some of the key features that set the Fatback apart from other snow bikes.

Ti frame - compliant, and zero corrosion issues

165mm rear disc hub by Hadley

135mm front disc hub by Paul Components

All 27 gears are usable

Enough tire clearance to go bigger in the future if I want

Clean cable routing designed for full-length housing

Nice welds

Steel front fork and custom rack

The custom rack turned out great and the design was based on the modification I did to my Old Man Mtn rack last year. I almost always have some sort of bag on the front of the bike so this was a key piece for me and Greg's builder did a great job.

12/17/08 Edit: Weight is 31.5 lbs with rack & Surly tubes in both tires. I don't trust the WTB 2.2-2.5 tubes at 4.5 to 5 PSI yet.

Embracing the simplicity

Sufficiently warm
Click the fan up a notch
Drop three cogs
Go
The number must stay above 317W
20 seconds fly by
Pulse pounding through the back of my molars
Creep forward on the saddle to eek out more power
Stay smooth
The final seconds creep by…:57, :58, :59
Shift up three cogs
Sit up and spin
Watch the heart rate slowly come down
Concentrate on slowing the breathing
Sip of water

Repeat 20x.

A new set of tools

The 3-day Level 1 Avalanche class left me with wanting more. I have so many more questions because all of this is new to me and the cool part is that every day in the backcountry this season will be a learning experience.



Prior to this class I would typically skip over this section of the weekly summary at JHavalanche.org and read the overall rating. Now I can dive in and will pay close attention. I don't want to become a full-on snow geek but I know I will take the Level 2 class next year once I have more experience.

Most importantly, I can now contribute to a group's decision making process about the day's travel plan and have a set of tools to use to make an educated decision.

What perfect timing...it snowed 6-8" overnight and more is on the way.

Avalanche Class

Friday through Sunday I am in a Level 1 Avalanche Safety Class. Our snowpack is off to a slow & strange start so the timing for more education is very good. This is the next step towards more backcountry adventure.

Planing ahead

When thinking about next year's endurance race season, I have mixed emotions about trying something new versus going back to familiar races to improve on my 2008 results. The main conflict occurs during the month of July and given the effort required to complete any of these events I will have to pick carefully.

Breck Epic Stage Race - July 5th - 10th, 2009
Cream Puff 100 - July 12, 2009
Intermontane Challenge Stage Race - July 27th - 31st, 2009
Laramie Enduro - August 1st, 2009

The Breck Epic is shaping up to be a monster. The allure of the Intermontane Challenge is the terrain. However, I would really like another shot at both the Cream Puff AND the Laramie Enduro. And there is the American Mountain Classic later in August if I feel the need to try a stage race. Hmmm.

Late start to winter

Yesterday was officially the latest into the fall I have done a "real" mtn bike ride in the eight years we have lived in Teton Valley.

Top of Sharks Belly

Nate, Amanda, and I woke up early to catch the trails while they were still frozen and had two hours of surprisingly good riding on Horseshoe Canyon singletrack. There were cold fingers and toes but the "woohoos" and smiles far outweighed any discomfort. Although I am ready to ski, the late season riding has been a blast.

It only got down to 34 last night or I would have gone again today!

Ogden, UT cross

Our one-day road trip to the Utah State Cyclocross Champs was a blast. Bergy, Amanda, and I rolled out of my driveway at 6:30 AM and headed south to see first-hand what the Utah cross scene was like and scratch our “cross itch” one more time.

Big race fields, two energetic announcers on the p.a. system, and a fun course made for a good scene. One thing we all agreed on though was the lack of overall crowd stoke. In contrast, when we raced in Big Sky, MT a crowd of 25 spectators sounded like a hundred with their cowbells and enthusiasm. The spectators in Ogden were quietly watching the race and gathered at the spots on the course most likely to have carnage.

Scene of my carnage

I did not have my best cross race and felt like the injectors were fouled the whole time. With a lap to go I was chasing a racer down to try for a pass near the end of the lap and it came down to the last barrier which was a single log. This log was skinny on the outside and fat on the inside. I had been bunny hopping it each lap at the skinniest part and then taking the following corner wide. As I caught the racer I was chasing he veered right which forced me into the thicker section of the log but I tried to bunny hop it anyway. Carnage. Yard sale, everything must go. Pieces everywhere. I picked myself up and rode the final 300 yards of the lap to finish the race and limped back to my truck in a bit of a fog. After watching the Men’s A race it became evident that running the inside portion of the log and shaving the corner was just as fast and not as risky as the bunny hop option. Yet another lesson learned in my rookie season of cross.

Scotty, I need more power!

Congratulations to Amanda who won the Women’s A race. Bergy put in a solid race against a deep field of super fast guys in the Men’s A race and battled with the Caveman for most of the race.

On the way home we all felt sad that this could be the end of the 2008 cross season and there was chatter about Portland on Dec 6th or the Colorado State Champs on Dec 7th. Now that I have had a day at home and the race euphoria has worn off, I can say that I am done. Season over.


Amanda is like teflon, you cannot stick to her wheel for long

Bergy laying down the power

One to go

Saturday's Utah State Cyclocross Championships in Ogden, UT will my by last race of 2008.

Quite possibly the cleanest barrier I ran all season. Ha!

Backcountry skiing, skate skiing, and snow biking are just around the corner and thoughts about the Susitna 100 are already creeping into my brain.

Adrian

It is probably a safe assumption that every race promoter has moments where they question what they are doing. Is it worth the time and effort? For me, race promotion is not about the money and never will be. It is about giving back to a sport that I love. A story has unfolded this fall that adds a new level of motivation for me to continue to organize races.

Meet Adrian, 9 years old

Adrian lives in Victor, ID just a block from the cyclocross course we built. As of September, Adrian was not doing well in school according to his mom.

Living close to the course, Adrian began to ride it everyday after school and heard about the Victor Cross Series races. His mom implemented a rule; he couldn't ride the course after school until his homework was done.

By the first Victor Cross Series race on October 4th, Adrian's grades were on the upswing and his mom enthusiastically shared this fact with anyone who would listen as Adrian stood by and proudly smiled. By the second Victor Cross race on Oct 18th, Adrian's mom could barely contain her excitement about Adrian's grades and his love of bike racing.

Gritty determination

Adrian's mom kept the momentum going by driving him to all three Rexburg races AND the Pocatello race where he competed against 10-14 year olds and held his own. He became part of our traveling cross posse and we madly rang cowbells while he raced and anytime he heard his name being yelled he would dig a little deeper. Greatness.

The best part: Report cards arrived just before the Pocatello race and Adrian is now doing very well in school. Great job Adrian and Mom!

"Your pain is not special"

This line will stick with me for quite a while. I don't know Sam Krieg very well yet but his energy is infectious and it is obvious that he loves all things cyclocross.

One of the best cycling Blog posts of the year.

More Cross Bike Tech

My close friends know that I can't jump into anything halfway and so during my first season of cross racing I have made it a point to learn about what pieces makes up a good cross bike.

In my mind, the three key pieces are crisp shifting, reliable braking, and the delicate balance between rolling resistance and traction.

For someone starting from scratch, the "Easy Button" is to purchase one of the of very nice complete cross bikes being offered by Jamis, Cannondale, or Kona. No worries about gearing or compatibility because it comes out of the box ready to rock. Done.

The Jamis Super Nova is a sweet bike

If you are like me, and already have some parts to contribute, you may want to buy a frame and build it up from scratch and this is when you will realize that there are not a ton of options for cross-specific cranksets outside of FSA.

GEARING
Being a Campy fan, I decided to try and use a Campy Centaur Compact crankset thinking I could simply buy a set of 110 BCD (industry standard) Specialites TA chainrings in 36/46 gearing and be done with it.

Do NOT try to dremmel your new chain rings!

When my rings showed up I was surprised to see that the bolt holes didn't perfectly line up with my Campy CT crank arms. Fack! So out comes the dremmel tool and I proceed to ruin a perfectly good set of chain rings in an effort to go "custom". Evidently Campy decided to ignore the 110 BCD standard and 4 out of 5 holes on their CT cranks are at 110 BCD while the 5th hole is at 112/113. WTF!

Compact Crank Options
SRAM - 110 BCD
FSA - 110 BCD (available in 36/46)
Truvativ - 110 BCD
Shimano - 110 BCD
Campy - 110/112 BCD

I ended up pulling the Campy standard crank off of my road bike since 42T rings are easy to find in 135 BCD and now I am running the sinlge 42T ring with a light bashguard. Having recently ridden a bike with the SRAM Force shifter, I am glad that I stuck with Campy for its crisp, positive rear shifts.

BRAKES
Setting up cantilever brakes is part science and part voodoo. They never seem to be "perfect" and there is always some variable to address which bugs the shit out of me. Squeal, chatter, and clearance all seem to be moving targets.

TRP Eurox Mags, 103 Grams per wheel and dead sexy - $299

I opted for the economical and perfectly functional Tektro CR 720s. Although boring looking, I really can't say anything bad about them.

Tektro CR 720, 161 Grams per wheel and boring - $59

At least I got the tire & whhel thing right on the first try. My MC-built, Stans 355 wheelset, one scoop of Stans goo, and Hutchinson Tubeless Ready cross tires are also like the "Easy Button". I have been able to run low PSI and have had no flats. (knock on wood) Stan's Raven CX tires look promising too.

Congratulations Amanda!

Amanda's biggest win as a PRO came this past weekend at the Iceman Cometh race in front of big crowds and her sponsors. As a friend AND a fan, I could not be happier for her.

Thumbs down to VeloNews for not mentioning the women's race at all in their Iceman coverage.

At least they published the Press Release.

Double-header weekend of cross

SATURDAY
The CUBE Race #3 in Rexburg, ID was the final race in the series and the organizers put together their best course of the three in my opinion. More grass meant longer lap times and tire pressure was an important consideration. Fitzy, Jannine, Bergy, and I rolled into Rexburg plenty early and casually rode the course and chatted with some new faces from Boise who came for the weekend double as well. Although a bit chilly, the weather held and rain never fell during the race.

With the addition of the out-of-towners, the Men’s A field was the deepest yet and they separated our start from the Bs which definitely reduced the congestion at the start. I had a good, but not great, race and just couldn’t close on Bob Walker in the final two laps. I could always see him…just ahead…but he never faltered and I didn’t have anything extra to real him in.

Fitzy and Jannine rode solidly and claimed their respective overall series championships! Congrats! Despite racing only two out of three races, Bergy took 3rd overall in the series by winning the two races he entered. Bergy is quickly building an impressive cross resume.

SUNDAY
The Victor crew was really excited about the King & Queen of Cross in Pocatello, ID for the opportunity to race on a new course against some new faces. Sam Krieg did not disappoint and put together a brutally hard, long, fair, and fun course. This was my favorite course of the year by far and my lap times were in the 11 minute range.

Being a “BIG” race, Fitzy and I signed up for the Men’s B race. The Men’s A and B groups started together but were scored separately in the end. I like having more folks on the starting line but when the “A” guys take off it definitely gives me that “I am SO off the back” feeling. I need to work on my cross starts for sure.

The feature that defined this course was a HUGE run-up (Fitzy appropriately named it the walkup). It was about 80 meters of very steep singletrack that left us non-runners totally blown once we reached the top. On lap two, I came into the run-up just behind another rider and actually made an adrenaline-fueled pass on the run-up but the effort left me so wrecked I was re-passed shortly after on the pavement. Doh! Most of my race was spent suffering alone as I was in between the lead pack and the slower group of B riders. I never once let off of the gas but I find it far easier to squeeze out that little extra when I am racing close to other riders. In the end, I placed third in the Men’s B race...once place behind my hero, Fitzy.

The Victor crew accumulated some impressive results in Pocatello:

Bergy – 3rd Men’s A
Trevor Garner – 5th Men’s A
Fitzy – 2nd Men’s B
Jannine – 2nd Women’s A

It was a great weekend of racing and traveling with friends! It would have been great to see more of our friends from Jackson race too.

Thursday Cross Stoke

Two days until the weekend double-header of local cross racing so let's keep the cross stoke going. This video is from a November 2nd Seattle Cross race where rain left the course saturated in places. Nice change-of-pace music too.


Fun at Donida Farm from Dessa on Vimeo.

Saturday is The CUBE Race #3 in Rexburg, ID and Sunday is The King & Queen of Cross in Pocatello, ID. I haven't done back to back cross races yet so it will be interesting to see how the legs feel.

It looks like the weather could get a little "crossy"

42, Single, and Ready To Mingle

Tuesday is a little early to be talking trash before a big double-header race weekend...but Bergy & Fitzy should be a little scared right about now.

42 Teeth. So sexy.

Rexburg Cross Race #2

Seeing the Rexburg race promoters so excited about their own cross races and seeing the numbers increase from last week was very cool. This week, they pulled out the inflatable finish line arch, digital clock for the start/finish, and spiffed up their barriers with fresh paint. The cross stoke is alive in Rexburg, ID.

One of the things I love about cross is the mini-battle that can form within the race. My personal battle was with Jared who took 2nd place last week. My third row start position combined with him dropping a chain on the first barrier coincidentally had us locked in battle halfway through the first lap. I remebered how strong he was last week so I made it my mission to stay on his wheel for as long as I could. After a couple of laps of staying glued to his rear wheel I realized that I had a shot at taking him if I picked the right spot. With about 15 minutes to go, he bobbled a grassy corner and I attacked and got a gap. But Jared would not go away. Everytime the course doubled back on itself I could see him there, still coming at me. Meanwhile the fast guys were off the front doing their thing and I had no idea what place we were battleing for...and it didn't matter at all.

With two laps to go Jared found something extra and went by me on the pavement like I was on a tricycle. We came through the Start/Finish with 30 seconds on the clock which meant this was our last lap and he had 20 yards on me at the banner. Amanda was screaming "get on is wheel" and I knew that this is where I needed to be...but I was cross-eyed already.
When we hit the grassy section I pedaled hard through every corner and attacked the barrier. Suddenly I was on his wheel again and I had a plan.

I timed my attack on a sharp right-hand corner, got the inside line, and was able to execute the last barrier smoothly to hang onto my personal victory over Jared.

I congratulated him on a great race and we agreed that having someone to battle with brings out that "little extra" you wouldn't be able to summon on your own. Greatness.

Wednesday Cross Stoke

Our neighbors to the north have an established cross scene and a dedicated group that travels around the state racing the Montana Cyclocross Series. After seeing their passion first-hand in Big Sky, I hope our local cross scene can follow their lead.

This cool video is from their most recent race:


Herron Park Cyclocross from Off the Grind on Vimeo.

Rexburg Cross and sweet singletrack

We headed to Rexburg, ID on Sat for the first cross race in The CUBE Cyclocross race series. We really had no idea what to expect in terms of the course or the competition but we were pleasantly surprised on both fronts. The Rexburg Nature Park is a perfect cross venue with unlimited options for course designs.

No really, I was suffering

There were 3 sets of barriers per lap and we did 12 laps...that is good barrier practice. Coming into the barriers at full speed takes nerves of steel and solid technique and Fitzy, aka Daddy Long Legs, is flying. Me, not so much yet.

Fitzy and Jannine sporting their new bling; we had a blast.

Scott took the win in the Men's A race and Jannine took the win in the Women's A race. Quite the power couple eh?

The aptly named Aspen Trail is riding great right now.

The mountain bikes are still getting some love too. Sunday I rode the Aspen Trail with the ladeez and had a blast. It is as good as it gets right now with tacky dirt and leaves covering the entire trail.

A little mud never hurt anyone

The Snow King trails over in Jackson are north facing and may not totally dry out again this year but are still rideable. In fact, they are best in the morning before the mud thaws too much.

A little Cross Tech

After Saturday's race Fitzy and Bergy were heckling me about the weight of my Salsa La Cruz steel cross bike. I originally built this bike to be a crappy weather training bike that I could ride on and off of the pavement and it is perfect for that. But at 22.5 lbs, it is a bit of a tank to hoist over the barriers and carry up the run-ups.

Bergy offered me a test-ride on his new Salsa scandium Chili Con Cross and since we are close to the same size I took him up on it. But before I rode it I took some measurements and had to weigh it. I really shouldn't have done that. 17.94 lbs... Doh!

Bergy's new hotness

In cross, low PSI is your friend so Stans rims + sealant make perfect sense if you don't want to mess with tubulars. The wider profile of the Stans 355 rim compared to your average road rim spreads the tire out and decreases your chancs of rolling it off of the rim at lower pressure. Plus, chaning tires is easy. I am a bike geek but the thought of spending multiple days to glue up a set of tubulars does not appeal to me.

Craftsman 19.2 Volt Cordless Inflator

This bad boy is on sale for $36.99 at Sears.com right now. I cut the stock pump head off and clamped a new Silca presta pump head on. The coolest thing about this tool is that you can set the max PSI and the inflator shuts off when it reaches that PSI.

Cross is sneaky

It sneaks up on you and then latches on tight. Cross started out as a passing thought, "sure, what the hell, it's the end of the season so I will try it". One month later I am shopping for cowbells and dreaming of running the perfect barrier in a seamless motion.

I love the physical part of cross because there is no hiding in a cross race. There is no sitting in the pack or coasting down long downhills to recover. If you are fit, and have honed your cross skills, you will be rewarded. Cross has exposed all of my weaknesses as an athlete, and there are many, and I am looking forward to the challenge of chipping away at them. There will be many humiliating moments as I crash into barriers, stumble on steep muddy run-ups, and crash land on my re-mounts. But when I make the perfect remount or pass another rider in the barriers it will be a glorious moment.

Most importantly, I love cross for the social aspect. Cross is the most inclusive, welcoming form of bike racing there is. Courses are short and spectator friendly and the racing is inspiring. Feel the cowbell!

Looking through the hairpin

Jannine was on my tail the entire race and I could FEEL those socks comin' at me

This past Saturday was hard day on the bike and I got spanked. I suffered like a dog for an hour but within minutes of finishing I was looking forward to my next chance at redemption.

Victor Cross Series - Last Race this Sat

We are throwin' our last 'cross of the season this Sat in Victor, ID. For updated race times, check out the Victor Cross Series site. It will be another double of organizing and racing for me but really the racing is secondary in this one. I just want to help spread the cross stoke.



Cross practice last night was fun and we had a great turnout. Coming into the tripple barriers at full speed takes nerves of steel and confidence in your step-through dismount...I am not there yet. Fitzy "got it" and was going super fast. We also practiced shouldering for long runups in anticipation of the Pocatello, ID race on Nov 9th. Thanks for the pointers Troy!

Bozeman, MT Cross Race

SUNDAY'S RACE CANCELED DUE TO BAD WEATHER.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing when Bergy called me in the hotel room at 8:30 PM Sat night and spoke those words. You don't cancel a cross race due to bad weather. You relish the wrath of Mother Nature and TTFU.

We had just got done chipping frozen road spray from our wheels and frames and washing our cross bikes in the Day's Inn parking lot in blowing snow. We were ready to rock!

I think planning a cross race at a "fair weather only" venue is huge mistake. Enough said.

However, race promotion is not an easy job and every racer thinks they can do it better. I know this from my experiences in organizing the Togwotee Winter Classic, co-organizing Moose Cross, and co-organizing the Victor Cross Series events. I am sure the race promoter will learn from this one and hopefully he will continue to promote cross.

The story is that the City of Bozeman agreed to allow a cross race under the condition that their park was not torn up. In order to avoid a fine and prevent cross racing from being banned in Lindley Park in the future, the promoter pulled the plug.

Big Sky, MT Cross Race

Bergy & Amanda Carey, Michelle & I, and our two hounds piled into two vehicles and headed north Saturday morning for a double-header of MT cross racing. Our first stop was the Big Sky, MT cross race at 1:00 PM.

Road spray freezes solid at 25F

Temps were in the mid 20s with light snow and a stout wind. But people were spinning pre-race laps and milling about like it was summer mtn bike race. We found a little spot out of the wind to get warmed up on the trainers and change into our battle gear just before the race. Keeping the hands & feet warm would prove to be the biggest challenge for me.

The Men's Bs and Women race together

This steep little hill required a grunt each lap

What is wrong with this picture?

Michael became my "target" and we battled til' the end

I had a great race. I went as hard as I could, I didn't crash, I questioned my sanity mid-way through, and then wanted to do it all over again within minutes of crossing the finish line.

The real story of my race was my mini-battle with Michael. Michael and I settled into a race amongst ourselves by the 3rd or 4th lap and I had no idea what place we were in. The top guys were off the front and out of our site so my focus became Michael. I know his name was Michael because he had friends all over the course cheering for him and shouting "Go Michael" at every intersection. Michael and I traded positions at least 5 times. He would bobble a loose corner and I would pass. On the gradual uphill pavement, he would power by me like Fabian Cancellara in a time trial tuck and I couldn't stay on his wheel to save my life. He clearly had more "power" than I did but I was noticing that he struggled a bit with remounts after barriers. Over the last two laps I began calculating where I would try to make my last attack. It is amazing how "racing" takes your mind off of the pain. Near the end of each lap there was a 180 degree double barrier, followed by a tight right turn, and then the finishing straight. He attacked on the pavement again, but I stayed close this time and rode his wheel until the final barrier section where I attacked and made a great remount to pull ahead and then pinned it to the line to win our little battle. Glorious! Michelle said I took 4th but I haven't seen the official results yet. I am so hooked.

Amanda unfortunately double-flatted early into her race but she was putting the fear of god into all of the men and Michelle said that she was closing the gap on the lead men rapidly. She is hooked now too so look out!

Bergy raced next with the Men's A group and looked really strong throughout. There was some strong competition in this race and Bergy fought hard to take 5th. Nice work Bergy!

A report on Sunday's race in Bozeman, MT coming soon...

Cross Weather

Heading to Big Sky & Bozeman, MT this weekend for cross races Saturday and Sunday and it looks as if Mother Nature is going to do her part. Hopefully there will be a crew of us from ID making the trip

The forecast seems to get snowier every time I check. Sweet!

If we build it, they will come...

...is the approach we are taking to growing cyclocross in Victor, ID. We held our second cyclocross race this Saturday and, although the numbers were small, it was a huge success. We had rain, wind, mud, and smiles all around. Our cross course rides really well in the bad weather and most commented on how much MORE fun it was with mud compared to the dusty conditions of Moose Cross.

The Wednesday night cross practices over in Jackson will hopefully help peak some additional interest. Join us at 5:30 PM at the Snow King ball field.

Cross practice. Hup Hup.

The ladies were killing it Saturday! Amanda Riley-Carey, Jannine Fitzgerald, and Tracey Petervary rocked the women's Int/Pro Race.

T-Race with a nice suitcase carry

J9 on the slippery hairpin

Men's Int/Pro Race - Bergy crushed the field

Big smiles were the theme