In The Crosshairs

There are at least a handful of ‘cross racers in the Mid-Atlantic region with aspirations to ride their bikes to as many MABRA races as possible, next season.

Sean Callahan of Team Pegasus races at Northbrook. Photo by Josh Radlein.

Our friendly Internet overlords at Google make that a little bit easier today with the roll out of “Bike There” on Google Maps. “Bicycling” is now an option on the “Get Directions” tab at maps.google.com. Good stuff.

Along with the Bike There reveal we are also bringing a little grassroots ‘cross video goodness to your computer monitors, today. Heather Jurewicz of Johnny Sprockets put together a great highlight reel from the 2009 Chicago Cyclocross Cup series. The Chi Cross Cup was started in 2004 as a grass roots effort by folks that wanted to race ‘cross in their neighborhood. Yes, that’s all it takes. The series has grown ten races and features hard racing and a party atmosphere. But don’t just take my word for it, check out the film.

Thanks for watching.

A little off-season housekeeping will be taking place at CXHairs over the next month. For starters, we are testing out a new image gallery app.

Here is a sample of my images from February 27 in Richmond at the Shimano North American Handmade Bicycle show.

Many of these photos were first published at Cyclocross Magazine and GamJams.

A cyclocross bike with wood composite tubing?

Click on image to learn more about Sylvan Cycles

 It’s so crazy it just might work. Sylvan Cycles specializes in using sustainable materials to build bicycles that “rival or surpass conventional frame materials for performance.” We met up with Sylvan co-founder John Fabel at the 2010 Shimano North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Richmond, Virginia, to talk wood bikes and how they would hold up on a ‘cross course. 

Sylvan’s featured bike at the show was their adventure model, a sharp looking ride crafted to excel in adventure and randonneur events. This does not mean, however, that the model would hold you back at your local ‘cross throw down. And talk about turning some heads. And I’ll bet for few extra bucks, the boys at Sylvan will get out their wood burning kit and etch your name on the top tube. 

Sylvan Cycles cares about building quality bikes and also about getting people to out and riding no matter what they throw their leg over. Hence their by line, “using bicycles to go places.” Learn more about the company by visiting it online at www.sylvancycles.com. 

Here’s the interview. Thanks for watching.

Cups of paint at Vanilla's NAHBS booth.

We had so much to share from this past weekend’s handmade bike show that it took three Websites to cover it all. Along with continued coverage right here, you can also find CXHairs.com provided words, pictures and videos at our friends’ sites.

Cyclocross Magazine (www.cxmagazine.com) has a short article and gallery up from Saturday at the show.

and

Gam Jams (GamJams.net) has an article covering bikes of all stripes. There is also a cool video at GamJams showing off Serotta’s new fit tools.

Cyclocross Magazine will soon be running a video interview with one of our favorite custom frame builders, Mike Zanconato. Until then, go check out Mike’s Web site and blog at www.zanconato.com.

Sampson builds components suited for 'cross.

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show took place February 26-28 in Richmond, Virginia. Started in 2005 with around 30 booths and 700 visitors, NAHBS has grown into an event featuring over 150 exhibitors and 7000 attendees. The craftsmanship of the bikes, components, accessories and clothing on display at the show is top notch. I’m sure by now most people have seen photos of the shiny bits that commanded everyone’s attention. I have some, too, and will get them posted soon.

Our mission at this show was to find some interesting cross-specific stories for CXHairs. Along with photos, I conducted a fair number of video interviews. The first is with Eric Sampson, president of Sampson Bicycles & Components, based in Denver, Colorado. Sampson designs and builds components that rival the big boys. His shifters and drivetrain components feature precision operation, competitive weights and a damn nice price-point.

I asked Eric how Sampson’s Stratics group holds up to the rigors of cyclocross. Here’s what he had to say.

Thanks for watching. Later this week we will feature interviews from Mike Zanconato, and Sylvan Bicycles‘ John Fabel.

We are heading down to NAHBS in Richmond, Va. tomorrow for a full day of handmade bicycle goodness. Hope to have a slew of pictures and video. I have a couple interviews set up but could always do more.

Click on the logo for more info about the show.

Let me know your ideas. Leave a comment or shoot an e-mail using the link on the right.

Along with posts for this site, I will also be providing some content for GamJams.net and Cyclocross Magazine. As if that wasn’t enough, I will try and post some pictures to the Twitter. You can follow me in Twitterville at CXHairs.

Stay tuned …

The Super Bowl Sunday Snowpocalypse PsychoCross D.C. Stage Race has come and gone.

"Carry Your Bike Around The Park 2010" Photo by Demoncats.com.

Kevin Dillard of Demoncats.com was there to capture the mayhem. You can check out his galleries here.

According to Rez, here’s how the day’s festivities went down:

Stage 1 ended up being a downhill for distance race mostly. We raced the course afterward but it ended up being mostly trudging through the snow carrying our bikes.

We improvised to make Stage 2 a Calvert St Bridge crit including a running section around the bus station. Pretty fun.

Stage 3, as expected, was the crown jewel. We rode up the 15th St hill, entered the park from a side entrance that led us to the bottom of the long stairways, and then raced down the hillside and winding stairways to the bottom. Totally sweet!

I’m sore in all new places today. Thanks to everyone who came out and made it a fun time!

She totally chopped him.

I had intended to join in the fun, carrying my bike around in the snow for a couple hours and maybe doing some helmet-cam footage, but it wasn’t to be. So instead I hung around the neighborhood and captured the locals putting on their own ‘cross race down my street. That was some good action.

Stay tuned for coverage from the rescheduled Super Bowl of Singlespeed and Cross My Heart race p/b Proteus Bikes that takes place this Saturday.

After that, we hope to have photos and video interviews from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show that takes place at the end of the month in Richmond.

Be back soon …

Snow? That's not snow. The pits at Capital Cross.

Proteus Bikes’ Super Bowl of Singlespeed may have been pushed back a week but that does not mean there will be no cyclocross racing in the Nation’s Capital this Sunday. Tim Rugg (Battley Harley/Sonoma) and Justin “Rez” Resnick (District Velocity/The Bike Rack) are not going to let the forecasted 36 to 360 inches of snow stop them from racing.

Before we get the details of what these guys have planned, I have to say I’m a little worried that Rez is spearheading this effort. As we saw way back in September, slippery surfaces are not always his forte. For those that may have missed it, here’s a recap.

And now for deets on this Sunday courtesy of Tim and Rez:

WOOH SNOW CROSS!! Spread the word, this is gonna be AAAAWESOME.

We could use some extra orange sport cones to set up the courses so please bring some if you have them!

Newbies, spectators, hecklers, snowball throwers, and photographers welcome!

Route: here

Schedule:
09:45am – Optional breakfast at Open City Cafe.

11:00am – Meet-up at Rock Creek Park exercise area, set up course, do preview lap.
Stage 1 – Rock Creek Park exercise area start at 11:30 SHARP.
Race TBD laps until 11:55 or so.

12:15pm – Meet-up at Calvert St Bridge park, set up course, do preview lap.
Stage 2 – Calvert St Bridge park at 12:30 SHARP.
Race TBD laps until 12:55 or so.

2:15pm – Meet-up at City Bikes to ride over to Malcolm X Park.
2:30pm – Meet-up at Malcolm X, set up course, do preview lap.
Race TBD laps until 3 or so.

Bicycle Dreams is a full length documentary that chronicles the 2005 Race Across America. As a chronicler of cyclocross racing, a decidedly shorter affair, I was a bit hesitant when the film’s director, Stephen Auerbach, asked if I wanted to review his film.

Bicycle Dreams Tells the Story of the 2005 RAAM. Photo by Chris Milliman.

To hedge my bets, and ensure my ignorance about ultracycling events is kept in check, I recruited Adventures for the Cure’s Adam Driscoll and Patrick Blair, accomplished ‘cross racers and RAAM finishers in the two-person division, to watch and comment on the film.

Cyclocross racing is hard and, if you are doing it right, painful. It’s a redline effort for somewhere around an hour and then it’s over. RAAM, on the other hand, is more of a slow burn. Full-time steady-state efforts, day after day with little time off the bike and almost no sleep. Cyclocross is like a haymaker to the head, RAAM is 15 rounds of rabbit punches, a 45 minute break, and then fifteen more rounds. For nine straight days.

Bicycle Dreams tells a compelling story. From a technical and aesthetic standpoint the film is amazing. The shots are artfully framed and flawlessly executed. The color grading and lighting in the film are breathtaking. For this alone, the film is worth viewing.

The idea of a race across America in itself is, dare I say, epic. Finishing this event is truly an achievement only a small number of bicycle racers will accomplish. The human struggle, exhaustion, will-to-go-on and desire-to-quit is the kind of stuff compelling, edge-of-your-seat films thrive on.

Bicycle Dreams

The problem is that once you get beyond the big picture “epicness,” the actual competition is mind-numbingly dull. It’s equivalent to going out and watching an accomplished racer on a long solo training ride. This is not the Tour de France. There are no suicide breakaways, tactical chases, sprint finishes or mountain-top duels. Not to give away any plot points, but there is exactly one instance in the film in which we see a rider passed by a competitor.

To overcome the sport’s inherent lack of on-bike action, the filmmakers focus on the meta. The real drama is found in the racers’ back story, the mind-over-body struggle, and competitors’ interaction with their crew. Continue reading »

Normally, I like to offer a little more in my posts than a reproduced press release, but this one is too good to pass up. I would book your hotel room today.

January 29, 2010 (Tabor, Czech Republic) - USA Cycling is honored to announce that Louisville, Kentucky today was chosen by the Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling’s international governing body, to host the 2013 Elite Cyclo-cross World Championships and the 2012 and 2013 Masters Cyclo-cross World Championships.

2012 Worlds Forecast? 18 Degrees And Snowy This Weekend in Kentucky

This historic appointment is the first time the Cyclo-cross World Championships will be held outside of Europe in the 50 plus year history of the championships. These events will mark the first Elite Cycling World Championship of any discipline held on U.S. soil since the Track World Championships took place in Los Angeles in 2005.

“After more than a decade of working closely with American promoters and the UCI to grow our international calendar of cyclo-cross events, Louisville’s winning bid is a testament to the success of those efforts and to the extraordinary quality of ‘cross racing in the U.S.,” USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson said. Continue reading »