In The Crosshairs

Arley Kemmerer (Hub Racing) is an elite level women’s cyclocrosser that has been racking up UCI points this season with a slew of top 20 finishes at big races. In her third season of ‘cross, Arley has established herself as a top racer in the Mid-Atlantic region. Happy, but not satisfied, with how her season [...]

DCCX took place October 25, 2009, on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C. A beautiful day for racing and spectating. As always, there was good competition, good food and good times. In ‘cross luck lurks around every corner. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s bad.  At the 2:00 minute mark, the [...]

[ed. note.: Frequent masters category podium finisher Jay Morali was kind enough to pen the following column for 'In The Crosshairs.' Think you could do the same? Drop me a note at cxhairs@gmail.com.] “Cyclocross is a drug! Cyclocross is addictive. It consumes you. It’s a good thing that the season is only a few months [...]

Hyattsville CX took place October 11, 2009, at Magruder Park in Hyattsville, Maryland. The course featured fast power stretches joined together by technical bits and off-camber turns. Big engines could gap the competition on the straights, those with exceptional skills could catch back up in the technical sections. We caught up with podium finishers to [...]

Mike Birner made his tough-to-please coach happy October 11 by winning the Men’s Masters Elite race at the first Hyattsville Cyclocross at Magruder Park, Maryland. A lot of times athletes will talk about hearing their coach’s voice while they are competing. I’m assuming this is the case for Birner, who as president of Mid-Maryland Coaching, is [...]

Patrick Blair (Adventures for the Cure)  started a video project this past weekend that we hope to see him continue. He is following his AFC teammate, Adam Driscoll, as he races his first year at the elite level. It’s good footage with entertaining contemporaneous commentary [ed. note: keep the commentary, Pat, it makes it fun.] [...]

Granogue ‘Cross took place October 17, 2009, in Wilmington, Delaware. It is up for debate whether the race was more epic or biblical. Rain, mud and cold ruled the day. To succeed in this race you needed to be able to do two things well: drive your bike and run in 6-inch deep mud. The [...]

The MABRA Cyclocross Series dropped in on Chris and Fred Kelley October 4, 2009, to play in their backyard. Talk about a scene that would have driven my grandfather crazy, all those kids with their bikes on his property! Kelley Acres ‘Cross featured lots of climbing, ridable barriers, and a Euro-style flyover. It was a [...]

The Breast Cancer Awareness Cyclocross Challenge presented by Antietam Velo Club took place Saturday, October 3, 2009. The first race in a weekend doubleheader for the MABRA Cyclocross Series, the course featured several hairpin turns, good off-camber riding, a sand pit made unridable by strategically placed barriers, and a mean little hill. We caught up [...]

Dave Fuentes (Battley Harley Davidson-Sonoma) is an accomplished road racer that started racing cyclocross last season. He has battled this season in the Masters Elite field taking a second place at Charm City Cyclocross, third place at Kelley Acres ‘Cross, and a win at the Breast Cancer Awareness Cyclocross Challenge. With many of the area’s [...]