In The Crosshairs

In this episode, #SVENNESS makes a stop at the GP Mario De Clercq. We look at the muddy, hilly terrain and highlight cornering, run-ups, choosing a line and knowing when to pit. We also take a look at the start. And remember kids, there are no rain jackets in cyclocross.

This episode is presented by Skills, Drills and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer. You can learn more and purchase a copy of the book at cyclocrossbook.com. You can read a review at pavedmag.com/featured/book-report/.

Video footage via Sporza sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/veldrijden

Music by The Juan Maclean. thejuanmaclean.com/

Thanks for watching.

#SVENNESS 2.3 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

In SVENNESS 2.2 we start with a reminder of the fragility of life and take a moment to remember Amy Dombroski, a shining star in the cycling community. If you miss the link in the video, an easy way to contribute to the Amy D. memorial fund is to purchase a shirt produced by our friends at Handlebar Mustache. The link is: http://www.hbstache.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=120.

Another Hyattsville CX is in the books and we had an amazing day. The morning hornet attack put a damper on the early races (so so sorry to all who were stung) but I think we recovered nicely. And by the end of the day, I received a huge reminder of why we continue to do this.

Over the past four years, not including this year’s race, Hyattsville CX has raised over $15,000 for Special Olympics Prince George’s County, Maryland. Chris Militello and Chris Davidson, who own and operate Arrow Bicycle, are heavily involved with the PG County Special Olympics. Without Arrow’s support, there would not be a cycling team in the county for Special Olympics athletes. Our race is the largest donor to the PG chapter and this is something I don’t mind bragging about one bit. It should make anybody who contributed to this race, from volunteers to patrons of the beer garden, proud.

So thanks to everyone who raced, we hope you had a great day. Know that your continued support is going to a wonderful cause. Thank you to the City of Hyattsville, who has embraced the sport of cyclocross and has made this event one of their priorities year after year. Thank you to the men and women of Route1Velo and Crosshairs Cycling for the countless hours of volunteer time. Without your help, this race doesn’t happen. Thank you to Jeff Travis and his registration cadre for making the administration of the race run smoothly. And last but not least, an enormous thank you to my co-director Eric Griffin. The behind-the-scenes workload for pulling off a race for over 500 participants is huge and Eric takes on the lion’s share of that effort. Thank you thank you thank you.

And what makes it all worth it?

This:

And we’re back! With another season of #SVENNESS. In episode one of Season 2 we look at the Soudal GP race from Neerpelt. The race gives us a nice look at a couple common questions most folks racing cross have. Under what circumstances do I shoulder the bike versus pushing it or using  a different carry? How do I know when to run or ride a sand section? How can I improve my start? Why do I need to preview the course? We also take a look at the moves that made the race and the places where the decisive action took place.

Thanks for watching. And if you have a minute, please check out Skills, Drills and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer at www.cyclocrossbook.com.

#SVENNESS 2.1 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

Bruce Buckley, Dan Tille, Jeremy Powers and Rusty Williford capture the art of closing the door.

In the fall of 2011, while on a cyclocross training ride with Dan Tille, I asked what he thought about helping me write a cyclocross skills book. My idea was to use Dan’s years of experience and knowledge from racing, coaching and running ‘cross clinics and pair that with detailed images of the basic cyclocross skills and techniques. The idea was to have a book that covered, in every detail, the nuts and bolts of racing cyclocross in a presentation that would not be out of place on your living room’s coffee table. To accomplish that, I asked my good friend, fellow cyclocross racer, and professional photographer, Bruce Buckley, if he’d like to help us with this project. Bruce agreed and Skills, Drills and Bellyaches became a reality. Well, it actually became more of a theory. Reality was still a bit farther down the road.

The task of actually writing and shooting the book was way more daunting than we realized and after an initial photo shoot in early 2012, we weren’t sure if the project would ever see the light of day. That’s when we approached Jeremy Powers with our idea and asked if he’d like to be our model. Since we have been conducting cyclocross clinics with JPow for several years, we knew his philosophy and way of doing things lined up with ours. But to have him be a willing participant in this project was a coup. And when he agreed to do it, we were beyond excited. Jeremy’s perfect form and technique made Bruce’s job of capturing the skills presented in this book that much easier. And the results are stunning.

Having the photos and the concepts complete, all that was left to do was the writing and the design. And that was a process. A year of drafts and the extreme patience of Jennifer Franko Dudek, who designed the book, finally culminated in thepublication we offer to you today. Jen produced 18 different versions of the book. And in the end, I have no problem in saying we nailed it.

I could not be happier with the result and am beyond excited to be able to announce the release of this new cyclocross  book: Skills, Drills and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer.

To pre-order the book, click the image or go to www.cyclocrossbook.com

But enough of the back-story, here’s what you really need to know …

“Skills Drills and Bellyaches has been years in the making. It is an incredible addition to the cyclocross community. The contents of this book are going to help you improve your cyclocross riding without doing any intervals, without any long rides, and without any rigorous training plans. Nailing these concepts and techniques will be one of many steps in a long journey to becoming a cyclo-boss!”

-Jeremy Powers

Every time you dismount from your bike you are either gaining or losing time on your competition. For instance, if you are a habitual stutter-stepper on remounts, this can cost you around one second each time you get back on your bike. If you are on a course that requires three remounts per lap and you do six laps in your race, that’s 18 seconds wasted. Let’s say you have similar issues on the dismount. Same math, 18 seconds lost. You are now 36 seconds behind a competitor who is equally fit, but gets on and off the bike more proficiently. Even if you have years of ‘cross racing under your bibshorts, you can always make improvements to your game. What is inside this book helps show you the way.

Skills, Drills and Bellyaches teaches the techniques and skills that all racers, from beginner to elite, should learn and apply to become a better cyclocross racer. It covers basics, such as what to wear and how to get back on your bike after carrying it over an obstacle, as well as more nuanced starting techniques and how to mentally prepare for your race.

This book serves as a solid primer for new racers, as well as a means for experienced riders to hone their craft. If you master the skills and techniques covered here, you can go into the cyclocross season with the same fitness you had last year, yet achieve better results.

Books will ship the week of September 22nd.

A portion of proceeds from the sale of “Skills, Drills and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer” go to support the JAM Fund, a non-profit organization created by Jeremy Powers that is committed to nurturing and growing the next generation of American cyclists.

Go to www.cyclocrossbook.com to order.

Click on the images below to see sample pages from the book:

Books are available for pre-order now. They will ship the week of September 22. Go here to buy: www.crosshairscycling.com/shop/skills-drills-bellyaches-a-cyclocross-primer-pre-order/

The 2013 U.S. National Cross Country Mountainbike Championships happened late last month at Bear Creek Resort in Macungie, Pa. I was hired by USA Cycling to photograph the event and had a great experience doing so. While editing photos from the men’s pro race I came across a sequence of shots at the start line that could’ve been disastrous for eventual winner Stephen Ettinger and runner-up Todd Wells. Ettinger (3) slides out immediately at the start on the loose gravel and careers directly into Wells (2) who puts up a defensive elbow to keep himself upright. Ettinger bounces off Wells and back into the field before  righting himself. It all happens in under a second and is another example of the amazing balance and control these pros have. Below the whole sequence as it unfolded.

Rubbin’ is racin’.

Ettinger v. Wells: The Start

I will have galleries from all four days of the championships up here: http://cxhairs.smugmug.com/MTB

If you know somebody who raced, please share the link. If you see a shot you like, don’t be afraid to buy a print. There is also a tab on the “buy” page to purchase a download. Thanks for looking.

John and Sam Kieffer lead the Cat 5 field at the Tour of the Valley.

The 2013 Tour of the Valley took place this past weekend in and around Youngstown, Ohio. The three day road race started Friday evening with a time trial at the Mastropietro Winery. For day two, riders faced a grueling road race filled with non-stop rollers. And on the final day, downtown Youngstown hosted a fast flat criterium.

We had the opportunity to shoot video from the lead car of the road race. Here’s a look at how the cat 5 race went down. Lots of pretty strong dudes in the field but nobody seemed to want to work together and the pack wasn’t about to let a solo rider go free. At least not during the relatively flat (not really flat) beginning third of the race. Once the climbs started, that all changed, as a pair of young brothers put the hammer down and took over the race.

Here’s how it all went down.

Thanks for watching.

No clean bikes in sight at the finish of the Hilly Billy.

I had the pleasure of working at this past weekend’s Hilly Billy Roubaix, which takes place annually just outside of Morgantown, West Virginia. It may be classified as a road race but the Hilly Billy is anything but. Part of the Ultracross Series, the race is a mix of nasty gravel and dirt roads that have more in common with an MTB track than an actual road. Choosing the right equipment is crucial in this race and folks show up on a mix of MTB and cross bikes. Also key for the past couple years is the ability to deal with heat. Searing temperatures made what under cool temperatures would be a hard day into an almost unbearable one.

JR Petsko and his ABRA team of volunteers do a wonderful job putting on a race. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and have not traveled north for one the ABRA races you are missing out. Get on it people.

In between announcing duties I was able to take a camera out on course and shoot a little video. Also my Crosshairs Cycling teammate, Kevin Hays, strapped a GoPro on his handlebars and grabbed footage from the first hour of the race.

In the video you get a nice look at one of the early creek crossings and also a real time look at all of the flat tires that happen on course.

Thanks for watching.

Hilly Billy Roubaix 2013 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

Jake Thompson (HPC) will represent the MABRA region at USAC CX Devo Camp this summer. Photo by Douglas Graham/WLP.

We just got the news that Geoff Proctor’s USA Cycling Cyclocross Development Camp III will take place this year from July 21-26 in Helena, Montana. For the past several years, Proctor has held a cyclocross development camp for selected riders deemed to be among the best young cyclocross racers in the U.S. The development camp for selected riders is designed to work on skills, technique, training and set short-term as well as long-range goals.

Proctor is a top-level coach and member of the Union Cycliste Internationale Cyclo-Cross Commission. For over a decade he has served as coach for U23 and Junior World Championship teams.

In last year’s official announcement Proctor explained that the camp is designed to provide transitional training and mental refreshment in a non-competitive, but focused environment. “We will start the day with early morning conditioning, then move to morning cyclocross skill development, and follow up with afternoon training group rides,” Proctor has said. Along with the cross bike work, invitees will also be doing road rides in and around the Continental Divide. The camp’s cyclocross course is on a scenic circuit in the foothills above Helena.

“At this summer camp, we will not be doing formal testing or racing. Other than the friendly contests that come out of our training together, our emphasis will be on the big picture,” Proctor has said about previous camps.

Riders invited to the 2013 camp are listed below. The year above each group indicates birth year:

1996

David Lombardo; Crystal Lake, IL; Verdigris-Village CX Team/Village-Verdigris

Anders Nystrom; Boise, ID; BYRDS (Boise Young Rider Development Squad)

Josie Weik; Wrenshall, MN; ISCorp/NCSF

Maxx Chance; Boulder, CO; Clif Bar Development Cyclocross Team

Nolan Brady; Steilacoom, WA; Rad Racing NW

Garrett Gerchar; Boulder, CO; Boulder Junior Cycling

David O’Brien; Olympia, WA; Rad Racing NW

1997

Cooper Willsey; Hinesburg, VT; Cannodale/Cyclocrossworld

Gavin Haley; Louisville, KY; Red Zone Cycling

Brannan Fix; Fort Collins, CO

Liam Dunn; Denver, CO; Clif Bar Development Cyclocross Team

Sam Rosenberg; Eugene, OR

Lance Haidet; Bend, OR

Jake Thompson; Arlington, VA; HPC

1998

Spencer Petrov; Mason, OH; Lionhearts/Queen City Wheels

Cameron Beard; Bend, OR; Bend Endurance Academy

Jordan Lewis; Jonesborough, TN; MSG Cyclocross/Tri Cities Road Club

In between announcing duties I had the opportunity to grab a few images from yesterday’s Bear Creek Challenge. The race was held on the same site and course as the upcoming USA Cycling Cross-Country MTB National Championships, which will take place July 18-21. Great venue, tough tough racing. Should be some good action come July.