Jeremy Powers Demonstrates the Dismount at the JBV & Fulcrum Clinic
Last Friday afternoon a group of Mid-Atlantic CX diehards welcomed Cannondale-Cyclcrossworld.com rider Jeremy Powers to the DC-region by hitting the single-track trails at Maryland’s Rosaryville State Park. Normally a favorite destination for the area’s MTB crowd, Rosaryville’s smooth and fast trails turn out to be ideal on the ‘cross bike.
Powers, in town for the JBV Coaching & Fulcrum Coaching Cyclocross Clinic that went down August 28, was coming off a 30 hour training week and a couple hours of sitting on a plane. Needing a little extra time to get his legs going meant that I was just about able to hang on his wheel for the easy first lap and get a little helmet-cam footage. The other folks in the group were Steve Fife (Bike Doctor), Rusty Williford (Fulcrum Coaching), Bruce Buckley (The Bike Lane), Dan Tille (Fulcrum Coaching) and Kate Graham (BioWheels).
A couple caveats before we get to the video. First, what you see is more or less a warm-up lap. Sure, seeing JPow ripping through these trails would be sick footage, but by the time he was doing that, I was hanging off the back and running into trees. Next time, I’m giving the camera to Rusty. Second, my filming skills are still in pre-season form and the camera angle is not ideal. Too many treetops and not enough action in the center of the frame. Finally, stick around for the end of the clip to see a little bonus coverage of JPow taking some time out of the ride for a session on one of Rosaryville’s skinny sections.
For those of you out there that race ‘cross first and foremost, this time of year is typically referred to as the offseason. Many ‘crossers are racing on the road to keep sharp but others are just starting to come out of hibernation to pack on the base miles. For me, it has always been a combination of the two. Lots of saddle time on the road with the occasional “who cares” race thrown in for good measure.
Little did I know there was a whole other world of cyclists out there that do it a little differently. You may have heard about these people. They ride around on bikes with fat tires and squishy forks. They call these contraptions “mountain bikes.” From what I understand, folks have been riding and racing these “mountain bikes” for quite some time and having “fun” while they do it. Intrigued but unconvinced this was no more than mythology and old wives’ tales, I set out to learn more.
Now this whole “dirt riding” concept isn’t completely foreign. I spend plenty of time “off road” on my bike in the fall and winter. Granted that riding is on a well-groomed cyclocross course in which there are usually clean smooth lines that spare my supple yet fragile tubular casings from too much wear and tear. Rarely are there the roots, divots and rocks that seem commonplace on the trails these mountain bikers or “MTBers” like to ride.
I was intrigued by it all but a little concerned as well. Egged on by teammates that partake in this “MTB” scene and claim to have “fun,” I got myself a bike. It has 700c wheels on it. The same as my ‘cross bike. That left me more at ease. But then I was told that I was supposed to call the wheels 29ers. That got me feeling a little uneasy again.
I have now ridden this rig, conveniently named the “Rig,” a handful of times and there’s no denying it, the “mountain bike” is “fun.” Dare I say “a blast.” You can get a great workout at threshold, work on the handling skills and break up the monotony of the road. That being said, I still don’t understand why you need a visor on your helmet if you are riding in the woods while wearing sunglasses. So much to learn.
I guess you can call this my MTB conversion story. For kicks, I strapped on the helmet cam for today’s ride and below is my video testimonial. Set to a song about having a well-stocked pantry. This, of course, has nothing to do with mountain biking, but what can I say, riding makes me hungry.
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post this video because without anybody else in the frame it seemed like it could get a little boring. It is definitely not a CX race vid. In fact, Mrs. CXHairs watched for about ten seconds, and then mockingly said “look … around that bend … it’s … more trees.”
Understandably, after that exchange I was even more concerned about the boredom factor so I also showed the video to Jim, The Unholy Roleur, a lifelong MTB guy. He liked it and thought it would be interesting for all the fat tire folk out west to see what the East Coast terrain was like this time of year. Jim also mocked me for riding a mountain bike like a roadie. For now, I’m going to take that as a compliment.
Here’s the video, roadie skeelz and all. It was shot at Rosaryville State Park in Maryland. Home of the 2010 Tacchino Ciclocross. Thanks for watching.
Race #2 of the NCCX Winter ‘Cross series took place January 10 in Mooresville, North Carolina. Chris Carraway (NCVC) once again strapped on the CXHairs.com helmet-cam and had a cracker of a race. Until he didn’t.
Chris gives a great view of what it is like to be at the front of the field for most of the race. An ill-timed mechanical spells doom for young Chris and a guaranteed top five finish is replaced by a DNF. Because, as we all know, nothing is guaranteed in ‘cross.
Included in the video are the first three laps of the race and then the final half lap that includes the mechanical. It’s hard to tell when the race jumps from third lap to last lap. But if you keep an eye on the two lead riders at about the 12 minute mark, they magically disappear. That’s when it happens.
Music for this installment is by request and features Richmond, Virginia hardcore legends Four Walls Falling and the cute and lovable Misfits.
Although the 4WF boys have long since called it quits, you can still get their debut LP, Culture Shock, from Jade Tree Records. It may be the best music you never heard. Perfect for those rollers sessions in the basement.
Races 1 and 2 of the North Carolina Cyclocross Winter Cup took place January 9 and 10 in Salisbury and Mooresville, North Carolina. The CXHairs.com helmet-cam was in attendance for the event. Thanks to Chris Carraway (NCVC) for strapping on the hardware for the races and giving us a good look at the NCCX series.
We also caught up with Route1Velo’s Thori Wolfe who traveled from DC to NC for the weekend’s races. Before getting to the video, here is Thori’s race report of how things played out at the front of the Masters 45+ field:
Wolfe At The Front of the Salisbury Field. Photo by Demoncats Photography. www.Demoncats.com
“Somewhere into the second or third week of undisciplined gluttony following Capitol Cross and the end of the ‘cross season, my R1V teammate Danny Koniowsky suggested the North Carolina Winter Cross Series. I was starting to feel like a slug, so I checked the calendar and Google map and decided to commit to at least the first weekend. I made the trek last weekend and wasn’t disappointed with the trip. Both races on Saturday and Sunday were low key, local races with relatively small fields and some very talented racers still willing to get out in the 20 degree temps when the only other ‘cross racers taking the discipline seriously live in Northern Europe and are named Nys, Albert, and Stybar. The accents were heavy Carolina. The juxtaposition of Ridley bikes, tubulars on carbon rims, and the southern accents you might otherwise expect at a NASCAR event was pretty awesome. It reminded me of surfing in Cape Cod with a bunch of dudes with heavy Massachusetts accents wave sliding on long boards. In both cases, seemingly incongruous, but it didn’t matter once they got down to what they were there to do. Continue reading »
The eleventh Capital ‘Cross Classic took place December 6 at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, Virginia.
Masters 3/4 Field. Photo by Jen Franko.
Early morning ice and a layer of fresh snow turned to mud and slop as the day progressed. Conditions that make for a fun day of racing but not ideal for filming.
The helmet-cam made it about 15 seconds into the race before getting tagged with a small glob of mud. The rear-view camera, surprisingly, fares a little better. For a couple minutes, at least.
Music this week is by Blackie Knight. Sadly, I believe they have disbanded. But the tracks rock. So go to the MySpace page and tell them to get the band back together.
The MABRA ‘Cross Championship took place November 29, 2009, at Taneytown Memorial Park, Taneytown, Md. Under sunny skies and warm temperatures, racers faced a course of varied conditions. Fast asphalt, gravel and grass sections funneled riders into muddy bogs. Some ridable and others, not so much.
The video captures the first ten minutes of the masters 3/4 group from the helmet-cam and the seat-stay camera. The helmet-cam video angle is a little more severe than usual. This is the result of what could be described as a wardrobe malfunction but more accurately was an ill-advised wardrobe decision. I almost always wear a CXHairs.com cycling cap under my helmet (if you want one, e-mail me at cxhairs@gmail.com). On most occasions said cycling cap faces forward. On this day, I wore it backwards. This pushed my helmet forward a centimeter or so and lowered the horizon on the video.
Music this week is courtesy of Paper+Plastick. This label has a slew of fantastic artists. Three are featured here: Failers’ Union, Rehasher and The AKAs. Please go to paperandplastick.com to discover even more great material. If you like what you hear, buy an LP or download some tracks to keep you motivated on the trainer this winter.
Ryan Douglas (R1V/Arrow Bicycle) working the off-camber. Photo: Joel Steen
Day two of the Howard County Double Cross took place November 22 in Elkridge, Maryland. In its third year, Rockburn Cross is a Mid-Atlantic favorite that features greasy corners, fast single-track and quick hard climbs.
With the sunny open sections and wooded single-track, this course works well on video. It may be paradoxical to say that you can move forwards and backwards at the same time, but this clip shows the possibilities as the camera quickly works its way from the front to the back of the pack.
Music is again by our friend, Caleb Stine. It may be a little slower and a little quieter than other tunes featured on CXhairs.com, but music doesn’t have to be hard and fast to be punk. I guess that’s the second paradox of the day. Check out Caleb at www.calebstine.com.
Day one of the Howard County Double Cross (HoCo2xCx) weekend was Schooley Mill ‘Cross that took place November 21 in Highland, Maryland. Racers were faced with long power stretches for half of the course and a hilly, grassy bog for the other half. As you will see in the video, the field gets strung out but stays more or less together for the first lap. A rarity in the MABRA series.
I am psyched to have a second soundtrack appearance by Exotic Fever Records. They first appeared on the Granogue Video and added some great atmosphere to the day. I beleive the same effect is accomplished here. Tracks are by Pash and The Sinister Quarter. Check out those artists and the others in the Exotic Fever stable at www.exoticfever.com.
Urban Cross at Ix 2009 took place on November 15 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The course takes place on the grounds of an abandoned factory and features a ton of elevation change, good power sections and on this day, unseasonably warm temperatures. The video is from the first ten minutes of the Masters 3/4 race. Pay special attention to the rear-facing camera at about the 45 second mark. The race comes to a standstill as riders start piling up on the muddy off-camber turn. Good lesson in why a decent start is important. You don’t need to win the hole shot, but being near the front is the best way to avoid the bottlenecks.
There was a lot of running on this course. The heavy rains leading up to race day made the normally ridable hills unridable. There was also a staircase and one set of barriers. As you will see, these barriers jumped up and got me on the first lap.
Music this week is by The Burdens. Check them out at www.theburdens.com.
Here is the first ten minutes of the Masters 3/4 race from Halloween morning’s All Hallows ‘Cross. This is the premiere of “Moto 2,” a second camera attached to the seat-stay and capturing the action happening behind me. I’ve tried to set it up in a way that shows both views but isn’t too distracting. Let me know what you think.
Interesting start to this race with a mechanical in the starting grid. It’s pretty much ten minutes of catch-up. Rainy conditions deteriorate the picture a bit but add to the spooky Halloween vibe. No featured music this week, just the sounds of racing.
