August 10th, 2009

A Teaching Moment

Bill Schieken

Cyclocross promoters and racers for the most part get along fine. But every so often issues arise that have the two parties not seeing eye to eye. If you read the recent SpectaCross coverage posted on In The Crosshairs you are aware of one of those instances. It is far from my intent to have this site be a venue for the airing of grievances, so my gut reaction was to let the controversy quietly fade away. But I believe this can be what the president calls “a teaching moment.”

I have talked to both parties involved and I do not believe either is wrong or misguided. They simply interpreted the situation differently and acted accordingly. I believe this is a good opportunity for you, dear reader, to see what occurred from the perspective of the promoter and the racer. So without further commentary here is what happened. Continue reading “A Teaching Moment”

Interview

August 6th, 2009

SpectaCross: One and Done? A Chat With Ken Getchell

Bill Schieken

The SpectaCross cyclocross and speed trials races took place July 31 and August 1 at the New Jersey State Fair. Being the only show in town this time of year, we have lots of good stuff to share. But before getting to rider interviews from this past weekend’s races we are going to start our coverage with the man behind the curtain.

Ken Getchell’s SpectaSport LLC spearheads publicity for several cyclocross race series including MAC, OVCX and MABRA, as well as the Gravity East downhill series. Getchell can also be found as a race announcer for many events on the CX calendar. He has been at the publicity game a long time. Ken started SUPERKARTS!USA (now SKUSA) and was the publicist for future three-time Tour de France champion Greg Lemond’s first race as a professional in Wildwood, New Jersey in 1980.

He had to call on much of that experience to pull off two days of cyclocross in the middle of summer and at a state fair. Now that the dust (or mud) has settled, we caught up with Ken to get his thoughts on the weekend. Continue reading “SpectaCross: One and Done? A Chat With Ken Getchell”

Housekeeping

August 4th, 2009

SpectaCross Coverage

Bill Schieken

We are sifting through a slew of great interviews from the past weekend’s SpectaCross event at the New Jersey State … Continue reading SpectaCross Coverage

Interview

June 1st, 2009

If The Bike Fits, Race It: A Chat With Beth Mason

Bill Schieken

Did you finish last cyclocross season with an aching back and the feeling that you were fighting your bike every race? Are you looking forward to repeating that same scenario this season? If not, it may be time to consider a professional bike fitting. While it is not going to strengthen your core or increase your VO2 max, a proper fit should make you more efficient and decrease the discomfort inevitable in our sport.

When it comes to cyclocross, the bike fit conundrum comes with a host of oft-repeated truths that anonymous interweb posters insist we must follow. These include buying a smaller frame, lowering your saddle, moving the saddle forward, moving it back, raising your bars. Are these ‘truths’ correct? Honestly, I don’t know. So I asked somebody who does.

Beth Mason is a licensed physical therapist, certified bike fitter, and Cat 1 road and cyclocross racer. This triple threat of experience provides Beth with a rock solid perspective on common fit issues facing anyone toeing the line at a cyclocross event. Continue reading “If The Bike Fits, Race It: A Chat With Beth Mason”