From the Library: The Cyclocross Meeting...

a 2010 film by Brian Vernor.

Got this dvd for Christmas, and as the title suggests it is a cyclocross film. It basically follows a couple American racers, Barry Wicks and Adam McGrath around a few East Coast races before heading over to Japan, where a couple Japanese racers, Keiichi Tsujiura and Yu Takenouchi, are highlighted as well. While in Japan there is a brief interview with frame builder, Shigeru Nakagawa, and some interesting training scenes around the narrow streets of Japan. The film ends up back in the States for a couple days of racing at the USGP at Portland, Oregon. The Cyclocross Meeting provides some good race footage, though nothing approaching comprehensive coverage, of any single race; and the Nakagawa interview is a highlight. For me, the film just does not have enough - not enough story, racing, enough character development, or passion, and it left me wanting more. There are some cycling documentaries which give in-depth stories of the racers being followed, and that is what I was looking for here, but did not quite receive. I will watch again, scenes of mud covered cyclocross racers are always good inspiration, and McGrath seemed to exhibit a certain level of the passion I have come to expect from the cyclocross scene; the rest was just a bit flat.


As for the featured refreshment - during my recent sojourn in the Northwest I visited the Redhook brewery for lunch and tour. The tour was pretty cool, for one buck, you get to sample five of the currently-being-brewed brews, and get a souvenir Redhook glass. Anyway, when be got back home the Redhook ESB (Extra Special Bitter) was on sale at the local grocery, so we picked up a case.