Santa Cross 2011...

A little taste of Santa Cross on Saturday. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all you crossers. Time to take a break before Crossing into 2012.

there were plenty of santa hats in view throughout the day including this one in the days second wave, master men 'b' 35+ CX3/4, 45+ CX3/4, and 55+ CX1-4. slideshow here.

using a little body english to get through the deep sand

the victor of the master's men 'b' 35+ race

to find out what her smile is all about, check the slide show for the elite women

(hint: sometimes things can be more fun when they go wrong, than when they go according to plan)

the day's elite women's victor, Christina Probert-Turner, smiles at the heckling by the Cadence boys

the day's Junior 15-18 victor, and series leader, Tyler Schwartz of Surf City Cyclery.
more juniors and kids race photos, including podium shots, here.

the third wave takes off in an almost perfect 'v' formation. other photos from wave 3, men 'c' cx4, master's women 35+ and 45+, and the women 'c' cx4 are here.

finally, a podium shot to end things.
notice especially that someone couldn't wait to get at that podium brew.
a few photos from the singlespeed race are here, and some misc. photos here

See You at Santa Cross...

Southern California cyclocross season is drawing to its inevitable end, with a handful of weekends left on the racing calendar. If you have ever wanted to check into what all the cx hype is about, next weekend (December 17 and 18) would be a good time to do so. Santa Cross will be two days of racing and other assorted fun at the Greek Theater and Griffith Park. That is two days of bike action, two days of costumes, there will be live music, food, vendor expo (think Christmas presents for all the cyclists on your list). Fun rides, canine races, kids races, a Sunday toy ride are also scheduled, and since it is Griffith Park, you can bring your bike for a loop through the park (in between taking photos, that is my plan for Saturday). Bring your favorite Santa or elf hat, your holiday spirit, and have some fun. Racing starts at 9:00 both days; for more info check the So Cal Cross website, here.

The International Element...

Years ago, say the early to mid-1990s, while racing at the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, the announcer made mention that there was a rider entered in the race who had come all the way from Switzerland. Suddenly the race took on a whole new meaning; it wasn't just a battle between the usual locals anymore. Even twenty years ago it was relatively rare to see racers from Europe here in the States, except for the larger events - the big one day races on the east coast, or stages races like the Coors Classic, Tour du Pont / Tour du Trump. In the years since then, foreign faces have become more familiar, even on domestic squads who only race the circuit across the lower continental 48.


This past weekend, at the Velocity Cross, the Mens A race was graced (I don't know if that is the right word, but nothing else is coming to mind right now) by Greig Walker of Velo Club Moulin, direct from Scotland. Now cyclocross is, or course, a big deal across the pond, but to find a European at a local West Coast race is still undeniably rare, and it was kind of exciting to have that foreign flare this close to home.

In 1990 I made my first trip to Ireland, and figured it might be a one-time chance to race over there. I had planned ahead, at least enough to have taken out an international racing license for that one year. Unfortunately, I left the matter of bike transport until the last minute, but did manage to secure one of those big plastic cases from a local bike shop and packed everything up. Then I started thinking: What happens if my rental car is really small (which it was)? What will I do with the case? Can I store it at the airport? What about the various transfers I have to make? Blah, blah, blah, and I ended up talking myself out of bringing the bike. Too bad, it means I will likely not have the opportunity to race in Europe. Anyway, back to the Scotsman; this reporter was not so intrepid, and failed to track Mr. Walker down after the race to ask the important questions. Did he plan on this race? Did he bring his bike, and finding the race was simply coincidence? Whatever the case, he made the effort and that is what is important. And that international aspect just added a little extra flair to the race.

For a second year in a row now, Dorothy Wong and SoCalCross have brought / are bringing UCI rated races, with international ranking points on the line. The first UCI race this year was at Spooky Cross in Irvine; the second will be in Griffith Park in early December. Last year's race brought some big name American riders to the venue; who knows maybe this year they will be joined by an international element too.

Spooky Cross Saturday Review...

You may have already seen the previous post about the costumed racers at Spooky Cross, but that was just the beginning of the days (and evenings) festivities. Saturday evenings races also served as the final competition in the Cross After Dark series, and both of the final waves carried UCI ranking points. The organizers did their usual bang-up job at laying out a super challenging course; though I don't recall any mud, it had pretty much everything else - fast straights, tight turns, off-camber corners, barriers, steps, sand, gravel, steep up and down slopes, even a massive over-and-under construction. It could be very tricky. Besides all that, there was live music, pumpkin carving, savory Korean bbq burritos, a big expo area. Just a full day.

There were three groups racing in the first Wave of the day, Jr. Men 15-18, Jr. Men and Women 10-14, and Youths U10. There are some strong riders up and coming, and the depth of the fields suggests a strong future for cyclocross in the U.S. I saw some crashes at some of the tricky sections of the course in the younger category, but every rider picked themselves up and carried on. You can see some of those crashes, as well as other photos here.

the eyes don't lie, she is focused

hold on, you mean i have to go up there now?

when you are first across the line, like junior Tyler Coplea

you can give a victory salute

The second wave on the day was the Men C, CX4 beginner race. I see some people moving up a category pretty soon. A couple photos are below, more in a slideshow, here.

eventual men's 'c' victor, Roman Cantelorist, charges the steps

top of the fly-over headed down, whooooo

Wave three, the Master's Men 'B', consisted of three groups, 35+, 45+CX3/4, and 55+. Some big fields with tough competition. A couple shots below, and click here for the slideshow.

like twists and turns? this course had plenty, including this

one with a nasty, off-camber slope

eventual master men's 'b' 35+ victor, James Sabelis, clears the barriers

The 4th Wave had a whole lot of riders circling the course, and consisted of the non-UCI Men A 1-4, the Men 35+ A 1-4, 45+ A, and the Men B 3/4 groups. Could you imagine keeping track of all that without a computer? Anyway, fast and furious, describes the action. Three photos below, and slideshow here.

eventual non-uci men's 'a' victor, Oliver Hutchinson, in the sand

while Johnny O'Mara churned through the sand on this pass,

everyone else ran. O'Mara went on to win the Master Men 45+ race

my only podium shot from the day - non-UCI Men 'A'
1.Oliver Hutchinson, 2. Alex Darville, 3. Josh Cady

The non-UCI Women A CX1-4, B CX3/4, C CX4, and the Women 35+ and 45+ groups comprised Wave 5. It was beginning to darken by this time, shadows were lengthening, but that certainly was not stopping the racers from charging the course full on. A couple pics below to get you in the mood, and a slideshow of more, here. Wow, I almost forgot, actually did forget, but then remembered after the fact, in that Women's A race Katrina Baumsteiger built up a sizable lead for herself. All of a sudden the announcers start getting all excited and yelling, so everyone looks down the finishing straight, and here comes Katrina running and carrying her bike. She had an impossibly far distance to go in order to make it back to the pits, but managed to finish 4th anyway. Never did find out what the problem was. It was quite a race.

dollar hand out

Wave Six was all about the single-speed, that group I keep wavering about running with. You can check the two photos below, and jump here, for a slideshow.

Dorothy Wong, rocking on the s.s.

they emerged out of the darkness, riding single-speed 

bicycles, and hell followed in their wake

The UCI races ended the festivities, with the Women taking the course first. Some familiar names challenged for the points including Teal Stetson-Lee, Sue Butler, Allison Mann, and from all the way across the Atlantic, French National Champion, Caroline Mani. Check the pics below, and jump to the slideshow here. Mani finished 1st, followed by Butler and Stetson-Lee.

running through the sand with bike on shoulder,

or by your side

they emerged out of the darkness, and at the end of the night

they returned to the darkness

Yes, there was a Wave 8, UCI Men, but it ran without my presence, so I have no photos of the racing. There are a literal handful of warm-up photos here, if you want to see those.

It is Spooky Cross After All...

and costumes are to be expected. If you want more than these few, jump here for a slideshow of more.

i understand that the racer masquerading as The Count, was actually Joe Lawwill, 2002 Master's World Downhill Champion, which explains why he could do a wheelie down the big ramp.

cutest skunk i have ever seen

tutu's, yes

suits, sure

Octoberfest gals

skeletons in the sand

Grover crosses the line

way cool, but could they go uphill?

school girl guy

E.K. resurrected

Krusty rides a unicycle

alright, not technically a costume - but, those glasses.

the French national champion can wear whatever glasses she wants

Just a little fun to start the review of Spooky Cross. There will be much more to come - Sunday, Monday, or so, depending on whether or not I head back out for a second day of racing. You can't deny, cyclocrossers have a certain style. Come on out and join the fun.

It's Spooky Cross Time...

Happening this weekend, one of the most anticipated cyclocross races of the year in Southern California.

See you out there.

Cross at the Cornfield, Los Angeles...

Well, I had to make it out to the first cyclocross race of the season, didn't I? Los Angeles State Historic Park, a little patch tucked into a corner of downtown Los Angeles was the site of some fast, [cough] dusty action [cough] to kick off the beginning of the SoCal Prestige Series of Cyclocross for 2011.

Los Angeles State Historic Park, on the doorstep of Chinatown and the city center

racers weave around the course's tricky layout, with the North Broadway Bridge,

one of the city's landmark bridges, in the background

The Men 'A' race takes off in a cloud of dust, with eventual

victor Sid Taberlay (Kenda/H2o Overdrive) riding point

Los Angeles State Historic Park occupies the site of an old rail yard. Other than a few low hillocks it is pretty darn flat, but if you throw in the usual CX obstacles you end up with a challenging course - barriers, steps, tight turns, and long straight, fast sections. And dust. Those long straight sections meant that riders were picking up some serious speed, and they frequently carried a little too much of it into the tight turns, swinging too wide and through the tape course fencing. If you were already out of breath from chasing, the dust just made it that much more difficult to breath.

It was a neat little compact site. Hopefully you took a little extra time to check out the historic stuff and interpretive signage. The Zanja Madre for instance, the remnant cornfield at the far north end, or the trenches of the archaeological dig revealing the remains of brick walls or foundation of the early depot/hotel, predating the later (and current) Union Station.

Unfortunately I missed a lot of the early morning action, arriving for the Master's races, but if looks are indicative, it is going to be a fun and challenging season of cyclocross here in Southern California.

Slideshow for the Men Master's and 3/4, and singlespeed waves are here.

Slideshow for the Women's wave is here. (sorry if you tried this one earlier - for some reason it  

didn't seem to be working correctly, so I relinked it)

Slideshow of the Elite Men's wave is here.