Monday, August 25, 2014

FIRST NOR-CAL RACES GO SEPTEMBER 6 & 7 - WSCXGP & CCCX

The 2014 Cyclocross racing season is set for blast off on September 6 & 7 with two 
extra cool races for the Nor-Cal Cyclocross athletes.  

Saturday the action goes live with the extra rad West Sacramento Cyclocross Grand Prix (WSCXGP).  This event is going to rock hard!  So much goodness in store at this first edition Cross race located in West Sacramento.  Please have a look at their Facebook page HERE for all information and updates.  Or check the WSCXGP race website HERE.  
This event is sure to deliver a great kick-start to the 2014 season!  

Then Sunday near Monterey, the CCCX Series fires off the start line with racing for all on a course in Ft. Ord where sand and single-track trails equal fun & fast for Nor-Cal CX!  
The CCCX Series delivers Cross goods for it's 17th season in 2014.  
Over the years the very best Women, Men & Junior racers of Nor-Cal have made CCCX 
their go to series for top notch competition.  

Prepare yourself for fast racing, but always remember to keep it fun!

Complete 2014 NCNCA Cyclocross calendars are HERE & HERE.





Friday, August 15, 2014

CALIFORNIA GIANT BERRY FARMS/SPECIALIZED REGIONAL CROSS TEAM

Nor-Cal is very fortunate to have one of the best teams in all of America competing week and and week out on our regional circuit.  The California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized team is to Nor-Cal Cyclocross what the equivalent of the New York Yankees is to Major League Baseball.  Over the years Anthony Gallino's Cal. Giant team has always featured the heavy hitters in Cross from our area.  Racers who dominate our local events, have the biggest results over the years and go on to grace the podium steps at Nationals or UCI Masters & Elite races.  Last year the California Giant team boasted the Men & Women MVP's of Cross from Nor-Cal in Elle Anderson & Henry Kramer.  Elle Anderson was the #1 ranked domestic female in the country!  The speedy Anderson won some of the biggest races in America and also snatched podium places in Europe.  
While Mr. Kramer won the USA Masters National Championship and the UCI Masters World Championship.  Kramer also nearly went undefeated during the entire season in 
Nor-Cal racing in an age group younger then his registered age.
The team for 2014 looks as strong as ever with a core group of racers who will take to course searching for victory at each event they participate at, 
and a team boasting 4 past National Champions.  

 2014 current lineup- 
Henry Kramer- Current World and National Champion, Alan Coats- Past National Champion, Todd Hoefer- Past National Champion, Justin Robinson- Past National Champion, Gannon Myall-Team Director, Rob “Buckwheat” Meighan, Ana Flores, Eric Bustos, John Mundelius, Brian Finnerty, Norm Kreiss.

Henry Kramer owned last season's regional racing and went on to 
National Champion & World Champion victories...

Kramer nearly went undefeated in Nor-Cal races this past season...

The King of Nor-Cal Cross!  Justin Robinson has been one of the all-time greats over the years.  When the going gets tough- Justin Robinson gets going....


Brian Finnerty was the revelation of Nor-Cal Cross this past season.  A Masters aged racer who was throwing down race times that rivaled the very fastest Elite Men's times.  I look for Finnerty to challenge himself in 2014 and go big in the Elite Men's regional races....

Alan Coats, a past National Champion, who will be rebounding from a season off due to injury.  Surely the hard charging Coats will find form and create havoc for the top racers in the region as he is one of the smoothest and most technically savvy racers in all Nor-Cal...

Gannon Myall has unlimited ability and when on his "A" game he can go to another level that few can equal. Myall is the teams director as well as one of the top dogs of this high caliber squad....

The silent assassin- Todd Hoefer is a past National Champion who has been one of the greatest racers ever from Nor-Cal over the years.  A class act racer who has risen to the very top step of the podium in some of the biggest races in America.  
Hoefer let's his results & riding speak for itself,
and is one of 4 National Champions on the Cal. Giant Berry Farms Team...

Norm Kreiss has proven to be one of the most outstanding racers in America for his age group over the past years.  Kreiss would be the reigning National Champion as we start this season if it was not for the freak of nature Kramer who just barely edged Kreiss during a thrilling sprint for the line in the frigid battle for USA's best last year at Nationals....

Photo below- It came down to 2 racers from Nor-Cal at the USA National Championships this past year for the win.  Two riders from the same team and as you can tell from the photos no deals were made on the road as to who would claim Gold.  It was a epic tussle of legendary proportions and in the end both racers- Kreiss & Kramer proved to be legends of the sport....

Robert Meighan is another Nor-Cal Cross legend who has been at his sport for as long as some can remember.  Meighan has tasted big success this year on the National Endurance circuit.  Reflection of this in his Cross races is gauranteed and Meighan will no doubt come into the racing with speed, strength and solid base to get things done correct...

Alan Coats shows why he can win big and win often when he is on form.  Nor-Cal Cyclocross prepares racers for all you will face at Nationals or World Championship events.  Our regions courses favor the brave and if you can not handle your bike in the key moments on course you will always be in chase mode after those who do demonstrate skills and technical ability....

Hoefer shows perfect form in the sand that riders can face in many of the Nor-Cal races.  Running and the Cross move of dismounting and jumping back on the bike are key components of Cyclocross.  If you race & lag in any form of this technique the Cal. Giant riders will make your day at the races a nightmare.  If you want to see picture perfect style and form in Cross check out the Cal. Giant crew in action, their technique is picture perfect....

Eric Bustos shown here leading the field at the start in one of the regional races of Nor-Cal.  Bustos is a stellar competitor who is smooth as silk in all aspects of Cross racing.....

Justin Robinson has shown this victory pose often over the years in Nor-Cal racing.  Robinson is a rider who earned his pedigree racing at Surf City races as a young buck.  He has then gone on to win USA National honors and been a mainstay on the podium at Nationals over the years.  Robinson is a racer who excels in the hardest conditions and the biggest races.  Robinson is also the most winning racer at the CCCX Series over the past 17 years earning over 50 victories against some of the finest racers of the region...

Ana Flores is another one of the big time talents of the California Giant Berry Farms team.   Flores has produced big rides in key events regionally and you can never count out this talented racer in any circumstance.  Flores is a fast starter who's speed from the gun can lead to a long wake of racers lined out with nothing to do but chase and chase.  Flores is also one of the best Cyclocross bike handlers of our region...

John Mundelius is pure power and flow when in action on the Cross bike.  Mundelius is a Nor-Cal Cyclocross District Champion who has topped the very best Masters racers from our region on multiple occasions.  One of the reasons the Cal. Giant Berry Farms teams is so successful, is they have numerous horses in the fight who can take to the track and throw down fast laps over and over.  These riders push the pace and push each other to the point of exhaustion.  
Which in turn leads to success for the unit as a whole.  Nor-Cal Cross riders are forced to bring the power to the races or Cal. Giant riders like Mundelius will be gone off the front....

"You want a piece of me?"  You can see in the riders eyes that if you want to be up with best you had better be ready for war.  Hard conditions seem to favor Cal. Giant racers such as Norm Kreiss- shown below.  Mud, rain, wind and sleet.... this is fun for the Cal. Giant team and these riders will never skip a race because it is raining or cold outside.  They come to play no matter what the conditions are and they play extra hard always....

Bike racing in rain and mud means Cyclocross.  Here you can see Eric Bustos smiling and laughing his way to another fine result in extremely harsh conditions.  The Cal. Giant Berry Farms team competes on some of the finest equipment available.  For 2014 they will be seen racing on S-Works Crux Cross bikes equipped with SRAM and Zipp Wheels.

Henry Kramer is a legend in Europe.  Kramer is shown below competing in one of his tune-up races in Belgium before Worlds.  Kramer is a rider who brings fear to Euro racers when he makes his pilgrimage to compete overseas.  They awe at his strength and speed for his age.  Rumor has it when Kramer shows up to compete in Europe he spends much of the time before and after events signing autographs for the local Women & Junior race fans.  This in turn infuriates his competitors as they have to witness all swooning over the American star... 

Deep sand only leads the way for the California Giant Berry Farm team to attack.  They can ride or run the sand pits at high speed, even the deep sand shown here in Ft. Ord.  Ana Flores demonstrates perfect form for riding the beach like conditions.  2014 looks set to be another year of Cal. Giant success... Who can rise to the challenge and disrupt this domination?  
Let the racing begin!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

CYCLOCROSS NOW

The Cyclocross Season is just a few scant weeks away from starting.  Racers need to be getting their bikes, their fitness and overall game plan for the season together now.  
Certainly others are dreaming of Cross and taking part in Road events or MTB races to prep their fitness for Cross season's start the first week of September.
Calendar here.


This weekend is Clinic central in Nor-Cal with 2 very cool teaching, coaching and discussion sessions for the dedicated deeply addicted Cross racers.  These sessions are for beginning racers & advanced racers and all in between... 
With guest instructors who will keep it fun and focus on speed and proper technique for Cross.  
A true Win Win for all!


Niels was a 2 time Cyclocross World Champion.
Winning those titles on the epic courses of Hoogerheide & Koksijde.
 He was truly one of the greats of the sport and when he was on his "A" game there were only a handful of racers alive who could keep him in check.  He will be sorely missed.


So stoked for Sven Nys to be back headlining Cross Vegas.  Rumor has it Nys will be in Central California & Carmel/Pebble Beach the week before Cross Vegas on vacation & to take part in the CCCX Series race to prepare his legs for Cross Vegas.
This year at Cross Vegas the race will be extra fast as Lars Van der Haar will join Nys on the start line to challenge America's best racers.  Van der Haar is a past champion of Cross Vegas and that boy is gauranteed to make a run at win #2 and to take the Vegas crown away from Nys.


Karen Brems is a true legend of the Northern California for Road Racing and Cyclocross Racing!
Brems is such a class act on and off the bike... a rider who has dominated local racing as well as racing to the top of the world in UCI Masters competition earning World Champion status.  She let's her racing do her taking and in that case there is huge shouts of success!  Tim Westmore at Fit & Filthy did manage to get Brems to speak and share some of her plans for the future as well as her history of bike riding that developed herself into one of the all-time greats from 
Nor-Cal and the USA for that manner...


Speaking of Fit & Filthy....
Hat's off to Tim Westmore for his vision of Cross coverage in Nor-Cal and beyond.
I do highly recommend keeping a close eye on this page to keep in the game and on the news topics that are relevant to all that is Cyclocross in Northern California.


It will be dry and fast for the first part of Cross Season.  This is a fact!
However rain is sure to come as the racing progresses on the calendar.  Nor-Cal is legendary for some rain races of the past.  There have been some incredible events over the years where rain, mud and gnarly conditions are the main theme for particular events.  Those rainy races, where conditions are brutal and the strong and most technically advanced riders rise to the top steps of the podium are always the most memorable.  Let us all hope for some hard conditions this year, conditions that make Nor-Cal the best for real Cyclocross racing.


Cross skills and bike handling are the bread and butter of the best winter racers.  
The dismount move, the mount move, shouldering & carrying your bike, running over obstacles and up hills and stairs, tight turns at speed 
and accelerations under stress of the race are all key aspects of the game.  
Practice makes perfect.
Get after it or be left behind.