CYCLOCROSS RACING

Karen Brems - 1st Elite Women

Congratulations Bay Area Super Prestige Division Winners At Sierra Point!

Elite Men- Aaron Bradford- Bay101/HRS/Rock Lobster

Elite Women- Karen Brems- Team Rambuski Law

Masters Man 35+ A- Alan Coats- California Giant Berry Farms

Masters Men 45+ A- Tim Lydon- SJBC

Masters Men 55+ Norm Kreiss- California Giant Berry Farms

Single Speed A- Kurt Wolfgang- Squadra Overfest

Masters Women 35+- Shari Kain- Kain Performance

Women's B- Leah Plack- Chica Sexy

Men B- Jonathon Krier- Third Pillar

Masters Men 45+ B- Matthew Gregory- FunSports Bike Team

Masters Men 35+ B- Justin Bucktrout

Single Speed B- Angus Nesbitt- Hup United

Men 35+ C- Ron Stade- Cyclo-Core.com

Junior 15-18- Jovanni Stefani- Sprocket Rocket

Junior 10-14- Robert Terra- DJ's

Junior Women- Cara Woods- Terria Linda

Women C- Sarah Powers

Men C- Kurt Martin- Team Roaring Mouse

Aaron Bradford- 1st Elite Men

Alan Coats- 1st Masters Men 35+ A

Sarah Bamberger- 2nd Elite Women

 Tim Lydon- 1st Masters Men 45+ A

Kathleen Hannon- 4th Elite Women

Kelly Chang- 11th Elite Women

Eric Wohlberg- 7th Elite Men

 Brue Syvertsen- 15th Elite Men

Anastasio Flores- 5th Elite Men



Photos Thanks To Rob Evans

ANOTHER AMAZING WEEKEND OF CROSS RACING

Huge Weekend Of Cross For NCNCA Region

Giant Bay Area Super Prestige Night Race In Brisbane

&

Fresno Homegrown Series Champions Crowned

First Nor-Cal series is completed as

the Fresno Homegrown Series wraps up their season on a

challenging & technical course that favored the daring and brave...

Congratulations to the Fresno Series Champions:

Elite Men- Jerimiah Root

Elite Women- Felicia Gomez

"A" Masters Men- Keith DeFiebre

"B" Men- Matt Hansen

"B" Masters Men- Guy Van Natta

Single Speed- Ryan Brooks

"C" Women- Erin Sasser

"C" Men- Steven Schiedel

"C" Masters Men- Sean Smith

Junior Men- Ryan Brooks

Bay Area Super Prestige Results Here.

Big fun and good times were the name of the game on Saturday Night in Brisbane.  The Bay Area Super Prestige Night Race is epic in proportions, and recent rain made the course super sweet.  Dark dirt and smooth lines in most sections greeted riders and laid foundations for a awesome day & night of racing!  Congratulations to Tom & Alec Simpson, and the officials on hand, for their hard work in putting on a very special event for Northern California Cyclocross racing!

It does look like a few of the Elite & Masters divisions are missing from the results, I am sure they will have this sorted out soon...

Congratulations to the top 5 Elite Women at the super popular Brisbane Night Race!

1.- Karen Brems- Team Rambuski Law

2.- Sarah Bamberger- Rat Ballz

3.- Ellen Sherill- Bike Station Aptos

4.- Kathleen Hannon- Freewheel/Hunter Cycles

5.- Gina Hall- California Giant/Specialized

Full Selection Of Sierra Point Night Race Photos Here.

Next up for NCNCA Cyclocross is Golden Gate Park hosting next weekend's racing events of the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships. 

This event is going to be off the hook....

Wild and crazy Cyclocross will be the name of the game for this Single Speed World Championship weekend of racing and fun.

Golden Gate Park is one of the finest venues for Cyclocross in Northern California.  It will be invaded by party animals primed to race their Cross bikes...

All regular divisions of geared racing will have events, such as Masters, Juniors, "B" & "C" Men & Women.  Then the main event Single Speed races will take center stage, so get ready to scream and cheer cause

un-official World Championship statues is on the line!

It is going to be amazing!  San Francisco will be the epicenter of Cyclocross next weekend, and Murphy Mack has guaranteed good times to be had by all...

Nor-Cal Cyclocross racing has always produced standout Junior level Cross racers.  A select few have went on to claim the Junior National Cyclocross Championship title, like Jim Gentes & Cody Kaiser.

Now, Tobin Ortenblad appears to be next in line for being labeled a Junior sensation from Nor-Cal. 

Tobin won the Men's Elite race at the CCCX Series last weekend, and backed that up with a stellar 2nd place at the Exergy USGP Of Cyclocross in Louisville Ky. in the Junior division this past Sunday! 

Ortenblad is also the reigning Nor-Cal High School MTB XC Champion.

Congratulations Tobin on your outstanding racing accomplishments, and hoping the best is still to come...

WEEKEND RACING

Bay Area Super Prestige At

 Sierra Point Saturday Night

&

Fresno's Homegrown Series Final At

Woodward Park Sunday

The Bay Area Super Prestige races have their awesome version of Saturday Night Fever Cyclocross going off this weekend.  This Saturday night Sierra Point will be at boiling point as the sun sets and Cross takes over the Yacht Harbor in a big way.  This event is pure party, and Tom & Alec Simpson play host to anyone and everyone who is down for a good time.  The courses seem to get better and better each year at Sierra Point.  The small amounts of rain that have ventured in and out of the Bay Area recently will only make the dirt content perfect texture for Cyclocross racing.

 It is "Game On" for Saturday Night Cross fever, so get out there and race!

The Fresno Homegrwon Series will crown their division champions this Sunday at Woodward Park.  The Homegrown Series is a huge success and a prime example of how Cyclocross brings the community together!

Local shops, local teams, and local cycling fans of all makes and models converge at Woodward Park to compete in Cyclocross.  The Fresno Series makes Cross fun!  The courses are challenging, and the competition very serious when the start whistle sounds.

Sunday the Homegrown Series caps off their strong season with a final race to determine series champion in all divisions.  It is going to be good!

RACE CYCLOCROSS!

CROSS SKILLS

Bike handling skills come into play during Cyclocross racing quite possibly more then any other type of Cycle Sport...

Being able to handle your Cyclocross bike in crunch time of races will at times create gaps among riders and lead to victory.

Success in Cyclocross comes down to constant practice and being super tuned into your bicycle.  The bicycle becomes an extension of the human. 

Technical skills become second nature and the ability to hit each

 maneuver during a race becomes simplistic.

 

Styles can be different, yet the goal of speed and smoothness only comes with constant racing and testing yourself in all manners of Cyclocross movements under pressure.

Fear must vanish from the equation and the desire to succeed must lead the way to achieving a higher skill level when the going gets tough.

Northern California boasts many Cyclocross racers who have tasted success at National Championship races.  These are the riders who develop Cross skills with constant practice and training sessions alone, or with friends and team mates.  If your not practicing your Cross skills, your putting yourself behind before the start gun has even fired.

Riders hitting on all of their skill moves in races can be beautiful to watch.  The front group riders  make very minimal mistakes and their technical skills shine when the races are decided in the final laps.

Strength combined with skill is the most

effective weapon for success in Cyclocross racing.

So many different moves are made during Cross races. 

It takes years to refine each maneuver.

 Yet when all the skills are developed properly, the end result is perfect racing by the individual and minimal mistakes during competition.

INFORMATION

Stafford Lake CX Results Can Be Found Here.

Congratulations to all division winners!

Elite victories went to Gina Hall & Jim Hewett

Surf City have completed their schedule for the remaining races of their series.

Surf City's final races will be held

December 18, 2011

January 8, 2012

January 29, 2012

This is awesome news from

David Gill, Team Santa Cruz, and Jeff Clark! 

The 2011 Nor-Cal Cross season is now legit with races completely filling up January, which is the Championship month for Cyclocross.  January Cross racing is where boy racers become Hard Men and the

"Peak Season" of true Cyclocross action takes place.

Big thanks to the CCCX Series and the Surf City Series for hosting events in January, which is the best month of all for Cross racing.

Universal Sports is showing the UCI World Cup Cyclocross races currently.  The time slot is 1:00 a.m. which is not prime time, but at least Cyclocross is finally getting some play on American television.  Tonight is the Men's race from the Czech Republic.  If your not a night owl, set your recorder to capture some amazing racing action, and watch Sven Nys steal the victory from Czech star and current World Champion Zdenek Stybar. 

One note, the coverage has no announcing at all, which is sad.  They should have had the famous Belgium announcers who would have surely screamed...

Ooohh La La La La.... as Nys attacked to victory on the final portions of the last lap of the main event.

Check out how hard core the Men's race is.  The speed is ripping fast and there is never a drop in tempo for the front riders.

Please view this page for a complete collection of photos

and videos from the 2011 NCNCA Cyclocross season.

WEEKEND RESULTS

Rain And Chill In The Air Bring On Epic Cross Conditions To NCNCA Racers To Kick Start November Racing...

CCCX at Manzanita Park Results & Photos Here.

Sacramento Series Results Here.

Sacramento Series Photos Here.

Still Looking For Stafford Lake CX Results...

Stafford Lake CX Photos Here.

Rain late Saturday turned Cross courses at Stafford Lake, Folsom, and Prunedale into grade "A" rating for pure fun on the Cyclocross bicycle...

Stafford Lake had some crazy cool sections, where man made obstacles provided very interesting photo opportunities for the photographers, and fun challenges for the racers...

Exactly one month until the NCNCA District/

USA Cycling State Championships

 which will be held December 4, at Toro Park near Salinas. 

Sacramento's double days of racing over the

weekend produced tremendous action for

the racers of the State Capitol.

Elite Winners were:

Keith Hillier & Sarah Maile

On Both Saturday & Sunday!

Prunedale's Manzanita Park course turned into a dream like race route where traction was top notch and mud & slick sections just teased riders handling skills.

It was full throttle or be left behind...

Category "A" winners at CCCX-Manzanita Park were:

Tobin Ortenblad(Cal. Giant Inc.)

Karen Brems(Team Rambuski Law)

James Coats(Cal. Giant Inc.)

Henry Kramer(Cal Giant Inc.)

Jeff Townsend(Plus3 Network)

Janel Lodge(Bay101/HRS/Rock Lobster)

Cheryl Shwe(RED Racing)

Matt Gordon(Team Skinsuit)

Go to Cyclocross Magazine here for race report from CCCX at Manzanita Park by Tim Westmore.

Stafford Lake race report from Jim Hewett here.

Sacramento Series races at Lembi Park & Rodeo Park showed Folsom's cycling best over the weekend.  Lembi Park is quite the treat to race on, and Rodeo Park was even better with some rain mixed in for good measure.

RACING

Cyclocross Season Hits Thick Portion Of The NCNCA Schedule With Big Weekends Of Competitions Lined Up For Rest Of Year!

Excellent CCCX Series & Sacramento Series on tap over weekend, plus the new super cool Stafford Lake CX race in Novato. 

The Sac. Town Cross Series & The CCCX Cross Series

are always great times for NCNCA racers. 

New to the NCNCA schedule for 2011 is the Stafford Lake CX race delivered by Murphy Mack and his strong support crew. 

The Stafford Lake CX race will be amazing fun for all.  Murphy Mack will have many kinds of action packed thrills lined up during day to keep everyone equipped with a big smile on their face during the races.

The Nor-Cal Cyclocross racing will be solid this weekend with great events lined up in Novato, Sacramento, and Monterey County. 

Now is the time for you to Race Cyclocross!

Stafford Lake CX will be raging!  This race will be a classic, and some of the funds from the event go to the new Bike Park at Stafford Lake. 

Plus a Beer Garden & other Cyclocross related benefits will be in effect. 

The course is mostly flat with multiple man made obstacles to test skill and creativity.  Sand pits will also be in play, so bring your sand wedge

and most of all, keep it fun!

The Sacramento Series has a double race weekend in store for their riders with races on Saturday & Sunday.  The race on Saturday is at Lembi park in Folsom, which is a very good place to race Cyclocross.  The Lembi Park course is quite the treat to race on and one of the best courses of the season for Sacramento Cyclocross.  Sunday's event will take place at the Rodeo Park, which is also in Folsom.

The Central Coast Cyclocross race will take place Sunday at Manzanita Park in Prunedale.  This is the last race of the season for Manzanita Park, and the course is most likely going to be a mixed version of previous races in Prunedale.  Manzanita Park is in great shape for Cross and if there is some rain leading up to the race the dirt should be in prefect condition for speed and grip.

Please remember that at the end of the month is another classic race in the making, the first race of the Santa Rosa Cup.  November 26th is the date, and the city of Santa Rosa has allowed for development of a Cyclocross theme area on a undeveloped section of land at A Place To Play Park.  This is great news for Santa Rosa and should make for a great venue to ride, race and train on your Cyclocross bicycle.

PHOTO SPECIAL - TED KETAI

The Sheila Moon Cyclocross Team is a major component to what makes Northern California Cross so awesome.  Style is one important key to being fast, and the Shelia Moon riders all have a unique & special style to their speed.

One Sheila Moon team member from San Francisco who produces some very outstanding Cyclocross photographs is Ted Ketai.

In this weeks edition of the NCNCA CYCLOCROSS PHOTO PAGE, Ted Ketai is clearly on his best form behind the camera.  Please have a view at some of the great race photos I selected from Ted Ketai - Surf City Halloween Event...

VIDEO FEATURE

Today is one of those magical days for Cyclocross racing in Europe with one of the Queen events of the season taking place, the Koppenbergcross near Oudenaarde, Belgium.

Thousands and thousands of Cyclocross race fans make a pilgrimage to the Koppenbergcross to witness one of the greatest tests of the year.  The Koppenbergcross has some of the biggest crowds ever for a Cross race, and thus the pressure builds for the racers as wild fans demand the very best from the athletes.

The Koppenbergcross has it all, and then some, when it comes to a challenging circuit and prestige for the winner. 

Simply put, the Koppenbergcross is one of the top 5 Cross races of the season, and it all goes down today in Belgium!

Sven Nys is the modern day King of Koppenbergcross.  He is the winner many times over, and leaves no scraps or leftovers for others.  Nys owns the Koppenbergcross, and it will be very interesting to see if he can produce another dramatic victory today, to add to his already record total of Koppenbergcross wins....

Below are Nys's last 3 victory rides at Koppenbergcross. 

Amazing action that is my chosen "Video Feature". 

Bike racing is pure drama with a unwritten script!  You never know what could happen after the start lights are lit.  I am sure today's race in Belgium will be off the charts crazy for dramatic action, and the winner will be utterly deserving. 

I would also be very surprised if the winner is named someone besides Nys, Albert, Stybar, or Pauwels.

But who am I to make predictions....

2010 Edition Below - One of the most brutal editions of the Koppenbergcross  ever.  All you have to do is watch the riders take part in the death march that the Cross race turned into, and look at the time gaps between riders, and you know the day was purely epic.

Check out how big the crowds are!  It is the "Super Bowl" of Cyclocross for the Belgium fans...

2009 Edition Below- One of my favorite races to watch in it's entirety.  So much drama between Nys, Stybar, and Albert.  With the other leading actors playing their supporting roles as well.  Albert gets pinched at the start into the snow fencing and goes to the very back of the group, but makes his way to the front after only 1 & 1/2 laps chase.  Then Nys, Albert & Stybar mark each other and play games between themselves which allows Mourey, Vantornout, Aernouts, and Pauwels to all re-group and make for a thrilling final lap.  In the end Nys throws down an incredible move at the top of the last climb to distance the rest and solo home by a few scant seconds.... Brilliant!

2008 Edition Below- Another brutal edition of the Koppenbergcross due to horrible weather conditions.  Truly amazing stuff to watch Nys rip through the mud, running and riding, to drop Lars Boom and win.  Nys can be the very best when conditions are seemingly the very worst...