ncnca cx

Thursday, October 11, 2012

EL DORADO HILLS CX - MANZANITA PARK CX

Nor-Cal Cyclocross Is "All-In" This Weekend With Two Stellar

USA Cycling Sanctioned Events On Tap.

Saturday is the El Dorado Hills Cyclocross -

Presented by Folsom Bikes

Sunday is the legendary Manzanita Park Cyclocross near Prunedale-

Presented by CCCX

Saturday's El Dorado Hills 1st Annual Cyclocross event has the making for a instant classic! The course will take place using portions of the El Dorado Hills golf course! Grass will be one of the main features on the par 4 Cross course...

Folsom Bikes has put together a great day for Nor-Cal Cross racers, with a sweet BBQ in store with great food for a small fee. There will be a popular local DJ throwing down some music, and a raffle happening with some awesome goods from Giant Bicycles, as well as other race sponsors.

RACE FLYER HERE.

Sunday's CCCX race at Manzanita Park in Prunedale will be 2012's first look at the venue that will be hosting this seasons NCNCA District Cyclocross Championships. No telling how the weather will be for the

District Championship race late in the season?

This Sunday there is sunshine called for the forecast, and the recent rain is going to make the dirt just right for fun riding. The downpour over the past two days will make for grip in the dirt translating to speed in the turns.
It is going to be good!

CCCX INFO HERE.

Manzanita Park has one of the longest legacy's for Cross race venues in Nor-Cal. Manzanita Park has hosted three NCNCA/USA Cycling State Championship races over the past 12 years.

For the version being used this Sunday, there is a goal of using extra grass portions of the park, to take advantage of the grass riding that is on offer. The course will use most of the same sections as previous years,

but there will be a slightly different feel to the route on Sunday.

Surprises will be in store for all who race!

The first round of points have been tallied for the NCNCA CX BAR competition.

PLEASE VIEW CURRENT POINT TOTALS HERE.

The NCNCA Cyclocross Best All-round Rider(BAR) competition is a season long points series chase. Individual rider results from all NCNCA Cross races are compiled into points, which are totaled every few weeks, and a year long ranking system is established. At the end of the race season division champions will be crowned.

The NCNCA Road version of this BAR points series has a long history. Each year the very best riders of that particular season rise to the top of the scoring and their great overall results are registered in history.

Here is a results sheet of NCNCA ROAD BAR from 2011.

Here is a results sheet of NCNCA ROAD BAR from 2012.

The riders who make the top positions on these lists are the very best of class, most consistent, and most active during the race season.
To be ranked high there is no chance involved!
It takes dedication, desire, and determination,
to succeed in the NCNCA BAR Competitions!

To gain a high rank racers must place well often, compete often, and remain active and healthy during the race season.
In the end, the very best riders are rewarded for their racing by rank position and being logged down in the long history of NCNCA racing. Over the many years, the top finishers are legends of racing! The very best of class!

These riders truly deserve to be respected and applauded for their

constant high finishes and dedication to Cycle Sport.

For the 2012/13 Cyclocross season the NCNCA CX BAR is in effect!

Scoring will take place at every race. The very best Cross racers will rise to the top of the rankings, and just making a high position in the final total is super worthy of praise and admiration!

Who will make the top positions in class for 2012 Cross? Let the racing decide...

Ride on... and RACE CYCLOCROSS!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

It's Time To...

RACE CYCLOCROSS

Monday, October 8, 2012

WEEKEND RESULTS & PHOTOS - NEXT UP EL DORADO HILLS CX & MANZANITA PARK CX

Central Coast Cyclocross Series Race #4 Results Here.

Sacramento Cyclocross Series Race #2 Results Here.

WEEKEND RACE PHOTOS HERE.

"Get out of her way!"

Team Rambuski Law's Emily Thurston dominates the technical course at California State University at Monterey Bay on her way to winning the CCCX Series Race #4 Women's Elite division.

Junior sensation Tobin Ortenblad(California Giant Inc./Specialized) put it all together in the deep sand of Monterey Bay and earned his first Elite CCCX victory on Sunday. Ortenblad represented the USA at last years UCI World Championships in Belgium. His experience gained from racing against the top Junior riders from Europe payed off in fine fashion enabling him to best Scott Chapin(Bicycle Blue Book/HRS/Rock Lobster), Walter Brush(Mash SF), Mitchell Trux(Sterling Sports Group), and Don Myrah(Ibis/Buy-Cell.com)...

shown in podium pic below...

Winners from the Sacramento Series race at Condon Park in Grass Valey were-

Men A- Brandon Dillard

Women A- Marja-Liisa Magnuson

Masters 35+ Men A- Dan Garcia

Masters 45+ Men A- Dan Sovereign

Junior A- Alec Seivert

Men B- Stosh Bankston

Master 35+ Men B- Sean Lollar

Masters 45+ Men B- Rusk Whipps

Men 55+- Paul Falvey

Junior B- Jack Hargrove

Men C- Connor Ellison

Masters 35+ Men C- Justin Madison

Masters 45+ Men C- Erik Week

55+ Men C- Chris Burgeson

Masters 35+ Women A- Lauren Liden

Women B- Julie Barton

Women C- Michelle Fruit

Junior Women- Jocelyn Vides

Single Speed A- Ron Shevock

Single Speed B- Mark Henry

Winners from the very technical CCCX Series race at California State University at Monterey Bay were-

Elite Men- Tobin Ortenblad(Cal Giant/Specialized)

Elite Women- Emily Thurston(Team Rambuski Law)

Single Speed A- Cesar Chavez(Ibis/Buy-Cell.com)

Masters Men 35+ A- Brock Dickie(Ibis/Buy-Cell.com)

Masters Men 45+ A- Tim Lydon(SJBC)

Men 55+- Jeff Townsend(Plus3 Network)

Masters Women 35+- Janie Dalton(Mising Link)

Masters Women 45+- Soni Andreini-Poulsen(Velo Bella)

Men B- Matthew Garcia(Bicycle Blue Book/HRS/Rock Lobster)

Masters 35+ Men B- Kevin Mchugh(Los Gatos)

Masters 45+ Men B- Benoit Dunbuisson(B.B.B./HRS/Rock Lobster)

Single Speed B- Chris Neher(Off The Chain)

Women C- Cybil Silberman(Early Birds Womens Team)

Junior 10-14- Joshua Vahlberg(Brisbane)

Junior 15-18- Chance Tiner(SCJC)

Junior Women- Isabella Myrah(Ibis/Buy-Cell.com)

Mastes Men 35+ C- Greg Ostrin(Strava/NPS

Men C- Chris Neher(Off The Chain)

UCI World Masters Champion Don Myrah ripped through the super loose & steep drop in section at CSUMB. This section ended up completely blown out by the end of the day and made for some great photos as riders battled the

extra deep soft sand of the steep downhill trail...

Future star Owen Myall(Cal. Giant Inc.) displays confidence and skill in his Cross move over the boards. Myall propels himself forward by pushing off the top step of the plank thus increasing his speed before re-mount. Many European riders used this technique in the early 1980's...

Janie Dalton(Missing Link) and Colleen Wanty(Dolore Grotta) put on the best race of the day in the Womens 35+ division. These two extremely talented and spunky Cross racers went at it with attack after attack during the 42 minute CCCX race. First, Wanty would attack in the technical sand sections. Then, Dalton would hit out on the fire road sections and try and gap Wanty, who had already raced the B Men division. Wanty was facing major leg cramps, while Dalton was using a borrowed helmet that the promoter tracked down for her before the start, as she forgot her original lid at home. The borrowed helmet was a size too large and continued to block Dalton's view when she attacked. In the end it came down to a sprint for the finish line- pictured below...

You make the call???

One rider has her head up looking to the win, the other head down in major suffer mode...

The race of the day. Congratulations!

CSUMB- California State University at Monterey Bay is made for Cyclocross. Sandy conditions over the past two races at this venue delivered the best test of skill and strength Nor-cal Cyclocross has on the calendar. No other venue in Nor-Cal has this type of deep sand in such large quantities. Many sections start out hard packed in the morning, but by the afternoon sections were so blown out,

that only the strong and best bike handlers could make the riding

look smooth and effortless.

Rain would only make this course better!

Some of the most technical sections at CSUMB produced major chaos and carnage as riders came flying into pockets of sand and dust where only the perfect line could maintain speed. Some of the smartest riders would simply dismount and run, while other brave riders pedaled on... hoping to gain advantage on the exit side of the natural obstacle if navigation was completed perfectly and precise. These type of difficult sections will only make Nor-Cal Cross racers

more complete and skilled over time.

Mark Howland(Bicycle Blue Book/HRS/Rock Lobster), Norm Kreiss(Cal. Giant Inc.), and Eric Bustos(Cal. Giant Inc.) race three wide into a one lane section of course! This portion of the race route provided riders with many options of how to navigate. When riders would charge into this section full speed in a group chaos was the name of the game and only the strongest survived.

Skill and power come into play when bunny hopping over boards. Below two of the very best technical riders in America, Tobin Ortenblad & Keith DeFiebre(Cycles FANATIC) show how it is done. This is a move that should never be attempted first on race day! Practice makes perfect, and if you are not used to hitting major jumps or getting big air on your bicycle, then stick to dismounts over boards. Bunny hop moves like these shown below are developed over time, and can very much give advantage to those who perfect the move.

Tobin Ortenblad

Keith DeFiebre

Friday, October 5, 2012

CCCX - SACRAMENTO - WEEKEND RACING

Too soon to start looking at the WEATHER CHANNEL ...

Yet, the Winter weather will arrive one day!

The drought will end, and rain will be big news for Cyclocross racers.

For now, the weekend races for

CCCX Series & Sacramento Series will be fast & dry!

Sunday will have the Central Coast Cyclocross Series host their #4 race at California State University at Monterey Bay. The previous race course at this location was one of the all time classic routes for Nor-Cal Cross. Sand, and soft-deep dirt, claimed many portions of the route and racers were faced with true epic conditions of Cyclocross. This Sunday's CCCX race will feature a few loose sections of trail, where Cross skills and bike handling will rule. However the route will boast a larger amount of hard packed trails and speeds will be much higher through ought.

The course will contain a few surprises!

As in the first race at CSUMB, conditions can change as

the racing impacts the grounds.

Be prepared to be challenged, and be equally prepared to have fun!

CCCX SERIES INFO HERE.

The Sacramento Series race #2 takes place at Condon Park in Grass Valley. Condon Park is the farthest North venue for the Sacramento Series. The location is a very special place for biking, just as unique as the CSUMB course for the CCCX Series. It is a beautiful park and a very relaxed setting to host a Cross race. Nor-Cal is very fortunate to have great locations to compete at,

and race the sport of Cyclocross.

Condon Park has an outstanding trail network, and is one of the classic Nor-Cal routes where elevation gains come into play for the racers who take part. There are hills to traverse up, which means there are some great trails coming back down! The Condon Park location in Grass Valley is big time action packed for racers, with many interesting sections. Thank you to the Sacramento Series for keeping this location in the rotation of venues year after year!

SACRAMENTO SERIES INFO HERE.

One reason why Nor-Cal racers are so outstanding in the sport of Cyclocross is because there are so many great courses thrown together by the regional race organizers.

I highly recommend all riders take time to thank the promoters and their crews who do all the hard labor, use brain power creativity for course design, and stress management tactics in simply pulling the event off from start to finish.

All venues that hold Cross races take a tremendously high amount of effort and time to plan and process! Just getting permits and insurance in place for the land owners is a huge task and very time consuming. Then set-up and clean-up can be equally challenging when compared to pioneering a venue and negotiating land use for a Cross event. Each aspect of the process a promoter faces is a obstacle that needs to be cleared cleanly,

and all obstacles can be difficult to conquer.

Do take time to give a big "thank you" to the people who put on Cross events.

Their hard work enables you to play.

Hans Kelner delivers some fo the best Cyclocross POV videos in all of America. Kelner has a major following of grass roots video aficionados who can't wait until the weekend comes and Kelner can produce another super racing video. Please take time to view some of his excellent video work, and always remember to check back to Kelner's website for Cross videos as the season rolls on....

You can also scroll through his long history of productions and get an amazing view of Cyclocross in this region over many years.

Real races... as well as the legendary outlaw races!

Plus the website is cool!

HANS KELNER VIDEO'S HERE.

RACE CYCLOCROSS!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

START POSITION - FINISH POSITION - EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

A GREAT START OR A GREAT FINISH,

WHICH WOULD YOU PREFER.....

When faced with an option and choice of a great position in the starting grid, or a podium finish at the end of the race..?

Any dedicated Cross competitor would select the podium result at the end of the battle and warfare on course.

So this brings up the question of how to attain the later result when faced with the adversity of a not ideal start, or bad start grid position, when the gun sounds...

When asked about his poor start by a reporter following his resounding victory at a UCI World Cup Cyclocross
race, the greatest Cross racer of all time,
Sven Nys of Belgium, simply said...

"The start is least important for my success."

Nys went on to say..
"At the start all the racers are at 100% and giving their all. Yet I know deep inside my mind that the biggest gains during a race are made when riders are taxed, with their energy & power levels on empty." "I stay under control and do not blame a bad start on my result, in fact I use a bad start to remain calm and push my race forward as the clock runs late in the race."

Nys knows Cyclocross!

So many times I have watched Nys, or other greats, remain calm when faced with a huge deficit at the beginning of a race. Of course we all want the hole shot. Local racers who are fast starters like Keith DeFiebre, Justin Robinson, Cody Kaiser, Elle Anderson, Stella Carey, and Gina Hall are able to hit the first corners on the front as if it was a natural instinct to their riding style. A quick reaction to the whistle and a fast twitch move into the pedals can translate into the lead on lap one with ease. If your third or fourth row at the start, or miss a pedal at the gun, and are passed by 75% of the field...
This is when calmness is your alley and knowing within that the biggest gains play out during the final 20-30 minutes of the race.

You can not win the race on lap 1. If you blame a loss on a bad start or bad grid position, always remember there is more to the defeat then the problems that occur in the first 5-7 minutes of race time.

Watch a champion racer such as Henry Kramer or Norm Kreiss....

These experienced riders do their best to get a good start, however as the race progresses their concentration and energy grows and solidifies over time. They produce moves that matter in crunch time of races, not in the first few minutes of a 50-60 minute fight.

Of course a fine start can be any riders best friend and set the tone for what lays ahead during the event. If leaders are together and testing each other at speed their advantage can hold or grow simply from their strength in numbers, and at being the individuals
who are on the very front.

The chasers can make gains if the leaders ever hesitate, and take small moments of ease to size the situation up amongst the themselves- the front runners.

This is when a rider who is faced with bad start, bad position on grid, or bad luck at the gun, must make their largest effort to regain contact to leaders. It is key to keep hope alive and power firing fully through ought, because so often riders are able to make huge gains late in events to attain podium placing.

The start is key, but how a rider finishes is what truly opens the door to success.

Watch Sven Nys get a bad start in a group of the very best racers in the world...

Watch as he is back 15 to 20 riders after lap #1 and

7-8 minutes of race time.

Then watch as Nys moves up past 4 riders each lap for 3-4 laps and suddenly he is in the lead selection and with a chance of victory when just a few laps before he was so far back his race seemed hopeless.

Nys pulls this off in the fastest fields on the planet with the most technically skilled riders competing on the most technologically advanced equipment available to purchase.

If Nys can overcome a bad start at that level, then any rider in our regional NCNCA Cyclocross can learn from this. Living the dream of a high finish after a low start is what Cyclocross racing is all about. It is not how you start, but how you finish that turns a zero into a hero during race time on course.

Fight until the very end, and always remember that the biggest gains occur in the later portions of races. Not in the first few minutes when all riders are throwing out full power

and running fast on adrenalin!

Race Cyclocross!

Monday, October 1, 2012

BAY AREA SUPER PRESTIGE - CANDLESTICK #1

Andy Jacques-Maynes(Cal. Giant Inc./Specialized) keeps his 2012 regional race un-beaten streak alive with a standout victory in the Men's Elite division at

Bay Area Super Prestige opener.

It's a bird, it's a plane... No! It is AJM the current "Super Man" of Cyclocross in the NCNCA region.

FULL RESULTS HERE.

Ellen Sherrill(Bicycle Blue Book/HRS/Rock Lobster) rides to her second win in two weekends, backing up her Livermore Cross Festival 1st place ride, with another stellar victory at BASP Candlestick Park.

Below- Smooth as silk.... Ben Jacques-Maynes uses the right-side mount style in perfect application, and demonstrates a silky smooth racing style that Nor-Cal Cross fans appreciate with high regard.

Men's Elite division race saw one of Nor-Cal's finest Cross racers ever return to action, as Ben Jacques-Maynes(Ritte Racing) joins brother Andy on the podium. The fast Bro's put Nor-Cal's other top Cross dog Scott Chapin(Bicycle Blue Book/HRS/Rock Lobster) in a

Jacques-Maynes sandwich during the main event.

Gigantic fields ruled the day on a course that demanded complete concentration from start to finish.

One adverse slip or slide and next thing you know your covered in dust and a road hazard for the rest of the field.

Temperatures soared as one of the best weather weekends of the year greeted riders to BASP at Candlestick Park.

All aspects of Cross came into play as racers battled with eachother and the course near San Francisco.

Full groups in all divisions made for tight racing all the way down the line. It very much was an awesome display of

Cyclocross fever for Nor-Cal.

The 2012 season is in top gear and the racing action will only get better as the year progresses.

So many awesome events in Nor-Cal to take part in, with Surf City Series- CCCX Series- El Dorado Hills Classic- Sacramento Series- Santa Rosa Cup Series- Fresno Homegrown- Sagebrush Series.

The racing just keeps getting better!

World Masters Champion Karen Brems(Team Rambuski Law) shows fine form and serious strength on her way to another podium ride near Candlestick Park.

Contested in balmy weather where sunscreen was the called for protection from the elements, the Bay Area Super Prestige at Candlestick Park showed Cyclocross Racing truly is King in Northern California!

Kathleen Hannon flying...