RESULTS

Nor-Cal's peak season of Cross racing was in full swing this past weekend with Surf City Series & Sacramento Series both firing off outstanding events.

Surf City Results Here

Sacramento Results Here

Sacramento's Men's Elite division had Josh Snead(Bay 101/HRS/Rock Lobster)....

 .... using his superior "bunny hopp" skills to separate himself from the rest of the Elite field.  Snead was on a fantastic day feeling excellent sensations at Laguna Del Sol.  In the end the hard charging Snead produced a very strong solo victory on the day.

Cody Kaiser(Specialized/Cal Giant Inc.) was the 2nd place Elite Men's finisher at Laguna Del Sol.  Congratulations to Cody Kaiser for being selected to the USA Cycling World Championship team in the U23 division!

Cal Giant Inc.'s Jeremy Ferguson was the 3rd place Elite Men's finisher.

Katrina Nash will also be racing at the World Championship Cyclocross race.  Nash has put together a tremendous season of Cross racing at the UCI level, and will be one of the favored riders at World's with a very strong chance at a championship medal!

Nash won the Sacramento Elite Women's race by four and half minutes at Laguna Del Sol.

 Missing Link's Emily Thurston delivered another strong ride near Sac. Town, showing again that she is one of Nor-Cal's top Elite Women Cross racers.  Thurston was the 2nd place Elite Women on Saturday.

Ventana's Sarah Maile was back in the saddle again, coming back in fine form after a thumb injury derailed her Cross season.  Maile was 3rd fastest female at Laguna Del Sol.

Jeff Namba's Sac. Town Series Photos Here.

Surf City report and photos tomorrow!

CCCX Final & Bakersfield's USA Cycling North/South Challenge next Saturday and Sunday. 

PEAK SEASON KICKS IN FOR NCNCA CYCLOCROSS

NCNCA Cyclocross Gears Up For Thrilling Season Ending Rush With Three Weekends Of Racing On Tap During Peak Cross Racing Conditions.

Nor-Cal racing is back in action this coming weekend with the ever popular Surf City Series & Sacramento Series events.

Sacramento's race will take place in the city of Wilton at Laguna Del Sol.

The Surf City race will happen at the excellent venue for Cross- Harbor High School in Santa Cruz.

Both events are sure to deliver good times on the Cross bike!

The following weekend has the Central Coast Series final on Saturday, Jan. 15.  The CCCX Series ending event precedes the inaugural USA Cycling North vs. South State Championship Cross race in Bakersfield at Hart Park on Sunday Jan. 16.

The Nor.-Cal vs. So. Cal challenge has been in the works over the past few years, with Dorthy Wong, Sam Ames, and myself all trying to make the excellent idea a reality.  In the end it was Bakersfield's Sam Ames who in coordination with the North & South racing groups was able to make good on the idea and bring the event to reality.
Huge props to Sam Ames and his core group of volunteers and race staff to bring this North-South challenge into fruition!

Please view this race flyer and all the awesome activities that will go down at Hart Park in Bakersfield.

The North vs. South Cyclocross Championship is a tremendous opportunity to show Northern California's incredible dedication to Cross racing.  I very much hope Nor-Cal attendance is strong, because the region that scores the highest total of overall points will earn a stellar 6' foot tall trophy, bragging rights, and the championship title of California's best region for Cyclocross.  The trophy will then be presented to the winning regions best attended team/club that has the most riders racing under one club/team name. 

Each racer counts in all divisions, so a strong show of racers from Nor.-Cal is needed!
It would be a shame if So.-Cal would steal away overall honors because Nor.-Cal lagged in attendance for this championship event.  So, I highly recommend making a trip to Bakersfield, maybe after Saturday's CCCX Final, for this epic day of Cross racing.

Points for the overall championship will be broken down from every group during the day, so all categories are equally important and Nor-Cal representation is a must!

I have personally raced at Hart Park and the courses there are top notch and will not disappoint.  I know race promoter Sam Ames well and he is truly dedicated to this project.  The North vs. South Cyclocross State Championship is sure to be fun, fast, and a good time for all who compete.

The final weekend for Nor-Cal Cross racing features Series ending events from Sacramento and Surf City on January 22 & 23.

This is the best time of year for Cyclocross racing. Some call it the peak season!

Ride Safe

Have Fun

&

Get out there and race, because it is a long - dry spring, summer and fall before peak Cross season racing will return!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

NCNCA CYCLOCROSS RACING TAKES TWO WEEK BREAK FOR CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS!

RESULTS

Rain, Mud, & Wind Rule The Racing During Incredible Weekend Of Cyclocross For NCNCA Athletes.

2010 is year to remember for winter storms playing havoc on courses and competitors in Nor-Cal, and this past weekend topped the charts for action.

All Weekend Race Photos Can Be Viewed Here...

Full CCCX Series Ft. Ord Results Here...

Santa Rosa Series Dan Galvin Park Should Be Posted Here Soon...

Full Sacramento Series Lange Twins Winery Results Here...

Santa Rosa Series - Sacramento Series - Central Coast Series

Racing Resumes In Nor-Cal This Weekend

Saturday- Sacramento Series & Santa Rosa Series

Sunday- Central Coast Series

This will be a weekend ideally made for Cyclocross racing.  Rain always brings out the best in Nor-Cal courses, and Saturday & Sunday will be prime time for Cyclocross.

Have Fun!

Steve Anderson(Team Roaring Mouse) put together a great video from select still shots of NCNCA racers at the past weeks USA Cross Nationals, please have a view here...

PHOTO SPECIAL - TED KETAI

The current edition of the  NCNCA CYCLOCROSS PHOTO PAGE features work from Ted Ketai.

Please view the  NCNCA CYCLOCROSS PHOTO PAGE to see the very best Cyclocross shots from Ketai.

By far some of the best images are captured at races where the weather has been foul, and water and mud become part of the make-up of the racer.

This weekend the NCNCA Cyclocross events will be a prime opportunity to race in adverse conditions.

 Thus guaranteeing some more great photos will be produced of the die-hard Cross racers who will take to course during winter storm weather this Saturday & Sunday.

RACING

Racing Resumes In Nor-Cal This Weekend

Saturday- Sacramento Series & Santa Rosa Series

Sunday- Central Coast Series

Surf City Results From This Past Weekend Here...

Surf City photos from Ted Ketai here...

Looked like some fun racing Nor-Cal style at Aptos High School!

Monkey Cross in Santa Rosa will take place at Galvin Park.  There is sure to be some challenging and extra fun conditions as real Cross racing begins this weekend with rain and heavy downpour in the forecast.

Sacramento Cross will be held at Lange Twins Winery.  This course is a classic route, and the more rain that hits leading up to race day, will only make the competition more legendary!

Sunday's CCCX race will go off in Ft. Ord.  This area of the former Army Base is known for fast racing and challenging courses.  The hard-packed & sandy trails suck up the water when it rains making for great riding in the worst possible conditions.

And conditions could be epic this weekend as rain is sure to play a major role in the racing for NCNCA racers.

Get out there and race! 

CROSS NATIONALS - RESULTS & PHOTOS

Justin Robinson(Cal. Giant Inc./Specialized) & Bjorn Fox(Clif Bar Development Cross Team) Close Out Medal Haul For NCNCA Racers At Nationals.



COMPLETE USA CYCLING NATIONAL CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS HERE.

Bjorn Fox skillfully continued the NCNCA tradition of outstanding Junior racers at Cross Nationals.  This season the years of constant racing and dedication to his chosen trade of cycling payed off in big dividends for the Incline Village resident.  Fox raced at the highest level of any Nor-Cal Junior Cyclocross racer in 2010.  At Nationals Fox battled his way to the Silver medal in the Junior 17-18 division.  The NCNCA is tremendously proud of Bjorn Fox and commends him for his pursuit of speed on the bicycle.

Congratulations Bjorn!

Justin Robinson is a big game player!  When the stakes are the highest, Robinson rises to the occasion and shows his amazing talent to succeed on the largest stage for American Cyclocross racing- USA Nationals.

Robinson put another stamp on his brilliant career at Masters Nationals by earning the Bronze medal in the Men's 35-39 division.  Robinson's Cyclocross legacy may be he is simply Northern California's best ever Masters Cross racer.  His results over the past 5 years at the

USA Cycling Cross Championships are unparalleled.

Congratulations Justin on another Medal at Nationals!

Nor-Cal's best Cross racer ever........

Don Myrah!

His past results do all the talking to back up this subject, and

Myrah(Buy Cell.com/Ibis) was again one of the major stars at the 2010 USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships.

Myrah was Golden in Bend!

Thrill of Victory!

Devon Haskel(Bike Station Aptos) had a dream day in Bend, claiming the Gold medal in the Masters Women 30-34 division.  Haskel is a great athlete who is never afraid of a challenge, and in Bend she answered all challenges on her way to Gold.  Haskel, along with Kathy Pruitt(Family Cycling Center), and Linda Elgart(Webcor/Alto Velo), gained highest honors at Nationals, and demonstrated that the Women of Nor-Cal take their Cyclocross very seriously.

Barbara Howe(Ibis And The Danger Twins) shows a little emotion the moment she crosses the finish line and earns the Silver medal in the Masters Women 35-39 division.

Howe backed that Silver medal ride in the Master race with a very strong 8th place finish in the Elite Women's race at Nationals.  There were nearly 100 competitors in the Elite Women's field, and Barbara Howe was Nor-Cal's top Elite finisher, either Men or Women.

Kerry Barnholt(Scott/Ritchey) has been the leading lady in Northern California Cyclocross for 2010.  Barnholt won the Bay Area Super Prestige the week before Nationals, along with races in every other Nor-Cal Series she contested during the year.  Barnholt won Bronze in the Women's 35-39 division and was a solid 12th overall in the Women's Elite race at Nationals. 

Linda Elgart was pure focus on her way to Gold in the Women's 55-59 division.  Elgart is a multi-time National Champion is different cycling disciplines, and for 2010 she is the USA's best in Cyclocross for her age group.

Towering figure!

Devon Haskel is a happy camper in her Stars & Stripes winners jersey at Cross Nationals.  Joining Haskel on the podium was Emily Thurston(Missing Link-3rd Rail), who finished 4th in this group.

Howe & Barnholt cosy up to Masters 35-39 champion Nicole Duke(Hudz-Subaru Cycling Team) of Boulder Colorado.  Both Howe and Barnholt earned Gold medals at the 2009 National Cyclocross Championships.  In 2010 they both bring back hardware again to Northern California from the Northwest!

Two For Nor-Cal.

Kathy Pruitt -Champion & Stella Carey(Bay101/HRS/Rock Lobster)- Silver medal, Women's Single Speed podium.

Don Myrah- Champion, and Alan Coats(Cal. Giant Inc./Specialized)- 4th, Men's 45-49 podium.

Were gonna claim him!

Ned Overend seemingly lives in Northern California now.  Overend has been racing all of 2010 in Nor-Cal, and he shared his National Championship win with two other Masters 50-55 NCNCA athletes.  Joining Overend on the podium are Silver medalist Norm Kreiss(Cal. Giant Inc./Specialized), and Mill Valley's George Smith(Webcor/Alto Velo)- 5th.

A proud Justin Robinson glowing on the podium with yet another Masters National Championship medal.

Other NCNCA races to finish in the top 10 at Cross Nationals over the final two days of competition were-

Coody Kaiser- Cal. Giant Inc.- U23- 6th Place

Josh Snead- Bay101/HRS/Rock Lobster- Masters 30-34- 6th Place

Brett Lambert- Bay101/HRS/Rock Lobster- Masters 50-55- 7th Place

Jeremy Ferguson- Cal. Giant Inc.- U23- 7th Place

Alex Howard- Above Category Racing- Junior 17-18- 7th Place

Tobin Ortenblad- Spokesman- Junior 17-18- 8th Place

Lauren Catlin- Fairfax, Fort Lewis College- 8th Place

Brue Syvertsen- Murder- Masters 30-34- 9th Place

Robert Meighan- Cal. Giant Inc./Specialized)- Masters 50-55- 10th Place