Michigan PsychoCross

Cyclocross in February? Oh yeah!

Sure, in February, we’re usually thinking more about hitting it hard on the indoor trainer, or maybe getting out for early season road rides and races. But, that sounds a little boring! After all, when a friend decides to host an informal & free ‘cross race to see if the venue would work for a training or racing series later in the season, who would say no???

Many thanks to friend and trikat Rich James-Jura, who set up a tough, but sweet ‘cross course on his parents’ motocross setup, just west of Kalamazoo, Michigan. A sharp turn in the weather the morning of the event took us from near zero temperatures to a balmy … and super slushy 40 degrees! Deep snow quickly turned to mush, treating us to an ultimate bike handling test.

The inaugural event was a huge success, with many first time riders catching the ‘cross bug. Can’t wait to go back again when it’s a little less muddy….and a little more rideable

More race details!

—Monica Tory
Kalamazoo, Michigan

My First CycloCross Season

AND it was rad… and hard, and fun, and….

I will do it again next year. Hopefully better.

I rode in some surf city races, cccx and the one Peak Season. I accomplished my goals. One being to race, two to not come in last (That happened the Halloween Surf City Race), and the third to get one of those beers from Santa Cruz Ale Works.

I did drop out of one race, it was a low for me. I was so frustrated with how clumsy I could be with mounts and dismounts, the super technical stuff, and how slow I could be. But I came out of it with a new attitude. No more dropping out, and to just have fun!

Yesterday was my first muddy race, and boy was it muddy. I fell three or four times. I lost count. The last lap was all about staying on my bike and finishing. I was so glad I did because I got Santa Cruz County Cyclocross Champion for womens C’s!!! I don’t know what it means, but I got a great hat out of it!! Thanks Sheila Moon!

It was awesome to meet new women. Thank You Mary for your encouragement and guidance. Dionne, I hope to see you out at more races. And to the whole cyclocross crowd, you are rad!

Now to catch up on housework I have neglected for the last few months!

Rachel Wolff
Santa Cruz, California

Peak Season Cyclocross

Peak Season Cyclocross, Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Watsonville, CA

1st, Miss Mary Perez, Women B

2nd, Rachel Wolff, Women C

Santa Cruz County Championships

1st, Miss Mary Perez, Women B

1st, Rachel Wolff, Women C

Central Coast Cyclocross #6 & Series Final

CCCX #6, Fort Ord, Seaside, CA

Photo by Steve Anderson

2nd, Miss Mary Perez, Women B

Series Final Standings

Photo by Steve Anderson

2nd, Miss Mary Perez, Women B

Surf City Cyclocross #5 & Series Finals

SCCX #5, Aptos High School, Aptos, CA

Photo by Steve Anderson

1st, Soni Andreini-Poulsen, Women 45+
5th, Miss Mary Perez, Women B

Series Finals

1st, Soni Andreini-Poulsen, Women 45+
2nd, Amy Abele, Women 45+
10th, Janet Lafleur, Women 45+
3rd, Miss Mary Perez, Women B
18th, Rebecca Dyas, Women B
9th, Sabine Dukes, Women 35+
23rd, Natasha Perry, Women A
27th, Marian Jamison, Women A
29th, Beth Welliver, Women A
32nd, Kelly Change, Women A
34th, Devin Haskell, Women A
5th, Dionne, Ybarra, Women C
7th, Janet Bellantoni, Women C
13th, Rachel Wolff, Women C
20th, Cindy Shambaugh, Women C

Surf City Cyclocross #4

SCCX #4, Harbor High School, Santa Cruz, CA.

1st, Soni Andreini-Poulsen, Women 45+
3rd, Miss Mary Perez, Women B

Beer Money for Marian

By Marian Jamison
Reno, Nevada

Catching up with Bike Marian

Marian has been busily training for the upcoming ‘cross nationals in Bend Oregon. Apparently, it’s working, because after a weekend of racing in Reno and Sacramento recently, she says she’s feeling stronger. Here’s what she had to say about her recent races:

Winning Beer is Rad!

Last weekend I got in another two good days of ‘cross racing. Saturday at our local series, and Sunday in Sacramento.

The local race was a new venue and one of the funnest courses I’ve ever ridden. It was a lot of grass, a nice sand pit, some fun decending and off camber turns, fast barriers, and 2 sets of stairs to run up. It was mostly all up on the way out, and down on the way back. I love courses like that, where you can just flog yourself to the point of “I’m-going-to-die”, recover, and then do it again. My legs felt so-so, but as per usual at these Reno races there weren’t to many ladies present so I was able to get the W. I won beer and money, which is good because otherwise I would’ve been hard up to come up with gas money to get down to Sacramento the next day!

I’m currently sitting 2nd in the Sacramento CX women’s A series standing, so I wanted to have another good result there and keep it that way. The course was okay, flat grass, one set of barriers, ho hum. Not very interesting, but good for training the power with all those constant accelerations out of the turns. We race with the jr. men, and I made the bad mistake of starting behind one of them. The kid looked fit, but he had the slowest start of almost anyone there. I had to make some kamakaze passes and dig deep, but I managed to bridge up to the leaders! Wow, that pretty much shocked me right there.

There were 4 of us in the lead group – myself, Emily (from last weekend), Joan Gregg (who has never failed to totally whoop me), and Linda Elgart, who was riding super strong. I was tired from the day before, and mostly sucked wheel. I took a couple of pulls, suffered, got gapped off a couple times, caught back on, suffered. On the last lap I got gapped off and couldn’t get back on, so I pulled off another 3rd place. The podium was identical to the first Sacramento series race of the year, but instead of getting dropped by Emily and Joan, I hung with them! Woot woot! Hells yeah, I actually AM getting stronger! The training my coach has had me doing is really going to have me peaking for nationals! Not that I ever doubted it, but it’s totally radical to be able to see some substantial improvement.

Next up is the NCNCA district race in Golden Gate Park this weekend, and then I begin my northern odessey to the land of mud and cowbells (aka Portland, followed by Bend). There are over 80 women registered for nationals!

Watch for more adventures

Roll by Marian’s bloggy to catch up with more adventures as she gets ready for the big day in Bend.

Central Coast Cyclocross #5

CCCX #5, Manzanita Park, Prunedale, CA

Photo by Steve Anderson

7th, Miss Mary Perez, Women B
2nd, Rachel Wolff, Women C

Binghamton Bingo Cross Race

Binghamton Bingo Cross Race – 15 November 2009

“My report” from L. Dawg Graves

About 3 weeks ago I started taking this sport a little more serious. I started pointing questions to the “pros” on strategy and specific training and all I could get was just go “balls to the wall” and hope you don’t blow up. Well easier said than done. That is a very scary place to go without a little guidance. So I had to practice this feeling and try to get used to it. Kinda like riding “crossed eyed.”

I’ve been dragging my cross friends out on Tuesdays to do these painful 30 second to 1 minute all out sprints with 1 minute easy x 12 times on a gradual uphill. We have been doing these on our road bikes and they make you want to puke especially when it’s 40 degrees out. Then skills work on Wednesday in some park for a few hours. Some really cold road rides for as long as we until we can’t feel our extremeties on the other days. On saturday we get together and do a little skills work and then some 5 min medium intervals with 5 minute rest and then some 1 minute grass sprints with 5 minutes rest and race on Sunday. Not much but it definitely kick started my confidence into cyclocross “redlining” for 45 minutes.

No more riding a cross coarse like a 50 mile road race. NO SPINNING. And to think I have spent a few years mastering the art of high RPM’s. Just throw it out the door and make those thighs burn baby. Power to the pedal. Well that’s what I keep telling myself and it’s starting to work. Plus my sprint work has helped my starts so much. I have started out in second place the last two races and finished 3rd overall. Up until my “training” started 3 weeks ago I was mid to bottom of the pack. Whoooo Hooo.

And now that I’m figuring it out, It’s quitin’ time. And soon it will be time to go back to spinning on the road bike. So I guess I am hooked on cross and will be back next season. I might even train a little before I start racing.

Bay Area Super Prestige CX #3

Bay Area Super Prestige CX #3

Photo by Tony Ballard

7th, Devon Haskell, Women A
18th, Kelly Chang, Women A
12th, Miss Mary Perez, Women B
5th, Janet Bellantoni, Women C

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