Cyclocross.....the craziest sport in cycling!

Everybody's already buzzing about the upcoming cross season.  Race calendars have been posted, clinics are on the schedule, and I just saw the poster for this year's top-secret outlaw series in San Francisco.  Folks are dusting off their bikes, gluing on their tubulars, and dreaming about beer hand-ups, dollar grabs, Spooky Cross costumes, and the top step on the podium.

What's this crazy sport called cyclocross?  What was, at one time, considered an off-season sport for roadies and mountain bikers to maintain some high-end winter fitness, has grown to become a focus sport for many bike racers.  From September through January, folks will toe the line for the most intense 30-60 minutes of racing you can imagine, riding on all types of terrain (sand, grass, gravel, pavement, mud, ice, and snow), leaping off their bikes and jumping over barriers, shouldering their bikes to run up hills, and hanging out with other bike-loving folks in a very spectator-friendly environment.  With local races at venues all over Northern CA, you can't find a better way to spend a Saturday or Sunday this fall/winter.  Cross is also a very family-friendly environment and many races even have events for the kids!

You'll find all the deets on norcal cyclocross here:  http://ncncacx.blogspot.com/

Favorite series like Bay Area Super Prestige, CCCX, and Surf City return with awesome racing.  New this year is the Norcal CX Series, which incorporates some long-time favorite races like the Lion of Fairfax and Stafford Lake, and introduces some new races like the Kitten of Vallejo and the San Jose Cougar.

Matt McNamara of Sterling Sports Group

If you want to start racing cyclocross, or to refine your skills and take your racing up a notch, there are skills clinics and organized cyclocross rides offered throughout the fall.  The first of these clinics is our own Savvy Bike Skills 103 (cyclocross skills and tactics) on August 24th, guest-coached by Matt McNamara of Sterling Sports Group.  This is the 11th year we've offered this clinic, with a variety of guest coaches, and it's always a participant favorite!  Matt is a top-notch coach and a really funny guy who's been racing and coaching pretty much every discipline of cycling for more than two decades.  We're thrilled that he's coaching Bike Skills 103 and encourage you to register for this co-ed, 4-hour clinic.

Whether you race or spectate, I think you'll find cyclocross is just about the most fun you can have on a bike!

dirt don't hurt

Hey everybody!  We've got a couple of upcoming co-ed clinics that might interest you cyclocross folks:

Saturday, August 11th -- Bike Skills 102 (fundamental mountain bike skills) -- coached by Ron Castia of Wenzel Coaching.  If you're like me (a roadie who decided to race cx but had never, ever ridden on the dirt), then you NEED this clinic.  Just because a cross bike looks kinda like a road bike doesn't mean that you'll be magically transformed into an all-terrain rider.  Bike Skills 102 covers the fundamentals of balance, weight distribution, traction and will really help you understand how to ride on mixed terrain.  It's truly good stuff and will help you take your cx riding in a new direction (like not flat on your face as soon as you hit a sandy section).

Sunday, August 12th -- Bike Skills 103 (cyclocross skills + tactics) -- coached by Barb "Barbarella" Howe (former US National Champion and US world team member) and Matt McNamara (of Sterling Sports fame).  This is the ultimate CX clinic and covers all your fundamental CX skills (mount, dismount, carry, flying through the air, beer hand-ups) as well as race prep, training, and tactics.  We finish the clinic with a simulated race so you can put all your new-found (or newly refined) skills to practice.  

Registration for both clinics (as well as all our roadie-scum clinics) can be found here:

http://savvybike.eventbrite.com

There is limited space in both clinics.  Yeah, these aren't the kind of clinics where we pack 100 riders in and then don't give you any individualized attention.  These are SPECIAL (really, because you're all special, too).  So register early or wait until next year.  Oh, and if you register more than 14 days in advance (that's 2 weeks for those of you who can't count higher than your fingers) you save $20 on the registration fee.  

Lorri