Wildwood Cross Results

Hot off the press. Right here. Nicely done boys and girls.

saturday (sunday) in the park...

Tuesday Night Ride

Last one before Hummelt Hockey begins. Is it that time of year already?

Where's the meeting place?

For those of use who cannot make it, we expect to see some photographic evidence of the new bike racks at the clubhouse.

And don't forget to bring your downpayments if you want in on the sweetest jersey in the world. The order is going in. Today is your last chance. Red Bull may give you wings. But the sweetest jersey in the world will keep you ahead of the competition--even if you should technically be wearing some other team's colours.

Had Jonny G been wearing it, he surely would have won.

Wildwood

(photo stolen from MUCR)

Word is starting to crackle through over the wires. Jonny G opened up a can of whup-ass and sprayed it all over the competition in the B race at Wildwood yesterday. Everyone but Gary got wet, as Jonny took second in his debut race. Sweet. I'm waiting for results, but will post them as soon as I get them. A race report and some photos would be nice as well. Luc's got a report up. MUCR comes through as well. Alberto too.

More photos from Dave D.

Tipping Point?

Yesterday, on my way to pick up some bike stuff in Chapel Hill, I had to stop at five gas stations before finding one that actually had some gas. Lots of pumps with plastic bags over the nozzle and hastily written signs that say "Out of Order." It seems the gas shortage we've been hearing about in the news has finally reached Durham. As I got into Chapel Hill, there was one station where a fuel tanker truck was being emptied into the station's tanks. And there was a lineup of cars stretching well beyond the lot, waiting to make sure they could get some fuel. Strange. People are starting to act a little goofy. Apparently all this is due to the refiners being shut down as a result of the latest round of hurricanes. The big financial crisis doesn't help either. Some gas stations recently tried to take advantage of the fear by charging over $7 a gallon. But they're being investigated for price gouging. It kind of makes you realize how fragile the whole system is. But with a full tank of gas, we're still heading to the ocean today. I think we have enough gas to make it there and back.

sweetest jersey dp option

so, if you really think you can't make it to the next tnr (although I haven't yet heard a worthwhile excuse), the other option is the xrace tomorrow. Jonny G will be the man collecting your dough. 20 please. There's even an order on the books from our non-rider, Saskatchewan rep (pun intended).

Wildwood Cross Update

This just in from Olli:

Day of race registration for Wildwood cross is only $15, same as the cost for advanced registration. Just because he loves you. One less excuse.

Cross Lab, Southern Style

I showed up at the Tuesday Night Shop Ride again this week. The first time it was just me and Alex. But this time there were nine of us. 50 km and pretty fast. No substitute for the TNR, especially given the lack of a post-ride gathering. But I did meet some of the guys from the local ss oriented club. The mtb races here all have an ss category. I'm not sure what I think about that, but I suppose that's what I'll sign up for.

Anyway, aside from getting dropped by two very fast dudes on the token climb, I learned that there are a couple of cross-lab style offerings down here. The close one, on Fridays, sounds like it's basically a fire road ride. And there's also another one about 40 min. away that's more like a clinic with coaches, etc. Just thought you FUCRs from MUCR might like to know.

I thought about showing up tonight, but opted for a gravel grinder on the fire roads in the Duke Forest instead. Good times.

nuts

the picture alone....

Had to think of Johnny S...

when I saw this sweet softride.

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2008/sept/2/moabiker11_aim.htm

Also - looking forward to checking out this new set-up a mere 15 minute ride from my place.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2008200171_nwwbikepark250.html

Hey NC - you are one state over from the Menno cyclocross champ from the 70's, former bike shop owner, turned long-haul trucker. He has a number of vintage cross bikes I am trying to convince my housemate to obtain for the fall series out here. Do you get up to Virginia on occasion?

Hope you are all keeping well. I am still tasting those burgers...victory is sweet.

Johnny N

Svein's Big Day

The Honorary Assistant Captain had a rather good day today. He nabbed a silber medal in the World Championship Time Trial today, despite a flat tire and a bike change. He rode the final 6 km on a standard road bike. He also announced that he's signed a contract with those burrito loving, moustache sporting, argyle clad kids at Garmin-Chipotle. I love burritos. And I can't wait to see Svein kick Lance Armstong's ass at the Tour next summer. More here. Armstong, by the way, finished 20th at Cross Vegas the other day.

Thursday Anticipation

1) Menno Cross is on.


Halberto is organizing it this time around. So be in touch with him if you have any questions. He also sends the following note:

There will be a Menno feed at our place post race. This will be Vereniki with Schmauntfatt, Farmer’s Sausage, and Plueme Moos. Those that want to attend the post-race feed need to pre-register by sending me an email 1 week prior to the race ($5 cost).

Is that awesome or what? It looks like there will be a hotly contested battle for the title of sweetest cyclocross race in the world this year.

2) But Johnny S isn't ready to concede Altona's grip on that title, though. The Altona hype machine keeps churning, as he's back with yet another poster. He seems to think this will bring out an even bigger crowd of racers. And he's promising some mud in the ditch this year, as well as an additional section of switchbacks on the hill. Check back next week to see what Fickle Johnny's latest flavour of the moment is.


3) Wildwood Cross goes down on Sunday. I remember hearing rave reviews about the course last year. Check it out for yourself. Do I smell a dark horse in the race to claim the title of sweetest cyclocross race in the world?

4) Still no word from the Poosher about the Oct. 4 race. I'm just going by the MCA calendar on this one, so who knows if there's actually a race or not. But it would be nice to have some confirmation. The poosher usually comes through in the end, so I wouldn't count him out just yet.

5) And then, of course, there's Bill's super FGBC friendly Woodhaven Cross. He's also making a strong bid for this year's sweetest cyclocross race in the world.

Keep upping the ante boys. This could be fun. We'll keep close tabs on the competition and announce the winner of the 2008 Sweetest Cyclocross Race in the World award at the end of the season. If anyone else wants in on the action, send your entry to fortgarrybikeclubATgmailDOTcom.

tnr report

...four riders to start. We met the president on our way down Wellington again. After a bit of toodling around, made for the Lo Pub only to discover Quinzy was pushed back to 11:00. So, a bit of discussion, and we decided to stay. Of note is the decision by all to drink a pint of FGD rather than Half Pints in bottles... we're still the FGBC... Quinzy played well, G showed up during their second last song. So, turns out it had started raining fairly substantially... rather rare for a tnr. Three of us made it back to the Klubhouse until close. Very sweet evening.

Fall Classic Results

Right here. More photos here.

The Sweetest Jersey in the World - time is slipping

So, next Tuesday is the due date for the $20 downpayment. I plan to ride and will be at the Klubhouse to collect.

Please check the spreadsheet to make sure your info is correct. I've covered Chris, but everything else is open game. My snail mail info is on the spreadsheet.
The Sweetest Jersey Order Info Spreadsheet

feel free to email me at dnbarg @ yahoo . ca to update or whatever... the comments are a little scattered by now.

secretary

-----------------------------------------
Ok, I finally spoke with a person at Champ-Sys and we're on our way.

Options are:
Short-Sleeve ($45USD)
Long-Sleeve ($52USD)
Sleeveless ($42USD)

Each of these jerseys has the option of 3/4 or full zipper, and can be ordered in club cut, race cut and women's cut. Please note your zipper option if you haven't already. If no "cut" option is noted, I will assume "club cut" which is what we all (except the women) ordered last time.

Since a 50% down-payment is required for them to start, I think the easiest thing to do would be to collect $20/jersey ordered (unless you are out of the city and make special arrangements). I will take your down payment any time, but I or my designated Collection Agent will be available on Tuesday evenings around 9:30 at the Tuesday Night Ride (TNR) and following at the klubhouse. September 30 will be the last possible day to get your down payment in.

I will collect the balance (then we can deal with the exchange/duty $$) at time of delivery.

Note that I have put a link to this post on the link list to the right. I will update this post in the next few days to include a list of the people who have expressed interest through the comments, email, or in person. You can email me with questions/comments at dnbarg @ yahoo . ca.

we are exactly what we are.

darryl

Breaking News

This just in from Bill A: Kids will race for free at Woodhaven Cross (Oct. 5). He's taking a page from the Southern Cross planning committee's race promotion handbook. And why not? It is the sweetest cx race in the world. But wait, there's more. He's also upped the ante with this sweet offer: the fastest finisher among the non-licensed racers will win a 2009 race license. This is called target marketing, I think. It doesn't get any more FGBC friendly. We have kids and we're too cheap to buy licences. I'm looking at you, Juan Eppstein and Mr. Secretary. Do it for the kids. But I'm also thinking of Vic, Craig, Luke, Adam, Johnny S, Brad, James, Unger, Johnny S, and any other FGBC regulars or semi-regulars. Between Woodhaven, Southern Cross, Menno Cross, and Grudge Cross, there are plenty of options for the unlicenced among you. If my opinion carried any weight whatsoever, I'd say I expect a solid FGBC showing at every one of these fine events. But I know it doesn't, so all I can do is say I highly recommend that you show up. It will be good times. Spread the word.

TNR

I believe there's a Quinzy show on the docket for tonight at some point. Come out and support these fine young lads. As for where to meet and when, check the comments.

Civic Cross Results

. . . are up over at the tragedy known as the MCA Website. Finally. And only 1 week after the event itself. The fact that this is actually faster than it has been as of late probably says about everything there is to say.

What happened at the Fall Classic? Jonny M fills in part of the story with his tale of woe. Luc confirms it. Halberto has chimed in too with perhaps a few more details than were really necessary. Dave B comes through with the photos, here and here.

Wildwood Cyclecross news and poster - edited

This just in from Olli. His contact info is on the poster. I received a corrected poster with a date.


Hi,

Thought you might want the poster as well. Black tie special "race" is in honor of Daniel and Sydney's wedding day. They are getting married later in the afternoon and they'll come to the park for some photos and Daniel will be doing the black tie race. Black tie race has voluntary participation fee and winner will take it all and I think Daniel has the best chance of winning the race (wink wink).

I'm working on 'cross provincials at the moment and on tuesday I should know whether I can organize the race at The Forks or not. Who has the Enervit arch? I would like to borrow that for provincials just to make it look cool. I wouldn't mind having couple of extra hands helping if Forks is ok because I think most of the race course need to be taped and marked very well.
--
Olli Hyytiäinen

Vuelta Wrap-Up

The largely formal final stage is done. And yet it was very nearly not a formality, at least for J.J. Rodriguez. He got tangled up in a big pileup on the run-in to the finish and ended up with a broken clavicle. He managed to pick himself up and drag his banged up body over the line. Had it occured any earlier, he'd have lost his sixth place standing in the overall race. But he was within the final 2 km when he went down, so he was granted the same time as the winner and holds on to a nice finish. Matti Breschel won the stage, followed by Alexandre Usov and Davide Vigano. And Contador wins the Vuelta just a few months after winning the Giro, and a little over a year after winning the Tour de France. It seems he's pretty good. Levi Leipheimer's good too, but not good enough. He finishes second. Carlos Sastre follows up his victory at the Tour with a third place finish at the Vuelta. Not a bad season for him. See CN and Pez for more.

Over in the FGBC Pool, it turned out to be a rather exciting finish. Arlene won the final stage. She gets what turned out to be a rather significant 100 points. Jonny B was second with 80 points, while Ian and Paddy tied for third with 65 points apiece. Once again, the podium spots remained as they had been for the last little while. But that was about to change.

Stage 21 Results:

Arlene 100
Jonny B 80
Ian 65
Paddy 65
Chris 50
David 35
Hal 30
Brad 25
Matt 25
Vic 0
Dallas 0


Overall Standings after Stage 21:

Chris 3021
Vic 2436
Arlene 2375
Brad 2163
Paddy 2128
Matt 1924
Jonny B 1896
David 1527
Dallas 1497
Ian 1354
Hal 1239


With the racing done, it was time to dole out the bonus points. Big ones for the GC, and some minor points for the points and climbers jerseys (no young rider competition in the Vuelta, apparently). This is where things got kind of interesting. With four riders in the top 20 (Mosquera, Gesink, Zaugg, and Arroyo), I took home 810 points to finish ahead of Matt by slim margin. He had Contador and Martinez, who netted him 800 points. Brad also had Contador and Arroyo for 660 points.

Final GC Bonus Points:

Chris 810
Matt 800
Brad 660
Arlene 550
Paddy 515
Vic 375
Dallas 325
Jonny B 270
Ian 30
Hal 15
David 0

After those were added, there was a significant shakeup in the GC, with Vic being the big loser. Having led the race for a good portion of the time and never been lower than third, Brad knocked him off the podium to take over the third step., while Arlen moved into second place. Too bad Boonen didn't stick around for the final day's sprint or that Valverde had that crappy day. The full standings were as follows.

Chris 3831
Arlene 2925
Brad 2823
Vic 2811
Matt 2724
Paddy 2643
Jonny B 2166
Dallas 1822
David 1527
Ian 1384
Hal 1254


Vic was just 12 points off the podium, but there were still the points and climbers competitions to factor in. Could he make it back? Unfortunately not. Boonen quit the race and decided not to contest the sprinter's jersey, so no points there. Valverde picked up a few. But Contador picked up points in both the climbing and points competitions. So Brad gained more. Almost enough, in fact, to move past Arlene into second. But not quite. In the end, he finished 22 points out of second place. Nice try, though.

Points Jersey Bonus Points:

Brad 90
Matt 90
Vic 60
Paddy 40
Arlene 20
David 0
Dallas 0
Ian 0
Hal 0
Chris 0
Jonny B 0


Climber's Jersey Points:

Jonny B 60
Brad 20
Matt 20
Arlene 0
David 0
Vic 0
Dallas 0
Ian 0
Hal 0
Chris 0
Paddy 0


So the final overall standings are as follows:

Chris 3831
Arlene 2945
Brad 2933
Vic 2871
Matt 2834
Paddy 2683
Jonny B 2226
Dallas 1822
David 1527
Ian 1384
Hal 1254

Thanks for playing. And look forward to the 2008-09 FGBC Cyclocross pool, coming soon.

Levi Wins, But Contador Holds On

Leipheimer won the final ITT today, an uphill 17.1 km ride, by 31 seconds over Contador and Valverde. Contador still leads the race by 46 seconds. Impressive. But a chorus of what ifs will no doubt begin making the rounds. What if Levi, who won both ITTs, didn't sacrifice himself for Contador in the high mountains? What if Valverde hadn't had that miserable day? It doesn't really matter in the end, though. Because Alberto Contador will win the 2008 Vuelta, just as he won the Giro. Not a bad year by any estimate. Want more? Head on over to CN and Pez.

Oh, and Klodi's growing a moustache:


Over in the FGBC Pool, Paddy rode Leipheimer's glory to a stage win of his own. 205 points for the new pride of Lethbridge. Matt took second place with 175 points, followed by Dallas, who at 170 points had a third consecutive good day. No big changes on the GC. But Brad edges ever closer to Arlene, and Dallas moves up yet another spot.

Stage 20 Results:

Paddy 205
Matt 175
Dallas 170
Brad 150
Chris 150
Vic 100
Arlene 90
Jonny B 85
Ian 65
Hal 55
David 0


Overall Standings:

Chris 2971
Vic 2436
Arlene 2275
Brad 2138
Paddy 2063
Matt 1899
Jonny B 1816
Dallas 1497
David 1492
Ian 1289
Hal 1209

The Arroyo and Kiryienka Show

Another day, another successful breakaway at the Vuelta. This time David Arroyo was the lucky winner. After sucking Vasili Kiryienka's wheel over the last 10 km, he shot past the impressive Belarussian in the final 100 metres and claimed and easy victory. Nice. Apparently, Arroyo was only there in an attempt to set up Valverde for a stage win and some bonus time to put him ahead of Gesink. That didn't happen. Good old Valv.Piti will have to earn it the hard way now in tomorrow's uphill ITT. Nick Nuyens led home the peloton to take third place. No significant changes in the GC. Go to CN and Pez if you want more.

Arroyo and Kiryienka both happen to be on my team. My boys Gesink, Mosquere and Zaugg also finished in the top 20. So it was an Andy-like 420 point day for me. I'd say that pretty much clinches it, but that would be like uttering the words no-hitter when a potential one is in progress. So I'll just let you draw your own conclusions. Dallas (again!) was second with 240 points. The cellar is a distant memory, as he's lept over both Hal and Ian and into 3rd last place. Brad was third, with 210 points. He just might give Arlene a run for her money. But for now the GC remains the same.

Tomorrow should be fun. All of a sudden I find myself rooting for Levi.

Stage 19 Results:

Chris 420
Dallas 240
Brad 210
Vic 135
Paddy 65
Arlene 60
Matt 60
Jonny B 55
David 45
Ian 30
Hal 15


Overall Standings:

Chris 2821
Vic 2336
Arlene 2185
Brad 1988
Paddy 1858
Jonny B 1731
Matt 1724
David 1492
Dallas 1327
Ian 1224
Hal 1154

gianni's day in the park

very cool - here we see gianni reading some hemingway to other's lucky enough to enjoy a day in the park

in need of diversions

come check out what gianni is up to.

you can find him at mcdermot and king today (will be there during my lunch)

Holy Crap, Dallas Wins!

It was another successful breakaway at the Vuelta today. Imanol Erviti Ollo who, along with Amets Txurruka, has one of the better names in the race was the day's big winner. He was part of a group that escaped at about the 5 km mark and spent the day ahead of the peloton. Nicolas Roche and David Herrero Llorente were second and third. No change in the GC. CN and Pez would be glad to fill in the rest.

Hell has frozen over in the FGBC Vuelta Pool, it seems. Not only has Dallas won a stage, he's making a serious push to escape the cellar. Of course, his cause is being aided by the fact that Hal has apparently bought the suckfarm. Only 60 points in the last seven stages for the former Tuesday Night Rider. Ian isn't that much further ahead. Matt finished just ahead of Paddy for second place on the day, 125 points to 120. As in the big race, no changes at the top of the GC.

Stage 18 Results:

Dallas 190
Matt 125
Paddy 120
Brad 110
Chris 100
Vic 45
Ian 45
Arlene 0
David 0
Hal 0
Jonny B 0


Overall Standings:

Chris 2401
Vic 2201
Arlene 2125
Paddy 1793
Brad 1778
Jonny B 1676
Matt 1664
David 1447
Ian 1194
Hal 1139
Dallas 1087

Thursday Anticipation

Lots to anticipate this week.

1) Birch Fall Classic

Is it really that time already. Eight hours of the best damn single track in Manitoba. Always a good time. Did you notice they've got Half Pints lined up as a sponsor? Right on.

More info here.

2) Woodhaven ‘Cross 2008 - Sunday, October 5th

Our good friend Bill sends along the following info. Notice that you don't need a license to race this one. He's counting on a big turnout from the FGBC. And their kids. Along with Altona, this will be a good one for the kids. Bill puts on a great event. And he doesn't overlook the little ones. Show him some love. Consider it training for Altona. See the little multimedia show of last year's race over at Dave D's site.


3) The Woodhaven race is, in fact, the second installment in a weekend fully stocked with cx good times. They call it Double Cross. Our good friend the Poosher is apparently brewing up a little something that is to take place the day before. But we haven't heard anything about that yet. Perhaps a poster will show up one of these days.

4) Southern Cross

The sweetest cyclocross race in the world. Here's another poster. Johnny S hated the first one. Too much south, he said.


5) Looks like Menno Cross Vol. III will take place on Oct. 25. Halberto is in charge this year. It's FGBC friendly--i.e., not an MCA race. In addition to the always enjoyable bunker and wheel sucking the rock pit roundabout, this year you can ride around the new community garden. It looks kind of like a himalayan mountain top with all the rags blowing around on the deer fence. But sadly, the little amphitheatre is gone. It was a casualty of a ruptured sewer line.

6) As for the North Carolina chapter, it is going to the ocean.

7) Anything else?

tnr report

nice. g had an ass park idea for a race, but tom suggested a different option close to whittier. we met the president en route as he came from the uni.
so, turns out there's a cool new, um, monument i guess? it seemed mostly in french. anyone remember what it was for? i was setting up the self timer.

it seems some are getting tired of the obligatory team shot...

anyway, the monument is a figure eight path, so we raced two on two. i guess somebody won, but it was entirely immaterial. a few near crashes. sweet.

the president was hungry, so we made a stop.

good times at the clubhouse. it was clear that dr. mr. was scheming for a bit, and finally he blurted out the idea for a race including this new figure eight. it went through numerous permutations as some negative response emerged, so i only remember the earlier form: everyone buy or steal a very cheap bike... like $10-20. entry fee is $30. bring it to the provencher bridge close to the race. then, all together, we drop the bikes from the bridge to the rocks below, then go get our bikes and ride 30 laps of the course. winner takes all. the communal response was that it needed some work, including the entry fee... but it seems there might be promise.

dr. h sent an email today suggesting a new endurance race from pinawa to falcon lake which would somehow include ingolf. nice... for those who love pain.

WW Wins

Tom Boonen stuck around for today's stage, but in the end he decided not to contest the sprint. He pulled up with about 1 km to go and cruised into the finish. So it fell to his main lead-out man Wouter Weylandt to get the job done. And that is exactly what he did, winning the stage ahead of Matti Breschel and Alexandre Usov. More from CN and Pez.

Heinrich Haussler and Leonardo Duque finished 5th and 14th, respectively. That, combined with Zaugg slotting in at 19th place, was enough to get me another stage win with all of 125 points. Since all the big name sprinters have basically left, my decision to stick with the second tier guys is starting to pay off. There's no World's for them to prepare for, so they may as well stick around and try to grab a big win. Paddy finished second with 105 points, and Arlene racked up 100 points to take third place. The GC standings are unchanged, but Arlene is once again creeping up on Vic. And Paddy has joined Brad and Jonny B to give us a hotly contested three-way battle for fourth.

Stage 17 Results:

Chris 125
Paddy 105
Arlene 100
Vic 65
Ian 65
Matt 65
Dallas 40
David 35
Jonny B 35
Brad 25
Hal 0


Overall Standings:

Chris 2301
Vic 2156
Arlene 2125
Jonny B 1676
Paddy 1673
Brad 1668
Matt 1539
David 1447
Ian 1149
Hal 1139
Dallas 897

CX Pool

The Vuelta is not yet over and already it's time to turn out thoughts to cyclocross. The 2008-09 FGBC CX Pool will get underway soon. Same format as last year. More info to come shortly.

Cyclocross Magazine is doing a pool of their own. It's organized differently, and includes some of the C1 races in the USA, which is nice. I just submitted a team. If you're interested, go here.

43 ft

That's how tall the bike was. In case you missed it, Mountain Dave, from Asheville, recently posted a comment in response to last week's post on Rev. Terry's tall bike competition. He passed along a link to a clearer video and sent his regards to Terry. Thanks Dave. Anyone remember how tall Terry's bike was?

Zzzzzzz

Big time sleeper of a stage today. Nobody was really interested in racing until the final couple of kms. Unfortunately, there was some 180 kms to cover before then. They rode 15 kilometres in the first hour, 28.3 kilometres in the second and 31.3 kilometres in the third. By the fourth hour, they pushed the pace up to a blistering 33.1 km/h. That’s not much faster than a typical Tuesday Night Ride pace. And then the sprinters--or what's left of them--started to whip up the pace. Tom Boonen won it ahead of Pozzato and Haussler. Tommeke says he's quitting tomorrow to focus on the Worlds. Understandable, I suppose, but bad news for Tenacious V. More from CN and Pez. Tomorrow's another flat stage. Hopefully it'll be a little faster.

Over in the FGBC Pool, Jonny B is back in the headlines with a stage win. He racks up 190 points on the day. David and Vic tied for second with 170 points each. I'm still in the overall lead. But Vic has jumped ahead of Arlene into second place. Brad and Jonny B are engaged in a nice battle for fourth spot. Meanwhile, Dallas has ahd last place sewn up for a couple of weeks by now.

Stage 16 Results:

Jonny B 195
David 170
Vic 170
Chris 145
Brad 105
Arlene 75
Paddy 65
Ian 55
Hal 50
Matt 30
Dallas 0


Overall Standings:

Chris 2176
Vic 2091
Arlene 2025
Brad 1643
Jonny B 1641
Paddy 1568
Matt 1474
David 1412
Hal 1139
Ian 1084
Dallas 857

Tuesday night Ride

Meet at Jonny G's place at 9:30.

Then Ride.

Then head to the Klubhaus to celebrate the fact that we can ride, race, sit, and generally do what we do.

Chequamegon 40

A race report by our good friend Gianni. Perhaps the secretary would feel so inclined to provide him with the instructions necessary to acquire his very own posting privileges.

Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival

Thanks to an invitation from Lindsay Gauld, I had the opportunity to race 40 miles off road from Hayward to Cable, Wisconsin last Saturday, along with Marty Halprin, Jeoff Chipman, and Blair Saunders (superfast former Winnipegger/national road team member, now from Delaware). The race is part of a 2-day festival that is one of the oldest mountain bike races in the world, started in 1983. The field limit is 1700, but is typically exceeded. Sunday has an orienteering race, an off-road crit and some fun events (like pulling a log up a hill as far as you can). And there’s a beer tent.

This event was incredibly fun and incredibly well-organized. Dr. H. told me he’s interested in doing the event someday, a sentiment that might be common amongst other FGBCers, so here’s what I can report that might be of interest:

1. The start is on Main Street, Hayward. I got there 3 hours before the start to see that about 800 people had already queued up their bikes by placing them upside down in the starting chute. I picked my way through the mess and ended up starting about 400th. Once the race started, it was a seething, knobby-buzzing mass of cyclists the likes of which I have never experienced. I started around about the 400-500th mark. In the photo of the start below, I am right in the middle (orange cambelback, baby blue perogy power jersey), and the photo only shows the first third of the field. Oh, and because this requires getting up/to the start at 6 a.m., driving down to the race on Thursday night (instead of Friday) is a really good idea.
2. Because the start is on pavement, it is fast. Really fast. 52km/h. This seemed to punish the singlespeeders (many of whom were riding 36x16), but they caught up eventually.
3. The race is mostly on fire roads and the Birkie ski trail (about 15 feet wide). However, there are usually only 1 or 2 good lines through corners. Because of the number of riders, you can’t pick your line. Oh, and it’s really rocky. So suspension would have been nice. I had a rigid fork and used about 28 psi in my 29 x 2.1” tires.
4. The bumps and bad lines = lots of loose water bottles. Usually about 30 of them at the bottom of each downhill. A Camelbak is definitely the way to go.
5. The average speed is fast… winner (Jonathon Page) averaged 30km/h, I average a much-less immoderate 23 km/h, ending up 707th in just over 3 hours.
6. The course is very sandy. So sandy that my bike hardly functioned afterwards (partially due to how wet it was). If you are keen to do the Sunday events, the more ability you have clean your bike up, the better. Taking a bucket and some sponges, lots of lube, perhaps some new cables and housing, brake pads, etc. would be a very good idea. There is a bike wash, but it was insignificant given the amount of gunk I was faced with on my bike.

A really great event which I would love to do again. Entry to the race is determined by a lottery, so you have to get yourself registered early – www.cheqfattire.com.

Civic Cross Report

. . . is right here. Nice job, LeAnn. But where was Jonny G? And what about Kevin with his new cx bike.

The Belgian Festival of Sports went down this weekend too. Report here. It looks like it was, well, a little wierd. What's up with the harnesses? Still, we have no reason not to assume that good times were had by all. Were there any Belgians present, by any chance?

Ride

Where's the meeting place? And when?

Breakaway

The last two days in the mountains have left everybody tired. So it was an ideal stage for a breakaway today. And that is exactly what we got. 17 riders broke clear of the peloton and amassed an 18 minute lead. The breakaway group exploded on the last climb, about 15 km from the finish. It was uncategorized, but it sure looked nasty, as riders were popping left and right. David Garcia Depana, of the small Spanish outfit Xacobeo Galicia, won the stage. So he manages to get the win for the wild card invite that his teammate Ezequiel Mosquera could not pull off yesterday. He was followed over the line by Nick Nuyens and Juan Manuel Garate. Astana led home the peloton over 14 minutes later. No big changes in the GC, except that a few of the breakaway riders managed to slot themselves into the top 20. CN and Pez have the full story.

Over in the FGBC Pool, Vic has responded to yesterday's loss of the race lead with the show of pride we've come to expect from him. He wins the stage with 155 points, followed by David (125) and Brad (105). He claws back some ground and now sits just over 100 points out of the overall lead. This is shaping up to be one of the more hotly contested FGBC Pools. The last week in a grand tour is always unpredictable, so anything can happen. The way it's going right now, it will almost certainly come down to the points awarded for the final GC placings. To get those, you need your guys to finish, unlike my man J.J. Haedo who quit the race today.

Stage 15:

Vic 155
David 125
Brad 105
Chris 100
Dallas 85
Arlene 80
Ian 80
Jonny B 40
Matt 30
Hal 10
Paddy 10


Overall Standings:

Chris 2031
Arlene 1950
Vic 1921
Brad 1538
Paddy 1503
Jonny B 1446
Matt 1444
David 1242
Hal 1089
Ian 1029
Dallas 857

cx has started

report and pictures will be on the mucr site this evening (the camera is back - also, gary s took about 5000 photos which will be of superior quality)

results as i remember them for A:

dave d
phil from ottawa or nova scotia or somewhere
don sawatzky
tomek
halberto
dj
allan
dan peters
dave l
chris ??? - dnf

Let Levi Ride

Alberto Contador wanted nothing to do with that dumb slogan in yesterday's Stage 14. After he and Levi let little Zeke Mosquera pull them up the mountain, he lept ahead in the last km and took himself another stage win. Apparently, he just can't pass up the opportunity to show the world his shoot-em-up-cowboy victory salute.


Very nice, Alberto. You had all of July to practice your six-gun salute. And you can go real fast up those hills. But as Jon Bon Jovi pointed out, real cowboys ride steel horses, not that newfangled carbon stuff you saddle up on. And would it hurt you so much to show a little love to your teammate, who also happens to be the second best guy in this race? I can't wait to see how it plays out next year in France when that other cowboy from Texas shows up to race. Speaking of the other cowboy, he and his team won 12 Hours of Snowmass this weekend. He doesn't like to lose either. This will be interesting.

In the end, Levi also dumped Mosquera in the gutter like a bad date to take second on the stage. Mosquera had to settle for third. But it wasn't all bad for little Zeke. He moved up into 4th on the GC and inched a little closer to the podium spot currently occupied by Carlos Sastre. Robert Gesink led home the next group, which also contained Sastre. Valverde wanted to win the stage, but he just couldn't keep pace. He came over the line with the third group, finishing 11th and dropping down another spot on the GC. Face it, Alejandro. You're a classics star, not a grand tour rider. That's not so bad. Just ask Tom Boonen.

Over in the FGBC Pool, Mosquera, Gesink, and Zaugg did it again. They give me 255 points and another stage win. Matt and Arlene followed, with 230 and 185 points. We finally see Tenacious V knocked off his pedestal. In fact, the podium has flipped upside down. I'm now in first place with a 61 point lead over Arlene. Vic has fallen into third place, 165 points back.


Stage 14 Results:

Chris 255
Matt 230
Arlene 185
Brad 175
Dallas 140
Jonny B 135
Paddy 125
Vic 50
Ian 15
David 0
Hal 0


Overall Standings:

Chris 1931
Arlene 1870
Vic 1766
Paddy 1493
Brad 1433
Matt 1414
Jonny B 1406
David 1117
Hal 1079
Ian 949
Dallas 772

King Contador

Everybody's expected him to win the Vuelta all the way along. But with yesterday's race up the fabled Angliru, Alberto Contador seemed as interested in cementing his legacy among cycling's royalty as he was in taking control of the GC. Either way, he ended up doing both yesterday with a rather assertive win. He finished 42 seconds ahead of Valverde, who bounced back nicely from his disaster on the previous stage, and moved back up to 5th on the GC. Why is it that he seems to ride best only after he's imploded and taken all the pressure off himself? Sastre conceded 1:32 on the stage and sits in third place overall at 3:01 back. Levi the little worker bee managed a decent ride himself, even after dedicating himself to Contador on the day. He's still in second place overall after finishing as the fourth fastest man up the mountain. The big loser of the day was Igor Anton. Heralded as a serious challenger heading into the stage, the young Euskatel rider crashed on the final descent, broke his collarbone, and is now left to think about what might have been.

Over in the FGBC Vuelta Pool, the Impaler wins his second consecutive stage with 225 points. My boys Gesink, Mosquerra, and Zaugg worked together up the mountain and finished back-to-back-to-back in 6th, 7th, and 8th, netting me a second-place finish on the stage with 210 points. Matt finished in third on the strength of King Contador's 175 points. In the race for the overall, it's all shaping up rather nicely. Only 40 points now separate the top three teams. Vic still has the lead, but Come On Arlene and yours truly are charging hard. Unfortunately, we both lost Anton. But it's still shaping up the be a hard fought battle for the overall bragging rights. If Valverde continues to hang in there and Boonen sticks around to contest the upcoming sprint finishes instead of bolting to focus on the World Championships, Vic just might be able to hold on. But even without Anton, Arlene has Sastre and I still have Mosquerra, Gesink, and Zaugg in the top 10.

Stage 13 Results:

Brad 225
Chris 210
Matt 175
Arlene 145
Vic 125
Paddy 90
Jonny B 75
Dallas 65
David 60
Ian 20
Hal 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 1716
Arlene 1685
Chris 1676
Paddy 1368
Jonny B 1271
Brad 1258
Matt 1184
David 1117
Hal 1079
Ian 934
Dallas 632

one last reminder

the festival of belgian sports is on tomorrow, its a lot of fun. don't know why i did not mention it earlier, but tom and i were on the A-channel's big breakfast this morning promoting the event. got there at 6:00, stood in the cold for an hour and half, answered a few questions from jimmy mac, then rode in circles and jumped over a barrier 10 inches high (it's all we could piece together with what we had). the things we do...

The Cricket Chirps and the Green Bullet Fires a Blank

Pissed off by Quick Step announcing that they'd signed classics stud Stefan Schumacher before offering him a contract, Paolo Bettini took out his revenge on the rest of the peloton. He roared up the road as it kicked up to the line to make just a little bit of a statement as he won the stage rather dominant fashion. The way he looked yesterday, I wouldn't bet against him defending his world championship at Varese later in the month. Meanwhile, Valverde did what is fast becoming a rather ugly pattern for him in grand tours. Winning some early stages and generally looking strong at the top of the GC, there always seems to be a stage where it all comes crashing down rather magnificently for him. In this year's Vuelta, that stage was yesterday. He got caught napping at the back of the peloton when it fractured on a rather technical downhill. When the rest of the main contenders noticed he was not there, they out the hammer down and it was game over. By the end of the stage, Valverde had lost over three minutes and plummeted from 4th place all wthe way down to 11th. His Vuelta hopes are done and we haven't even hit the decisive mountain stages yet. That happens tomorrow. And it it starts off with a bang by finishing tomorrow's stage up the dreaded Angliru. Some call it the hardest climb in road racing. It averages over 10% and kicks up to 23% in places. If there's one stage to follow in this race, tomorrow would be it. Go here for live coverage options. CN and Pez both have nice little profiles of the monstrosity of a mountain. And, of course, they both have everything else you need to know about yesterday's action.

On the eve of the big mountains, it looks like we have ourselves a brand new race in the FGBC Pool. Vic is still in the lead, but it's getting pretty tight again. Valverde implosion won't help him in the bonus points either. Come on Arlene nipping at the Tenor's heels, just 51 points back. And my team is another 74 points behind her. With 3 riders in the top 10 and five in the top 20, the future bodes well for dr. divisive. But we've got to get over the mountains first. Anything can happen. Not to be overlooked in all the excitement about the GC was yesterday's stage. The Impaler wins his second stage of the race with 230 points. Me and Arlene were second and third, with 210 and 205 points, respectively. Hold on to your hats, boys and girls. After today's rest day, it promises to get pretty exciting for the next few days.

Stage 12 Results:

Brad 230
Chris 205
Arlene 200
Matt 180
David 100
Dallas 60
Paddy 60
Jonny B 20
Vic 0
Ian 0
Hal 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 1591
Arlene 1540
Chris 1466
Paddy 1278
Jonny B 1196
Hal 1079
David 1057
Brad 1033
Matt 1009
Ian 914
Dallas 567

Thursday Anticipation

Two cx races this weekend in Winnipeg. Or maybe it's one and a half. Unfortunately, no posters for either of them. But there is some info up on the MCA site for the Civic Park Race. Since it's highly unlikely that anybody even bothers to look there any more, I'll paste it here:

Manitoba's 1st Cyclocross race of the 2008 season

CIVIC PARK (Valley Gardens C.C. 218 Antrim rd.)
Registrations are 10am-11am

B category (less competitive) starting @ 11:30am
A category (more competitive) starting @ 12:30pm
Fees for adults are $10, kids $5

Who is racing?

The season opener is still over a month away down here. Lots of endurance mtb racing coming up though. Here are a few I've got my eye on:

1) Curse at the Crab: 6 hr enduro, part of a larger Fat Tire Fest. This one's local--at the Crabtree trails in Raleigh.


2) Oktoberfest 8 hr enduro: again, part of a larger festival, presented by none other than Tinker Juarez. In Davidson, just north of Charlotte (2 hours away).


3) Swank 65: put on by the same guys who do ORAMM. 65 km in Pisgah (3.5 hours from here). That sounds positively ghastly. Which is to say it sounds like lots of fun. This one's on the calendar for sure. Read the description below.

The Swank 65 Mountain Bike Journey is mountain bike racing at it’s most primeval, far removed from civilization and polluted air. The race begins at 2500 feet, and consists of a triad of cloverleaf shaped loops winding around Gloucester Gap in Pisgah National Forest. Rolling over rugged mining roads, fun single track, tough climbs and hell-raising descents, the exhilarating course will test your skills and desire as you explore the devilish terrain of the Pisgah National Forest. 42 miles (65K) in length.

Oscarito!

Local hero Oscar "The Cat" Freire pounces to take the stage win ahead of Boonen and a hard charging J.J. Haedo. Other than that, there's not much to say. Looks like more of the same today, though it kicks up a bit in the last couple km. CN and Pez have all the bases covered.

In the FGBC Pool, my trio of sprinters finally got their act together. 200 points and the stage win. Just ahead of Halberto, who finished with 190 points. Jonny B was third. Vic and Arlene are still 1-2 in the GC, but yours truly has slipped ahead of Paddy into third place. Look out.

Stage 11 Results:

Chris 200
Hal 190
Jonny B 155
Vic 145
Ian 100
David 95
Arlene 75
Paddy 45
Matt 25
Dallas 0
Brad 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 1591
Arlene 1340
Chris 1261
Paddy 1218
Jonny B 1176
Hal 1079
David 957
Ian 914
Matt 829
Brad 803
Dallas 507

tnr, or phase 1 of the airport circumnavigation project

present:
+ secretary taking the picture... and G showed up later.

so, we headed north along the east side of the airport... in hopes of a circumnavigation... and to find the missing part of Selkirk Ave, West. As you will notice from this google map, Selkirk is oddly incomplete here north of the airport. (For whatever reason, you do need to view the larger map to see this correctly)

View Larger Map

While a few barbs were thrown at the bringing of a GPS, that's essentially what it took to find the cow path that is Selkirk north of the airport. It's not even a nice country rode. Without adequate lights, the circumnavigation efforts were abandoned. We did manage to get ourselves on the flight path of a few planes which is always nice.

Back at the clubhouse, we turned to the annual debate on glass vs pint vs pitcher... and ran the test yet again.

Two glasses are cheaper than a pint and offer a few drams more beer to boot. At $4 a pint, and $1.85 a glass, one can order two glasses, leave the same fiver, and everyone wins: Larger tip, a bit more beer. The only down side is that it cuts away a bit at our lay-away plan for the spring ride... and again, it was acknowledged that this would be more concerning if we'd ever actually run out. Just to touch on the pitcher... turns out one pitcher holds three pints and saves us 25 cents... not worth it... what with the difficult social dynamic of pitcher purchasing and potentially unbalanced consuming. One member, who will remain nameless, was certainly concerned with the fair share...

Interesting new idea on a week of races for late winter, early spring. Five nights, five races.

Can anyone remember that phrase from the chorus of the song that Vic and this secretary liked so much last week?

Sounds like G will organize a little partner race at Ass Park next tnr. Stay tuned.

Anyway, sweet ride, sweet times.

The Honorary Captain Has a Team

It's Health Net-Maxxis, though it will probably be named something else by next spring. CN has the story. Now that Lance is back, I'm guessing the Tour de Georgia will find a way to survive its rumoured demise. That's in late April. Call it the Spring Ride: Early Edition and come join me to watch them battle it out on Brasstown Bald.

some things to do this weekend

first, the belgian festival of sports take place on saturday. all are invited to come and participate in belgian bowling, pole archery, and cyclocross (short track version) at the pole archery grounds on saturday starting around 12:00. this will be followed by beer, fries and mayo and burgers (veggie also - i think) at the belgian club.

before that, you might want to consider an art show where karen schlichting is having her first show this friday. word has it that she has some bike related prints in her collection.

Zaragoza Hinault

Sebastian Hinault wins a rather hum-drum bunch sprint into Zaragoza today. Bit of a surprise, that one. Mondory was second. Equally surprising. Van Avermat was right there again, finishing third. Freire and Boonen couldn't do any better than fourth and fifth. Bennati was nowhere to be found. Apparently he quit the race overnight. Couldn't stomach the Armstrong rumours, I suppose. Head on over to CN and Pez for everything else you need to know.

Hinault's win was good news for Ian. It helped him take his first win of the FGBC Vuelta Pool. In ten stages, we've had eight different winners. Not bad. Paddy also has Hinault. He finishes second. Hal and Jonny B tied for third with 110 points. Vic has been leading this race now for over a week. Thought it got close there for a while, he's been in first place since Stage 3. Arlene is starting to look just as ensconced in second place, while Paddy has solidified the hold he's had on third place for the last four days. Meanwhile, Dallas seems to be a lock to finish in last place. Another stage, another zero for him.

But it's not all bad news for Dallas. Hot on the heels of Armstrong's now confirmed comeback comes word that his hero, Jan Ullrich, is also considering a return to the peloton with--you guessed it--Team Colombia. Google-translated as follows:

One source close to the case but who wished to remain anonymous, Jan Ullrich cycling resume next year, to 35 years. It would join the team Columbia, heir to his former training T-Mobile. The information will be confirmed in an exclusive interview with Super Giant Scrooge, to be published in later this month. Jan Ullrich join the team for free and pay even for pedaling his pocket. It would publish all its biological parameters on the Internet and even on the walls of his house in Switzerland. Questioned on the subject, the manager of Ullrich declined to comment. The spokesman denied High Road information.

So let's see now: Lance is back, so is Basso. Maybe Ullrich. And the Honorary Captain. Next year's shaping up to be rather interesting.

Stage 10:

Ian 210
Paddy 195
Hal 110
Jonny B 110
Chris 105
Vic 80
Arlene 75
David 40
Brad 25
Matt 25
Dallas 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 1446
Arlene 1265
Paddy 1173
Chris 1061
Jonny B 1021
Hal 889
David 862
Ian 814
Matt 804
Brad 803
Dallas 507

The Reverend Has Been Threatened

Not sure if he satisfied all the relevant criteria, but some dude in Asheville, NC attempted to break Rev. Terry's tall bike record this weekend. If I recall correctly, Terry wasn't wearing a safety harness. But this bike seems pretty effin' tall. Quite a bit taller than his.

Check it out:

The Dude Rides

tnr

Meet @ James' house, 2nd house south of dr.h's house at 9:30. No route planned yet... suggestions welcome.

Wouldn't it be nice if I had a swell poster... dr. h? do you have a poster for us?

secretary

Egoi Blows into Gold

In Basque mythology, Egoi is the divinity who is identifed with the southern wind. Whether it was at Egoi Martinez's back or blowing in Levi's face, the gods smiled kindly on Martinez today. He got himself in the winning breakaway. And while he only finished 10th on the stage, he was still 6.41 ahead of Leipheimer. And so once again little Levi's time in gold is short lived. Martinez now leads the race by 11 seconds. Not to be overlooked is the stage win by Greg Van Avermat, a promising young Belgian sprinter of whose name we will no doubt be hearing a lot more in the future.

Over in the FGBC Pool, Vic has apparently had enough of Arlene creeping up behind him. Just as it looked like he was about to lose his once mighty lead, he takes the stage with a solid 240 point day. That pushes his lead back up to almost 200 points. We have not heard from David in a while. But he's back in the news today, missing out on the victory by just 5 points today. Matt was third with 150 points. Arlene and Paddy remain second and third in the GC. Don't miss the most exciting race within the race at the moment, namely the fierce battle being played out between Hal, Matt, and Brad. The three of them are separated by just a single point.

Stage 9 Results:

Vic 240
David 235
Matt 150
Ian 120
Jonny B 120
Hal 90
Arlene 75
Paddy 20
Dallas 0
Brad 0
Chris 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 1366
Arlene 1190
Paddy 978
Chris 956
Jonny B 911
David 822
Hal 779
Matt 779
Brad 778
Ian 604
Dallas 507

OTT: Be/Non, Garlic

2009 FGBC TdF Pool

The question is: How much would Lance be worth?

Cue up Dallas's outrage in three . . . two . . . one . . .

Haiku Ride Report

Ride reporting today in honour of Cycling Dave. He's keeping the Truelove, getting a license, and preparing to suffer in cx this fall. Right on.

Lots of riders out
These roads are so inviting
And buttery smooth

White tailed friends abound
Many creatures in these woods
Squished copperhead too

The hardest part is
Getting used to the weather
Each day, 30+

Astana in Command

Updated: I forgot to credit Paddy with the 25 points he gets for Levi being back in gold. It's fixed now.

David Moncoutie won the stage. But as far as the GC goes, it all went Astana's way today. Leipheimer finds himself back in yellow. And Contador is in second after jumping ahead with Valverde and Anton to take 5 seconds from the competition. CN and Pez for the rest.

My mountain men put on another show of force in the FGBC Pool. That's two wins in a row, and I'm now just two points from the podium in the GC. Much better. And to think I was ready to give up on those guys after the dismal performance by my sprinters in the first week left me languishing in the gutter with Dallas. Come on Arlene finished second today, and continues to eat into Vic's once mighty stranglehold on the top sport. His lead is down to just 11 points. Jonny B finished third on the day. More mountains tomorrow, but it doesn't look like it'll be too decisive. The big fireworks will go off next weekend.

Stage 8 Results:

Chris 345
Arlene 215
Jonny B 195
Brad 160
Vic 150
Dallas 120
Matt 105
Paddy 90
Ian 35
David 0
Hal 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 1126
Arlene 1115
Paddy 958
Chris 956
Jonny B 791
Brad 778
Hal 689
Matt 629
David 587
Dallas 507
Ian 484

Ballan Goes Ballistic

After a bunch of stages that saw the stars of the classics pull the rug out from under the big legs of the sprinters, the script called for the mountain goats to come out and play today. But apparently nobody gave that script to Allesandro Ballan. Yet another spring strongman wins the day, this time as the lone survivor of the day's long breakaway. He was helped by some miserable conditions: 15 C., rain, and heavy fog at times, which made the coveragepretty spotty. Ballan won by almost three minutes and takes over the revolving-door position of GC leader as well. Ezequiel Mosquerra led the rest of the bunch over to finish second, while Contador lept away from his competition to grab a few seconds while finishing third. Head on over to CN and Pez for the rest of the story.

After a week of stinking up the FGBC Vuelta Pool, Chris's team finally showed some signs of life today. Mosquerra's 125 points helped. But Anton, Gesink, and Zaugg all chipped in as well to push the total up to 290 points on the day. Arlene was second with 215 points, while Paddy continues to hang around the podium with 130 points. David, Ian, and Jonny B were all zeroes on the day. And Vic wasn't much better. With only 55 points, he sees his race lead shrink to just 76 points over Arlene. Paddy is in third, at just over 100 points back. More mountains tomorrow.

Stage 7:

Chris 290
Arlene 215
Paddy 130
Brad 115
Matt 100
Dallas 80
Vic 55
Hal 35
David 0
Ian 0
Jonny B 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 976
Arlene 900
Paddy 868
Hal 689
Brad 618
Chris 611
Jonny B 596
David 587
Matt 524
Ian 449
Dallas 387

OTT: Old Crow Medicine Show, Tennessee Pusher

Spinning Triangles

The best singletrack in the Triangle area are the trails by Chapel Hill High School. Basically in the middle of the city, they're on a big chunk of land owned by UNC. In an area that is developing at a torrid pace, this means that they are safe from development, unless and until UNC decides it wants to do something with that land. There are some rumblings about that happening, but that still seems like a long way away.

It's tight and twisty like Bur Oak in places. But even though the forest is a lot bigger, it's mostly tall pine trees so it almost feels wide open. Rocky, rooty, and lots of fun. Perfect for singlespeeding. No huge or long climbs like Pisgah. It's more the kind of scrambling that Johnny S loves so much. I used to ride there 10 years ago, but they've done a lot of work on it since then. There's about 60 km of trail in there now. Alex and I road 35 of them yesterday. Good times.

OTT: Dear and Glorious Physician, Donner Party

AGM

Several weeks ago this blog became a forum centering around the current state of the MCA, dwindling race participants and the website. It would be a shame if the dicussion ended in that post. I spoke with Rob N today at work, recalling the overall postive exchange of idea's and concerns expressed. After speaking with Rob, I understand that the AGM would not really be an opportunity to formally express the concerns and potential ideas which came out of Hal's post (see "Hurting" posted in August). A passion for the sport is clearly evident by the responces generated. To the MCA board members who do read this and others who care... is there an opportunity and would there be any value in a "townhall" type of discussion or open forum hosted by the MCA prior to the AGM.

That Didn't Last Long

Levi's time in the golden jersey, that is. Sylvain Chavanel was just 2 seconds back at the start of the day. But after winning the two immediate sprints and picking up 12 seconds in bonuses, he takes over the lead. No time bonuses in the Tour this year. That was kind of nice, as it turned out. But they sure made today's stage a lot more animated. Bettini won the stage, ahead of Gilbert and Valverde. Another stage that seemed more suited to April. That seems to be a theme amongst the grand tour ourganizers this year. Go to CN and Pez for the rest of the story.

Brad wins the stage in the FGBC Pool with 180 points. He was just 5 points ahead of Paddy, who has his second consecutive good day. Vic is back in the top three with 100 points. Vic's lead is still about the same. But Paddy has moved up into second, while Arlene has taken over third spot. Tomorrow's a rest day. And then it's time for the mountains. Hold on to your hats.

Stage 6 Results:

Brad 180
Paddy 175
Vic 100
Matt 90
Dallas 75
Ian 70
Arlene 50
David 50
Hal 25
Chris 25
Jonny B 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 921
Paddy 738
Arlene 685
Hal 654
Jonny B 596
David 587
Brad 503
Ian 449
Matt 424
Chris 321
Dallas 307

Thursday Anticipation

A handful of upcoming events, some nearer on the horizon than others.

1) The sweetest cyclocross race in the world is just over a month away. You won't want to miss this. Sadly, I will miss it this year. But at least I'm in the south.


It sounds like there are lots of other exciting events on the local MB cx calendar: Unhappyland, Supercross at the Belgian Club, and Provincials at the Forks? See MUCR for more. Sounds like Menno Cross will happen once again this year too. Posters may be sent to fortgarrybikeclubATgmailDOTcom.

2) As for me, the NCCX Calendar is finally out. The season starts a bit later down here. But it lasts a lot longer.

NCCX Race #1 Saturday, October 18, 2008 Raleigh, NC
NCCX Race #2 Sunday, October 19, 2008 Cary, NC
NCCX Race #3 Sunday, October 26, 2008 Boone, NC
NCCX Race #4 Sunday, November 2, 2008 Lenoir, NC
NCCX Race #5 Sunday, November 9, 2008 Dobson ,NC
NCCX Race #6 Sunday, November 16, 2008 Southern Pines, NC
NCCX Race #7 Saturday, November 22, 2008 Hendersonville, NC
NCCX Race #8 Sunday, November 23, 2008 Hendersonville, NC
NCCX Race #9 Sunday, December 7, 2008 Salisbury, NC
WCCX Race #1 Saturday, January 3, 2009 Salisbury, NC
WCCX Race #2 Sunday, Janaury 4, 2009 Salisbury, NC
WCCX Race #3 Sunday, Janaury 11, 2009 Fayetteville, NC
WCCX Race #4 Saturday, January 17, 2009 Davidson, NC
WCCX Race #5 Sunday, Janaury 18, 2009 Greensboro, NC

Looks like there are some others too, but these are the ones that constitute the two series.

3) XC8 this weekend for some. Have fun and good luck.

4) Here's a sneak preview of a little idea I've been cooking up. This one's only in the initial planning stages. It's based on PMBAR and its related races. Kind of like an endurance alley cat. In the forest. I hope to make it over to Double Dare in October and find out a bit more about how they do it. For lack of anything more creative, let's call it WMBAR for now. It will take some time to sort out all the details, but rest assured it will be awesome. If it actually comes to fruition. We will see. At the very earliest, it would probably be fall of 2009. The Spring Ride could involve some reconnaisance.


5) Meanwhile, we've almost ticked off 100 days on the Spring Ride countdown. We're well over a quarter of the way there. Sweet.

OTT: Matthew Ryan, American Dirt

Arrested

Further to the comment I posted on V's concern about the law.
The wearing of a skin suit may actually create more of a concern that being shirtless , however, the results would most likely be the same.

It would be appropriate for some comments for the legal council as to the appropriate responce during any potential questioning from the local contabulatory.

Paddy Hearts Levi

First ITT of the Vuelta, and so we get a sense of who is in this thing. Levi sure is, after winning the stage today. But so is his teammate Alberto Contador. It will be interesting to watch that one play out. But the mountains are coming and the Accountant is no doubt licking his chops. Valverde had a surprisingly good ride, for him. So he's still in it too. Sastre is hanging in there, but it will no doubt take some more work in the mountains for him to get it done. Should be fun. Schumacher won both of the Tour's ITT's, but he finished outside the top 10 today. Lots more from CN and Pez.

As for the FGBC Pool, Paddy issued a rather bold statement today. Mired in last place as recently as two days ago, he comes up with 345 points on the stage to move squarely into the ranks of the contenders. And while Vic had a rather mediocre day by his standards, finishing fifth, his lead is still almost 200 points. Arlene and Hal finished second and third and occupy those same spots in the overall GC. My team just plain sucks.

Stage 5 Results:

Paddy 345
Arlene 155
Hal 145
Matt 140
Vic 120
Brad 100
Ian 100
Jonny B 65
Dallas 45
Chris 15
David 0


Overall Standings:

Vic 821
Arlene 635
Hal 629
Jonny B 596
Paddy 563
David 537
Ian 379
Matt 334
Brad 323
Chris 296
Dallas 232

for your consideration

this and this

minutes tnr sept. 2

present: g, brad, colin, tenacious v, cousin adam, craig, secretary. president showed later.

despite who we are, it actually turned into a ride. through Ass Park, down along the fancy bridge in Charleswood, south to the Harte Trail... along said trail, west almost to the perimeter. sweet riding in the dark. on the way back, a stop at the Michael Komenda Memorial Skate Park. In the dark, it sure seemed bigger than the forks park. Crazy. Right out there on the edge of the prairie.

A brief note on the Cross Lab event. Colin and Brad were both there (of six total) and reported that mounting/dismounting was the focus. It was also revealed that the topic of the tnr was broached publicly, but one participant suggested that it would reverse all the physical gains just realized if an evening ride/post-ride was done. So, special props to Colin and Brad for cavalierly tossing their hard fought cross gains aside and joining the fgbc merriment.

At the clubhouse, besides dealing with the pedestrian issues of war and peace, and McCain's new VP appointment's child? grandchild? revelations, we grappled with some meaty klub agenda:

1. bike racks. astounding progressions were made. they may be installed as soon as saturday. while this would need to be seen to be believed, the president had words with a f&h staff member, and then vigorous discussion around the right tools ensued. stay tuned for the exciting results.
2. jerseys. yes, the secretary is still on it. attempts to connect with the suppliers have thus far been unsuccessful. the hope is to establish the parameters re styles, and then do a final call.
   
3. skin suits. no. never. not possible for this evening's gatherers. Three main issues: a) we'd all look incredibly ridiculous, b) connecting your top to your bottom makes relieving the liquid pressure awkward to impossible (while maintaining any dignity); and, c) coming in last in sport class, in a skin suit, having wizzed yourself is simply beyond words... sociologists have not yet even labeled this kind of scenario. nor should they.