TNR

Last one before the annual 24 hour race. This would be a good week to show up at the F&H.

FGBC CX Pool Roundup

Two more races this past weekend. Only three more to go. Here's where things stand.

GVA #7 (Krawatencross) Results:

Paddy & Naomi 420
David S 370
Ian 360
Charlene 355
Gary 350
Deanna 350
Olli 345
Chris A 340
Tomek 315
Vic 295
Jonny G 285
Rachel 270
Chris H 255
Adam 250
Dallas 245
Andy 225
Hal 195
Jonny M 180
Brad 140
Bill 100
Matt 90


SP #7 (Hoogstraten) Results:

Gary 365
Ian 360
Olli 340
Deanna 335
Chris A 320
Vic 315
Rachel 315
Charlene 310
David S 300
Jonny M 300
Tomek 295
Paddy & Naomi 290
Chris H 240
Adam 230
Jonny G 225
Dallas 215
Bill 190
Hal 180
Matt 175
Andy 135
Brad 90


Overall Standings:

Gary 15790
Rachel 15240
David S 15060
Chris A 14850
Olli 14505
Jonny M 13510
Ian 13495
Paddy & Naomi 13380
Vic 13085
Chris H 12735
Charlene 12245
Tomek 12240
Deanna 12200
Matt 11785
Adam 11550
Dallas 11360
Jonny G 11330
Brad 11195
Hal 10405
Andy 10285
Bill 9750

OBC

Orioles Bike Cage Update

The Orioles Bike Cage (they call it a cage because it is a cage) is on the cusp of "opening". The OBC is a community-owned bike repair station, with used parts and skills training available for those in need and willing to help out. The permissions and insurance and all that for the space are in place, and last week FGBC'ers Bill and Teagan A. and I, and a host of other west Winnipeggers got the space cleaned out and a bunch of tools and gear dragged in.

The opening hours for the space are shaping up as Thursday nights, after 7 p.m. At least for now. I could see a weekend shift being added once warmer weather hits. This Thursday (and for the next couple, probably) will probably be set up work - getting tools, workbenches, etc. sorted out. It's a pretty loose, take-all-comers sort of a collective, so anyone who has a spare hour to help out would be most certainly welcome.

Orioles Community Club (part of the larger ensemble of Valour Communuty Centres) is at the corner of Burnell and St. Matthews, and the OBC is at the back of the gym.

Horrible

Tecnically speaking, I'm sure there are things that are more horrible. There is, after all, Celine Dion. And Edmonton. But in terms of being on the bike, this was most definitely a nightmarish proposition. Six consecutive stages in 36 hours is bad enough. But as if to kick you in the balls once more, they make you miss two nights of sleep by starting the race at midnight. Race organizer Eric Wever seems like a decent guy at first blush. He loves to ride. He puts on free races and even supplies the beer and chili. But that is all bluff. In reality, he is a vile and despicable man who delights in watching people slowly and inevitably come to pieces. He hit us hard from the start with a monster of a lap that was punctuated by sending us up one of the nastiest descents in the forest. This meant an hour-long hike a bike scramble up to 4200 ft., hauling our bikes over rocks and downed trees. Having made it clear that he wasn't joking around when he said "horrible," it was like he looped the tape, pressed play and let it go all night long. And then another night. And another half a day.

Our hope going in was simply to finish. This we'd hoped to achieve by banking time for sleep on some of the adventure race stages where you only have to get one mandatory checkpoint out of a possible six. Stage two was like that. But by the time we got our one checkpoint and picked up a second one on the way back to the campsite, we'd done a few more hour-long climbs and logged another 7 hours on the bike.

After about 12 hours of reciting What Would Lindsay Do? faint whispers of We Are Exactly What We Are elbowed their way past my crippled resolve and into my increasingly fading consciousness. By the time we began the final climb of the stage that faint whisper had turned into a rousing chorus, complete with the secretary's signature falsetto. When it became clear that we could not possibly finish 6 of those stages in 36 hours, the lure of beer, a campfire, and sleep was too powerful. We pulled the plug at 3pm after two stages, having spent 13 hours on the bike, covering 130 kms, and climbing over 10,000 ft. That Alex's heart refused to go over 110 beats per minuted did not help our collective morale. Being told that we'd be in third place on the road if we kept going enticed me enough to pose the question of whether we should try one more stage. But Alex would have none of that. He muttered something about never having really believed in the concept of this race from the start. He was clearly determined not to be further violated by letting himself be a part of Eric's evil fantasies. Or maybe that was his way of saying "I'm tired of waiting for you at the bottom of all the descents." Either way, we were done. Sorry Lindsay. We are exactly what we are. We are not heroes.

After being entertained around the fire by the local cycling celebrity known as Team Dicky, we dragged ourselves into the tent and slept for 14 hours. Just like almost everyone else. Of 29 starters, only 3 were willing to soldier on through a second night. Another team managed to get themselves started again after some sleep and managed to get back into contention. A few others got going again too, but by this point they were facing too much of a time deficit to have a chance at finishing and were not so much racing as riding. We elected neither to race nor to ride. Instead we went hiking.

Once again, nobody finished the race as it was originally envisioned. But ever the cunning devil, our sadistic race director quickly changed tack. He reloaded his trap with fresh bait by shortening the race from 6 stages to 5 and granting an extra two hours to finish. This was enough to seduce five racers into "finishing." Their souls are no doubt burning in hell right now. The top finisher was actually the guy Alex usually rides with in these races. He logged 283 kms and climbed over 22,000 ft. in about 37.5 hours!

How hard was it? Alex and Dave did Trans Rockies this year. After finishing the first two stages, they said each of them was comparable to a single TR stage. Which led to the analogy that we were being asked to complete the entire TR stage race in a single extended race. Or, for Jonny G and Johnny S, I'd say the first stage would be comparable to our second day at Moab if we'd done it three times in a row. Red Ass? It's like a Wednesday Night Race compared to this.

Would I try it again? Yes. Am I relieved that I'm moving away and won't be able to make good on that claim? Yes.

Taken in more reasonable doses, Pisgah is a super sweet place to ride. Unfortunately, I don't have the pictures to back that up. But here are a handful. You can find better pictures and plenty of post-race chatter here, here and here.

The winner, Dave Anderson (with evil Eric smiling on the left).

the assistant honorary lieutenant co-captian is being noticed down south

from the ny times.

does not look like we are getting updates from the good doctors participation in the most horrible thing ever - too bad. there should be some pictures when he is done as the race requires you take pictures of various check points along the way.

Wearing safty head gear is cool!!! This guy is not.

TMHTE

I am off. It starts at midnight tonight. From what I've heard about last year--no one finished; everyone was disqualified--this one is not so much about chasing success. It's about how badly you're going to fail.

For those who want to follow along at home, they say updates will be available here.

What Would Lindsay Do?

Hasselt Indoor CX

No time for comment. Just the results.

Yesterday's Results:

Deanna 375
Adam 340
Tomek 320
Paddy & Naomi 315
Andy 305
David S 280
Jonny G 270
Vic 265
Chris A 225
Dallas 225
Chris H 220
Charlene 215
Rachel 205
Ian 195
Hal 150
Gary 150
Olli 150
Brad 125
Bill 125
Jonny M 105
Matt 50


Overall Standings:

Gary 15075
Rachel 14655
David S 14390
Chris A 14190
Olli 13820
Jonny M 13030
Ian 12775
Paddy & Naomi 12670
Vic 12475
Chris H 12240
Tomek 11630
Charlene 11580
Matt 11520
Deanna 11515
Adam 11070
Brad 10965
Dallas 10900
Jonny G 10820
Hal 10030
Andy 9925
Bill 9460

Thanks Tom...Good times.

Thursday Anticipation

1) Spring Ride

As always, we begin by taking a moment to anticipate the sweetest weekend of the year. The president is so excited he can barely keep the rubber side down.



2) Birthday Ride


The Impaler is turning 50 soon. I believe it will happen sometime during the 24 Hour of Coens race. In the tradition of Colin's 50 mile birthday ride last year, the FGBC is planning a similar ride in Brad's honour. Except it will be 50 kilometres because it's kind of cold right now. The shorter distance will be compensated for with a special post-ride dogfest.

Sunday February 22, 3 pm.

Ride will start and end at Brad's house.
Route will be northeasterly towards Birds Hill Park.

Post ride hot dogs by the fire.
Bring warm clothes to sit around the fire.

Bring your own beverages.
Brad will supply the dogs, buns and condiments.

Email Brad for directions and to RSVP.


3) 24 Hours of Coens

It's just over one week away. It sounds like things are coming together nicely. You don't want to miss this.


Saturday Feb 14, 10:00am to Sunday Feb 15, 10:00am. In case you have missed it, this year's race will be headquartered at the secretary's place.


4) TMHTE

The North Carolina chapter is facing The Most Horrible Thing Ever this weekend. It starts Saturday at midnight (i.e., Friday night) and ends on Sunday at noon. Two nights and 36 hours in the mountain bike playground known as Pisgah. Yes, I am scared. The plan is to soldier on one pedal revolution at a time asking myself repeatedly "What Would Lindsay Do?" One good thing is that the weather doesn't look too horrible. The forecast is calling for a high of 17C. on Saturday and a low of +3.


5) Gianni's Grass Track Glossary

This week's entry:

Miss and out

Okay, we’re running out of Olympic track cycling events, so we’re no into the realm of “other events” some of which are great training tools, some of which are crowd pleasers, and all of which are fun.

The miss and out race (also ominously referred to as “devil takes the hindmost”) starts like a scratch race (mass start). After a couple of neutral laps, a whistle is blown or a bell is rung, and the last rider across the line at the end of the next lap is out of the race. The battle to not be last generates lots of medium intensity sprints. Sprints are be every second or every fifth lap, depending on how sadistic the race director wants the event to be. The overall length of the race is determined by the number of participants, with strategy playing a larger and larger role as the field is whittled down to 4 and then 3 and finally just 2 riders (who are usually jeered by those who have been eliminated).

Miss and out works on your speed, your awareness of position in a group, and more than anything else, your ability to push hard and recover quickly – perfect for cyclocross training.

In lieu of an event-specific photo… here’s a nice pic of a dude with a mustache.

Minutes

Recorded by Brad the Impaler:

As always, a fine ride. Craig, Kevin and Brad were out. We rode the river trail all the way to Assiniboine Park, and other than a few skaters and dog walkers we had the river to ourselves. Headed to the Klubhaus via Assiniboine Drive, where we were greeted with applause and a cheer from our server. They like us. They really, really like us.

Juan Eppstein, Tenacious V, James and The Secretary showed up shortly after the riders. The Secretary provided the peanuts. There was some discussion about the length of the 24 hour course, and I'm not sure if any decision was made to lengthen it or not. Those that raced Icebike agreed that it had been a great course and an enjoyable day.

Arrowhead Photos

FGBC field correspondent Gianni sends along the following visual documentation:

Et Tu, Under Armour?

While you wait for the minutes from last night's ride and meeting, why not enjoy this attempt by Under Armour to see how many messenger and urban cycling clichés they can squeeze into a two minute ad spot?

Throaty Mexican death metal. Check.
NYC backdrop. Check.
Corners? Skid 'em, don't ride 'em. Check.
Black and white stars handlebar grips. Check.
No handed, I'm flying pose. Check.
I'm so invincible, watch me ride against traffic. Check.
Grab car, hitch ride. Check.
Backward Circles. Check.

And much, much more. If you view it as parody, it's not bad. I don't think it's intended as parody.

TNR

Espresso Junction, 9:30. Right Brad and Craig?

Arrowhead 135

135 miles on snowmobile trails in northern Minnesota. They started at 7 am this morning. Our favourite bike messenger is racing. Follow his progress here.

Ice Bike Results

Right here. Thanks to Olli for passing on the link.

Albert is World Champion of the World

Niels Albert is fast. So is Stybar. Boom had a very bad day. There wasn't really much more excitement than that on a frozen, fast course in Hoogerheide. On the women's side, Marianne Vos steals the rainbow jersey from Kupfernagel. Compton settles for third. Lots more from CN.

Last lap:



Olli finished on top in the FGBC CX Pool. He took home a whopping 1530 points. Chris A was second, with 1450 points. And Gary grabbed third place, pushing his overall lead back up to almost 500 points. There was lots of jostling in the overall standings. Chris A. looks set to make a late run for the podium. And Ian continues his slow and steady move up the leader board. On Nov. 23, he was tied with Bill for last place. Now he's 3245 points ahead of Bill and all the way up in 7th place overall. Andy is finally emerged from the cellar. Bill is now holding the fort down there.

Yesterday's Results:

Olli 1530
Chris A 1450
Gary 1400
Tomek 1350
Ian 1250
Rachel 1140
David S 1130
Paddy & Naomi 1110
Brad 1060
Andy 1020
Dallas 1020
Adam 1000
Vic 980
Charlene 980
Deanna 880
Hal 870
Jonny G 790
Jonny M 690
Matt 680
Chris H 600
Bill 440


Overall Standings:

Gary 14925
Rachel 14450
David S 14110
Chris A 13965
Olli 13670
Jonny M 12925
Ian 12580
Paddy & Naomi 12355
Vic 12210
Chris H 12020
Matt 11470
Charlene 11365
Tomek 11310
Deanna 11140
Brad 10840
Adam 10730
Dallas 10675
Jonny G 10550
Hal 9880
Andy 9620
Bill 9335

Ice Bike

The Training Co-op has some photos, including this one of Tom K no doubt rhapsodizing about how sweet the sweetest wool jersey in the world is (from Lori K).



Who is writing the report?

The Editor's Showcase (aka Nordic Cross #4) seemingly did not materialize. I guess the Editor has nothing to show. Or maybe he was busy sharpening pencils.

Race Calendar is Up

It's all right here. Start planning your season now.

Note that the FGBC is doubling its organizational efforts by putting two races this year. Southern Cross returns for a third consecutive year. And Menno Cross celebrates its 4th anniversary by joining the regular MBCX series. Right on.

The full Cyclocross schedule looks like this:

Aug 16 MBCX #1 - Fort Whyte
Sep 20 MBCX #2 - Kings Park
Sep 26 MBCX #3 (aka Menno Cross) - CMU
Oct 04 MBCX #4 - Bourkevale / Bruce Park
Oct 10 MBCX #5 Belgian Club
Oct 18 MBCX #6 (aka Southern Cross) - Altona
Oct 25 MBCX #7 - Birds Hill Park
Nov 01 CX Provincials - Fort Whyte
Nov 08 MBCX #8 - Whittier Park

Unfortunately the road and mtb calendars have both encroached on cyclocross territory--i.e., fall. That leaves us with only two races in September. This agression will not stand. Menno Cross may have left the underworld, but do not despair. There will be plenty of black market racing to fill in the gaps in the calendar.

The MUERTO Calendar is coming soon. We're still trying to finalize which races will be included in the series. Already officially in are the Morden Back 40 (June 6), Reach the Beach (July 5), and the White(s)hell Enduro (July 19). It will be sweet. There is, after all, a belt buckle up for grabs for the overall series winner.

All of these events and more will be listed on the official FGBC Calendar. The secretary has just added this as a permanent link up in the top right corner. Consult it regularly.

Coen Recon Complete

A fine ride. The jonnys and Tenacious V showed up later... because Unger had joined them, only to have his wheel explode (not just the tube, apparently) half the way to my place. Sick.

Anyway, the greatest concern was the river crossing, so we tackled that first, and I am pleased to report that we have a fine location, so our route now becomes a loop. We quickly realized that we'd need to go in reverse of our exploration because it will be easier to go down a steep bank than up... see the picture below, from our return trip.
Our path will meander through Kildonan Park... including the creek from the duck pond to the witch's hut. Nice. We checked into the golf course area, see pic below, but the single track was too single... ie. infuriatingly narrow and soft. So we took a pit stop under the old train track.
Great day for riding except the wind which nearly knocked us off the trails for a short time. Turns out the Sals close to our place is awesome. Triple cheese nips almost all 'round.
It's going to be a nice loop. You don't really want to miss this. Granted, it won't be the same without Dr. H's snotcicle. (See the poster in the post prior to this one.)

(EDIT later: I've tried to make a route with an online tool. Try this:
24hrs of Coen Route)