Republic of Manitobah Report

Nice course, if a bit on the short side. It was another fast one. And the kids pretty much kicked our asses. Stupid kids. The only race they didn't win was the CX 1/2/3 Women. But maybe that's just because there weren't any kids in that one.

The Hipster was standing by the mud bog with his camera. I can't wait to see what he came up with.

Results here.

Thursday Anticipation

Pack up your cx bikes, boys and girls. We are going on a road trip. Specifically, we're heading to the little known Republic of Manitobah to race some bikes this Saturday.

Please note that online registration closes at the end of the day today. So if you don't have a season pass, make sure to get yourself on the start list.

If the race is anything like the story from which it derives its name, it could be very interesting.

CrossVegas Live

DarkCross may be the sweetest, but it isn't the only night-time cyclocross race in the world. Another one of the big ones goes down tonight in Sin City. The women start at 10pm Winnipeg time.

Happily, it is being shown live on a number of different outlets. You should all feel free to put aside whatever work you may be doing and watch it. Consider it research for next year's edition of DarkCross.

Look for live streams at cyclingdirt or cxmagazine.

DX in the News

In case you missed it on the newsstand.

Online access to the story here.

MennoCross Registration

It is open for business. Surf on over here and get yourself on the startlist.

Storm the bunker. Get stoned. Do the flyover. And most importantly, come see the Sweetest Skinsuit in the World as it makes its worldwide debut.

Beware the Dark Red Rooster.

Flyover Dismantling Party

Course set-up for the Sweetest Cyclocross Race in the World commences in about 2 hours. Swing by the Speedway if you are looking for something to do.

DarkCross Primes Have Arrived

If the Darkness is the official beverage of the Dark Side, Jäg is one of our alternates. It is doubtful that every medicinal need will be met on Saturday. But some lucky winners will walk away with 56 health inducing herbs.

Cross Lab Photos

We know it's cx season now. The photos are starting to circulate.

Women CXers beware: the WCC is going to crush it this year.

(photo credit: Stephen Anderson-Lindsay)

Lots more photos here.

Make sure to tell all your photographer friends about the DarkCross Photo Contest.

DarkCross Week - updated Sept 10

Hold onto your hats, boys and girls. It is going to get a little crazy for the next six days. Here's the schedule:

Monday - rest and anticipation. A good opportunity to make sure your bike is working well. It might be the last chance before the race.

Tuesday - Cross Lab #2 at CMU. After this, your next opportunity to embarrass yourself in front of a group with a poorly executed remount will be at the Speedway.

Wednesday - Cyclocross Season Kickoff Party at the Belgian Club. Purchase a season pass at a discounted rate--$115 to race the entire season. Cash only! Come and pick up your new race numbers. And hang out with all the cool kids.

Thursday - Flyover dismantling and loading party at Mike's place. Always a good time. We'll need 8-10 people for this. And maybe a crane. Meet at 6:30pm. Deck comes off after 7:00.

Friday - course set-up day! We'll start early and stay until everything's done. You have all booked the day off work, right?

Saturday - the day we've all been waiting for.

Vicarious Vuelta Wrap-Up

In the end, the Ratt was able to hold on to the top step of the podium. But not before the Secretary put a bit of a scare into him. Darryl moved up into second for a while, thanks to having the best final GC performance in the pool. But Prince Dan moved ahead of him in the end to finish second. Again.

So Adrian gets to choose between the Sweetest Socks in the World, the Revolution Wheelworks socks, and the Tempranillo. Let us know what you want before it's Dan's turn.

Ian was last. It wasn't even close. So he gets to supply the Belgian beverage for the winner of the Cyclocross Pool in six months from now.

Full results and overall standings here.

Thanks for playing everyone.

The 2012-13 FGBC Cyclocross Pool will be starting soon. But first it'll have to wait until we're finished with the big party known as DarkCross.

Stages 17-19

Here.

Don't Get Mad, Get Stevens

The FGBC/Dark Red Racing is pleased to announce a partnership with Stevens Bikes. The Stevens Team Carbon is now the official cx bike of the Dark Red Side.

Dark. Sexy. German. It's a perfect match, really.

Stages 13-16

Sorry for the lack of updates. We've been busy riding bikes. And building them. More on that later.

Everything you need to know about the Vicarious Vuelta is right here.

Thursday Anticipation: Special Cyclocross Edition

DarkCross is just two weeks away! That is very exciting. But it is also a bit scary.

Fortunately, CrossLabs are starting next week. Show up if you need help with dismounts, cornering, shouldering your bike, eliminating the stutter step from your remount, applying embrocation, and other goofy cx skillz. Or even if you just want to hang out and experience the special vibe that makes the cyclocross community so awesome. Plus, they're taking place at CMU, so you will have an opportunity to try out the new steps at the Bunker.

Bring the kids too. There will be someone on hand to give some special attention to the Junior Dark Side/Little Red Roosters.

The official announcement reads as follows:

CrossLabs - Free Casual Cyclocross Practice 

Everyone is welcome! Join us for a fun cyclocross practice session and workout that will mix skills and drills with games and challenges. All you need is a bike (any bike will do) and a helmet. Suitable for all ages and abilities. 

When: Tuesday nights in September at 6:30 p.m. 

Where: Canadian Mennonite University (North Campus), 500 Shaftesbury Blvd.

Stage 12

Holy crap, that was steep! And super exciting to watch. If this was a real race, the Ratt wouldn't have been anywhere near the front. But the beauty of vicarious racing is that its relationship to reality is tenuous, at best. Adrian claimed a big win today and padded his lead in the overall race. The Secretary finished second and is starting to get himself spiffed up for the final podium photos. King Andy finished third today. He's up to fifth overall now. That kind of consistency is why we call him the King.

Full results and overall standings here.

Stages 10 & 11

The real race is turning out to be pretty interesting. The vicarious race, considerably less so. There's still no change atop the overall standings. But at least we've broken the tedious pattern of Ratt and the Secretary trading wins. Patrick took the win on stage 10 and Andy won the vicarious ITT.

Full results and overall standings here.

Meanwhile, out at Falcon Lake . . .

Olli won a silver medal. So did Vanessa.

Perhaps equally newsworthy, it's not even dark yet and the results have been posted! That is very promising.

Grasshopper Grinder Report

Big time thanks for Terry for yesterday's Grasshopper Grinder. Then again, there were times when it seemed he was trying to kill the lot of us. But the post-race pool party and dogfest did seem to suggest he had our best interests in mind.

There were plenty of grasshoppers, as promised. And lots of crickets too. But there was only one Cricket. He did, however, roll in just behind the Impaler. We can expect to hear about this at the klubhaus every other week or so for some time to come. But at least it will break up the monotony of the story about time he beat the Awesome One.

There were some navigational issues. Some of us climbed Spring Hill more than was necessary. That sucked. But nobody climbed it more than the CycleChick, who scaled the beastly run-up a full six times, following the arrows from last weekend's Dirty Donkey race, before heading back into the howling headwind. That headwind, it was absolutely horrible!

There were also some casualties on the cx portion of the course. Refusing the race director's suggestion that we walk it, Halberto went down on the sketchy descent. The end result was some much needed colour on his thigh and a new excuse to spend more money on bikes.

JP crossed the finish line first. That he was very strong was demonstrated by the fact that he was lucid  enough to appreciate the need to take some photos of the scene at the finish line. The rest of us needed a little more time to recover from the heaping plate of agony Terry prepared for us.

Stages 8 & 9

Randy and King Andy finally broke the stranglehold that Ratt and the Secretary have had on the race. Andy won stage 8 and King Andy took stage 9.

In the overall race, Todd has bumped Prince Dan out of third place.

Full results and overall standings here.

Stages 6 & 7

The Secretary and the Ratt are taking turns winning stages right now. The Ratt is winning the climby stages, thanks to his combination of Rodrigues, Roche, and Capecchi. And the Secretary has been unbeatable in the sprints, largely due to the Italian duo of Benatti and Viviani. So the Ratt won yesterday, his third stage win in four days. And the Secretary won on the race car circuit today, giving him two wins in three days. Can anyone stop these guys? Tomorrow is another uphill finish. The pattern would suggest it is Ratt's turn again.

No changes to the top three. And no changes at the bottom either, where Gianni looks to have a stranglehold on the vicarious lanterne rouge.

Full results and overall standings here.

One other thing: there will be prizes again. The fine folks at Revolution Wheelworks are back with a pair of socks. Jason reports that the pair he won in the TdF Pool are super sweet! Even after wearing them for almost a month. The winner will get to choose between those and a pair of FGBC socks. Unless someone comes forward and donates a bottle of Tempranillo to the prize pool.