MooseCross Day 1

    

     MooseCross continues tomorrow, but here a few comments on Day 1.  First of all, apologies to Zac and Weston who both rode well today, but were not around when we took this picture.  Tony and I arrived in Victor with light rain falling and scrambled to switch to mud tires.  The rain did not continue for long.  It left the ups and downs on the grassy hill pretty slick, but actually improved the dirt sections.  MooseCross is a cyclocross event without parallel in Southeastern Idaho.  Every field is deep, fast, and competitive, including the women’s field.  The organizer, Victor Velo, takes MooseCross very seriously and never fails to put on a memorable event.   The picture that I should have taken was the kids’ race.  I have been to a lot of bike races and never seen anything like the kids’ race today.  Every child in Victor between the ages of three and ten must have been there.

     The Upper Valley and Kelson riders have always looked forward to MooseCross and been among its most dependable participants.  Today was no exception.  Notable finishes included Kelton winning the junior race and Tim finishing second in the cat-4 race.  We were very happy to have a number of people come over to watch the race today including Bob Yeatman and his family, Dan and Shea, and as always tons of support from long-suffering wives, kids, and family members.

The Big One is This Weekend

Sidewinder Trail

    

Yesterday, I finally got the chance to go with Tony to ride the Sidewinder Trail.  This trail is accessed through an M-shaped gate just to the left of the Stinking Springs trailhead.  According to Tony, The Snake River Mountain Bike Club was heavily involved in the design and construction of the trail.  They deserve to be congratulated for their efforts.  It is a fine trail, one the best in the area, maybe the very best.  Unlike the Stinking Springs Trail which mostly climbs through canyons, the Sidewinder Trail winds back and forth on the face of the hillside in a long series of switchbacks.  The trail climbs steadily and predictably almost from the start, traversing some fairly steep slopes often producing a significant sensation of exposure.  Sadly, it is only about 2.8 miles in length.  Sidewinder connects into the Stinking Springs Trail near its midpoint, just less than two miles from the top of the ridge.

     Sidewinder bypasses some of the loose rock that characterizes Stinking Springs after years of erosion.  It connects to a portion of the trail that is rutted, but rideable.  However, Stinking Springs gets pretty ugly again as you go higher.  The Sidewinder Trail consists of narrow singletrack with fairly tight corners.  It is unlikely to be a super high speed descent for most people.  The Sidewinder Trail is a great example of the quality of trail that can be developed with good design, solid engineering, and access restricted to motorized vehicles.  Hopefully, at some point in the future, it can be extended or incorporated into a series of similar high quality trails.   

Kelton Wins the Junior Race at UTCX

 

Congratulations are in order for Kelton Williams on winning the UTCX junior race today against a deep field at Fort Buenaventura in Ogden.  This is a tough, miserable course with huge cobblestones and lots of sand.  Tim Meikle also had a good day, narrowly missing the podium.

Cube Recap

     Today was a great day for cyclocross with cool temperatures and bright clear skies.  All in all, I think it was a pretty successful year for the Cube.  The numbers fell short of our expectations, but the depth of talent and the overall quality of the event were outstanding.  Tate’s course was fast fun, and challenging. It takes a little imagination, but the Nature Park is a great venue for cyclocross.   Several people commented to me and Tate afterward that this was one of the best cross races they have done anywhere.  We owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who raced today as well as Tony, Zac, and all the people who helped set up the course and City Rec Director Bob Yeatman who took a chance on the Cube again.  We had a lot of support from Joe at Sticks and Stones and Brandon at Bill’s Bike Shop.  Brandon got on the phone and helped motivate a bunch of the Idaho Falls guys to come up. Both shops were very generous in terms of prizes.  Chris Huskinson supplied our signature prize, bags of new potatoes. Brian Williams donated the top raffle prize, a custom bike fit.  We also received support from the Rexburg College of Massage Therapy and other local businesses.

Weston

     The field consisted of locals, a strong showing from Idaho Falls, and riders from Jackson and Pocatello.  I talked to Bob afterward and we feel like the Cube has real potential to build back its momentum.  I think we put on a top quality event this year and hopefully that word will get around.  It is probably not a big surprise that Tate won today, but nobody made it easy for him.  There is a ton of video and photos from the race.  We will try to get more of it posted here and on the Cube website.  http://sarahsis88.wix.com/cube  In the meantime here are a couple of images from the Cube.

The Cube Podium: Nate Starnes, Tate, Forest Dramis


 

 

 

Schedule Change for Cube Setup Tomorrow

Here is the new plan for course setup tomorrow.  We will be meeting at the city shop at the south end of the Nature Park at 6:30 p.m.  We will not have a lot of light, so if you can help, please bring a headlamp or flashlight.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

2013 World Championship Highlights Video

For those who didn’t get the opportunity to watch the 2013 UCI world Championship race it can be summed up in two words rainy carnage!  Here is a short video that sums up the race.  Tate

 

Two Days Until the Cube

    

Tate and I worked on the Cube course this morning and it is looking really good. We will be back at the Nature Park at 7 a.m. tomorrow and would be grateful for any extra help that we can get.  If you can be there in the morning, please let me know. Every cyclocross course is unique.  The key to a good course is to take advantage of the resources and character of the venue.  This is the second Cube course that Tate has designed and it makes very good use of the Nature Park.  I think the course will be very popular.

     If you have never done a cross race, this is your event.  If you have not had a chance to see it yet, consider looking at the new Cube website. http://sarahsis88.wix.com/cube

A dedicated cross bike is not necessary to ride a cross race.  You will not be at a big disadvantage on a mountain bike, especially in the beginner race.  Entry is $10 for the kids’ race, $20 for the adult races.  We have about 30 t-shirts remaining on a first-come-first-served basis for pre-registrants and race day entry.

 

Kings Cross. A Message from Tate

Kings Cross is just around the corner, the first race is Wednesday the 9th at 530 pm in jackson hole, if anyone is interested in going let me know I may or may not be going.

Here is the link: http://kingcross.athlete360.com for more information you can look at their Facebook page too.

Cheers, Tate

Xterra National Championships 2013

Right in our backyard, there is a lot of fun stuff to do.

The Xterra National Championships have been at Snowbasin Resort above Ogden for the past 5 or 6 years. Athletes who race in the national championships race are there by invitation only. I was lucky enough to get an invite. Others who want to race the event can sign up for a long course or a short course at the same venue but are not considered for an invite to the World Championships in Maui, HI. Altogether, including pros, there were about 350 athletes who got invites and raced in the national championship event. My age group represented 20 of these triathletes from all over the USA. Another 450 athletes raced in the long and short courses.

Just like all other triathlons, this race included swimming, biking, and running. The difference is that the biking and running were all off-road. After a mile swim, the bike course was roughly 18 miles from Pineview reservoir to Snowbasin Resort to Sardine Peak and finally back to Snowbasin Resort. The run was a 10 km trail run loop to the south of the resort. Another difference between a regular triathlon and an Xterra triathlon is that you have to stay focused on the bike and the run. There is no “zoning out” during these disciplines. You must remain totally alert about your environment and the trail. About a 1 mile from the finish line on the run, I snagged a toe on a rock and crashed into more rocks. Fortunately my injuries were minor.

I finished 13th in my age group. Although it wasn’t fast enough to get an invite to the World Championships, I really enjoyed the opportunity to race at a nationals level. I recommend trying one of Xterra races -- they are a lot of fun and the people who race them are great. For example, the two other athletes highlighted in the video are some talented Tri/Xterra friends from Boise, who have both had very successful racing seasons.

Thanks Lana for putting together the Xterra Video. You’re the Best!

Written by Tony Perkins, Video by Lana Grover

Good Luck to Bill's Bike Shop in Their New Rexburg Location

    After many years in business in Idaho Falls, Bill’s Bike Shop has recently opened a satellite store in Rexburg. Along with Sticks and Stones, Kelson, and other local businesses Bill’s will be providing support to the Cube on Saturday.  Bill’s is a full service cycling and running store.  You can visit them across from Porter Park or read more about the business on their website.  http://www.billsbikeandrun.com/

 

Bear Lake Monster Cross

    

Today was the inaugural running of the Bear Lake Monster Cross, hopefully with many more to follow.  It was originally scheduled for June, but had to be postponed after its organizer Jared Eborn was critically injured in an automobile accident.  Jared is a great guy and thankfully has made a good recovery.  The distance of the original Monster Cross route was 100 miles, but was reduced to 80 miles today due to the small field and cold weather conditions.  In my opinion, it was the perfect route and ideal distance. 

     Monster Cross is a long gravel grinder or dirt fondo.  As has become the norm for many cycling events, it is not a race, but exists as a near race.  For a lot of people, as soon as they pin on a number and get on a bike, they are racing.  For another group, racing ruins the fun of the ride.  The race-if-you-want-to format seems to be a pretty good compromise for both groups.  The Monster Cross route is remarkable for several reasons.  The scenery is spectacular and the course almost entirely on gravel.  As a result of the recent rains it was absolutely dust-free today.

     As many of you know, I have written quite a bit about my love/hate relationship with the Crusher, Ultimate Challenge, and Lotoja.  Monster Cross is by no means easy, but I can recommend it without reservation.  It is a full value dirt fondo with plenty of moderate climbs and technical descents on very primitive roads.   However, it lacks the soul crushing climbs of the Crusher or the Ultimate Challenge.  What I am feeling for Monster Cross right now is only love.

     The first rider in today was Jeff Sumsion from Park City, who as luck would have it, was riding one of Brian’s RAD bikes.  Due to the numerous complications and rescheduling, the field today consisted of only about 20 riders.  This is going to sound like gloating, but we got the most insane pile of schwag I have ever seen at a race.  I know I going to forget something, but here goes:  jersey, t-shirt, backpack, trucker hat, shot glasses, finisher’s medal, stickers, food, and paid admission to next year’s event.  I will absolutely be there.

     The cycling season ends with a flurry of events.  Last weekend, Bruce rode the Heber Century and Tony competed in the Xterra National Championships.  Today was the ADA Ride and there are more cross races going on than I can keep track of including our own Cube one week from today.

     Lana is working on a blog post including video from the Xterra.  I would like to remind everyone else that I am always looking for content for the blog.  Nothing would make me happier than to have someone write up something to post on some on these other events.

 

Check Out Lana Grover's Gorgeous New Website for The Cube

 

http://sarahsis88.wix.com/cube#!

 

AMA Challenge is Tomorrow

     Sorry I dropped the ball on this.  I just got a text from Brian reminding me that the AMA Challenge is tomorrow in Ashton. Everyone who has done the AMA in the past has liked it a lot.  There are a range of distance options up to a full century with reasonable entry fees.  All proceeds from the event go directly to the American Diabetes Association. You can get additional information or register here:

http://www.amachallenge.org/

Kross Kickoff

     Today was the start of the cyclocross season in Southeastern Idaho.  The numbers at the Victor Velo Kross Kickoff were small, but the fun was huge.  The surface of the course was very rough today and the course more difficult than usual due to quite a bit of time on the grass and a big new hill added for the 2013 season.  It was a pretty good day for the local guys.  Tate, Brian, and I all found our way onto one of the various podiums.  Tate was a pretty good bet to win the men’s 1-2-3 race when he rolled a tubular and had to make a bike change finishing in second place.

     The Kickoff marked a milestone for Kelton in his first adult race and Weston in his first ever cross race.  Both rode very solidly.  

Brian and Kelton

Tate showing some great form.

Brian taking second in the Men's Master's race

Dave's first place in the Mens 4/5

Tate second in the 1/2.