Belgian Club

Last 'cross race of the season is Saturday, November 27th at the Belgian Club. It won't be as snowy as Minneapolis (below), or will it? A classic event with a late season twist this year. Preliminary info here.

Road Trip

Road Trip

Provincials tomorrow and then a break until Belgian Club = Road Trip.

Local crossers have often embarked on road trips in search of more racing and/or to help build racing in other communities.

Minnesota State Championships (info here) has been a popular destination in the past. The competition is strong, the fields are large, and the course is awesome (at least in my mind) - very fast, some technical bits, a long awkward stair section, and a really tough, long run-up through loose dirt. Next Saturday.

But, an intriguing alternative takes place in Grand Forks next Sunday. They started a three race series this year - the first two conflicted with our races, but the third is next Sunday. For the first race they had 32 racers in A and B categories (60 min and 35 min), the 2nd is tomorrow. The competition won't be as deep as a group as Minneapolis, but they seem to have a range from beginner to very strong and if you think where we've come from 32 is racers is awesome! And there's the added benefit of helping build racing with our closest neighbours. We've had trips to Minneapolis, Indiana, and Saskatoon in the past, but G.F. is only 2 hours away! Info here

I'm actually registered for Minneapolis, but am drawn more and more to going to G.F.

Either way, sounds like a road trip. If you're interested email me at gsewell at mts dot net.

Confirmed: A licence is NOT required for the Grand Forks races.

gs

Halloween at the Harbour Results

Another muddy day on the bike, but this time with costumes. Thank you to all who participated.

results

Next Up Is Provincials

Another race is done and what a great event it was. Thanks to the folks at Red River Racing.

Next up is Provincials. Note that Provincials is run on a completely different format than any other cross race of the year. All racing is done by age categories instead of ability categories (with the exception of the Citizen's race). Rider's require a race licence in order to qualify for provincial medals. The organizer has added a Citizen's race to the beginning of the day's events, but technically that race is not part of Provincials.

UCI championships for cyclocross always occur in January. Theoretically our Provincial Championships would qualify someone for Canadian Nationals which would inturn qualify them for World Championships. As conditions for racing locally are less than ideal in late January we hold our Provincial Championship in late October/early November. Nonetheless it is the start of a process that culminates in a January 2011 race. Therefore, your race category for next week's race is determined by what your age will be at the end of 2011.

Still confused? Just take your age at the end of this year and add 1. That will be your category.

Citizen race at noon 12 PM, 20 min + 2 laps
Kids U13 race at 12:45 PM, 10 min +2 laps (modified course)
U15, U17, All Women, Men 40-49, Men 50+ - 1:15 PM (35 min + 2 laps)
Junior Men (U19), U23 Men , Senior Men (20-29), Men 30-39 - 2:30 PM (45 min + 2 laps)

gs

Bunny Hopping

Bunny hopping* will be allowed at the Halloween at the Harbour race on a trial basis. It will be allowed in the 'A' race only. Bunny hopping in the remaining races this year will depend on the construction of the organizer's barriers.

Bunny hopping will NOT be allowed at Cross Provincials due to the variation within categories.

*If you don't know what bunny hopping is then this rule won't affect you.

gs

CrossTastic Results

Thank you everyone! Mens and Womens results here

gs

Halloween at the Harbour

Next up on October 30 is Halloween at the Harbour, brought to you by Red River Racing. The course will be challenging, but the mood will be light. Costumes are encouraged and will be rewarded with an extra entry for door prizes including a $1,500 carbon fiber wheelset.

All the details can be found here.

CrossTastic Is Sunday

CrossTastic is Sunday. Details at the CrossTastic site

3 bikes (cyclocross frame and carbon fork) to be given away! UPDATE: With the help of Olympia Cycle there will now be 4 Frames (XS to XL sizes)

European sausages, coffee, and hot chocolate for everyone!

This is the final race in the Cyclocross Cup series to determine Manitoba Cross Supremacy.

Start seeding

Seeding lists for Sunday's race. Riders have earned their starting positions. All riders must start in their seeded position. Moving up on the start line will result in disqualification.

Riders eligible to move from B to A:
Cameron McLaren
Artur Pich
Milo Delbigio

Riders not listed in either list must start at the back of the B start. Appeals to start in the A race based on out of province race results should be made to the Cyclocross coordinator (Gary Sewell) well ahead of the B race.

gs

Final Chance For Cup Points This Weekend

CrossTastic marks the final opportunity to gather points for the cross cup. I'll post the current standings later today.

Men's and Women's Cup Standings as of Race #5. Updated and corrected.

Better Than Christmas

We all know that cyclo-cross is the most fun you can have on two wheels (or any number of wheels for that matter). After our mid-season break for turkey it just gets better and better!

It all starts with the Manitoba Gran Prix of Cyclocross on October 16/17. Barbecues in St. Malo and Altona and $1200 in draw prizes for Gran Prix participants.

Follow that up with Cross-Tastic on Oct. 24. BBQ for both spectators and racers. Three cross frames and forks, and other prizes for participants (over $3000 worth).

And then Halloween at the Harbour on Oct 30 with a $1500 set of carbon tubulars up for grabs.

Add in the race wheels for the participation series and TRP brakes for the season pass draw and you could put together a new high end cross bike or two!

La Barriere And Ahead

Thanks to Moni for entering the results for me. Preliminary results are here.

Next up we have a break, then the Gran Prix weekend of St. Malo and Altona on October 16 and 17th. Promises to be super-exciting!

With all the mechanicals that are happening it is perhaps appropriate that Cross-Tastic is giving away three, count 'em, three Ridley cross frames and forks on the 24th!

Dave Benson's Photos

Check them out.

Menno Cross here.

La Barriere Cross here.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Thanks to everyone for their help. It was wonderful to see the 25 or so people helping tear down and clean up the course. Thank you ever so much.

The Barrier

Could there be a more fitting location for a 'cross race than a place called The Barrier?

Race Bible. Note that an incomplete draft went up on the MCA site initially. The correct version is now up.
Registration Form
Waiver
Save a tree and print on both sides of the same sheet.

A Race seeding
B Race seeding

Seeding is based on finish order within race with every participant receiving points. Therefore, higher seeding depends on both performance and participation. In the event of a tie, the first tie breaker is highest finish in 2010 races to date, the second is higher finish in the last race. A and B seeding use different point values and are NOT comparable.

Oct. 3 LaBarriere Park

News Flash

This weekend's race is confirmed for LaBarriere Park on Sunday, Oct. 3rd.

B/Citizen - 40 min
Children - 10-20 min
A - 60 min

Racing tentatively scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.

More details to follow shortly.

Menno Cross Results

Here.

Thanks to everyone who came out. That was a lot of fun.

CMU Update

MennoCross was indeed awesome. A very muddy, tricky technical course greeted the 100 plus riders.

Chris will post the results here soon.

Thanks to Chris, the FGBC guys and gals, and Canadian Mennonite University for an excellent event.

Next up event #3 (we're still awaiting our permit) and then there's a week off for Thanksgiving.

Oct 2 Schedule Change

The organizer's permit request for Omand Park was rejected by the city. As a result there will be no race on October 2nd at Omand Park. We had previously held a meeting with city park officials and this comes as a bit of a surprise.

The cyclocross committee will attempt to arrange another race on that weekend. It may occur on either Saturday Oct 2 or Sunday Oct 3 depending on the availability of locations and commissaires. Stay tuned for more news.

UPDATE: The most likely date is SUNDAY Oct 3rd. We are working on a couple of venues to cover our bets and will update as soon as we have a permit.

Menno Cross

The 2010 Manitoba cyclocross season continues this Saturday (Sept. 25) at Canadian Mennonite University with Menno Cross. It is also the second race of the Manitoba Cyclocross Cup Series.

No race license is required for this race. If you've heard the buzz about cyclocross and want to give it a try, this is a good opportunity to try it out and see if you like it. We are pretty sure you will.

The course is located at CMU's North Campus at 500 Shaftesbury Blvd. (Grant and Shaftesbury). Parking is available to the north of the main building.

Once again, the course will be a fast one, with flowing hills and a number of fun, swooping corners. The bunker will be back to serve up some entertainment for the spectators and the stone pit will leave you wondering where you speed has gone.

Faspa (a traditional Mennonite light meal) will be served to all racers.

Race prizing (for A and B races only) to be awarded after all races are complete. You must be present to accept your prize. Kids prizing will follow immediately after the kids race.

Registration opens at 10 am in the courtyard on the far west side of the main building. All racers must be registered 30 minutes before their race begins.

Cost - $15, CMU alumni - $10; novice riders, CMU students, and kids under 16 race for free.

The racing starts at 11 am.

C Race - 11 am (20 min.)

Kids Race - 12 noon 10-20 minutes depending on age - modified course

B Race - 1pm (45 min.)

A Race - 2:30 pm (60 min.)

Entry form here. Waiver here.

For more information as well as highlights of last year's race, visit mennocross.ca

Saturday Update

Brilliant start to the season!

About 80 racers. Awesome weather: 13C and sunny. Great job by Olli, Tim Woodcock, and all the volunteers.

Sold a bunch of season passes. They'll also be on sale at CMU next week. If you forgot to bring enough money today and you paid the regular race fee, you can still get in on the season pass next week (we'll deduct what you paid today from the cost of the pass so you still get it for $90). And don't forget all season pass holders get a chance to win TRP EuroX brakes courtesy of Unicity Eye Clinic.

Next up: Menno Cross. It will be awesome!

Race Registration

Note that all 'cross registration happens on race day at the race. Those who buy the season pass will be pre-registered for every race. Otherwise, there is no advance registration.

First Race of the Season

Woodcock Cycle Wildwood Cyclocross, CX series #1

September 18

The first race of the Manitoba Cyclocross series will be held at Wildwood Park, 271 North Drive, Winnipeg, MB.

Race course is the tested lung burner/leg buster in Wildwood Park along the Red River. Races will be fast and furious, the perfect way to get up to cyclocross speed. This is also the first race of the CXMB Cup series.

Light food, fruit and water are available for all racers.

Race prizing to be awarded after all races are complete. You must be present to accept your prize.

Registration from 1:30pm - 3 pm at the Wildwood Community Club, washroom facilities located here. Parking on the North Drive gravel shoulder.

Registration $15, novice riders and kids under 16 race for free.
Races starts at 2pm

B Race - 2pm, 30min + 2 laps

Kids Race - 3pm, approximately 15min + 1 lap (modified course)

A Race - 3:30pm, 45min + 2 laps

Forms: entry, waiver.

Cross Update

Please note the 2010 bike equipment rules.

In order of importance, bike regulations are in place to:
1) ensure safety
2) create a level playing field
3) prevent an increasingly expensive competitive 'arms race'

Some wild and unsubstantiated rumours are flying around. As noted previously the only changes are noted in red in the equipment table.

The table clearly shows that in Manitoba in 2010 there are only two changes:
1) disc brakes are now allowed, and
2) In the A category only, tires are now restricted to a maximum 1.5" width (1.38" or 35 mm for 29"/700c).

That's it. The wheel rules (rim height and minimum number of spokes), two brake rule, and no bar ends rule are safety rules and have always been in effect in every category.

Crosslab Updates

21 people out on Wednesday's crosslab and 7 for this morning's last minute pick-up lab. Awesome! Great to see Dave Larsen, Leann Friesen, and Dave Dorning who were all passing through at one time or another and stopped for a chat.

Note that this week's midweek lab takes place on Tuesday not Wednesday.

Note the updated crosslab schedule.

Season's Pass

Get 1/3 off!

The economics of running a cyclocross race are poor, in fact they're miserable. Cross races are the most expensive of all to stage. So pretty much every cyclocross race last year lost money.

Some events such as MennoCross, Bourkevale, and CrossTastic were designed as big parties and were anticipated to lose money. I don't have access to the financials of the others, but CrossTastic for example lost $1231.20. That's on the extreme end, but even the events that were intentionally run with the idea of balancing costs as much as possible had organizers digging into their own pockets so people could race cheaply. I won't bore you with the details, but this year things are even more expensive for oganizers (about $3.37 per racer).

As organizers we're determined to let citizen racers race for free again this year. Come out and try it on our dime. We know you'll be back.

Regular race entries will rise out of necessity. Oh, the big party events will still pay out of their own pockets to fund the extras, but fees will have to rise for every race just to cover the costs of the bare necessities. We're still crazy though. The people who organize the cross races just plain love having our 'cross friends come to the races and so we've created a season pass - $90 for all the races except Provincials (cash only please - separate cost would be approx $130). The pass will be available at the first three races. Not only that, but buy a pass and your name will be entered for a pair of TRP EuroX canti brakes!

Note: Sale of passes will end 1 hour before the start of the A races in order to allow volunteers to compete.

Cash only please.

Cyclocross Participation Series

First Prize:
Choice of tubular or clincher cyclocross wheelset.
These are race worthy wheels - strong and as light as you could go without starting to break things! You'd have to buy a $3000 set of Zipp 303 Cyclocross to do better!
Both have Sapim bladed spokes; 24 front, 28 rear.
Tubular: 25mm rim, 1460 gm
Clincher: 30mm rim, 1530 gm

Decided by draw. 1 entry per race completed. Two bonus entries for those buying the season's pass. Further details to follow.

Donated by Cross-Tastic and Unicity Eye Clinic

Bonus Sunday Cross Lab

In addition to Saturday's 7:00 a.m. cross lab there will be a Wednesday style lab (skills and workout) on Sunday morning at Omand's Creek Park at 9:00 a.m. weather permitting.

2010 Cyclocross Cup

Who is the best cyclocross racer in Manitoba?

Who is the strongest, most consistent, cunning, powerful, and adaptable rider? Start in citizen, work your way up to and through the ‘B’ category. Vanquish the competition in ‘B’ and be promoted to ‘A.’ Train cross, eat cross, and sleep cross. Slowly claw your way through the ranks until one day you are the dominant rider in ‘A’ and you are the Cyclocross Cup Champion.

2010 Cup Races:
Sep 18 - Wildwood Park
Sep 25 - Canadian Mennonite University
Oct 3 - LaBarriere Park
Oct 16 - St. Malo
Oct 17 - Altona
Oct 24 - Whittier Park

Points awarded in A category. Best 5 results count.

Points structure coming

Information on categories

2010 Cyclocross Categories

Categories are based on ability. In order of speed they are: 'A', 'B', citizen*

All racers require a UCI race licence or an MCA citizen licence** - both available from the Manitoba Cycling Association. A and B categories are for riders with a race licence. Citizen for those with citizen licences.

NOTE: As per other jurisdictions, for 2010 riders will have to earn their way into the A category. Determining criteria will be wins/podium finishes in B and lap times vs average A lap times. Applications to change categories shall be given to the road/cyclocross coordinator (Gary Sewell) who will take them first to the cyclocross committee and then only if supported by the committee to the commissaires.


*Provincials are completely different and are run on the basis of age categories.
**There are three races on the schedule that do not require a race licence to participate: Menno Cross, St. Malo, and Altona.

2010 Cyclocross Equipment Regulations

In the past we have conveniently looked the other way when it came to cyclocross bike regulations. Some Canadian jurisdictions (for example BC and Alberta) have disallowed mountain bikes in their A categories for many years on the basis that they are an unfair competitive advantage. As cyclocross has matured in Manitoba there is a need to harmonize our rules with others. The cyclocross committee has adopted the following regulations for the upcoming seasons - see attached table. To ease the transition, changes will take place in a step-wise fashion. The red entries signify a change.

For 2010 the UCI has reduced the maximum tire width to 33 mm (1.3"). In Manitoba we will continue to allow a maximum width of up to 35 mm (1.38") for 2010 and 2011.

The most significant change for Manitoba races this year is the need for narrower tires on mountain bikes in the A category. The committee has still allowed a slight advantage for mountain bikes by allowing 26" tires a width of up to 1.5" to allow the Continental CrossCountry which is 26 x 1.5" to allow more options. It has a pretty aggressive tread. The Schwalbe CX Pro is a cross tire that is available in 26 x 1.35" (as well as 700c). It is cheap and gets consistently good reviews. The local shops should be able to get them. If not, they are widely available online. Quite possibly there are also other choices available. Note that 29'ers will be allowed a max width of 35 mm (1.38")

Riders should note that 'cross equipment often sells out and they should make arrangements to obtain tires as soon as possible.

There is no change in rules for 'B' and citizen's category.

*The cyclocross committee reserves the right to adopt rules changes at any time with reasonable notice.

Cross Lab Schedule

Saturday, August 28: Whittier Park 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday, September 1: Omand Park 7:00 p.m
Saturday, September 4: Omand Park 7:00 a.m.
Wednesday, September 8: Whittier Park 6:30 p.m
Saturday, September 11: Omand Park 7:00 a.m.
Tuesday, September 14: Omand Park 6:30 p.m
Saturday, September 18: no cross lab - Wildwood Race
Wednesday, September 22: Whittier Park 6:30 p.m
Saturday, September 25: no cross lab – Menno Cross Race
Wednesday, September 29: Omand Park 6:30 p.m
Saturday, October 2: no cross lab - Omand Park Race


Wednesday night (Tuesday on September 14th) CrossLabs will take place at either Omand Park or Whittier Park and will emphasize skills development and a workout. Time: about 1 hour.

Saturday morning Crosslabs (with the exception of August 28) will meet at Omand Park and ride from there through the city to a different cross location, them maybe finish with a stop for coffee. Some skills development, but mostly a gentle to moderate ride. Time: about 2 hours.

The August 28th morning CrossLab will incorporate skills development and riding around Whittier and Gaboury Parks. Time: 90 minutes.

Cross Labs

That sound you hear off in the distance? That is the 2010 cyclocross season. It's just around the corner now, and it is boisterously yammering about some exciting plans that are in the works. The first race of the season is exactly one month from today. It is now time to stop talking about the need to start training. At this point, some actual training would be a good idea. Don't know how to train for cyclocross? A good place to start is to show up at a Cross Lab. Cross Labs are informal cyclocross training sessions geared toward beginners. They are led by a group of friendly local cyclocross racers. Come out and practice some cyclocross specific skills like dismounting and remounting your bike, hopping over barriers, shouldering your bike, and railing the corners.

This year they will take place on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. The first one is next Wednesday, August 25 at Omand's Creek, starting at 7pm.

Questions? Send an email.