These pics are courtesy of Erik Erickson of Erickson Brothers Tree Farm Fame!

Pics thanks to Lynne’s What the??? Damnit!!! Blog.

These pics thanks to skinnyski.com

I stole Matt Anderson’s fat-boy from Dale Sedgewick on the back side of the course… that was the softest sweetest half-lap of cross I’ve ever done!  I almost didn’t make it up the run-up though, that sucker weighs 50+ lbs!

-Scott

Beautifull day very festive atmosphere, a lot of costumes, some very original, a lot of just dudes dressed like chicks! The course was pretty sweet very fast, they had us weaving in and out of three horse barns, over some real lumpy bumpy grass, and back into the main horse arena, they even had a pretty sweet little jump set up on the down hill and a few of the single speeders were hittin it, team Beer and tireless velo, were on course giving out beer hand ups! thanks I was a little parched!

I had a great start into the arena but there was a jam up so I got off and ran it passing quite a few riders, a few others joined me and we were off to the down then uphill out and back, I could feel my lungs just burning, and having a hard time breathing(bronchitis) but I climbed up the steep grass hill and into the barns out and around, by the fourth lap I was feeling better and seemed to be breathing better and started passing people, I really picked it up on the last lap, but I was passed by a Christmas tree out of no where I tried to reel him in but he was off like a rocket I don`t know where he came from! I ended up 40th,  getting faster  , can`t wait until I feel better, I think I can be top 20!  

A very touching part of the day was the silent lap for the crussader that we lost last week, it made myself and those around me,  think about how important you are to your friends and loved ones.

Guy Smith, Ride On!

First off, as far as the Spenser dude goes, we can’t make everyone happy. This is where we chat about our races and what not. It’s all good. Now how about we discuss this. When a group of 5-6 riders are fighting it out and the leader comes up behind you to lap you and everyone moves over and slows up to let him go. Is it lame or not lame for 1 guy to hop on his wheel and use the leader to get away from the rest of the group. Should the leader have to race his way through the group? I don’t want to hold him up if it’s a tight battle for 2nd, but I don’t want to let some dude do that again either. Maybe I should be faster so I’m not getting lapped. That would solve alot.

Red Barn.

Far and away, my favorite course thus far, this year. Dave P picked me up on the beautiful morning and we hauled up hwy95 to the Erickson Tree Farm.

My first crossrace was a B race last year, in St. Cloud. I quickly moved back the C’s, but recently decided to move back up with the faster dudes. Not because I won anything. I simply saw former-beatable-C’s racing now in the Bs and knew it was time to move up.

I spent the first 20 minutes just being smooth, keeping my pace high, feeling strong. But I hit the fitness wall right on schedule (for a C race). The pain hit hard right in my lower back. In a C race, I could get thru the final 10 minutes no problem, here I was only halfway done. So I fell further and further back for the second half of the race. Which, in all honesty, was what I expected.

Anyways, I finished 38th outta, i dunno… 50 or so racers. Had I been racing B’s eariler in the season, I’d be doing better, be better fit for that time period. So things can only get better. Especially since I’m sporting the super-kool Ritchey WCS carbon rims. Those things rocked. As did the Challenge Grifo Tires.

stole the pic from strats.

the(dis)pencer sent a cannon across our bow.

He’s kinda right. Lets see what else we can do with this site.

I’m looking for questionable pic’s of the dude. Not many available, at least where I’m looking.

Let’s see what we can come up with.

fpa

Hit the Red Barn CX this Saturday.  Full Crossniacs crew rocking all the classes.  FPA, Eric, CJ, Andy, N8, Scott, Superstar…did I miss any one?  It was an awesome day for a ride, especially for MN in late Oct.  The morning started cold, but warmed to mid 50’s with blue skies.  Big crowds with beer and food afterwards.  I think this is the third year for the event and it keeps getting better each year.  This was my second time to do the race on the course and it was pretty similar to last year.  The race is held at a Christmas tree farm, so the terrain is flat and is almost all grass with lots-o-turns in and around the tree rows.  Only one short, but steep, run-up to break up the big gear hammer fest.   During warms ups I figured this would be a tough course for me as I prefer more natural obstacles to string things out.  My plan was to sit in close to the leaders and just see what happens.  I was second position after the first corner following Paul Schoening from the Ridley Factory team.  He makes a habit of going out really hard.  I was a little concerned because I figured Paul’s cornering was going to be superior to mine so I was hoping that he would fade and come back to the group.  Sure enough after the first run-up Paul started to fade a little.  Going into the second lap there was a group of 5 or so on his tail.  We caught him on the one hard pack section of the course and I decided to go to the front and drive the pace.  I think I lead for the next two laps until a guy from Brones in Madison passed me on the barriers (need to work on my technique!).  We battled back and forth for the next couple of laps.  I could see that he was struggling on the run-up, so I surged a little each time.  The third time we hit the run-up together I dug deep and got a small lead on him.  Fortune was on my side because as he was remounting he dropped his chain.  I was able to open a 20 or 30 meter gap pretty quickly and really started to drive hard to open it wider.  I was able to stretch the lead out to about 30 seconds or so over the next couple of laps and held on for the win.  All the Crossniacs represented well.  Andy had another great ride.  I know your are disappointed with the bobble over the barriers on the last lap, but it was still a great ride.  You were closing in on second for most of the race but just ran out of room to catch him at the end.  I hope Sunday went better for you.  CJ, way to go man.  Rockin the A’s.  Fourth in your category.  You are the king of suffering! “Other” Guy

beat by 2 ex-pros…not bad for a never a pro guy.

i’m getting used to the grass racing. today the start was crucial because it funneled into a hairpin…..they did call ups for series points and i got called up 2nd….and nailed the hole-shot and out of trouble. the 1st lap we stayed together. i took the lead a number of times and kept attacking to break things up…too much traffic for my tastes. lap 2 we had 6 guys and the race was on…it was totally tactics at this point. nowhere on the course was hard enough to get rid of anyone and we all took our turns at the front…2 laps to go i told charlie storm, the guy who won last week to work…he went to the front and cracked the whip…we lost 2 guys instantly and then the 2 ex-pro
mtn bike guys out rode me and another guy in the techy sections the race for 3rd was on..i let him lead the first 1/2 into the wind and there was a dirt power section that i attacked and i couldn’t shake
him he snuck by around a corner…..i squeezed by a 180 turn that he took too wide. the finish was up hill into the wind so i was nervous about getting out-sprinted…i gave it all i had and took the final step on the podium….bike racing in a new community is funny. people are nice to you and mae a effort to talk to you and even know your name if you are fast….it was the same way when i moved to CO…..life is good.

jared

This was my second double dip weekend in a row, third of the season. Even though I’m tired and can feel that my body will be happy to rest once the season is over, I can feel that I’m either staying at the same strength or getting stronger with each race. Three weeks left in my season, and I hope it will continue to improve.

Yesterday’s race was the Red Barn Classic, one of the local favorites that I finally raced this year. The course is held at a tree farm (as in x-mas trees) and was quite fun and twisty. There was a double barrier early on in the lap, lots of twists and turns, a gravel stretch into more twisties, two 180s, a few more turns into a triple, to more twisties to a short steep singletrack downhill that immediately turns up the short, steeper run-up to the finish. I could feel my legs were fine on the bike, but just weren’t feeling great on the run. I couldn’t figure out why, but I felt flat on my feet, which is annoying given that I’ve practiced barriers for months for a course just like this.

Race starts and I settle into top 8 through the double and make it up to top six by the end of lap one. I know a couple of the riders in front of me are strong but will start to fade in the next two laps, so I sit patiently. Guy is on the front, driving it hard, but still within sight, especially through the two 180s. Every lap, though, my legs are really struggling with the triple–it’s spaced too close/too far and I never can get my stride just right without having to stutter a little bit. Half-way through and I’ve moved into 3rd and am slowly opening up the gap behind and closing the one in front. That lap through the triple and my front wheel bounces off the second barrier and I stack it into the third. $%$@*&! I run back for the bike, straighten the bars, but somehow the guy sitting 4th hasn’t caught me. I regain my composure and going into the bell lap I’ve got a decent 20m gap. I keep telling myself to ride clean and smart and I’ve got it. Everything’s fine until the triple when I don’t quite clear my shoe on the second one again (more &^$@*!) and drop the bike to jump clear. As I’m picking it up again I can tell 4th is right on me. He charges hard around me on the next two turns and I’m not interested in throwing shoulders right now. I try to tuck in, but I don’t hit the run-up very cleanly and roll through for a disappointing 4th overall and in B1.

Today was completely different down at St. Olaf College. Long steep hill with a double at the bottom, but rideable soon after. Lots of bumpy twisties at the top, a fast rocky hairy downhill that rattles back down to the grassy field, a few turns into a single barrier followed by a small creek, into the pinwheel (a neat if dizzying feature), and onto the finish stretch. I didn’t sleep well last night, but my body is feeling okay with no noticeable soreness from yesterday. Once again, I get behind a small group that I just need to hang on to until they fade. Top ten through the first couple of laps, finally pass a few and move up to 6th. Trade places with 5th for a half-lap until he spins out in the pinwheel and drops his chain. Rode the rest of the race alone except when I get passed and settle back to 6th. The hill is killing me each time and it seems to get longer and slower, but I notice that I’m gaining on the new 5th place guy. I get a little pressure from behind on the last half of the bell lap, but hold on for 6th overall, 3rd in B; only one of the riders who finished ahead of me raced yesterday and I know he rolled a tire and didn’t race the whole thing hard. Mission accomplished, though, in gaining more CRY and upgrade points.

The rest of the day, I can tell my batteries need a re-charge. The next two weekends will be Sunday-only racing, then to State Champs. I think I’m going to make it.

andy

What a great cross course. Flat with some fun technical stuff, a couple sets of high speed barriers, and a tough little run-up just before the start finish line. Pmax was telling me before the race if you can’t get on the front row get behind someone fast so I did just that and lined up right behind him. The start was fast and we were knocking elbows in the middle of the pack for positioning in the 1st couple of corners. When it all sorted out I was somewhere in the low 20s and all the A-2 guys that I am racing against were about 150-200 meters infront of me. After about 3-4 laps we all ended up running in one big line. Positions 2-8 in the A-2 were all together and we were all just attacking the hell out of each other. It was way, way, cool. These guys are all my friends that I train with and we all wanted to beat on each other. As we were going through a series of 4 fast right hand turns before the run-up my man Joel bit it right infront of me. I only had to hold up for a second but a gap opened up and the front 3 guys in our little group got about a 50 meter gap. I chased as hard as I could the whole last lap but never got to them. It was a great day. 16th overall and 4th in A-2.

Guy, Andy, N8, Eric, FPA, Pmax, and Scott were all out getting after it as well. It was nice to finally meet Scott in person. Guy put the smack down on them again. Fpa rocked his 1st B race. Good times, great weather and course.

I’m gonna take a couple weeks off of my bike and then do a couple more cross races. I don’t know how hard everyone else raced all year, but I’m cooked. A certain crossniac said the best advice they ever got was to listen to thier body so that’s what I’ll do. Rip it up next weekend guys and we will see you all in 2 weeks where ever the race is.

cj

I’m sure most of you have heard about the death of Brett Jarolimek in Portland on Monday. I never met the guy, but it’s always sad when a member of the cycling tribe is taken before their time regardless of how much or little you knew them. Someone (or a few people, I don’t know the details) has decided to commemorate their fallen friend and fellow cyclocrosser with this life size stencil of him in his element. I think it’s great not only as a tribute, but also as a piece of art. I have a feeling that Brett would think so too. Pics are courtesy of -c-a-r-d-i-n-a-l-.

stencil
Originally uploaded by -c-a-r-d-i-n-a-l-

viva jarolimez!
Originally uploaded by -c-a-r-d-i-n-a-l-

Ride on, brother.

Nick