I Don't Always Know What You Are Saying

Up until a week ago you could almost be sure it was still 'cross season with the weather we had been having here in Melbourne. 

A trip out on the trails on Christmas Eve had us riding through moonscapes of thick brake-clogging mud, navigating fallen trees and playing guess-the-puddle depth while getting some good work done on our tanlines.

As much as I love the mud it was a bit hectic at times... and I began to long for some fast dry trails to 'roop' around on.

But really it wasn't as hectic as the recent US 'Cross Nats and I'm going to assure you this is the last batch of shots I'll post from it.

Final Day

In other more local (and more interesting news) I can announce that Dirty Deeds now has something of a cousin/uncle in the form of a new schedule/series of rides. Based on a style of ride that is becoming popular (again, some might say) called the 'gravel grinder' it is better explained here.

With some eager and experienced riders behind it, it promises to provide some fun and challenging days in the saddle through terrain that may not be familiar to you (and if it is, all the better as they'd love your input on how we can adjust and improve in the future).

The first event is on Feb 6th and is ~80kms of mainly gravel with some asphalt in there. Details can be found on the site (and will continue to appear in the coming weeks).

For those of you wanting an excuse to build up your cross bike, or get some time out on the bike off-road this will be a great time and is a very grass-roots event.

Six Months In A Leaky Boat

More shots and a great video...
Embrocation Magazine do a wonderful printed publication and have partnered with some awesome people to make some sweet stuff. I really should posted their gift-buying tips before xmas.

USGP FORT COLLINS WITH JEFF CURTES

USGP OF CYCLOCROSS: PORTLAND, OR

Halloween Cross racing!

Cross Crusade #6 Astoria - Chapter 2 from Burk Webb on Vimeo.

All-o-gistics

I'm a bit behind with the posts as I have a few pages open both at work that I've been meaning to put up here to showcase.

The first comes in the form of more amazing imagery from the very talented hands/eyes/cameras of Joe Sales in Portland.

USGP Round 1

USGP Round 2

U23 Nationals

Enjoy!!

You Can't Make Friends With Salad

So much of the 'standard'  Euro 'cross race footage is focused on the actual race (often the last 2 laps) and comes with a soundtrack of commentators chatting along in an almost monotonic flemish.

However, the following videos are outstanding for a number of reasons. They capture more than just the racing, they have a (sometimes) decent soundtrack, they are amazingly well shot and most importantly they are all about the under-represented Womens Elite races.

Did you know that until this year only the World Cup races were required to have a Womens category, the 3 other major European UCI series had no such requirement. Given that the all-important starting call-up positions are decided by UCI points this is a huge deal.

I'm going to quote directly from CXMag's posts for each of them to emphasise the highlights:

Aigle

Aigle 2010 - 1ère manche de CDM cyclo-cross from Web Petitesreines on Vimeo.

No narration, just ambient sounds, stunning imagery and a glimpse behind the scenes of the top end of cyclocross. The short film has a little of the feel of the classic La Course en Tete, and to watch Sanne van Paassen crank on the trainer is reminiscent of a similar scene with Merckx riding the rollers in his attic.

Plzen

Plzen 2010 - 2nde manche de CDM cyclo cross from Web Petitesreines on Vimeo.

Mixed in you’ll find an explanation of sidewall protection, via sealant, in French (“plus robuste!”), warm-ups and course scouting, mechanics at work…. And the race footage? It’s the Cyclocross Coupe de Monde – oh yeah, it’s awesome. Think that these women don’t give it absolutely everything? Check out the post-race shots of American Sue Butler and others just after the finish line and you’ll quickly change that assessment.

Koksijde

Koksijde - 3ème Manche de CDM cyclo cross 2010/2011 from Web Petitesreines on Vimeo.


The scene now shifts to Koksijde, Belgium, for World Cup Round 3, and there’s plenty of flying sand, bulging muscles, grit and determination.

And that concludes our viewing for today...

The Sing-Along Summer Song

The always informative HipsterNascar has some great shots/captions of the Illinois State CX Champs. Looks like a complete contrast to our balmy/stormy weather here that is playing merry hell with the trails and regular rides.

In other news there is a new contender in the 'cross parts market... for all your technical and psychological needs please only consider SKRONGLITE.