Winter is coming...

It's scarf and beanie weather here in Melbourne this weekend (we tend to be a bit dramatic when it comes to weather you see) and getting ready for winter is high on the agenda. Soup recipes are being pulled down from the shelf, socks and blankets are coming out of storage, and of course cycling folk are thinking they should get the CX bike out of the shed and dust off the spider webs.

But if you are anything like me, those grand plans of pre-season training keep getting pushed aside with promises of "next weekend" so easily thrown about.

For those who need a little push out the door or need a good place to get started the DDCX crew are running pre-season skills sessions.

The first session will be held on Saturday the 21st of April at Darebin Parklands - 10am -12pm (meet at the rangers hut).

This will be a women's only training event with a focus on dismounts, barrier jumping, and re-mounts. New and experienced riders are welcome. It will also be a chance to ask any bike related questions. Word on the street is that we may even have a guest appearance from Lewis Rattray fresh from the European cyclocross season.

The next skills session will be announced closer to the date but will be open to everyone wanting to try cross out for the first time or to sharpen their skills.

More details to follow but if you have any questions get in touch with me here.

Murder On the Dancefloor

While we here at DDCX HQ are busily making plans and sorting out this years series, we wanted to make sure you were aware of other adventures we are getting equally excited about...

First of all is what looks to be some good training for the series... the inaugural Dirty Gran Fondo.

For those who have enjoyed previous Gravel Grinders, and wanted to get used to riding their cross bikes this is looking like a fun day out of town.

Look out for a bunch of guys in yellow/black or black/white heckling each other and sucking wheels en route while having a great time.

With any luck we won't see much of this

The other important piece of news is that our siblings over in rAdelaide have announced their series dates for this year... speaking from personal experience the crew over there put on a great race and love their cross. Anyone considering a road trip would be encouraged to do so...

 Word is they might be sending some 'heavy hitters' over for some of our races so it'd be good to return the favour.

You're Nobody ('Til Somebody Kills You)

And... Finally!

Prologue - 15th June
#1 - 15th July (National Series round)
#2  - 26th August 
Victorian State Champs (p/b DDCX) - 23rd Sept
 
Locations TBA soon.

We are also very excited to announce that along with your trusty CA license, we will be accepting MTBA and even BMXA licenses! I know this is a big deal for those of you who spend more time concerned with sag rather than sock length and bleeding brakes rather than shaving rash.

The races will be sanctioned under CA/CV so if you don't have one of these licenses you will need to buy a day license, a three race permit or one of our sensationally priced CX Season Passes which cover your for our 3 events and the State Champs. For more details on these see here.

Things are getting busy in the DDCX shanty, and we are looking forward to a few more announcements in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

Any questions feel free to get in touch via the blog and we will do what we can to answer them.

Spanish Bombs

This I like...

Did you want to buy Bart Wellen's U23 World Champs winning bike? Yes?

You're having the time of my life

Dates, dates, dates... Series?
Location, location, location?
New sponsors? State championships?
Rules and regulations... and what it all means.

All this and more... coming soon.

But for now... keep the stoke alive with these guys

Cherub Rock

Just a quick note to point out that the World Cyclocross Champs are on this weekend over in Belgium and amidst the flying sand and slippery mud there are a couple of things well worth noting:

Australia will have it's first entrant for quite a number of years (I have heard there was someone who entered in the 90s - confirm/deny?) Lewis has been having more and more fun, and in his last race he felt pretty good. I can say that it's been really awesome seeing his australia skin suit get moment so screen time on the replays I"ve caught. While in all honesty he doesn't stand much chance of a podium finish, simply getting a start and mixing it up with the likes of Nys, Albert, Stybar and Pauwels has to be a life highlight.

This looks to be the first worlds where technical skills will come to the fore for a while. That, combined with Koksijde's very sandy course and a lack of frozen ground will mean that the podium may well be a little different from the past couple of years. May being the operative word...

My tips (for whatever it's worth as this is 'cross and it can all go very wrong in a second):
Womens - You'd be a fool to bet against Marianne Vos. Her form coming up this race has been exemplary, she has solid technical skills and power, power, power. If anyone might have had a chance it would have been Katie F Compton. Traditionally the course really plays to her technical strengths, and if this was last year I'd have had no hesitation putting her as my favourite, but this year she just hasn't been able to hit it full gas at the starts and elsewhere and has had a few equipment issues that have cost her valuable time and missed key selections. I do hope this is her day to shine as it would be amazing. Far outside chance: Daphny Van Der Brand - she retires at the end of this season and it would be great to see her go out with the rainbow jersey. 

Mens - My pick - The Cannibal from Baal. Sven Nys came back from back spasms to win arguably the only race that comes close to the World Champs, the Belgian National Champs, and this course suits his technical power and smart head. Look for his now-trademark crap start and then for him to sit in slowly blow any group off his wheel with well timed attacks and surges. He has had some ups'n'downs in the past couple of years and its been a while since he wore the rainbow stripes. I think he really wants this to avenge some mishaps that kept his out of the World Cup champions jersey. But personal bias aside, if Niels Albert wakes up on the right side of bed i'm picking he will play a big role in the race. When he has been on this year, he has shown signs of the talent that earn his national and world champs stripes on his jersey, and he has a history with the course. But he has had days where he was definitely not firing (much like a certain playboy countryman cyclist with whom he is often mentioned in the same sentence). Of course you can't talk about the men's race without mentioning the proverbial fly in the belgian embro - Z.Stybar. Currently riding what is arguable the loudest bike in the group and showing that you can ride a full road season and back up for podium positions he is definitely a threat to the men in the yellow/red/black. But my gut feeling is that he doesn't have the finesse for a tight battle of skills with an in-form Nys/Albert, of course if it goes for a bunch kick I'd keep an eye on him. Far outside chance: Pauwels -  he seems to be shining on the flatter, faster courses which the course doesn't seem to be this year.

I reserve the right to be completely wrong with the above...

But where to watch it all?

Try here, here and here.

CXMagazine will be streaming live updates for the Men's and Women's races here


Races are (AEST): 
Juniors: Saturday, 28th Jan. 9pm
U23s: Sunday, 29th Jan. 1am

Womens: Sunday, 29th Jan. 9pm

Mens: Monday, 30th Jan. 1am

Thank You Space Expert

As we enter a new year, and the 'cross season on the other side of the world reaches it's frenetic peak the last few weeks have been full of high stakes races on a national and series level.

Our ever-supportive (and national news/current affairs star) Wade @ Cyclingtips has been running some great Euro season updates. These feature a very complete compendium of race footage links. So if you are just coming back after some summer excess or want to start early on your cross prep for this season you should fire up youtube and get watching.

With the massive rise of 'cross in the land of stars and stripes there was no shortage of footage from the recent Nationals there.

There's really too much to cover, but between cyclingdirts amazing coverage (as always) and cxmagazine's many men and woman on the ground there are a lot of great highlights. No matter what you think of J-Pow his emotion when crossing the line is a great example of passion for a sport.

But I'd also like to draw your attention another great supporter/generator of cross footage. Mr Bill Scheiken. His site 'In The Cross Hairs' is excellent as resource for those racing in the Mid-atlantic region and as a course designer i've stolen a few ideas based on his numerous course previews.

His highlights of both the men's and women's Elite races at the US Nationals are top quality as always. Buy a tshirt or some socks from the guy! (and tell him Nik from Australia sent you)

So with the World's rapidly approaching and Styby riding a bizarrely coloured bike (why pink?) I leave you with the aforementioned videos.


U.S. National Cyclocross Championship 2012 (Elite Men) from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.


2012 U.S. National Cyclocross Championships (Elite Women) from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.