Boxing Cross 2009 - report

The turn out was small but enthusiastic with some great donations to The Covenant House.



The fog hung low at Empire Bowl as the Four riders discussed the r-OUT-e.
A lap of the track and they were back assured the bikes were stout.
The course was tough but the riders gruff with a touch of the scottish whisk.
A path round the Mount that Corky's Garmin would count had them wishing it wasn't so brisk.
A few sips from the flask and the chill did pass while they wandered the eastern slope.
Scott and Steve ripped the tech while Jay and Dave hit the deck feeling all the more a dope.
An easy ride back with nary a wheel off track gave them rise to the thought again.
"We'll do this next year and we'll maybe bring beer and few more to share the pain."

Happy New Year.
CrossBoy

Boxing Cross 2009

I had great plans last year for a fabulous yet complicated Boxing Day event. This year we Ride..just Ride.
The plan is to meet at Empire Bowl just south of Bridgeway st in East Van.
We will meet at 11am at the Bowl, do a few warm up laps around the loop there and then head out on a 30km journey of mostly trails.


This is a festive ride so please come equipped to make your ride and possibly others more festive...
I'd also ask that everyone bring an article of clean and warm clothing to donate to The Covenant House.
This should help to balance off the karma of any ill advised shenanigans we might get into on the ride.

Post any questions, comments or ideas here.
See you Saturday.
CrossBoy

2009 The "important part of the" year in review.

This is delayed but for good reason...life. Kitchen reno, work, more work and of course racing and recovery.
I have to say this has been the most fun season of them all with some great new venues, some wonderful competition and as always I started slow and got less slow as the season wore on.
Race #1 - Fort Langley September 6
Place - 20th

It was hard to believe that i had never done this race. It always seemed to collide with my trade show back east. I has happy to be on the start line so early in the season,but of course I knew there wasn't much hope for a top spot with the lack of riding or running over the last month. The new schedule had us start behind the Elite men, for this race we started too far behind the Elite men as they quickly caught us on the second lap causing some confusion in their race as well as ours. But wait, this was after my first lap incident in which I ended up with a pair of handlebars in my rear Ultimate Carbone...ouch. Once I got it untangled and took my place at the back of the field i had no where to go but up.
Some great shots here: http://briangoldstoneimages.com/H&R_BLOCK-KONA_Cross/

Race #2 - New Brighton Park Oct 3
Place - N/A
This being my event with the Wedgewood Cycling Team, I have never raced it. Something about being up at 5am with only coffee in my stomach. I did decide to at least ride a couple of laps to get a feel for the course. I liked it...a little short but fun and harder then I expected.
Thanks to John Irvine for these shots: www.johnirvinephotography.com/CXnewbrighton

Race #3 - Vanier Park Oct 4
Place - 16
This is the longest standing venue in BC cross. I first put on an event here back in 2002 I think. The gang at westcoast racing took it over and have been doing a great job. The new course was open and fun. I had a decent start from the back and made up some places. I spent the bulk of the race trying to close a gap to a group of 4. I'd make up ground on the twisty section and then lose it all trying to break the wind by myself on the front straight. Eventually I caught on to a couple of guys and we dueled it out for the final points spot. I ended up one spot out of a BC Cup point.

Race #4 - Cross'quitlam Oct 24
Place - 11
I really like this course! It is tight and twisty, a fair amount of running and lots of little decisions to make. The course was in good condition and if it weren't for one poorly judged corner I may have been higher up, but again there was some great racing with the guys around me and I was happy with the result.

Race #5 - Pumpkin Cross Oct 25
Place - 16
This is a great venue! The horse course had it all, a little sand, several dismounts and a long straight. I had a amazing start! Made a little move at the first slow turn and got myself into the top ten. Rode well for most of the race. With 3 laps to go I washed out on a corner and lost my chain as well as my front wheel. By the time I got going I was back in 20th spot. Reeled in a few guys to finish 16th.

Race #6 - Aldergrove Cross Nov 1
Place - 17
Another nice new venue with loads of potential. I played around to tire pressure a bit too much before the start and forgot to tighten my valve. The result was a slow loss of pressure which ended with me taking a spectacular spill on the greasy backside of the course. A lap later I realized what the issue was and I changed bikes to my SS. The gear was too big for me on this course and I decided to take the pity cheers and finish it off with ease.


Race #7 - South Surrey Cross Nov 15
Place - 11
Wind...wind and more wind! This course is always windy and challenging with some great side hill action and fun in the BMX track. I started slow and worked my way through the field with some strong running and no mistakes. Again it was a greatly competitive race amongst us Masters and I almost got a top ten spot.

Race #8 - Escape GP of Cross Nov 21
Place - 6
Nothing like a front row call up! Thanks to the elite spot I got off to a good start and managed to gap a good number of guys. This is a great course for me with lots of dismounts and tight turns. I only made a few small mistakes and managed to hold a decent result in the end.
John Irvine continues to make me look good!

Race #9 - BC Cup Finals Nov 28
Place - 10
Wholly mother of all off-camber! This was a survival test, we all went down a number of times, some self induced, others by others. I decided to take it easy and see what happened. Shit happened and before i knew it I was moving up everywhere. The course was full of greasy off camber sections that just begged you to try to ride it fast, you couldn't. I was taken out dramaticly early in the race and managed to recover and move up and away. Tryed to get another spot but I played it safe instead and settled for a top 10.

Race #10 - BC Champs Nov 29
Place - 8
We finally got a race on the North Shore. When Kevin Calhoun suggested he could get a venue on the shore i quickly gave him Mahon Park and sent him a map I had done up a couple of years ago. He and his crew did a great job modifying the course and put on a good show. Once again I made a good decision to run the first turn and muddy side hill. This had me in second place early on. I knew I'd have a few guys coming by me soon but I managed to hold off many and ended up in a sprint for seventh only to lose by a tire width!
Here is some footage of the Elite men and Women.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rZ7lLiKV1I

Here is hoping for more of the same next year!
CrossBoy

New Season, New Kit, New Rules

The 2009 season has begun with H&R Block - Kona's Fort Langley CX race. The weather was perfect...wet enough for a little mud but no rain during the race. The New season brings many changes to the BC Cup starting with the Master Men's age being raised to 35+ from the 30+ of previous years. The change was made to help increase the size of both A and B mens groups. A few Masters were caught off guard by the change but the Master Men's field still looked to be the biggest of the day.
I got myself a fancy new kit for the season and just need to get the new Opus Stelle to match. New for the season is the later "Premier" start time for us masters. We toe the line with the Elite men at high noon. This change had it's issues right off the bat with the masters not getting under way until 3 minutes after the Elites and with a short, fast loop lap of only 5 minutes we were sure to see the fast boys picking their way through us in no time.
I had no reason to be called up based on last years BC Cup points (although if I had got my correct placing at Coquitlam I may have been in the top 10) so that left me at the back of the field on the line. No real concern as I didn't have a good warm-up I needed to start slow. The start went and I managed a few bold moves to gain ground. Rolling towards the first set of barriers I was mid pack, I moved over onto the racing line and immediately had someone picking my pocket. The result was a set of handlebars in my spokes...no visible damage so off I went in pursuit of my lost placing. Turns out that the wheel didn't suffer any damage but my rear derrailluer cable was broken limiting my gear choices to a big ring or small ring offering. Once I had that figured out and resigned to not trying to shift I was fine.
Thank God for the run-up! I don't know if it is a physical or mental advantage but I do like running. I was able to gain places all day on the run up and even re-pass some of the Elites that came by me (only to surrender on the descent) on the approach.
The race pretty much went like this. Hold my spot for the flats, pass someone on the run-up, don't crash on the descent, hold spot on flats, REPEAT. This was my fist time doing the Fort Langley race so I can't compare the course to the previous years, but I did like it and believe most racers did. The kids all had fun as well with the various farm animals around.
Results to come and more photo links as well.
CrossBoy