Rookie of the year

by Jeff (fine, I'll admit it)

As advertised, a few of us took a bus trip out to Dr. TK Lawless Park just outside of Vandalia, Michigan and we were certainly pleased with committing to an early start.

We loaded up the bus with 7 CCCers - Jamie, Christina, Mike, Max, Nico, Jeff, our newest kid on the block Brian Ellison and our guest of honor being Marie Snyder. It was a perfect sized crowd for splitting couches for those that wanted to go back to sleep at 5 am and having room up front for those that wanted to watch the Sean Kelly story on VHS (Thanks Len!!!!)

Naturally we were sent off with some Chicago style fireworks. Before getting on the expressway we heard a bunch of gunshots and saw people running every direction for cover. Word is it was some idiot deciding to pop off shots for no reason and peel off in an SUV. THAT will wake you up.

The rest of the morning mellowed. Between Kelly's highlights and having the drive into the sunrise be super pleasant it didn't feel like too long before lovely countryside led us to good ol' Monkey Run Road which led us to this cx season's best kept secret.

Registration was super cheap, the people were all very nice, and the atmosphere was very hospitable and intimate. Plus everyone was really excited to be at the area's very first cyclocross race. The organizers are clearly naturals given the foresight for having a bunch of free beer, free hot dogs and a DJ.

On top of all that, the course was a perfect design. The 1.5 mile loop started with a recessed start line leading to a grass straightaway, then a flip into a cluster of switchbacks, another grass drag strip, sandpit, plenty of barriers, off camber technical section, paved drag strip leading into an awesome backwoods path, then a bumpy grass stretch followed by a barrier up to near vertical short climb. The descent lead into the halfway mark of a toilet bowl section and then it inclined into another straight stretch. Then it 180'd into the final 200+ meters where it changed to mud and bumps. It was a merciless stretch of 100% effort to go so slow leading up to the final turn for the finish. Done right, the brakes would hardly need to be engaged. Except a couple of the 180s - those provided many adrift and skidding opportunities.

The women's race was held at a lesser attendance than we've been spoiled with via ChiCrossCup but it was still quite a respectable turnout for a first run. Teeners flashed the big guns with James on her heels to take 1-2 respectively. Marie finished top 5. Smiles and laughs ensued once the onslaught of pain reached its inevitable end and we all got our first helpings of "that was a really fun course!"

Following the bit of rain that helped make the course just that much more interesting, the men's C's category took off. It was the beginner category and it looked to be the highest attended race of the day. If the C's weren't the highest attended race, the B's most certainly took that honor. We plugged our 3 B men in (Brian, Nico and myself) for the next session and we fared well enough. Brian probably still hasn't forgiven himself for bonking out and bailing but that is how they learn... I ended up in a cluster of 4 that raced out 6 laps for 6th place. I took 6th in the end. Nico took many turns leading the race and hung hard for 2nd place.

The A's was a smaller contingent that saw separation early on. Max and Mike were 2 of the 4 racers populating the lead group and they all looked super smooth through a hellacious 8 laps. While they were out givin' er, everyone did his and her part to ensure the keg was emptied and the inevitable dancing started early. All the whilstwhile, on the course, one of the 4 gents from Spin Zone fell off the group (but admirably not off the pace) courtesy of a mechanical which left a thrilling trio finish going into the last lap. Out of the woods section only 1 rider flew through before the other 2 and that man was NOT wearing a CCC kit. Apparently Mike had a chain issue over the barriers and leapt to get out of the way of Max's remount but Max already compensated for the brand new barrier and they chose the same direction to veer. Collision city.

Max rolled in for 2nd and Mike rounded out the podium day with 3rd. It should be noted that because the beer went dry during their race, an organizer hopped into her car and did a beer run for them to enjoy some post race suds gratis. Awesome.

All told the racers got some great shots of themselves on the steps of prestige and each was awarded great mason's jar full of dirt sealed with a custom engraved top. Even more than that, we were all awarded with the great memory and connections made with some of them good folks over there at NIMBA and, of course, Spin Zone. Big thanks to them and all their efforts for really pulling off a fantastic day of events.

The drive back was plenty interesting (as it always is with that damn bus). We watched Timecop up until our arrival at Shoreline Brewery and then took the traffic in on the Skyway with a dessert helping of Total Recall. Big shoutout to James Lalonde for not sweating us on getting his box of "Fucking Intense VHS" back to him...

Either way. TK Lawless 2011! We're already considering overnight accommodations. No excuses for missing the next one, people.

Oh! We hope to give you a quick update on our satellite superstar, our friends and supporters, and their journey out west to come... (if you behave yourself)

All photos are either courtesy of teeners, ben fietz,  Matt Sipple or gfurry ... thanks!

Road Trip!

Variety certainly is the spice of life. More than 6 months back, our fine neighbors over at Sportcrafters rollers consulted with us about their interest in doing a cyclocross race. Aside from making incredible rollers along with great customer service just a coupla yards over, they really turned up the notch on making what looks to be a fun day of racing. This next Sunday at TK Lawless park in Michigan (about 2-2.5 hours away) they will be hosting a race/party and we would be hard pressed to miss it.

On Sunday, October 24th the bus will be leaving rather early (7am?) to make sure we get plenty of time to drink some locally made pale ales, delicious food and take in some serious racing on the cheap! It would be great if you wanted to join us. Feel free to jump in a race, it's only $15 if you pre-register online! You could always come along to just chill on the couches, grill and drink. Road trip!

*

I highly recommend digging around for your favorite VHS and jumping on board the love bus to get your ass a little bit of the good stuff!

*thanks simon

si quieres ganar, tienes que hacerlo en la tierra*

*If you want to win, you've got to do it in the dirt

It's a good thing the Cuttin' Cruiser didn't make the trip. In case you're not keeping up with current events, the first wave of Chicagoans arrived at Guatemala's Messenger Worlds, at the tail end of a nasty stretch of rain. They went to sleep during a stormy night in Panajachel, and woke up to discover "the river had taken everything" - mudslides buried parts of the Pan-American highway, homes and parts of villages were washed away, and sadly, nearly 50 have perished in the storm. Our thoughts are with the families of those that were lost, and everyone trying to put their lives and homes back together.

A few locals in Panajachel were swept away, but the townspeople immediately sprang into action the next morning, starting to repair local roads and the bridge out of town. The mayor presented the key to the "city" to Nadir, and the festivities continue, albeit on a somewhat somber note. Some messengers are still arriving on foot over the mountain, some are stranded in Antigua, and apparently several have flown back to the US in an effort to get new flights to the area.

It seems all the messengers are accounted for, and the racing will continue, with at least one modification: the storm turned la Ocho (the eight), the over/under banked track, into 'la Tres' (the three), but not before Señor Andrew Nordyke turned in a couple of hot lap times, just missing the cut for the finals. More results here, and more news to come. They say la Ocho may rise again...

Winner.

Thank you Ellie for the photo of Ella

Double Up

by Nico

Since last December I've been waiting for the return of the cyclocross season. I lust for this. Mud. Cowbells. Pain. Erin and Nordyke on the megaphones. Today we got to dive back into it all down in Jackson Park. The unofficial start of the season proved a good day for the Cuttin Crew.

After Jamie and Christina took down a 2nd place finish in the women's field, Brian Ellison and I were poised to follow suit. The race had a Le Mans style start, with racers sprinting to the hand off area where their partners were waiting with their bike. As we all lined up for the whistle, the familiar jitters of alleycats and CMWC's past returned. I killed that sprint. I was on my bike and into the second turn before most people had even gotten their hands on their whip. The course was fast. Not super technical, but the off camber turns by the harbor (where the Cuttin Cruiser and its minions were posted up, couches and all) were gnarly. The one lap at a time format allowed you some breathing room, but it also meant that there was no pacing yourself. Each lap was a time trial. By the end of the Cat 4 race, Brian and I had opened up such a huge gap that 2nd place was well over a minute behind. It was the man's first cross race too. I know he's got the itch now.

Christina and I went into the co-ed field with great energy coming off of the last races. I knew most people weren't too stoked on the Le Mans start, so I opted to take the first lap. I think Teeners was fine with this. I remember feeling a little cocky about getting out front first again until I saw the blur of a Johnny Sprockets jersey fly by me shortly there after. My first lap was spent fighting for fourth wheel with this cat from Wisconsin named Christopher. After Teeners finished her first lap we had moved up a wheel. Lap 2 was spent trying to hold place up front and it was a fight for 3rd place. By the start of my last lap Teeners had moved us up yet another wheel to duke it out for 2nd place. Somewhere along the line in her last lap the leader flatted out and Teeners crossed the finish out front. Crushed it. I didn't realize we had won it. I thought we were fighting for third that whole last lap but Teeners (also in her cross debut) was passing people like they were traffic downtown.

At the end of the day the Cuttin Crew took 3 podiums! 2 firsts and 1 second place finish. Also, our good friend Kevin Sparrow from MKE was down, with James Lalonde, riding single speed in a Cuttin Crew jersey, finishing just off the podium in the 1/2/3s. We also got to race along side Avi and Ella in the co-ed field! Though it hasn't officially started yet, this season is going to be a blast. I. Love. Cross.(Photo swiped from Nikki Cyp!)

We are so beyond cowbell...

Well kids, the local Chicago Cyclocross Cup came to a close Sunday (12/6) at lovely Montrose Harbor. Turin hosted the final stage and the Illinois Cyclocross State Championship. It's been a good season to say the least. (photo courtesy of Ed White) We've had our highs and lows.  A simple scroll down this front page of this site will show you that. Words and images do little to actually match the enjoyment of having been there and being a part of it.

Racing started at 10AM and built up throughout the day until the pièces de résistance, the 4b's race. That's when the superstars really come out of the woodwork. This year has shown some of the best yet.

If there's any doubt that Cuttin' Crew doesn't bring it big, let that all be thrown to the wayside. Avi did the double-up for the nth time. One round in the jersey. Another round in the jersey ("Tradition", well said, Luke.)

Dr. Morell tied up the category 4A's Chicago Cyclocross Cup series with enough points to lock 4th place, never finishing out of the top ten in the entire series. Big Ben was putting the hurtin' to 'em in the workboots. Adam came out in the retro outfit riding mama Gatto's bike. Max had yet another strong day in the 3's pulling down 17th place. One very delightful bit of news: Cuttin' Crew's little bun in the oven got the points to take the women's 4s in the overall points category for the Cup series. Congratulations Jannette Rho!

Everyone's day was made even brighter by those 4's races though. I can't put it better than them boys over at chicrosscup.com... Daryl made his CX debut in style. He played a great Donkey Kong even through Mario exacting his revenge...

(photo courtesy of chicrosscup.com)

And then. Well. There's Bradley. Sosa swinging for his 62nd home run. Michael winning it with a dunk from the free throw line. Some of us remember the moments and the flashes. Behold the glory. Thank you Ali for capturing that moment.

Good ol' Bradley's always there to remind us all how to go about life. If at first you break your leg, try, try again.

Bradley is halfway to China, Jeff is posting up, and Max is about to fall down laughing.

(photo courtesy of nerobro)

Congratulations to everyone on making it another FANTASTIC cyclocross season!

"Catastrophe" is actually latin for "Super Happy Fun Time"

Someone thought it would be a good idea to set up a bitchin' party in conjunction with the most delicious of all oat sodas at a hotel bar called "The Cave" the night before a Saturday cyclocross race being held at that Hotel's golf course. We agree.

That's why, in unprecedented fashion, the South Chicago Wheelmen have met no resistance in hiring out the services of your Chicago Cuttin' Crew to throw said party. And that's why we present with great pride and excitement:

Alliteration? Check. Prizes? Check. Andrew? Check. Bullhorn? Check.

The Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort will gladly reserve you a room worthy of you and 4 friends. You can sleep up to 5/room and they won't even bat an eye. Or, be a Baller, roll up solo. Just make sure you go to the Group/Convention Code section and enter "CYC" to get a room for the ridiculous rate of $79. It comes out to $88 total with taxes so plan for that. Also, be sure to book by November 10 to get the deal for Friday the 13th. Then come and meet us all at the bar.

You can pre-ride the course Friday. Go for a swim. Have a relaxing time at the spa. Get lit. And wake up the next morning AT the race! It's freakin' brilliant. It's not even necessary to fulfill all 4 steps, you're pretty much guaranteed to have a good time either way. Unless you hate fun. Then you won't.

Just remember friends, few acts of heroism eclipse riding a cyclocross race through a hall of hecklers that KNOW you're hungover.

See ya there.

This is the good stuff.

Check out NikkiCyp's flickr and the spot for updates: chicrosscup.com

The bunny has a dollar for you

by Avi First things first. After our whirlwind, round-the-clock reporting on worlds in Tokyo, we dropped the ball on Elite Track Nationals. Al was out there, along with a couple other Northbrook locals, and while you could catch the action on live web video, we missed the boat in regards to timely reports.

Al had a great time, raced three events, and almost made the finals in his specialty, the points race. A brief recap:

11th in points. The dude sitting on my wheel when we were halfway to the break attacked me for the points and then bridged solo and hung me out to dry. Those dudes were all crazy fast. I worked my ass off to get 2 points. It was really good to be in a race like that. Even if there's a bunch of dudes faster than me at Kenosha or Northbrook, there's also a bunch of dudes slower than me. Not at nats. Everyone had to qualify.

5:09 pursuit. 10 seconds faster than last year, but I was hoping for 15. I went out too hard and should have used a 98" gear.

Dude going fast in my heat was Bobby Lea. He won the finals.

Best race was the points final. Phinney vs. Creed. Both had 2 laps and the points were 54 to 55, Creed up with the last sprint coming up. Phinney jumps out of turn 2, Creed on his wheel. Creed can't come around and takes 1 point to Phinney's 2, and loses the finishing order tiebreaker.

Giddeon Massey is my new favorite bike racer. Beat Phinney in the kilo for first (1:02 to 1:04! Phinney took silver at 08 worlds.), won the keirin with a huge gap, and lost the match sprint finals 2 to 1 on a relegation that could have gone either way.

Thanks to Marcus for the gear, Val for looking after the details, and of course, propers to Josh Ryan and David Moyer for their strong showings. With that said...consider the track season done. On to cyclocross, the devil's fancy!

Somewhere between road racing and mountain biking, between summer and winter, between a Sunday in the park and the rollers in the basement...there you find cyclocross. Whether by necessity or choice, some of us go the extra mile and single speed it. Maybe you don't need the other 19 anyway, or you have fewer parts to gum up and destroy, or you just run what you brung.

Sometimes there's this notion that we're just jokers showing up with knives at a gunfight, but I like to think of it as a Samurai in a gunfight...you may not be the last man standing, but anything can happen. Out in Portland they have hundreds of single speeders at every race, enough to subcategorize them in the various A's, B's, Masters' races...but here at the Chicrosscup, the SS division has long since vanished. Enough of our swooning over the Northwest's 'cross scene...here, we have the "Officially Unofficial Illinois State Cyclocross Single Speed Championship (OUISCSSC) presented by Yojimbo's Garage." Quite a mouthful! Big thanks to Half Acre for manning the clipboards and making it happen!

If we had any illusions of grandeur about the status of our "championship," they were dashed at the line, when the officials lined us up behind the cat 4 women AND the juniors. Ouch. 22 of us toed the line - not a huge field, but nobody could really be written off. OK, Tripps was donning an aero helmet and a hockey jersey, but still, he's got mad offroad skills, so you never know.

There were a couple of hoopties, but lots of tricked out carbon, titanium, some handmade steel, and plenty of tubies to go around. A few messengers, trackies, a couple of high-catted roadies, hardcore 'crossers, a couple of Killjoy guys that absolutely schooled me back in 2005, winning 1st and 2nd in every single SS race, and a few mountain bikers running discs...this last group scared me most of all. If there's one way a mountain bike can edge out a cross bike, it's this: the smaller wheels and tighter geometry could cut a bit tighter and get inside you on a corner. The officials asked our road categories all around to get an idea of lap times: 3s, 4s, 5s, with an Expert mountain biker on the front row. Eek.

We're off and after a couple of elbows, we settle in. One thing that can really ruin a cross race early is getting stuck in single file while gaps open up at the front. Fortunately, the brilliant course put up by NCC and Half Acre left plenty of wide open lanes after the first few corners. A group of four is off by a bit, with a couple of familiar faces from the bus laying down the pace. I bridge and latch on. Nice and easy through the four switchbacks on the hill, and I pick up a spot climbing out. Fourth wheel.

I can't tell what the plan is...are they pacing it out, waiting for someone to slip up, or is this really as hard as they can manage? I can't contain myself and attack between corners; I'm out front. Big dig, hold it steady, look back: mountain biker on my wheel. I don't know if the other three are still there, but it doesn't matter. Keep it up but don't slip up: no mistakes.

Two more laps of this and nothing changes. Should I go all out or pace myself and save a kick for the end? Is this guy waiting for the right corner to catch me napping? I shut the door on every corner and he never makes a move. Lapping ten-year-olds and women, it gets tricky, but we try to keep it honorable.

There are so many ways to lose: a single mistake, especially in the closing minutes, and kiss the win goodbye. I had mine: a mis-planted foot off the last barrier in the woods and I lost my spot. I tried to fight the panic and look for my opportunity. We turned onto the pavement, a slight fast climb. Straight and wide, maybe my last real chance to pass, but I see that he's pushing a steep gear. I thought I was done: all he had to do was stand and mash for a dozen strokes and I'd be spinning out on the pavement and never have a chance. But I noticed something else: the thirty-minutes-of-just-a-tad-too-steep-of-a-gear cadence (been there). He can't attack! I spin up, grab my spot back, and keep the last few corners covered up airtight.

Coming into the penultimate turn, a 180 left, I was really afraid he'd use his bike to get the tighter line and chop me, but we both tiptoe through and he's stuck outside for the last sweeper! I bury it, get a couple lengths and think about posting up? No! He's got that big gear turning over now, and he's making up ground fast. I hold him off by a length but throw for good measure. I finally get to throw the sweet scissors high! For the win, and the title!

Photo courtesy of Luke

So forgive the lack of brevity and excessive use of exclamation points, but it's not everyday I get to write a winning race report...thirty races this season, first win ever. As much as I love to double up, I was pre-pinned for the 1/2/3s race, but I opted to celebrate on the couch instead.

The rest of the crew had a strong showing, improving on Jackson Park's results across the boards. Mike finished 6th in the 4a's; if he'd gotten the fourth lap he was expecting, it would have been a few spots higher. Max shook off the mechanicals that plagued his second day at UCI MadCross to crack the top 20 21.

The ladies of the crew were also doing it in the dirt. Molly was a little tied up in Tokyo for the kickoff weekend of cross, so she got her first taste of the season, finishing strong in 13th, just behind Jamie in 11th. Not to undermine her ass-kicking on the bike, but check out Jamie's new ride if you get a chance: custom frame, 650c wheels, sparkly purple paint job. Like a glove.

Heffy was driving the bus, manning the grill, and of course, finding a new way to keep the 4s entertained, this time with a large stuffed bunny offering a dollar prime on the climb. Lots of strong showings from friends and couch surfers, and if not, at least a dog and a beer as a consolation prize. If only all racing were this fun.

One of the louder and rowdier fan contingents

We'll have a rundown of Tokyo happenings soon enough, but a quick update: Christina won third place female! Yay! Molly threw her chain in a hard sprint and had a nasty crash. Boo! Both are soaking up their last couple days abroad, but we'll have them home soon enough. Unless they get offers to become pro Keirin racers. If you haven't done so already, pick up a copy of Thursday's Chicago Tribune. Everyone's favorite cyclo-journalist, Luke Seemann, took the better part of two full pages to write up the local 'cross scene. It's got lots of great shots of familiar faces and local teams. Buy the Trib to keep the place printing papers just a bit longer, but if you must, get the RedEye for free. Or be all digital, and click the link below to read it online.

(This photo has been shamelessly swiped from the Trib web site, and photo credit should go to Michael Tercha.)

"One of the louder and rowdier fan contingents, the Chicago Cuttin' Crew brings couches and bullhorns to races."