2011 Cyclocross Report

By Admin December 13, 2011

If this doesn't get you off the road and on the dirt, then nothing will!

Darin Grund mixing it up! (Credit: Doug Brons)

by Bob Welbourn and friends.

It is hard to believe Cyclocross season is over already - we enjoyed many fantastic events and had some exciting wheel to wheel racing. No matter what your skill level, fitness or experience there is a place for anyone to race Cyclocross. We are fortunate to have a real sense of comradery within the CX community here in BC. This is a report from some of the Glotman Simpson club members who raced Cyclocross this year:

Darin Grund

Competed in BC and Washington State

Star Crossed Masters 4 45+ = 9th
Silver Lake Masters 4 45+ = 5th
South Surrey Cross Masters 3/4 = 13
Boarder Clash Master B = 7th
BC Champs Masters 4/Citizen = 1st

Thought the revamp categories are working real well, love the number of races and low cost, best bang for the buck around. Would highly recommend everyone doing the Seattle X Series, chip timing and beer gardens at every race, I plan to race them all next year!

Ted Matson

Raced a bunch of Masters 3/4 events.

I was carrying my summer fitness for the first few races in September but after taking the month of November off I was way out of shape for the last race on Dec3. I really wasn't trying to place and was just doing the races to maintain some form of fitness and to be involved with a sport that I would like to see grow and get more attention here in BC. From this season I really liked the Ft Langley Aldor Acres course because of the venue lay out and because it was very well attended. The pumpkin cross was a fun race with the costumes and Local Ride did a great job with that race. I also did the Starcrossed in Seattle this year and that was a great experience. It would be nice to see that kind of enthusiasm and participation up here in Vancouver.

I enjoy the low pressure racing that CX is. You don't have to be in crazy good shape in order to participate and the festive atmosphere makes it much more relaxing than the usual road race and even some of the cycling BC mountain bike races. Yet it is also competitive enough that if you want to push yourself there are enough people that take it seriously to make it challenging, if that is what you are after.

I plan to organize my season to do more CX next fall and I plan to be more competitive than I was this year. I also want to get my high school aged kids involved as well next fall. It's a great way to get kid's involved with racing bicycles.

Robert Church

New Brighton Cyclocross (Masters Men 3-4) - 18th
Vanier Park Cyclocross (Masters Men 3-4) - 18th
Pumpkin Cross (Masters Men 3-4) - 16th
Border Cross 1 (Men's B) - 10th
Border Cross 2 (Men's B) - 6th
South Surrey Cross (Masters Men 3-4) - 18th
Cross on the Rock - Cameron's Cross (Intermediate Men) - 10th
BC Cup Finals (Masters Men 3-4) - 15^th

I think that what I like and what is interesting about Cyclocross to me is the complexity of the puzzle. In contrast to a road race, the question of 'how am I fastest right now?' will have 20 or more unique answers each lap based on different types of corners, surfaces and the people racing around you.

Rush Dhillon

I managed to get three races in this year in the Citizen's category. Unfortunately, an injury and work commitments ended my season too early.

I found CX paradoxically enticing - between CX, mountain bike and road races, I have never performed as poorly as I did in my CX races, yet I found it by far the most exhilarating and addictive form of racing I have ever done. First off, it offers a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of our warm fall weather. And the people at the races are so enthusiastic and gracious, its hard not to get caught up in the atmosphere. Short races also allow you to easily schedule racing and spectating on the same day. Most challenging for me was remounting the bike and my lack of power. I find with road cycling its easier to get away with slower accelerations, and for lightweights like me, to hide on the up hills. In Cyclocross, you have to be prepared to redline for 45 min. Next year my goal is to race a full season and master the remount. I would actually like to tailor my summer road training to the Cyclocross season. It would be fantastic if we could have more GS riders involved - I can guarantee many will find it addictive. We can have a lot of fun coming up with mini-clinics and building small courses for honing our skills.

Bob Welbourn

Raced in BC and Washington State

Provincial Championships Masters 40 -49 = 1st
Masters 30 + Cat 1/2 BC Cup = 1st
Masters 30 + Cat 1/2 = 4 x 1^st and 2 x 2nd
Elite: a 2nd, 4th and 5th

This was my third season racing CX, I learned a lot this year and am already looking forward to taking it to a new level next season. (the National Championships will hopefully be here 2012 – that would be my focus) Cyclocross is a fantastic sport - it is technical, exciting, a little crazy but so exhilarating. To do well many aspects need to come together and I absolutely love it!

I will put on a CX clinic in August next year to help get everyone motivated to come and join in the fun.