New Years Day MTB Ride

Cyclocross Season Recap

The 2010 cyclocross season has been very fun and successful here locally in KC. Each event has been well attended and the competition has been strong. As the season nears an end (check http://kscycling.org for the remaining local events) and the National Cyclocross Championships take place this weekend we look back....

John Williams had a great first year in Cyclocross. "Mr. Pot Pie" turned in some great performances and reached the podium which showed his hard work ethic.
Tim Greene, another first year crosser, put in some solid performances. Tim above is ripping the beach section at Smithville.
Our "Single Speed Demon" John Wagner traded in his normal SS MTB rig for a full on cross bike. John had a great season with several podium spots and a win.
Mr. Guru's season started early and ended that way with an injury. Hopefully a recovery will allow a late season charge at the end of year events. Bring on the snow and ice...

Mr "Styling" Damian Almanza put in some solid rides including a podium spot at Smithville.


Tige Lamb came out of retirement for one race this year before heading back....

Jeff Arnaud also went full on cross with a new rig. He is working it hard at Smithville on his new ride.
Bob Tarne looking good at the De Stad Cross Cup.
Ashley Blum flowing through the University of Saint Mary course on his SS.
Rick Barrett came out of retirement with some good rides sporting the Cow Town colors.

Brent Gowin working his new rig at USM. Brent rode strong in the events he was able to attend.
Christopher took the year off from racing, but helped out with course preparation.

The Gobbler Ride

Cow Town Cycling invites you to join them on a nice Thanksgiving day ride....

De Stad Cross Cup

Cyclocross in Kansas City has continued to grow in 2010, both in participation levels and permitted events. So far this season, cross events have been held every weekend locally and have had great turnouts.

This year’s exciting cyclo-cross season continues November 14^th with the De Stad Cross Cup. Cyclocross-crazed racers and spectators will descend upon the beautiful campus of the University of Saint Mary for a day full of Cyclocross fun. Another classic course has been designed by the Cross Guru and will include all the popular natural elements that this great venue offers – tree lined course, cobbles, hills, short steep run-ups, fast straights, gravel, dirt and flowing corners.

Online registration closes Wednesday, Novermber 10^th at Midnight. Please visit our registration link: De Stad Cross Cup Registration to register. All pre-registered riders will receive a goody bag compliments of the Wheel Cyclery which will include products from our sponsors Chamois Butt'r , Hammer products Sugoi, Tifosi, Crepes on the Square and Allure Salon and Day Spa. Riders will be called to the line based on order of registration so don’t delay. Race day registration is available and opens at 8:30am. See event flyer for more details.

Women have been a big part of this year’s growth. We are pleased to be a part of it and will continue to support women’s cycling. The Women’s 1/2/3 class is brought to you by BreakAway Consulting. Don’t forget the addition of the Women’s 3/4 class. The Kansas Cycling Association is proud to again sponsor the Women’s Beginner Cat 4 class. Thanks to a partnership with the KCA and our event promoters, the entry fee for the Women’s Cat 4 division isr educed to $10.00.

The Santa Fe Trails Bicycle and Coffee Shop will sponsor the Men’s Cat 4 division and Masters 35+ B division. Prizes include an autographed Team Lampre jersey.

Registration, post race food, coffee and award ceremonies brought to you by The Wheel Cyclery and Cow Town Cycling will be held indoors. Be sure to stop by for some great food and congratulate the winners of each division.

Cross Season Full Steam Ahead

The 2010 cyclocross season is in full swing. Attendance at local events have increased with very good participation numbers across the board. Masters classes continue to grow and the single speed class is has seen some good numbers as well. It is also good to see a few new women out there having fun.

Smithville Cyclocross results are in. A very solid turnout on a very fun course that got rave reviews. Not very many venues top Smithville and only one comes to mind at this time - University of Saint Mary. Cow Town Cycling will be hosting the De Stad Cross Cup next weekend so be sure to come out and experience this classic event on the USM course designed by Cross Guru.

Cow Town in action:

Smithville Cyclocross Challenge

CHILLI, CROSS, COWBELLS

The Smithville CX Challenge presented by The Wheel Cyclery looks forward to the first of the 2010 De Stad Van Kansas Races. The fourth annual Smithville CX Challenge will be held at the beautiful Sailboat Cove, Smithville Lake, MO just 25 minutes north of Kansas City.

Promoters Heather Jordan and Chris Locke said, “We are excited about the 2010 season. With growing attendance at each event, Kansas City is fast becoming the hotbed for cyclocross. As the numbers rise, the series attracts more sponsors to grow higher payouts and more prizes. This weekend will be no different.”

A well balanced course has been designed by the Cross Guru for the Smithville CX Challenge. The course features 158 feet of climbing per 1.8 mile lap with plenty of pavement, flowing turns, a few off camber turns, a natural steep run up (one the Guru is famous for) and Hammer Beach along the shores of Smithville Lake. As always, the money tree will be in full bloom for Sunday’s events. This is a great venue for spectating!

The Wheel Cyclery, Clay County Parks, KCA, Tifosi, FRS, Hammer Nutrition, Weston Brewing, Dynamic Earth, Allure Day Spa, Sugoi Performance Apparel, Cow Town Cycling and Chamois Butt’r, bring the event more than $5,000 in prizes.

Prizes are plentiful; and the food abundant. Sunday will feature a Chili Extravaganza. Don’t forget…coffee by the gallon and lots of sweets! Weston Brewing is currently cooking up a custom brew for the event- so don’t miss out!

Racing at Sailboat Cove begins Sunday at 9:30 a.m. with the “First Timers” Class. Races continue throughout the day with the Finale - Category Men 1/2/3 racing at 2:00 pm. Ladies, don’t forget that KCA is sponsoring the Category 4 women by supplementing your entry; which means you race for only $10!

Get your cross bikes ready to roll, there are categories for Men and Women from Pro to beginner and everything in between. Visit www.kansascitycross.com for all the details.

Cross Out Cancer

The 1st annual Cross Out Cancer race was held Sunday at Shawnee Mission Park. All the fair weather crossers were out to enjoy another hot day racing cyclocross. Results from KCA and the awesome officials that we have.

Congratulation to John Williams for stepping up on the podium for the first time. John used his experience of riding rough terrain to take 3rd in the Masters 35+ Cat 4 division.

Some of the Herd caught in action by Roger Harrison.

Kuat Bike Rack Review

Our own Bob & Michael Tarne reviewed the Kuiat racks recently. Here is what they had to say about NV.....

My son and I took the Kuat NV on a recent trip to Arkansas to do some mountain biking before I dropped him off at college. The rack performed flawlessly and looked good to boot.

I have a 2 inch hitch on my car, and the rack mated up nicely. After getting it in place, a few twists of the knob at the end of the rack gave it a nice tight fit. I’ve had other racks that bounce around; the tight fit of the Kuat was a nice change. The rack held our 2 full suspension bikes nicely. As we drove down the road, I found myself looking in the rear-view mirror just to make sure, but the bikes weren’t moving at all.

After we took our bikes off and stashed them in our hotel room, the rack folded up nicely as we headed off to dinner. I just had to remember I had an extra foot or so of length to my car as I was backing up.

The Trail Doc (repair stand attachment) also came in handy. After our first day of riding, my bike was not shifting right. In a matter of seconds, we put the attachment on and got my bike on so we could tweak my shifting.

The NV even comes with an integrated cable lock which comes in handy to secure your bikes and takes away any worries if the bikes were left on during an extended meal or anything else taking you away from your car for a while.

Having used less expensive racks such as Thule, this seems much more solid. If you’re looking for a solid rack that works well with full suspension bikes, this is a winner. And while the rack only holds 2 bikes, Kuat is releasing an extension for 2 additional bikes. The NV is advertised as working well with downhill, free ride, or other large bikes.

KC Cup Cyclocross Race

The local Cyclocross season started with the KC Cup Cyclocross race. Held at Swope park on a very unique and challenging course that featured about 3/4 of a mile of single track, log crossings, miniature barriers, a long road section and plenty of twisty stuff to keep things interesting (if the log crossing in the single track did not do that for you...)

A nice little video:






Mark Cole represented ole Cow Town well in the Men's Cat 1/2/3 event. A well earned 2nd place earned some cash and beer.
Chris Locke working hard trying to come back after a very poor start.
John Williams with some good form over the barriers.
Tim Greene over the barriers given her hell

Prairie Spirits Trail Bike Ride

Traffic Skills 101 Class

Traffic Skills 101 is an intensive, on-bike class designed to help you safely and confidently bike in traffic. The two-part series is on October 2nd and 9th.

Whether you are an aspiring bike commuter or a seasoned cyclist, this class will give you invaluable knowledge and practical bike handling skills. This is the first time Kansas City has seen this class in several years, so don\'t miss this great opportunity.

Space is limited, so sign up today at: http://mobikefed.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=7415

Traffic Skills 101 is offered by Eric Bunch, a Licensed Cycling Instructor with the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, a partner in the Car Free Challenge.

Gravel Worlds - 150 Miles of Pain and Pleasure

Gravel Worlds Recap by John Williams (aka Mr. Pot Pie)

Some pictures stolen from Pirate Cycling League.

I left Kansas City Friday night with hopes of getting to the start (were I would sleep in the back of the truck ) in time to get a reasonable amount of sleep. I got to Lincoln no problems, with the exception of a driving rain storm that washed all the lube off my chain. When I got to the start I was glad to see I wasn't going to be the only one sleeping out there. I would share the lot with Dennis from Iowa and another random I never met. The night was beautiful and I thought a good night of sleep wasn't going to be a problem, at least until the mosquitoes feasting upon my flesh. I ended up having to roll up all the windows which kept the bugs off me, but it turned the truck into a sauna.

Start of the race was at 6 A.M, and somehow I was late (how are you late when you sleep at the start?). I rolled out just shy of dead last. At this hour of the morning it was still pretty dark all I could see is blinky lights way up the road. As it got lighter the fog rising from the corn fields provided some of the most beautiful scenes of sunrise. At one point the road ahead completely disappeared as it dropped into a particularly foggy cloud. By the time the sun had completely risen I had made my up to what I think was the first or maybe the second chase group, about 15 riders. In the pace line the guy in front of me, who wasn't wearing a helmet, touched wheels with guy in front of him and went down. I was able to swerve and keep myself upright as well as keep my crank from hitting his head. Missing literally by two or three inches. It scared the hell out of me!! I was subsequently dropped by this group about five miles from the first check point. At the checkpoint I refilled my water bottles, bought my power ball ticket (proof you had been there). I rode out of checkpoint one with Matt Gersib, who had suffered a nasty crash himself, and another Lincolnite. They kept a brisk pace and within a few miles they had rode off from me. From check point one to two was mostly hilly B roads through some beautiful country. I managed to catch a rider who was part of the group that dropped me earlier on. We rode together for awhile he told me he had just move to Lincoln and had only heard of the race the night before. I rode off from him and spent the rest of the stage alone. Walking into the second checkpoint I managed to grab the last two frozen White Castle burgers, as well as some ice water and a power ball ticket. Standing outside the general store I gloated about having just scored the last two WC burgers, surprisingly no one seemed too care. I yucked it up with a few riders then headed out with a guy from Lincoln who's name I never caught, even though we were riding matching Salsa La Cruzes. We kept a decent pace the next ten miles to the fist oasis, which were optional stops to refill and cool off. Our stop was relatively quick and we rode off with another Lincoln rider, Janna Vavra the eventual women's SS winner. The three of us road together from a while with Janna doing most of the pulling. By the time we reached checkpoint three it was just Janna and myself, we would go on to finish the race together. As we left checkpoint three we continued to keep a decent pace by keeping our spirits up and minds distracted with light conversation. Soon we were coming across riders that were starting to break down, One guy from Lawrence looking for the short way back to Lincoln, another who was off his bike layed out on his back in the middle of the road. Then a few guys from the group that dropped me back before checkpoint one. After picking off a few more riders we caught Gersib, who had dropped me about a hundred miles earlier. Morale was high at this point, but energy was dropping. Janna dragged me to the last oasis just ten miles from the finish. There I was able to cool off and rest enough to feel able to muster up the energy to ride ten more miles to the finish. Leaving the oasis we picked up another Lincoln rider, Malcolm Tassi who I had met at the farmhouse classic. I was truly impressed by this guy, he was seven beers and a hundred plus miles into the day and was packing two cold bottles of beer in his jersey pocket (I think he was worried there wouldn't be any at the finish). We pulled into the finish with a time of 11:56. It was a good day of gravel riding with a lot of good people, now the challenge of driving three hours home without falling asleep at the wheel.

Complete Gravel Worlds Results

Fool's in the Mud

Round #7 Kenda NUE (National Ultra Endurance) Series rolled into Dahlonega, GA for what was planned a 100 mile romp on some sweet Georgia single track. Mother nature had other plans and the Fool's Gold 100 turned into a mud slinging classic.

Our southern division of Cow Town were on hand with Joey Locke and Selby Holler taking on the elements and had to use all the MX mud experience to survive the day. A high attrition rate was recorded, but both Joey and Selby finished strong - neither with brakes, but a hell of a smile on their faces.

As you can see by the photo on the right, the "fool's gold" took its toll on bikes and brakes. Fool's Gold is shiny, like real gold, however, unlike real gold, fool's gold (pyrites or mica) is known for its crystalline structure, which makes it usually glittery. Mountain bike racers often notice the shiny mica on their bodies after a race, but at round seven of the National Ultra Endurance (NUE) series, they experienced just how abrasive these little metal flakes can be.

Some good race reports at Greg Rides Trails, I'd Rather Be Mountain Biking, Single Track, DC/MTB and Cycling News.

Selby finished in 42nd place in 7:34 and Joey finished in 99th place in a time of 9:54. Just to finish the event was an accomplishment. I think both are now addicted to endurance racing and have plans to attend some other NUE events and the BURN 24 next year. Maybe we can get them to come up for next years Bone Bender 3/6 Hour MTB Odyssey?

Rapture in Misery Report and Pictures

Cow Town was out in force today at the annual Rapture in Misery. A great showing with several podium finishes and even a win.

A 9.2 mile loop was used for this years RIM. Plenty of climbing, some sweet single track and some rocky section for everyone's pleasure. The rain that passed on Friday made some of the course a little tricky, but for the most part the course was in great condition. Some of us like slick rock :-)

Doug Long and crew did a great job with the course and providing a venue that we look forward to coming back every year. Now if he could only do something about the heat. Maybe move RIM back to September???? I vote yes.

2010 Rapture in Misery Results

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

Rapture in Misery

Crocodile Rock Mountain Bike Race

A hot day, but a very cool course greeted all the riders at the annual Crocodile Rock MTB race. Lyle Riedy did a fantastic job with the event and everything ran smoothly. Plenty of shade to keep you cool along with some cold beer to quench your thirst.

Cow Town was out in force today with some great results. Tim Greene stepped up on the podium for the first time in the Marathon class, John Wagner took another win in the Single Speed class, Jeff Arnaud and Craig Myers-Areth battled it out in the Sport 30-39 division, Chris Locke and Mike Classen represented the team in the Expert classes.

Pictures from Sunday's Crocodile Rock MTB Race are up (Thank you Carolynn):

Crocodile Rock MTB

Results coming when then come....