Exact Radiology QLD State Cyclocross Championships 2013

With Cyclocross participation growing and more racing this year than ever, Queenslanders are starting to get some skills, just not the skills to feel comfortable in the mud. We normally train and race in perfect sunny weather, not considered good enough for Cyclocross. This year the conditions at Jim Finimore Park were more than good enough for Cyclocross. With perfect weather two days before the race I put on file treads, on Sunday I took them off for mud tyres. The call rang loud 'THIS IS CYCLOCROSS!'

Course setup was fast and the crew had an opportunity to get in a few laps and discuss the usual, tyre pressures, racing lines and tactics. Plan A disappeared quickly under a layer of mud, and during the race my lines changed every lap. I've never had to think so much about how I was going to stay upright.

Photo taken by Mike 'Dogtank'

Even though I had a hand in the design of the course, it has been my favorite course to ride on. Open wet grass that sucked leg strength, long concrete path for speed, creek crossing followed by the technical, muddy, off-camber craziness kept the riders on their toes. Hepatitis creek was 'clean' this year but it caught out many who elected to ride the concrete section only to end up with a pinch flat, some multiple times.

ESI Sports Photography

The kids race was fun to watch as always and I am continually impressed at how brave they are on the sketchy sections and how they solider on towards the end of their race, even when they look completely done. In the Open division the mountain bikes had all the advantage through the technical sections thanks to their wide tyres. Mens B and the Womens A/B was a combined start and as usual had the biggest field with plenty of banter before the start.

ESI Sports Photography

The A grade men were led down to the start line by a bag piper, shielding their joy with race faces. The race for the QLD State Championships was plagued with broken rear derailleurs and more flats from the creek. The hill section of the course was now 100% mud with no clean lines remaining anywhere. At the top of the hill coming back to the club house, a one man hand-up team worked hard to lighten the mood with a few cans of XXXX. Eventually the race faces dissolved and the A graders started having fun - next year we will have to work on the commissaires.

ESI Sports Photography

A big thanks, as always, to Scott Kirton and the many hands from the Ipswich Cycling Club. For me, and I'm sure other QLD Cyclocross volunteers, it is always nice to be able to attend one race a year where we can stand on the sideline and cheer, free from official duties.

All the results for the grades can be found at the CQ website.

More photos from the day can be found at the ESI Sports Photography site, Dogtanks Photobucket or by searching #qldcx on Instagram.

Bowl-O-Cross

Whether Bowl-O-Cross would be a success or not was unknown. The format was different, the location was odd, the course was very short and we weren't sure if anyone would turn up. I rolled into Holland Park Bowls Club to start the course setup and saw that the Pushies Galore team had been there since day break. There were lounge chairs across the green, picket fences and colourful flag bunting decorating the course. The whole feel of the grounds was warmly inviting and familiar. There was even a live piano bringing sweet tunes to the racers and spectators alike.

Photo: Gavin Bannerman

Normally when I write a race report I throw around the names of who beat who, who had fun and who got beaten by a girl. On Sunday there was only one name on everyone's lips, Robbie McEwen. Now that's out of the way, I can get to the report.

Photo: Optima Sports Performance

People rolled in and started to gather around the registration desk. It always feels disorganised behind the desk, but seeing the competitors names filling the pages makes me happy. Happy that so many people get to ride their bikes in a cyclocross race - even if it didn't feel like one yet.

Photo: Gavin Bannerman

The races got underway and the crowd started to warm up. Everywhere there were cowbells, horns and cheers. Cheers for the kids, cheers for the ex-pro riding up the hill, cheers for the psycho chicken relay team and cheers for the stacks and there were a few. The spectators even cheered the lady who walked 3 streets over to tell us how much she "enjoyed" the race.

 

Photo: Gavin Bannerman

There was time for a few beers and food before the finals, even if it was against every racers better judgment. While the rest of us "fueled up" Robbie rode laps of the green for about 20min. I guess that's what gave him the edge over the rest of the field??? The atmosphere was charged for the finals, everyone knew trophies were on the line. It felt like there were people on every inch of the course and the finals were over in a blink.

Photo: Gavin Bannerman

With the presentations came one of the best speeches an organiser could have hoped for, Robbie loves Cyclocross and will race again. Who will share a podium with him next time? 

http://vimeo.com/65494054

As the crowd began to disperse and the clean up went on, Robbie left, but not without inspiring the next generation to practice wheelies for the rest of the afternoon.

Photo: Optima Sports Performance

Photo: Optima Sports Performance

Other Race Reports
Pushies Galore race report
Briztreadly race report

Photo Galleries
Gavin Bannerman 
Mike
Nick O'Donnell 

Need a new Cyclocross bike?

As Cyclocross in Queensland is still a small developing sport, I feel lucky that we have the backing from some great sponsors. Their support allows us to put on the best possible races and are able to give something back to the racers.

Bicycle Riders at Morningside are one of those sponsors, and as such, they have a great range of Cyclocross bikes IN STOCK. Get that - they are there on the floor ready for you to test ride. Not many shops in Brisbane can boast a selection of Cyclocross bikes to test ride.

 

The bike that really caught my eye was the Colnago World Cup hanging at the entrance. The World Cups are an alloy frame with carbon fork, they run a 105 group and avid disc brakes. The cables are routed along the top tube to keep them out of the grime. Best yet, I haven't seen anyone in Brisbane riding one. Who will be the first?

At the budget end they have 52cm & 56cm 2011 Specialized Crux with Tiagra. These are going for an absolute steal at $999. The Crux are an awesome frame and at this price if you feel you want a new groupset after a few years you will still be ahead.

Specialized are also doing sale prices on all their Crux frames, which Bicycle Riders can order in for you. I personally have a Crux and it is by far my favorite bike, not just my favorite Cyclocross bike, favorite any bike.

If you are in the mood for your first Cyclocross bike or an upgrade I can recommend Bicycle Riders at Morningside. End plug.

The Perfect Storm

I don't remember when it started raining last week, but I do know it stopped, at about 4pm yesterday afternoon. With a wet ground and permission to 'do whatever you want' we were set for Queensland's first cyclocross mud pit. We get a lot of complaints of having weather too good for cyclocross in Queensland, after last night's race, summer racing is here to stay.

To prove how good it was here is a picture from Marty that captures the aftermath.

The kids started the night and began the removal of the top layer of the course. The Butler brothers bookmarked Patrick 'no hands' Flood to duplicate the podium from Murarrie 2 weeks ago.

In the Open race there was an even split of men and women. The youngest in the field, Alex Clairs put on a quick break at the start and maintained a hot pace to take the win unchallenged. Marty borrowed a bike at the last minute and redeemed his shock on-the-line loss to Imogen at last year's Murarrie CX race (he was still beaten by a girl). Queensland Cyclocross own group member Emma Best put away her 3rd straight win in the women's event this year.

A and B grades started together with a lot of shoving through the first corner. It was a tight course and the surface quickly deteriorated forcing riders to change lines and race tactics. A group of A grade riders worked together and held tight until the bell lap when Lawson Hartshorn made his break to claim the gold cowbell. The B grade race saw battles for positions all through the field. Up the front at lap 8, Jason Smith eventually took the lead to win the category, with the minor places being hard fought until the end.

As usual I have to thank the many hands that come together to allow these races to happen. SRAM continue support with supplying us with race tape and prizes, Richard Butler from Pushies Galore for helping us out with the PA, Brisbane Hardcourt Bike Polo for putting on the BBQ and supplying an awesome cheer squad. Brisbane South Mountain Bike Club has given us a huge level of support and understanding while Cyclocross continues to develop in Queensland. The informal Queensland Cyclocross group of Andrew (master MC), Emma (woman's race development officer/gold cowbell collector), Simon (expert barrier builder), David, Russell, Adam, Imogen and the many others who jumped in to land a hand. 

Full results are here (down the page a bit)

Like Queensland Cyclocross on Facebook for up to date info, race pictures, etc.

Coming up next
Pushies Galore Bowl-O-Cross 5th May
Women's (and kids) skills clinics

Easter Race Weekend

There was a race in Brisbane on the weekend, but it was Easter, so everyone must have gone camping. Everyone, except one guy from Adelaide, who jumped on the net, saw there was a Cyclocross race where he was headed, so he packed his bike. He also packed a first for QLD Cyclocross, a skin suit. Who was this guy? His name was Shaun, and backed up the suit by taking a win in A Grade, easily breaking away from some of the fastest local guys. I had a pleasant chat to Shaun while we were packing up the course and it turned out he rides for Focus...

Even though the turn out for the race was small, there were still many new faces. I love seeing new faces, they always smile the biggest at the end of their initiation into Cyclocross.

Results of the race can be found here.

The next race is on in 2 weeks time under lights at Chandler Velodrome. It is going to be some fun, so wear a crazy costume or bring a unicycle.

One of the QLD Cyclocross group, Andrew Demack, has been writing a blog for many years. I always like reading Andrews race reports, they make me aware of feelings about Cyclocross I didn't know I had. When I read his blog it has a way of making the hard work and doubt vanish. I am left excited for the next race weekend (even if it means I have to sit it out with race duties). Here is Andrews latest entry.

Edit - another race report, this time from the C Grade Cyclist, a Cyclocross first timer. Quess what? He too loves Cyclocross.

QLD Cyclocross Summer Series

After a false start due to buckets of rain, the QLD Cyclocross Summer Series will kick off with the Bicycle Queensland Bike Week CX this Saturday at Memorial Park, Toowong. Enter online HERE to save your spot.

As usual, there will be a small group setting up the course from midday. If you love Cyclocross and have nothing better to do drop down early and lend a hand.

The rest of this years races can be found at the Queensland Cyclocross website.

There's a New Website in Town

Mudsters started as my personal blog for everything I found cool about cyclocross. Over the last year it has transformed to be a platform for those interested in cyclocross to develop and promote the sport locally. To separate my views from the facts, I have started a new blog simply called Queensland Cyclocross.

Queensland Cyclocross will be the portal for all the information you will need to race cyclocross in Queensland. At the moment the 2013 QLD CX race calendar is up and a licensing FAQ. Mudsters will revert to it's original purpose, me posting CX related fun.

Is This Thing On?

It's been quite on the blog over the Christmas/New Year period with good reason. I've had a new baby and some bike projects to keep me occupied. But more importantly, we have been working like crazy to get the 2013 calendar in place. I will start updating things shortly. 

In the meantime, I can tell you there will be races all over Brisbane and Ipswich. Both summer and  winter series are planned. With the first race kicking off in just over a month, I better get a wiggle on and you better start practicing your dismounts.

DDCX Rapha Super Cross

Check out the DDCX Rapha Super Cross video that went up today. I can see a few Queenslanders in there! I feature nice and early in the film at about the 10-11 second mark. Even though it is only my hands, it still counts.

Rapha Super Cross Melbourne from RAPHA on Vimeo.

What Cyclocross Dreams Are Made Of

I saw this the other day and just had to reblog it - good find Mr. Blake.

If we only had 10% of this weather in Brisbane. Maybe summer will come through with the goods this year (it might be a bit of an ask for the snow, so the mud will do fine).

4ème Manche de CDM cyclo-cross from Petitesreines on Vimeo.

Does This Mean We Are Famous?

Robert Cobcroft from Velo Aficionado interviewed me a few days ago about the history, current state, and future of cyclocross in Brisbane. I hope I had my facts correct. 

He also took some pretty good pictures of the Murarrie race. What else would expect from a professional photographer? Scroll down to the bottom to of his article to check them out.

Robert has heaps of really interesting posts about all types of cycling in Brisbane and I do suggest you go back a bit and check them out.

Here is the direct link to the article.

3 of 3 - Balmoral Mudsters Cyclocross

Sunday saw the final race in my cyclocross tour of Australia, 3 races over consecutive weekends. The most exciting part for me was that this race was the first organised by myself. I was super nervous about everything, but the day went off smoothly and everyone I spoke to had a ball - that's a win in my books.

A group of us got to the crit track early and started to setup the course while dodging the Saturday morning races. A few coffee breaks later and the course was set to go. The SRAM/ZIPP van arrived and popped up a tent filled with posh bikes & wheels.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast thunderstorms earlier in the week but they never came... what? So the course remained dry, flat and fast. These conditions still had their own challenges. Off-camber turns on the dry grass made it easy to get the back sideways and loose dirt in sections could wash a front wheel out if you weren't paying attention.

Kids Race

The course was set a little shorter for the kids, but because I forgot to go down to the start/finish and give a briefing, young Zoe ended up doing the full course. Despite this, she still placed 4th, what an effort! A mechanical saw SRAM swing into action and fix a broken chain to get Darcy back on the track to finish off the last lap. All the kids received SRAM/ZIPP prize packs, I even saw one young lad pimping out his bike using ALL the ZIPP stickers in the bag.

Open

Surprisingly the Open category had the smallest field - has everyone upgraded their mountain bikes to cyclocross? However small, this race was made up by almost 50% female competitors, which was awesome. If this trend continues, we will run some woman's only skills sessions next year.

Andrew was asking for a picture of Pete going OTB, here it is.

Pete wasn't too fazed as he went on to win his race.

B Grade

It was our biggest field of the day and where yours truly was entered. Time to cast aside the worries of organising and focus on the race. I knew heaps of people at the start line so this was going to be fun.

After seeing a few guys end up on their heads after failed bunny hop attempts I was cautious as I first approached the half height barriers. All went OK, unlike Andrew who dropped his chain twice, and had to work extra hard to regain lost places.

The difference between road and mountain bike riders showed in the different sections of the course. The long flats saw the road riders gain the advantage but this was lost through the twists and turns of the more technical sections.

It's not uncommon for competitors to dress up and put on a show for the crowd at cross races. We didn't have any on Saturday, instead we had Marty, doing his best Mario Cipollini style sexy man ride. As sexy as he was, he couldn't hold his place against a last second sprint from Imogen on the finish line.

A Grade

There were 3 skittles coloured CruX in A grade, suddenly I didn't feel special anymore. The riders were on everything from the fully loaded Crux (below) to a steel frame single speed.

There was an ongoing battle for first between Matt and Josh, with Matt riding past the single speed to victory on the final straight. Proving that even in a small field there are no easy wins.

Obviously these guys were quick and skilled up and it was great to see this level of expertise from local riders. With talent this good we are sure to see cyclocross continue to grow in SEQ.

More race reports can be found here.

Briztreadley

Vicious cycle
Caffeine Fuelled Cyclemania

Ipswich CX
Velo Aficionado
Boss Cross

Links to pictures

Balmoral Mudsters Cyclocross 2012
Echelon Sports Australia Facebook

There was even some video taken by Simon!

Volunteers and Sponsors

Putting together a Cyclocross race takes a lot of time and without a team it would never happen. I would like to thank Balmoral Cycling Club for hosting the race, providing the race commissaire Louise Jones and lots of advice for a first time race organiser. SRAM are worldwide supporters of Cyclocross and they provided prizes, barrier tape, mechanical assistance and bike porn. They really did make the event feel a lot more professional then I ever could have imagined.

A very big thanks go to the volunteers that helped setup and pull down the course. Simon, Mark, Marty and Scott were all at the grounds early (4 hours before the first race) banging in stakes and rolling out km's of barrier tape. Andrew Demack and Ernie Tye kept the crowed informed and amused on the microphone, by the end of the day the spiral of death had about 6 names. I also need to thank my wife who held in our first baby, days from due, to work the registration desk. 

The crowed, especially the FoA crew, added to the party atmosphere by banging on cowbells, bike parts and kitchen implements and demanding riders pop wheelies.

Courtesy of Nathan

Cyclocross racing is fun, and when you get all the pieces together you get a day out you can't beat.

Results

If you see your name in the top 3 for any category and gender and you missed presentations, drop me an e-mail and I will get your prize out to you.

What's next? Keep an eye on the blog for what could be a fun summer.

Kids Race Cheap

Just a quick update on the entries and ride permits.

Adults $10

Kids $5

You can race on any valid CA, MTBA or BMX license.

If you don't have one of the above licenses you can purchase a day permit or 3 ride permit.

Kids day permits are discounted at $20.
Adults are still $33 for the day, $44 for a 3 ride.

Oh yeah - the bike below is NOT a prize, as much as I would love it to be.

I Hope You Are Ready

Because the guys from SRAM are. How ready? Try a fully loaded Crux with Zipp stem, seat post, carbon bars, Avid shorty ultimates, top of line SRAM components and Zipp 404 carbon clinchers.

There are also a few updates.

Entry fees are now cheaper Adults $10, Juniors $5 (to make it easier on the change)

A Grade Cyclocross is now 45min + 1 lap

If you need a permit on the day please let me know as these need to be pre-purchased and we would hate to run out.

Registration will be open between 11am and 1pm only. If you show up later then that you better bring a Caramello Koala.

Food and drinks. There may or may not be a coffee guy who also stocks a few snacks. Otherwise there is a servo across the road and Cannon Hill shops about 500m away.

2 of 3 - Dirty Deeds CX Rapha Supercross

I had last week off to get over the fallout from the now famous hepatitis creek. I felt a lot better by the end of the week, so I packed my bags and made ready for the trip to Melbourne for part two of my cyclocross tour of Australia.

When I left Brisbane there were 26 degree days - shorts and thongs weather. Melbourne was a lot colder then I expected. I could go on about freezing at DISC and how a hot water bottle saved me from hypothermia, but this blog is about cyclocross so let's get into it.

The Dirty Deeds crew know how to put on a cross race and this round of DDCX was no ordinary affair, it was a Rapha Supercross. In usual Rapha style they got their epic on. The course was sprayed with pink and black barrier tape and some huge pink flags in the middle of the track. I did hear someone mention that it looked like a quidditch field - an epic quidditch field.

I entered myself in B grade along with our QLD Cyclocross State Championship organiser, Scott Kirton. That's right 2 Queenslanders representing!!! The field was quick and finding the right lines in the muddy center was constant trial and error. On the back section there was a steep off camber decent that required some delicate brake work to navigate upright. Riding up the adjacent climb was just as technical, I opted to run it every time. Then it was a fast lap around the outside and back into velodrome to start the next lap.

There were so many nice bikes to perv on, I did catch myself a few times mid race admiring passing cross machines instead of watching my line. I have to give Nick two big thumbs up for the course layout, it was a hit with races and spectators alike. 

After my race I got a chance to watch the A grade men ride. It was a fast race with some highly skilled riders putting on a great show. The lower skilled rides also put on a good show, rolling down the run up and binning it on the path, much to the crowds appreciation. I have been a Lewis Rattray fan ever since I heard about him racing in the CX world championships earlier this year, I got a pretty good picture of him too.

Things I didn't know about Melbourne. Everyone sleeps in, everyone is vegan, everyone likes cats, everyone has a beard, everyone wears black, everyone rides a bike and everyone loves cyclocross (except councils, but we all knew that). Melbourne mud is also very polite, sure it is everywhere, and it goes all over your bike, but once it's had enough it just falls off. Even the stubborn bits just flick off, no chisel needed.

I have to put the biggest thanks of the weekend out to my hosts Andrew and Kate. Without the invitation to attend and an offer of lodging I would have never made it. Plus, Andrew did two airport runs which I can never say thank you enough for.

Next on the list is getting everything sorted for the Balmoral Mudsters Cyclocross race, organised by yours truly.

Ghetto Cross

A mate of mine, Marty, was so pumped after banging his pots and pans on the hill at Ipswich on the weekend he just had to get some action. So he went home and looked through his bits, and with the help from a few Mudsters donating tyres and bars, threw this together.

That's a 1 X 9 setup using a bashguard and modified front derailleur to keep the chain snug upfront. I am always happy when a local cross bike is born - no matter how "unique". Can't wait to see it in action at Murarrie.

1 of 3 - Queensland State Cyclocross Championships

Somehow I have managed to book myself in for 3 cross races over 3 consecutive weekends. After yesterdays effort I am hurting, I hope my body gets a chance to recover between races. 

As I am sure frequent readers of my blog know, yesterday was the Queensland State Cyclocross Championships held by the Ipswich Cycling Club. It was an awesome sunny day (maybe a little bit windy) and as usual Scott managed to put together a well thought out challenging course.

The kids got the party stared and I have no idea how they got across the creek, it was pretty deep. They did an awesome job negotiating the obstacles and pushing their bikes up the stairs and all those hills. Good job to all of them, some of those bikes were HEAVY.

Next up was the Open category, lots of MTB's and a few single speeds. Daniel Angus did a good job on his single to pick up a silver medal - not bad for a trackie. Mudsters helper Mark was plagued by pinch flats and slow leaks but after a few pit stops managed to finish the race.

B Grade had a strong showing and this is the race I entered. I started slowly remembering how quickly I burnt out last year. This tactic worked well and I stayed at the back for the rest of the race. Lots of back and forth with positions all across the field made for fun racing. The guys on the hill with the pots and pans kept everyone pumped through the back section. About that creek again, on my 3rd lap I went far right looking for a shallower crossing and thought my head was going to go under, Andrew Demack actually disappeared for a few minutes. The other Mudster helper, Simon, passed me on the last lap and finished his first cross race with a smile.

Almost as soon as we had finished the big race of the day, A grade, lined up for their 50mins of suffering. For the first few laps there was a solid group of 5 that held together on the front. Slowly they became 2 and it stayed this way until the end. A pinch flat 200m from the finish saw the winner claim victory unchallenged. This was by far the most exciting race I have ever seen in person, the battles for every position were tight and riders kept on giving everything they had.

The full results can be found here.

Other race reports can be found at Ipswich CX and Briztreadley.

I didn't get any pictures of the races but the guys from Veloshotz have a nice little galley for you to flick through.

Next I am down to the Dirty Deeds CX Rapha Supercross Extravaganza. Then I will be back to do the last minute running around for the Balmoral Mudsters of the Universe Cyclocross race. What's with all the stupidly long names?

Who Will Be Crowned?

Today is the last day to register for the QLD Cyclocross Championships. You can still do it on the day but it will cost you more. If you are going to need a 1 day or 3 day license let Scott know early because they are pre-purchased, and with an expected 100 strong field you might miss out. Scott's email can be found on the flyer for the event.

Things Are Falling Into Place

We are still tying up a few things with Cycling Queensland so details on how to enter will be available very shortly, I promise.

Don't have a race license? Grab a 3 race license while entering at Ipswich and use it at both CX events.

I got a chance to head out to Murarrie today and finalise the course. It is flat, dry and fast. Check out the map and get an advantage on the competition. Word of warning, there may or may not be a Magpie somewhere on the course, I won't ruin the surprise by telling where exactly.

Oh yeah - if you still don't have a bike check another local bargain.

In case you have forgotten the QLD Cyclocross Championships are on next weekend. Go and enter now!!!!

A Couple Of Things

Thanks to Scott for putting on a fun and challenging skills day out at Ipswich yesterday. We got to practice a few high speed dismounts/remounts. During which, I was trying to be a bit too pro and failed to unclip in time ending up cleaning up both of the practice barriers. He also took us on a ride around Limestone and Queens Parks, flying around the Sunday picnickers, up and down the hills, dips, stairs and paths was great fun.

If you need something to get fired up for the upcoming local cross races check out this video from Round 2 of the Specialized Cross Melburn race last weekend. Look at all those Crux!

Excited and need a cross bike? If you are a shorty maybe you would like to throw a bid on this Crux.