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‘Cross is Coming, is Here, and Always Has Been: CX Practice in New York City

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‘Cross is Coming, is Here, and Always Has Been: CX Practice in New York City

In the heart of New York City, where towering skyscrapers cast their imposing shadows, a hidden haven of summer grass, plastic cones, makeshift barriers, and camaraderie emerges every Wednesday evening from late August to early November. Randall’s Island, a patch of green in the midst of New York City’s concrete jungle, becomes an unlikely sanctuary for cyclists of all kinds seeking the ever-so-special and thankfully still alive-and-well discipline called cyclocross.

Continue reading Angelo Calilap‘s account of NYC’s longstanding ‘cross practice hosted by King Kog accompanied by a wonderful image gallery from Andres Cevallos…

2023 Enve Grodeo and Builder Round-Up Part 2: Sycip, Rock Lobster, Wish One, Moots, Scarab, Quirk, Boredure, Breadwinner, ENVE

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2023 Enve Grodeo and Builder Round-Up Part 2: Sycip, Rock Lobster, Wish One, Moots, Scarab, Quirk, Boredure, Breadwinner, ENVE

Today we are back with part two of Spencer Harding‘s ENVE Grodeo and Builder Round-up coverage. If you missed the builds featured in yesterday’s post, we’d recommend going back and giving them a gander—3D-printed parts (most ti but some steel, too!) seems to be the unofficial theme for the year but there’s plenty to see across the creative spectrum! Today, we finish up with the remaining frame builders in the showcase—with a few more overseas features—then we head out on the weekend’s main event, a 92-mile gravel ride on some of the best dirt in the northern Wasatch Mountains. Let’s dive in!  

SSCXWC 2022 Durango: Where Winners are Losers and Losers are Winners

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SSCXWC 2022 Durango: Where Winners are Losers and Losers are Winners

Here I am again, writing about a World Championships experience. This one is just a touch more debaucherous than the last one I attended in early October. I swapped the UCI regulations for one rule to rule them all: if you win you must get a tattoo. Single Speed Cyclocross World Champs is the not-so-underground, fringe, party event that calls itself a World Champs and, in many ways, it is. But instead of (doing drugs) (marginal gains) that make you faster, you do things that make you slower like keg stands, whiskey shots, and hot dog hand-ups.

2022 Cyclocross Nationals on Film: Patience Through the Chaos

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2022 Cyclocross Nationals on Film: Patience Through the Chaos

With my camera bag loaded with several boxes of 120 film and a brick of Ilford HP5, I pulled out of the driveway bound for Hartford, CT; I paused, wondering how I arrived at this moment. All of the little moves and influences resulted in me lugging two cameras with a combined age of some 75 years to shoot the season’s most crucial cyclocross race. There is a “Butterfly Effect” moment in our lives that leads us to our current state, and somewhere amongst the mud, dust, and thousands of shutter actuation is mine.

Beyond Camaraderie, Between Athletes, Behind the Tape: Cyclocross’ Unsung Hereoes

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Beyond Camaraderie, Between Athletes, Behind the Tape: Cyclocross’ Unsung Hereoes

Amidst the fray of cyclocross athletes regularly pushing themselves to the limit, the unsung heroes of this discipline are churning away behind the scenes. From mechanics and photographers to directors and coaches, the lesser-known faces that keep this crazy sport going are all unique people with their own stories, but not ones you’ll likely hear about in race coverage. So enjoy a glimpse into the world of the people on the outside of the tape – we hope it inspires you to take a walk through the paddock at the next race you attend and look a little closer.

A Dog’s Day at the 2022 Trek Cyclocross World Cup

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A Dog’s Day at the 2022 Trek Cyclocross World Cup

Years ago, when I expressed my aspirations to become a cycling photographer, a very talented friend helped me put things into perspective. “Remember,” he said, “What you are trying to achieve is the equivalent of wanting to be an NFL photographer while living in Japan.”

I knew what he was saying was not to discourage me; he had also worked for various cycling outlets over the years, writing and occasionally shooting with well-known names in professional cycling. His frequent flyer miles were piling up, and it was merely a side hustle. “You can do it,” he told me, “but as someone once told me, you must accept living like a dog.”

#crossneverleft: How to Throw a Cyclocross Race

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#crossneverleft: How to Throw a Cyclocross Race

Are you missing cyclocross? Maybe it’s February and you haven’t reached your quota of mud in your eye, or maybe it’s June and doing a gravel race is just 7 hours too long – do they even know what a cowbell is in Kansas? Why rely on your local promoter to line the local park with caution tape when you can easily do the same yourself? Organizing your own race is not only more simple than you think, but a great way to get people together and build community!

Gold in the Ruts: A Love Letter to Cyclocross

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Gold in the Ruts: A Love Letter to Cyclocross

The following is a love letter to Cyclocross and in particular photographing cyclocross. During the 2018-2019 season, I was blessed to attend a few races and got a chance to shoot freely and candidly with no one expecting anything from me but everyone letting me in and close. I had no idea what was about to happen to me, under the lashing rain of Overijse, a small cold flemish town, I fell in love with cycling once again, a way I never expected, cold, easy, mind-blowing and everlasting.

We get to play like kids in the mud but as adults, what else could be better?” – Rebecca Gross

Vos is Boss-Pidcock of the Walk at the 2022 Cyclocross World Championships

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Vos is Boss-Pidcock of the Walk at the 2022 Cyclocross World Championships

A strange sensation grips the mind when a long drive begins in the darkness of predawn. The city remains still, holding onto its final few hours of sleep, and the highway remains virtually empty. There is a promise in the loneliness of the opening hours of long highway travel. Exits flutter by in the darkness; distant lights of tractor-trailers and roadside oasis’ are the only possible signs of life beyond the confines of my car. The falling snow has narrowed my concentration to the reflecting lines on the asphalt as I navigate south and west on my way to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for this year’s Cyclocross World Championships.

My Name is Windy: The Scene at the 2021 CX Nats

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My Name is Windy: The Scene at the 2021 CX Nats

Act One: We Can’t Stop Here, This is Nats Country!

In which our anti-hero-TeamLifeLOL-genderwhatever sets the stage with cold takes on Chicago-lite.

What a December it was for The Cyclocross in Chicago. I’ve seen a few different versions of this: rain and sleet off Lake Michigan for Montrose; 60 degrees (and a hot tub at both!), bitter cold and wind at Afterglow; and for USAC CX Nationals in Wheaton, IL, there was a complete fall-to-winter seasonal transition.

2021 Philly Bike Expo: Pachyderm Bikes Custom Cyclocross

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2021 Philly Bike Expo: Pachyderm Bikes Custom Cyclocross

Since 2014, Dan Schaumann has been a full-time professor at University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Design and runs a R+D lab within the Department of Ophthalmology. In addition to his teaching duties, various design-related past times, and riding/racing bikes, Dan has been building frames as Pachyderm Bikes out of the Chicago-based Bubbly Dynamics co-op workshop and now from his own garage shop space. Through peer and self-teaching at Bubbly, Dan honed his craft and has built race bikes for himself, teammates, and friends. He’s even started teaching others the art of framebuilding. Continue reading below for Dan’s description of the cyclocross bike he built for his friend Sam Scipio and displayed at the 2021 Philly Bike Expo, as documented by Jarrod Bunk‘s imagery.

Smells Like ‘Cross: The 2021 Cyclocross National Championships

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Smells Like ‘Cross: The 2021 Cyclocross National Championships

As I sit here looking through the rolls of film shot at this year’s Cyclocross Nationals in Chicago, IL, the feeling is bittersweet. Traditionally, Nationals marks the end of the domestic racing season, but as I wandered through the parking lot catching up with old friends, it felt more like the beginning of something. After two years of canceled events, postponements, and isolation, gathering in Chicago for this year’s race almost felt “normal.”

Ben Frederick’s “Love your Brain” Fundraiser and Jersey Pre-Order

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Ben Frederick’s “Love your Brain” Fundraiser and Jersey Pre-Order

Earlier this fall we featured Fergus Tanaka’s touching story about Ben Frederick‘s fundraiser with Love your Brain, a non-profit organization that advocates for traumatic brain injury relief and recovery. Ben is also raffling off one of his custom Ritchey Swiss Cross frames. We’re bumping this today in hopes of elevating Ben’s raffle and getting more eyes on this project. The raffle runs through the end of this year and tickets for the frame and other prizes can be purchased from Ben’s website. Check out some more photos below!

2021 Philly Bike Expo: Jubilee Manufacturing Cyclocross Bike

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2021 Philly Bike Expo: Jubilee Manufacturing Cyclocross Bike

The Philly Bike Expo often has a good mix of seasoned builders and others that are beginning to hone their craft. Sam Scipio just started building frames earlier this year under the moniker Jubilee Manufacturing and already had a beautiful cyclocross bike (her second build) ready to show off at the Expo. Today, accompanying Jarrod Bunk‘s detailed photos, Sam talks about her bike and why she’s inspired to be building frames.

All-City’s New Nature Cross Single Speed

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All-City’s New Nature Cross Single Speed

Built from All-City’s proprietary A.C.E. steel tubing, the Nature Cross Single Speed is an option for a light, fast, and to be honest, good lookin’ SSCX bike for this season. These complete bikes ($2,299) and framesets ($1,499) come with an eccentric bottom bracket for easy gear swaps and for 2022 the Nature Cross comes in an ombré fade “Pink Lemonade” paint scheme. Check out all the details at All-City.