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The 2015 Rouge Roubaix Builder Challenge

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The 2015 Rouge Roubaix Builder Challenge

With the success of last year’s event, a bunch of us got talking and cooked up this idea:

Argonaut Cycles, Mosiac Bespoke Bicycles and Breadwinner Cycles are proud to announce The 2015 Rouge Roubaix Builder Challenge. Each builder will bring a team of 4 to race in this years Rouge Roubaix. One slot on each Builder Team is up for grabs, and we want you to come ride with us! We are looking for a motivated, experienced racer to join each team. We could not think of a better way to highlight these special bikes than putting them to the test on a 106 mile grueling gravel race. Come ride with us!

Each builder will select one applicant and build them a complete Custom Dream Bike, and fly them down to race the Rouge Roubaix which takes place on Sunday March 15th in St. Francisville Louisiana. Applicants must be over 18 years of age and live in the USA. Applicants must also hold valid USA Cycling license for the category of the Builder Team they select and be able to travel to the race. Submission Deadline is Monday Jan 19th with the winners being announced publicly on Friday Jan 23rd.

John Watson from The Radavist will be on hand documenting the teams, the bikes and the race as well as other media outlets. In addition, Chris King is sending head chef Chris Diminno along to keep racers and media well fed during the weekend.”

Learn more at the Rouge Roubaix Builder Challenge webpage!

Face Plants and Frito Pies at the Crash Nationals Night Race

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Face Plants and Frito Pies at the Crash Nationals Night Race

Face Plants and Frito Pies at the Crash Nationals Night Race
Photos by Gideon Tsang, Kevin Sparrow, Chris Lee and John Watson
Words by John Watson

When the 2015 Cyclocross National Championships (R.I.P.) were announced here in Austin, our local club, Beat the Clock Cycling and I decided to throw a bandit race out in the woods on the far East side of town, away from all the sanctioned races on Thursday night. We wanted it to be technical and tough, and best of all, at night.

A Sunny First Day at the 2015 Cyclocross National Championships

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A Sunny First Day at the 2015 Cyclocross National Championships

Over the past few days, with all the events that came to Austin surrounding the 2015 Cross Nats, it’s easy to guess that I’ve shot a lot of photos. I’ll do my best to work them into various galleries, each with themes. Or something like that…

The first day at Cross Nats was not nearly as warm as previous days. One day, it’s 60º and the next, 30º. Granted, it was still sunny on the course. As both a racer and a documenter of this event, I felt that Wednesday captured a different energy than I’ve experienced so far.

That energy lies in the camaraderie of racing with your peers. Whether your age group, or the cult-like following of zipping around on a singlespeed bike – which is the most hysterical hole shot to ever witness – 130+ racers spinning super fast, going half the speed of a “normal” holeshot. Whatever it is, people were stoked to race en masse and anytime people are having fun, I’m into it.

For me, shooting these past two days have solidified how I want to shoot the Pro men’s and women’s races… See a selection from day one in the Gallery!

Thanks to Everyone Who Came out to Crash Nationals

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Thanks to Everyone Who Came out to Crash Nationals

Last night was amazing. We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout, or a better crowd, or a better afterparty. It was sleeting, freezing and people showed up, bombed singletrack, crossed streams and raced their asses off.

Beat the Clock Cycling and The Radavist are grateful would like to say thank you so much for everyone who opted out of the norm and came to a fun evening of racing!

Hugs and kisses and more photos to come.

Tonight! Crash Nationals Trail Race

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Tonight! Crash Nationals Trail Race

Don’t miss it! It’ll be cold so dress warm, bring a good lamp for night riding and $5! If you have questions, leave them in the comments. We are leaving promptly at 6pm from the provided address, so don’t be late.

Stay Tuned for CX Nats Coverage

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Stay Tuned for CX Nats Coverage

Apologies for the silence over here today. With Nats here in Austin, I was out racing and shooting photos all day. I think it’s safe to say that everyone enjoyed this course. It had a little bit of everything and yes, it was damn tough!

I’ll post more once the dust settles, for now, here are a few…

UPDATED: The 2015 Cyclocross Nationals Event and Party Flier Dump

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UPDATED: The 2015 Cyclocross Nationals Event and Party Flier Dump

Rather than jumble up the guide to surviving cyclocross nationals up with event fliers, I’ll just make an event and party flier dump, beginning with the Crash Nationals event flier. Pay close attention to the details. We’re expecting a large crowd, so don’t miss out on the fun. All-City is giving a Macho Disc away and we’ll be DJ’ing the after party at Yellow Jacket.

Got an event you’re throwing? Share it with me and I’ll add to this post… Do so ASAP!

Racin’ Bikes in a Junkyard – Chris Lee

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Racin’ Bikes in a Junkyard – Chris Lee

Racin’ Bikes in a Junkyard: the Bilenky Junkyard Cross Race
Photos and interview by Chris Lee

For many of the cyclocross racers in the Northeast, December means its finally time to hang up the ‘cross bike and start putting down base miles for road season. Another group however gets geared up for what they consider the most fun on a bike they’ll have all year. Yes, its time for the infamous Bilenky Junkyard Cross race.

We Finished Our Cross Season with Muddy Races and a Chili Eat-Off

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We Finished Our Cross Season with Muddy Races and a Chili Eat-Off

I should preface this gallery by saying, as an isolated selection of images, it’s ok. But after I post all the content I got from this weekend, it’ll be more complete. That includes, reviews, portraits and yeah, my new cross bike. For now, however, it does encapsulate our race conditions and a rather fun way to end the season.

We’ve had a fairly wet fall here in Austin, resulting in some grueling races with a lot of mud. The problem is, we don’t get normal mud here, since the base is limestone. Instead, we get iron-rich clay and clay, well, clay doesn’t like bikes. At all. Unless it’s in the drying process, when suddenly it becomes rails of brown pow.

Saturday’s race was more of a Tough Mudder course than a race course, with the day starting off as a 2 mile track, with around 1.25 miles of running. It sucked. Sucked the energy from your legs, sucked your derailleur off your hanger and sucked all the space it could find within your stays, cranks and fork. The officials shortened the course, resulting in faster times, but still, a lot of running. I’ve never had to shoulder a bike in a race before. Usually, everything was ridable, for some of us, anyway.

When Sunday came around and I could barely walk, I wasn’t looking forward to the course.

Alas, there’s that magical moment where mud transforms to fast lines of singletrack through the woods and mudpits become tacky enough to form a rut. Those are the moments where cross racing takes hold of your skills and sharpens them like a battle ax. Sunday was amazing and fast!

After doing my thing, there was talk of a chili eat-off between one of the older teams in town and the newer teams. Yacht Club vs Super Awesome. I had my money on the later, since Yacht Club prides themselves on their fine dining and boyish physiques. Boy was I wrong…

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Team Cinelli Chrome

Here’s that full length video from Team Cinelli Chrome, featuring clips from Red Hook Crit, a factory tour and interviews with the riders.

Cadence’s Dope League 002 Looked Like Fun!

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Cadence’s Dope League 002 Looked Like Fun!

Photos by Verdict Digital

On December 14th, a bunch of contenders turned up for the Cadence Dope League 002 Gentlemen’s Race. This year’s course included a good amount of dirt and scenic byways. You know, the kind of ingredients to make the rest of us extremely jealous! See more at Cadence’s Flickr.

Top 5 finishers:
1: Riley Marmesh
2: Nat Futterman
3: Andrew Goessling
4: Dan Russell
5: Jake Teitelbaum

Crash Nationals January 8th During Cross Nationals in Austin

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Crash Nationals January 8th During Cross Nationals in Austin

With less than a month to go, I wanted to remind you all of this race on Thursday, January 8th during ‘Cross Nationals in Austin.

“Mark your calendars – get ready – Beat the Clock Cycling and The Radavist will be throwing one hell of an unsanctioned cross race Thursday night before Cross Nationals in Austin. There will be an afterparty, booze and fun times. More information to come.”

If you’re planning on coming to Nationals in Austin, make it a week-long event. I’d bring a beefy set of tires with you for trail riding and night lamps, not blink lights. LAMPS.

The 2014 Surf City Cyclocross Finals – Brian Vernor

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The 2014 Surf City Cyclocross Finals – Brian Vernor

The 2014 Surf City Cyclocross Finals
Words and photos by Brian Vernor

My own history of racing cyclocross with the Surf City Cyclocross Series is too long to recount in a short article. In brief, Surf City Cyclocross is why I made my first film, Pure Sweet Hell (which premiered ten years ago this month), and why I have kept cyclocross near to my heart since my first race as a junior in 1993.

There are many heartlands of cyclocross. I’ve been to Belgium, Spain, Holland, Japan, and all over the United States, searching for the best action, beautiful courses, and the cult-like communities which make up the cross scene in each of those unique cyclocross heartlands. I appreciate all of them, but I appreciate none of them more than my own scene. That’s how it should be. People here in Santa Cruz have doggedly stuck to the core of what is cyclocross in America. Cyclocross is a contradiction; it sucks to do, and it’s glorious to have done it. Cyclocross will never have the audience and participation of football, basketball, or baseball, though we involved are always trying to grow it while keeping it true. Truth comes first and growth comes second.

A Muddy Weekend in the ‘Cross Trenches

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A Muddy Weekend in the ‘Cross Trenches

You’ll have to excuse the excess in this photo gallery. There are a lot of shots in here.

Now that I stated the obvious, here’s even more… In Texas, we don’t get much rain, nor do we get many rainy cross races. So when the sky opens and the mud builds up, don’t be surprised to see file tread tires and Red cassettes in the staging areas.

Like house cats, having escaped for the weekend, a lot of people got quite the shock when every corner was suddenly slick and every descent, a myriad of dark brown ruts, with no grass to grip for traction.

Saturday’s race has been called the best of the season. A lotta climbing, as much descending. All in glorious mud. As the afternoon went on, it got worse and by the time the B’s raced – which is what I was in – it was pouring on us. Things didn’t go so well and I didn’t shoot many photos of Saturday’s race, but Sunday. Sunday was a blast.

New course, still just as muddy, with a run up that some of us rode and yes, plenty of pain…

Read along in the captions and enjoy the Gallery!

Cadence Pop-Up at CXLA Tomorrow!

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Cadence Pop-Up at CXLA Tomorrow!

If you’re going to the races tomorrow in LA, do a few things for me: say hi to Tenspeed Hero, High Five any and all Mudfoot racers, check out Cadence’s pop-up at the Greek theater and swing by Golden Saddle afterwards!

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Watch this Red Hook Crit Milano Documentary

I’d say this is the best RHC Milano video to date, but I wish they interviewed more women about their criterium. Where’s Ash Duban?! Regardless, it’s a well put together documentary about a race that began illegally in the backstreets of Red Hook and eventually, Milano.