LATEST SOCALCROSS NEWS!!! Monday, January 11th, 2010
CROSS FEVER RACE3-SERIES FINALE-SUNDAY, 1/17/10:
Finally, the finale of the 2009-2010 SoCalross Season Cross Fever will bring us to 18 races in the books... whew!!! Hope you all had a good time! Sunday's finale will take place at Hansen Dam Park - Los Angeles. We will follow the same race schedule as race 2. Look for a new course design for the final. There is a 30% chance of rain! Let's hope!!! Overall series prizes-medals will be awarded to top 3 in 20 categories! Bonus cash purse to the elite men and women's waves! (12:30 and 1:30p). Must be present at the final to be eligible for prizes-awards!
SUNDAY'S WEATHER: Considerable cloudiness. Highs in the mid 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Reports predict up to a 40% Chance of rain by 10AM!
Look for details on the Super-Prestigious Ride and World Championship Par-tay for Sunday 1/31.Join us in celebration of the official end to the 2009-10 cyclocross season with a large screen viewing of the CX World Championships!!!
HANSEN DAM PARK - COURSE MAP - SUNDAY 1.17.2010: Course direction will be reversed from race one.
CROSS FEVER RACE 2: HIGH DESERT CROSS RACE REPORT: Race number 2 of the Cross Fever Series presented by Shimano made the trip north to the clean air and clear skies of Palmdale, CA for the High Desert Cyclocross sponsored by the High Desert Cyclists (HighDesertCyclists.com). While the rest of the country was either under snow or frozen the sunny high desert provided a great view of the snow-capped mountains to the east and clear skies all day. Temperatures were in the high 60’s and low 70’s which provided an excellent backdrop to the 5 waves of racing at the event.
This was just the second time cyclocrossers have visited the high desert of California. The improved course was a hit with the racers and fans. Featuring a challenging grass section with a decreasing radius turn and a tricky ‘S’ section racers were required to stay focused and on track to avoid costly mistakes. Leaving the grass area a long fast dirt section greeted the riders with descents and short power climbs. A new addition this year was a run-up with 3 steps which forced most riders to dismount. A short concrete descent brought the racers back into the grass and into the barrier section and then a return to the concrete and a fast 180 degree turn and a long ride through the finish line. Fans had many opportunities to view the race from the high slopes of the course or up close in the expo area.
The schedule featured new category groupings that brought together beginners and experienced racers. The ground-breaking duo of Jack Lindquist (Swarm!) and Megan Dean (Swarm!) battled the course on a tandem! Is this the wave of the future? Time will tell but this writer thinks the tandem category may get some “wheels” and become a staple of the SoCal Series in future years. Another “race within the race” was a Clydesdale competition which was brought into the Cross Fever Series as a test to see if it was a viable opportunity for the stouter riders in SoCal to battle with each other. Thus far the scores are weighing towards a close finish at the series finale.
Junior riders started off the day with 30 minutes of racing. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Each of the younger riders showed true determination on the tough course. Edward Konfli (PAA / RE/Max) was nipped at the line by hard charger of the day Jesse Rogers (Team SoCalCross/Cicle). Hannah Eckvahl (Velo Bella) was the winning rider in the young ladies category followed by newcomer Clarissa Ortega (Celo Pacific) and Eris Albert-Minckler (Team Zippy). First-timer Siena Avila (High Desert Cyclists) completed her first cyclocross race in the one-lap U-10 race on a BMX bike!
Wave 2 brought out category 3 & 4 Singlespeeders, beginners, Singlespeed Women, and the Swarm! tandem. Tom Andrews (PAA / RE/Max) took the field victory with Singlespeeders David Turner (PAA / RE/Max) and Miguel Sutter (PAA / RE/Max) completing the top 3 sweep for the PAA / RE/Max team.
In the 2nd wave of the day Annette Padilla (Celo Pacific) and Megan Cordes (The Great Chiweenies) were the only women riding Singlespeeds. This is only the beginning of a new groundswell in SoCal. An excited female spectator was moved to say she is considering getting into the sport as a Singlespeeder! Padilla was recently at the Cyclocross National Championships in Bend, OR and was the only woman in the Singlespeed field of over 100 men.
The 3rd wave was reserved for the Masters Men. SoCal regular Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific) won a tight sprint over John Bailey (Bailey Bikes). Tom Andrews (PAA / RE/Max) showed us all that mountain bikes are very viable cyclocross racing machines with a well done 3rd place finish. Bringing it home in 4th was James Stathas (Team Montrose Bike Shop) and Jeff Herring (Team SoCalCross/CICLE) in 5th.
A new feature brought to the Cross Fever Series was the entire 4th wave being contested by women’s categories only. In a show of solidarity several women wore their bras on the outside of their team uniforms raising breast cancer awareness in a good way. Dorothy Wong (Team SoCalCross/CICLE) dominated the field after a tangle up at the start whistle that held up several racers. It didn’t take Wong very long to regain her composure and pick off the field one by one until she was in the clear and moving like a winner. Megan Cordes (The Great Chiweenies) came in 2nd place for her second podium finish of the day. Sue Thompson (PAA/RE/Max) brought in the 3rd spot. Great job by all the ladies!
The 5th and final wave of racing by the Elite Men highlighted the day with a strong core group of riders led by series leader Sid Taberlay (Rock n’ Road). At the start of the race Taberlay went to the front and was quickly followed by Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific), John Bailey (Bailey Bikes), and John Behrens (Bailey Bikes). After several laps at the front Taberlay was able to ride away and gap his chasers for a commanding victory and a double handed salute at the line. His signature bunny hop over the barriers and high flying acrobatics over the triple stepped run-up were the talk of the day amongst the spectators and photographers alike. Prenzlow, Behrens, and Bailey rounded out the finish in order to bring the geared race to a close.
Within the 5th wave the Elite Singlespeed race shaped up into an exciting battle. The mixed category waves created an intriguing dynamic that pitted fitness, gearing, and skillful bike handling against youthful vigor. SoCal legends of SS Paul Hernandez (Team SoCalCross/CICLE), Miguel Sutter (PAA/RE/Max), and Geoff Albert (Team SoCalCross/CICLE) stayed together for nearly the entire 50 minute battle. New Elite racer Chris Woodruff (Team SoCalCross/CICLE) was always close behind on his geared bike pushing the Singlespeeders to the limit. Sutter led often and was maintaining a hard pace that was matched by Albert and Hernandez. A late race excursion into the course tape caused Albert to go down which halted the forward progress of Woodruff. Hernandez and Sutter were left to battle the final laps alone. As the duo rounded the final turn with a rapidly advancing Woodruff closing in Hernandez turned on the speed and outsprinted Sutter to the line for the hard fought victory. Unfortunately for Woodruff he unclipped and had a wild ride on the top tube but finished the race with no damage. Albert was able to finish 3rd within the Singlespeed category however he ceded the series lead to Hernandez by just 2 points.
Don’t miss the final race of the SoCalCross Fever Series and the grand finale to the 2009/10 Southern California Prestige Series of Cyclocross season at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area on January 17, 2010. This past season saw record field sizes and the best racing ever in the Prestige Series. Look for even more growth in 2010/11 with word of mouth spreading the gospel of ‘cross.
Race Day Entry = $30.00 -- Pre-reg $25.00 -- Juniors race for $5.00 -- U10 race and kids races are FREE!
WHAT YOU GONNA GET FOR RACIN' CROSS FEVER??? First of all a cure for your Cross Fever. Second lots of fun and the last cross racing for the next 8 months. Third, training that's better than intervals!!!
Series Points Ranking Schedule:Points will be awarded to the top 15 finishers (20, 17, 15, 13, 11 to 1) at each of the SoCalCross Fever Series races for all categories.In determining the overall series winners in each category, each rider’s final points will count toward overall tally.
CLYDESDALE COMPETITION:
Your finish within your field is calculated as a percentage.For example - there are 10 racers in the Men's 4 field. 2 Clydesdales are entered within the 10.Big Bubba get's 3rd place or he beat 70% of the field.Fred "I like to eat" Hometown get's 8th place or he beat 20% of the field.
If two racers in two seperate fields tie on percentage then the heavier rider wins by getting +1 point. If two racers tie on percentage within the same race the best placed gets +1 point.
January IS the real end to the cyclocross season, so in celebration, enjoy the January 2010 - Belgian National Championships!
THE 2009-10 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PRESTIGE SERIES OF CYCLOCROSS IS PRESENTED BY:
