Good morning everyone!  What a time we had this weekend... leaving the "comforts" of our backyard racing to experience the cross culture in SFO on Saturday with the Bay Area Super Prestige Series Race #3 Night Race.  Field sizes were strong and so were the racers!  I lined up with a sea of women racing including women in the front row whom I'd been racing with 10 years ago!  13 of us So Cal Crossers made the trip plus some faithful spectators, so really 15.  It was a great experience and one especially leading into National Championships.

Sunday brought us San Luis Obispo's first Prestige Series race at Laguna Lake Park... Dog Gone Cross!  A beautiful lakeside park complete with geese and seagulls adding to the "obstables" on occassion.  The atmosphere was low key and relaxing even a massage zone set up in the shade under the trees. 

Thanks to Shaba of Nimble Creative and her SLO peeps, Edmin and Trina of Team Rambuski along with SLO-Nexxus Cycling Team and the Great Chiweenies for bringing us this special experience!  The course was fun, challenging with good opportunities to test your power AND skills!  Hope to see SLO grow its cross culture n 2010 and beyond and be the bridge/gateway to CA cyclocross.

Thanks to all our great sponsors! Shimano, Fluid, Planet Bike, Kool N Fit, H20 Overdrive, Stone Brewing and more for helping support us to grow cross and develope our future stars of the sport!

Highlights:  Chuck Morris double wins in the Singlespeed 1/2/3 and the 45+ .... a tough batter with home crowd favorite Ed Rambuski.  John Behrens winning elite men's race.  Somersby Jenkins battling it out with hometown favorite and World Masters CX Silver medalist Trina Baumsteiger and winning her first elite women's race at CX race age 17.

Good times had by all!  What an achievement for the double crossers.  Now its time to rest up for District Championships next Sunday, 11/22.  Convert Cross in Ventura.  11/21 race in Simi Valley has been cancelled, so now you'll be fresh and ready to go for Sunday!  Have a great week ya'll and look for more news and latest results shortly!

Here are some reports from our SLO Crossers... Enjoy!

Singlespeed Men 3/4- by Jesse Englert:
That Dog Gone Cross Race was tough, although the course itself was fairly fast and simple to navigate.  There were several long flat sections, a short run up, and lots of back-to-back twisty turns. This rider's first race was the Men's Singlespeed 3/4 using a Blackcat mountain bike since a real cross bike has yet to be acquired. Out of the gate was mellow as riders slowly fought for position. The pack was immediately slowed at the first hairpin turn when one rider stacked embarrassingly over the bars.  After that, well, unfortunately this rider does not have much more to report race-wise since he could not see the leaders while fighting to maintain his middle of the pack spot.  No problem, because fun-wise, this rider has much to report.  After coming to the conclusion that this rider was destined for mediocracy, he sat up and started to really enjoy the race.  Near the end of each lap there was a most welcoming group of happy folks cheering their hearts out. To my pleasant surprise, they were offering two items I cherish--beer and bacon. On lap three I was handed a Papst. On lap four I was handed a mouth watering piece of bacon. Spirits were high.  After racing, this rider decided to hang out with aforementioned group of passionate misfits. For the Men's pro race they had refined the bacon hand-up with the use of a fishing pole and a clothes line clip holding the bacon. Fishing for cross racers...brilliant! The essence of cross racing is alive and well here in San Luis Obispo.

Men 3/4- by Mike James:
Anytime I get to race locally is a treat.  Not only is the drive short, but I can suffer the cheers and jeers of my friends scattered about the course.  I lined up for the start of the Mens 3/4s with about 20 other hopefuls.  Chris Black gave us the rundown for the start, then announced 1 minute to the start.  I chatted with Jesse to keep from getting the pre-race jitters.  Chris counted down: 5...4...3...2...1...GO!  We were off like a shot, charging towards the seagulls and ducks.  After a bit of jockeying for position everyone settled in for the first turn--a 180 degree transition from pavement to powdery dirt with a noticeable climb.  I downshifted as I entered the turn expecting a slow exit.  I spun past 3 or 4 riders muscling their overgeared bikes up the rise.  Woohoo!  This led to the first dismount of the race--a 90 degree pair of barriers at a right turn.  There was a bit of awkwardness in the pack as the first barrier was quite tall and the second was sloping.  I passed another rider thru that excitement and got on the wheel of my next target.  There wasn't much passing in front of me after we remounted, and I was hanging on for dear life on the next series of fast straightaways leading to the run-up.  I thought there would be some action at the run-up and the tricky section following, but I couldn't see anyone advance or lose position.  Come to think of it, I was so at the limit I could barely see anything!  The course sent us by the gazebo BBQ pit for a slow, slippery series of esses.  Finally, a bit of rest.  Again everyone I saw maneuvered thru smoothly.  Although gaps were forming ahead of me, I heard no one behind me as we flew thru the euk duff on our way back to the pavement.  The second lap was another high speed cruise without the challenge of other riders nearby.  Then it happened.  I zipped thru the dry creek crossing and...CLUNK!  I bottomed out my front rim.  I didn't hear a leak so I thought I avoided trouble.  But I was wrong.  I approached the dismount at the euks pretty hot, and my front wheel slid out nearly sending me tumbling.  I gathered myself, vaulted the barrier, hopped on my bike, and learned of my demise.  I had a flat front tire at the furthest point from the pit.  As I limped along I was passed by the entire field.  It took an excruciatingly long time to get to my replacement wheel in the pit.  For the rest of the race I chased the other backmarkers and caught 3 or 4.  Even though my race didn't go according to plan, I still had fun racing cyclocross in SLO, and can't wait 'til next year!  During the day I spoke with a few riders I had met at other races.  They said they really liked Laguna Lake as a venue nestled between the hills next to the lake, and that the course was more fun than they were expecting.  I'd have to totally agree.a