10/9 Expert

DSC_0053 Pic from Marty's flkr pages, shot by Roger Look at those bikes! 2 years ago we had MTBs only, now dudes are rocking tubies here in Viroqua. And while Lee V. will yell at you if you have them, folks in the USA can now get Challenge and Dugast tyres, not tires(?), all over the place. Even here in Viroqua! The racing began with a LeMans start, mostly because Lee and Chris thought it was funny. The strategy quickly backfired as Jay and Dick took the holshot and gapped the field slightly out of the first turn. This gap led to nought as Chris and Lee caught at the middle of the first lap and countered off of Jay after the barriers and built a small lead. Jay and Lee rode together until the 3rd lap where Lee attacked to bridge to Chris and spent a lap doing so. Jay rode alone for the rest of the race, chasing and closing until lap 7. Lee caught Chris on the 6th last and the two settled into a rhythm. Meanwhile Dick and Marty were battling it out behind Jay. Chris attacked on the last run up...

and Lee stayed on him! Note the Blur of speed in the photo... Once Lee caught, he countered on the rise on the backside and kept a small gap into the descent where Chris caught. Lee attacked again out of the following turn and got another gap... Chris caught Lee at the final run-up, but couldn't close the last three feet and Lee took an exciting W.

10/9 Racin, Beginner Adults

Once again we had a thrilling beginners race. While Chris Stuckmam staked a huge lead from the gun, followed by a small t chase of Will B. and Aaron Schmidt, aka "Ha Ha". MIss Kerry from Pleasant Ridge and Meg Newlin followed behind. If every beginner women came on the same night we would have a field of 10. Perfect for our course and those riders looking to race in a mellow setting with a good field. Sigh...

With Chris S. wallering away on the field Haha and Will truly dueled every lap. I should get the video posted, but Aaron, who rides once a week, is really improving and will be a force to reckon with as he continues to ride and develop. His post race quotes truly embody what the sport is. We'll get some live reflections next week.

Anyway, Miss Kerry slowly built her gap over Meg Newlin and rode in for a solid 4th, while Will was able to hold off Aaron with a tough attack before the switchbacks on the back of the course. Aaron chased to the run up, but the gap would not come down. Nice work Will!

10/9 Racin, Girls Race

In the Luna Organics Girls open we had three fast young ladies who were gunning for some great prizes!

Hannah, Alice and Teresa gathered at the start, smiling innocently at each other, then the gun when off. Being a single lap race, the start was important, and Hannah got the holeshot and rode it in from the gun.

Some days you can suffer and other days you cannot. Alice didn't dig as hard as usual, so Teresa put some hurt down and Alice rode a bit more mellow than usual.

10/9 Racin, 11-15

There is a quick video from the 11-15 race. And Alice eating goo, 2x Caf... But boy did she ring the bell after that!

The racing was pretty exciting, some of the guys who raced 2 years ago were back with some other new guys too. Fun was had by all, and the racing was great!

At the start of the race we had all Faulters, Arlo, Luca, Will and Alice and Paul. At the Barriers Luca and Will had gotten a small gap over Paul who was dangling in no-mans land. Dominic and Arlo were locked in a battle for fourth behind them. Following were Hannah and Teresa Faulter as Alice had a Minor mechanical and pulled the chord on that one to save some gas for the girls race. She also started eating goo...

Luca and Will dueled to the line, Will taking it by a bike length. Paul rode in next, followed by Arlo who was taking it easy and was almost reeled in by Dominic, who will never, ever quit. Very awesome resolve by the youngest guy out there. He was followed in by his sisters, who finished Hannah then Teresa.

10/9 Racin, 7-9

Wow! Last night had several Throwdowns that came down to the final run-up. It's a pretty brutal way to finish a race, but fun as a spectator!

In the First kids Race, 7-10, we had three fast and small dudes rocking the chicannery. Macy, Isaac and the Baby Condor were all moving Quickly, but Macy has the eye of the Tiger as well as a Space Alien on his helmet. When you don't have that kinda mojo it makes competing tough. So Macy took it and garnered some great Conti stickers.

See you guys next week!

10/2 Race Report and Results

We're back in action! This Friday saw the return of Fall like conditions with temps in the 40s and 50s and rain falling intermittently. The course in Viroqua was perfect, hooking up in places as well as providing plenty of bike handling practice. Those who remembered to Pam their pedals and shoes were rewarded!

In the kids races it was the Faulters racing the Will/Alice family... a family battle that pitted brother and sister against brother and sister. Will powered to the front and took a commanding holeshot all the way to the finish. The real battle was for second place. Dominic and Hannah Faulter battled hard, followed by Teresa and Alice. Teresa looked like she had Dominic's number this week, setting up dinner table smack talk and bragging rights for another week. Alas, it was not to be, as Dominic brought her back after a bobble, additional crash and mechanical saw Teresa running up the switchbacks and into the finish. Meanwhile Alice had gone through similar trials on the course and struggled to get her chain back onto her bike after a tough slide on the backside of the course. Alice is a tough cookie and raced hard to the finish despite being gapped with a mechanical.

In the Intermediate race we saw some new blood from Madison. Unfortunately at this time I cannot find my notes from the race! Bummer... The two Madisonites were equipped with Cross bikes and a thirst for Coffee and Margaritas, that was certain.

Tom Faulter was back on the bike with Cameron and Will B. and Will filling out the roster. The dude from Madison was fast and consistent, laying down 5:30 laps, 4 of 'em to take home some Kickapoo Coffee, winners of Coffee.com's Micro Roaster of the Year! Tom was holding his wheel tough, but his converted Roadster's grass and mud friction brakes made staying with him difficult. Tom did hold off a hard charging Cameron who didn't have the same dominating form that saw him win consecutive weeks earlier in the season. Thanks for making the trip Cam! Behind them, the Wills were battling with the other Madisonite, who seemed to be enjoying her first Cross Race. Meg and Emma would have enjoyed another female beginner to ride and race with. Unfortunately, this left only the two boys named Will. The first of did a lap and came off the course... "This hurts!" he said. Once he was reminded that everyone was hurting, he proceeded to immediately caught Will B and said Madisonian.

The three of them continued to battle with Willy B taking it, Followed by our wonderful visitor with forgotten name. So it was pretty cool!

1. Guy from Madison

2. Tom Faulter, Vernon Trails

3. Cameron, Team Waukon Dentistry

4. Will B., VT

5. Woman From Madison

6. Will

Expert Race

With the course all broken in, the Expert race was expected to be quick, and it was. I think anyway, I was hurting!

In the first lap Chris N. and Lee V. opened a small gap on Dick, Jay, Tom and DFM (Dude from Madison) in the first Chicane and it grew at the barriers and through the second Chicane and descent. When Lee spilled in a greasy corner, Chris got another gap and it grew each of the 8 laps of the race until a last lap flat made it a bit more interesting. Riding in on a flat, Chris managed to hold off a hard charging Jay Skrede!

Behind Chris, Jay overtook Lee on the crash and chased hard for the rest of the race. Dick and DFM were chasing Lee hard, DFM attacked Dick, got a gap and Bridged to Lee and passed him on the switchbacks to the run-up, but Lee wasn't done. Surging to the barrier to the run, Lee caught and passed 10ft. in front of the finish! It was a thrilling race to watch as Lee, covered in Mud and snot galloped up the run up to finish in the money.

With the course wet, the race was exciting and technical to the finish.

Thanks to all who came out and helped take down the course in the rain!

1. Chris N., Wheaton

2. Jay Skrede, Vernon Trails

3. Lee V., Bikes To You

4. DFM

5. Dick, Vernon Trails

6. Tom F., Vernon Trails

Interbike and some scattered Race Results...

Hey Folks, sorry for last weeks' cancelation. Missed a bunch of fun stuff, including Sidie Fest, the Vernon Trails Trail building event. Bummer, since year one I have missed it for a bunch of reasons... Now it will be after Vegas every year. Hopefully next year the travel will be less nutty and I won't get sick. Anywho, enough boo-hooing! Vegas had many Cross goodies. Most Notably the Colnago Cross Prestige. This build was around 14lbs.

Also, some race reports...

The week of 9/18 Saw Jay Skrede win his first Fast Guy race! John Sherwin and Aaron Schmidt have come out to spice up the beginner and Intermediate field. John chased around a very friendly(off the bike) guy from Madison. He actually came back and doubled up...

So sorry for the lack of posts and updates. The racing has been fast a furious and we are getting into the heart of the season. Enjoy the pics!

Stuckman took second behind Cameron and Andrea V followed them in. Will B. put in a good effort and chase hard. Good times!

Last Weeks Racing!

Howdy race fans, sorry for the lack of updates and reports! Big weekend of travel and some make up for the missed Monday.

Kids Races!

We had some new talent out on the course with Corin Humphries out here racing fixed! Made for an exciting race as he and Jacob duked it out for a bit before settling into 15sec intervals. Out-of-towner from MN, Conner Slonvinski came in behind the two locals. With Jacob gone for the rest of the fall it will be interesting to see how these races shake out.

We also had an open race that was pretty exciting. Will and Corin raced eachother pretty tough for second following in after Jacob...

In the Adult Races...

Beginner/Intermediate will be posted later when I get my notes together, but they were great races.

In the Expert/Produde race, Lee V. and Jay Skrede pulled a fast one on the rest of the field and attacked/blocked from the gun, distancing Chris N., Tom Faulter, Dick and the rest making for an exciting race.

Lee was able to bridge a substantial gap with 3 to go and attack Jay in the final lap. While Lee did win again, Jay rode an outstanding Race and looks to break up the Newlin/Venticher strangle hold on the 1/2 places. Who knows what nuttiness will ensue with Jay's increased fitness and pluck!

More Video

Here are some more Videos from last week's races. Connor and Macy railing! Not Connor rocking the Jr-Jr run-ups. Sometimes it's faster and easier to run... and Connor illustrates this on the Jr. Level. My Breaks are squeaky!

When Coffee is on the line...

Coffee is just about the only legal performance enhancing supplement on the market... it might as well be an amazing one from Kickapoo Coffee!

Dick is getting fast:

This video is old, but you can see that Dick is quick... He was even faster this week!

Intermediate Race

1. Dick, VT

2. Chris S.

3. Andrea Venticher

5. Thom Falter, VT, old school jersey

6. Bryn Hawklove, Blue Dog

7. Meg Newlin, Rp Activesports/Craft Factory Team

Thom would have put the smack-down upon Dick if his stem hadn't crapped out on him, maybe next week?

Tune in for the exciting details, or better yet, come out and test your mettle against Waukon IA's finest and a few Viroqua Locals!

Jay, Lee and Chris are getting loney in the Expert Cat. Come out and show those guys what's up.

Hard to Stop a rolling Train

Well another week has gone buy and Cross Fever is spreading... Alice and her brother Will are back from vacation and things are now officially rocking! We doubled the amount of racers we had last week in the kids races and had many more local MTBers who eventually may give it a shot in attendance.

In the Kids Race, 5-7

We had Macy Kuppersmith and Connor Vatland duking it out. Seriously! They were really going for it. While that race usually is kids who have just learned how to ride, these guys were racing, overcooking turns, running the hills. Very neat.

in the 8-11 Catagory we had

Will and Alice, Jakob, Rilah V. and Liam K., Connor doubled up and rode with the big guys as well. These guys did two laps of the full course and were very impressive. While Will and Jacob held back initially, soon they were off the front, with Jacob losing Will in the barriers. See above video! Jacob looks pretty good out there on a bike!

The Falters rolled in a bit late so we did a second round of races and they were awesome. The kids we glad to not just be wailing on eachother.

So it looks like the word is spreading, thanks Pete for twisting some arms out there!

Steeper than it Looks!

Here they Go! Wish I wasn't yelling so loud, but I guess it is better to be enthusiastic than blase.

Week 3 Already?

Well another week has come and gone... this week instead of super-hot temps we had another couple inches of rain! Yuck... the clay was like an ice-rink and the boys from Iowa killed it by choosing to run 29er MTBs this week...

A race or Expert/Pro Dude

1. Lee V. Bikestoyou.com

2. Chris Newlin, Team Wheaton/Vernon Trails

3. Jay Skrede "Biscuit Man", Vernon Trails

B race

1. Chris S

2. Bryn "the wyn" Hawglove, Veron Trails/BlueDog

3. Donna Skrede, Vernon Trails

C Race

1. Meg Newlin

2. Becs Hawglove, Vernon Trails

3. Tyler Hamilton, Rock Racing

Kids Races

Every Catagory was won by a Falter... they dominated!

1. Dominic

1. Hannah

1. Teresa

Will anyone come out and challenge

First Video

This is from the first week. I have some more from last week but they aren't on the computer yet. Wish I wasn't so loud!

New Flyer? This thing on?

Girls Racin'

Here is Alice, winner of the girls race. Alice got her bike 4 days ago and is very excited about riding it! She has been dragging folks to the trails to ride everyday. She's a natural on the bike and I look forward to watching her grow into the sport.

Trial Run

Everyone likes Prizes. Alice showing off her first Place Gloves, Giro Xena, in pristine white. Not for long!
Here is the Registration Tent without the tables and coolers and such.

Okay, here is the left on the end of South Street... To get here, turn at the corn of South Street and Main towards the DQ, across the street from Sponsors BlueDog Cycles. Note the Dead end Sign and Balloons. Left here!
Continue until you hit this crazy looking driveway. All kinds of minivans made it up the road. You can too!

Thanks to the folks who braved the weather to come out to the first race of the season. I have included some pictures of Alice, our Jr. race participant and future Worlds Medalist, as well as pictures of the major landmarks.

Congrats to Shane Kubo who rallied the course besting older and wiser men... Great Job Bryn, Meg and Ryan as well. Hope you enjoy your Margaritas at Chilito Lindo!

Times and Directions

•Kids Races

•5-7, 2 short laps. 3:45 Start

•8-11, 2 Full Laps, 4:00 Start

•Girls Open, 2 Full Laps, 4:20

•12-15, 20min or 4 Laps, 4:40

•Adult Races

•Beginner/Townie, 20min, 5pm

•Beginner with cross bike/Intermediate, 25min, 5:25

•Expert/Pro dude, 40min, 6pm

•Location

•Once in Viroqua, head West on South St. buy the DQ, opposite BlueDog Cycles. Follow South until

• the Road Dead-ends and continue left untill you see the signs on the left hand side of the Road. Look for the signs and Balloons.

•Thanks to our many great sponsors who have provided prizes and fun to this fantastic event. If you have questions please contact chris@rpactivesports.com

Flyer

More Bling...

Getting the Tubies on these guys was way harder than the EA70xs... Rather have it be too hard than too easy though.

All Show, No Go!

Lake 401mx, note the bling! Kangaroo leather and Boa...
Got some new gear... Look Carbon Quartz's and Lake 401MX. Dropped about 2 pounds from the 10 year-old shimano pedal and shoe combo. Shoes are thermo-modling, super comfortable. The Boa things was new, but so far it is very light and comfy. I use the power zones on the top and have zero slop.

The pedals were one of those instant upgrades. Put on the cleats, got the shim chart off the look

site and was up and running. Check out the review in this month's VeloNews, feel like Times, but are lighter and handle mud better. I am sold.

Flyer Time, The Hubbard Trail

Meg and I have begun work on the flyer for this seasons racing... wish us luck. The time-table is the end of the week. Maybe this Mac computer thingy has some sort of poster application? iPoster? Anyway, we are getting fired up and Meg is starting to work on her cross skills. Having a baby makes for some significant de-training, but Meg is a beast and loves to work out.

Pete Taylor continues to amaze me in how he has time to run a shop with 40 repair tickets at all times and still get excited about something that ultimately is more work. Namely, the Hubbard Trails of Maple St. Fame here in Viroqua.

Cindy Hubbard has donated a large chunk of land here in town for us to build trails on. And when I say us, I mean Pete and some vols. Pete now builds more trail than he does ride, something I cannot believe. We both have two kids, so his riding time is pretty precious. Every week he uses the tiny bits of spare time raking and swinging a pilowski(sp). Even cooler than that, Pete has made the youth of Viroqua the principal trail builders! The kids have put the most time into the trail, and that makes a great project even cooler.

So we here at Viroquacross are standing on the shoulders of giants once again. We are going to have our races at the Hubbard trails that Pete and others have scraped together. The good news is that any dollars made in profit will go towards the Vernon Trails not-for-profit group.

This means that if you are a beginner crosser or mtber you are going to have a pretty fun little course on your hands. Swoopy double and singletrack, barriers and a run-up all in a setting that is right in Viroqua but feels like the Backcountry. The course will ride like Gibbs Lake with a little less climbing and not as long. Not bad for a little guy! So again, if you are nearby and consider yourself a cyclist, come out and have some fun! Support young trail builders and trail systems and cycling in rural areas!

Trails in Viroqua

Went to the Hubbard Trail system at the end of Maple St. today in Viroqua on the Cross bike. Wow, we are going to have and awesome series this year. The potential is huge for this system to have a course that flows, is tough, and requires the ability to turn and stuff. While I like courses that are straight ahead affairs, there is something awesome about a course where you might have a bobble if you aren't on your game. That's why this is a practice series, so you can get a workout in while sliding around and running barriers.

So I went with Shane and Jacob and followed Jacob's line downhill. I had to remind myself that I was not a 60lb kid on 2.4 tires, but a 185lbs. dude on super-bald 32s, easy to remember when going sideways. It was fun and I think he was surprised to see me on his wheel. Easy to understand that, he is going to be a baller! Our time together ended when I thought we were going right but was wrong and rode off by myself... met them back at the shop afterwards.

The trails are all in and just need to be ridden to smooth out some, but the skeleton of a great system is in place. The kinda joint where you could go for a ride with the kids before dinner and get a good thrashing in and ride home. It's right in town but I felt like I was out in the backcountry. If you are in the area and want to get some MTB time in on fun and flowing fast trail, come on out and ask Pete at BlueDog Cycles where it is. 

Just awesome, Pete Taylor is making Viroqua into a little Boulder or something. Only better because it isn't Boulder, it's Wisconsin! If anyone from Boulder takes umbrage, just come out and do our races and check out the town! You'll love it till February... 

Add for Kickapoo Free Press

So here is the first add for this Summer/Fall's cross series here in Viroqua.

New WCA and ViroquaCross Schedule

Hello Western WI Cyclocrossers,

Looks like I am not the only nutter getting excited for the season. The WCA has posted the Schedule for next season on the www.wicycling.org website. Looks like another fun season is coming down the bend. I hope I can make it to the JP Cup. The MadCross.orgers do a great job with WIs only UCI race.

Our Schedule is hopefully going to be a little more friendly to the working men and women of WI. Maybe this will enhance our starting line-ups? We have another new course and a new title sponsor. The VMH Wellness Center is still going to be involved, but they also have many other cool things going on that they are trying to get off the ground, like their Triathlon. 

We are also going to go earlier in the season as we are trying to get new folks into the sport. So the Series will Kick off in August and run through Oct. Should be fun! Look for more details in the coming weeks!

Specs for The Cross Rover

See comment section for Specs! Cutting and pasting on the Mac is putting all text below the actual post, then not publishing it. 

BlueDog Custom Cross Rover for Sale

Brian Matter in BEL

Hey everyone, hope your New Year is going well so far. No real news from Viroqua on our cross front. The season is long over and I'm starting to get excited for next year, but that's neither here nor somewhere else.

What is exciting is that right now Brian Matter of Wisconsin is tearing apart the Cross scene in Belgium! Check him out at www.b-matter.blogspot.com and check out the scene.

If you are new to cross, Belgium is where the sport is most popular. Imagine 20,000 Packers fans rooting for dudes in spandex and mud racing around the town of Viroqua including the park-bowl, screaming, drinking and eating french-fries. The spectators that is, not the racers. Those guys are like Bret Farv-re over there, they have people whose job it is to rub their legs with stinky oils and wash their bikes. It's awesome, and right now the season is at it's peak, while ours is done for the year.

What is also interesting to me, maybe to you, is how people talk about how crappy the weather is over there. Maybe compared to the Mediterranean it is bad, but compared with Viroqua it's bliss. Low temps are just around 20... That's bikini weather here!

So I guess it's fitting that a Wisconsinite is doing great over there. And by doing great I mean top 25 great. So go Brian!