The end of cross season

Very sadly my cross season has come to an end. There was a good showing today with Steve and Adam taking the top two spots on the podium in Monroe. For those of you who have seen me during the cross season you may have noticed that my beard had grown in quite a bit. So in honor of the end of the season and also the end of Movember I thought I would shave in a more interesting fashion than usual.

 

The beginning.

 

One look. Not sure its for me.

 

Skeptical. But really some good Movember action.

Well. Short lived, but still a good time. Alright, facial hair now ready for road season.

 

 

 

Oh Canada

As our penultimate journey of the cross season the Hagens cross team headed north of the border for the BC Grand Prix of Cyclocross.

Breakfast at Steve's house. Pancakes (banana and gluten free, very delicious), eggs, coffee, and a Belgian cross race. Turns out bike racers are also big bike racing fans.

We arrived at the venue pretty early and got to enjoy a bit of local interest. This is another in the ongoing photo series: people taking pictures of the van.

But, I mean, it did look good.

However it was also a bit cold and very windy. What does that mean? Pre ride laps for the guys = snack and reading time for me. Man, bike racing must be hard.

 

And to business. If you're wondering why that bike in foreground looks so big...it is. Jesse Reams, Hagens road team alum and Vancouver resident, came down to hang out and race some cross. You may also recognize the moose under his saddle from previous posts.

All the effort pays off! Thats Steve on the podium at this UCI event. Adam also finished in the top 10 so lots of UCI points won on the day. If not for being crashed out by someone I have a sneaking suspicion Steve would have been a bit higher on those steps. They also referred to him at one point as a rider "from South of the border". Totally different meaning in Canada.

In the attempt to do something else Canadian while we were there, post race lunch at Tim Horton's. I was told by a Canadian in the pit that this is not a good thing to do, perhaps this is not the fine dining establishment I thought it was.

(Note: for some reason I was the only one in my group given a plastic spoon)

To end the post: it seems that Canada mostly dodged the worldwide economic downturn, recession, whatever you want to call it. But inflation will happen to everyone. Sorry "Dollar Giant" but $1.25 seems high to me.

 

 

Ft. Kirsten

Despite the fact that bike races are fun and exciting times, that doesn't mean that the bike shop does not have it's moments of greatness. Case and point: when our helmet order came in, we felt the need to build a nice quiet place for Kirsten to work. Dubbed: Fort Kirsten.

A quick video walk through of the fort.

The view from the desk. Still roomy and very usable.

And this is what you see walking into the office.

Is that a sign above the tunnel?

Yup.

 

Fortunatley Kirsten is a benevolent overloard.

 

And we have....RAIN!!

It is my understanding that cyclocross happens in places, southern California for example, that do not see a ton of rain. This seems a foreign concept to me seeing as perhaps one of the most exciting and defining characteristics about northwest cross is mud. Lots of mud. Fortunately this weekend was kind enough to oblige.

 

The view from the FSA tent. Standing water as well as some good mud.

Tre getting one of the Hodala! team bikes ready for the singlespeed race. You can also tell by the fisherman's outfit, this is not Tre's first time in the rain.

I even got a chance to rock the hat when it was my turn in the pit.

If you've not seen the effects of mud on cross bikes before. This is the before shot, Hagens Berman riders Steve Fisher and Adam McGrath's bikes ready to go for the Cat 1/2 race.

And the after shot. This drivetrain actually looks pretty clean considering.

 

Plus it was Halloween weekend! Satan does indeed race cross and keeps the pitch fork handy in case anyone gets in her way.

 

Inside the velodrome after the corse tape came down. Really makes it tough to see where the course was. A few volunteers from the Starbucks team cleaning off the track.

I have high hopes that the mud will continue making for some more fun northwest cross. Stay tuned!