Not Cool! Got this emailed to me today

The Parks staff contacted us today and there were two different groups of riders poaching Valmont today. Unfortunately, the riders did not even stick to the trails and rode through areas that were graded and prepped for seeding. This caused some damage and the city is pissed off. Money is really tight, and the money to repair this comes out of the bike park.Â

It would be a bad idea to form a lynch mob to find the riders, we need to put a clear message out that this is unacceptable, and the city will prosecute anyone caught riding on the site before it is open. Please post the message below (or pen your own) on FB, blogs, etc to get the word out. If we do not nip this in the bud, the problems will get bad.

"Valmont Bike Park is NOT open yet. Riders poaching the park were on the site today, and caused damage to the site. The damage caused will delay the park, and anyone caught riding on site will be prosecuted by the city. Very poor form was demonstrated by these riders and reflects negatively on BMA and the community. If you are thinking about sneaking over the fence for a preview, get ready for a date with the judge, our friends at the Parks Department have issued a very stern warning. The Parks Department is bending over backwards to expedite the construction and provide a great riding/racing/training facility, and we are making their job harder."

Moots rider last year at the Boulder Reservoir

Hope your training went well in August because cyclocross season is officially here. 303Cycling recently caught up with Glen Light to learn about the season's first race, Steamboat Velo Cross, to be held the second weekend of September.

[303Cycling] Tell us about the venue and why cyclocross in Ski Town U.S.A?
[Glen] The property is called Wildhorse Meadows. It is a mult-phase resort community development in its initial stages of build out. The main lodge, Trailhead, has a gondola that drops skiers and guests off right near the ski resort gondola. The course does a horse-shoe around this building, and it's possible to see most of the race from the decks of many of the rooms. It would be an awesome event for the family - the kids could see you racing from the pool! There is a smooth as glass road through the property, and a lot of great cyclocross topography (cambers, berms, hills, etc.) The only challenge for us has been the bumpy nature of the surface from sporadic grass growth and erosion. The bulk of our labor has been spent addressing this.

Cyclocross in Ski Town U.S.A.? Well, Steamboat is an incredibly active community, and cycling is extremely popular with both the Alpine and Nordic skiing crowd. Many of the local mtb series racers are former national and even world caliber skiers, and we would certainly like to capture that interest both as racers and spectators coming to see them race. It really boils down to a few of us in town who have such a passion for the sport we spend 6 hours on the road 10-20 times during the fall to go down to the front range and race. I think between me, Jon Cariveau, Corey Piscopo, and Matty Pronovost, we probably have over 55 years of cross racing between us, and that experience has gone into developing the course. Jon Cariveau and I, who both started racing cross in the early 90's, have talked about having a race in Steamboat for years. When Corey Piscopo made the Steamboat Stage Race happen, and subsequently Steamboat Velo, it created a real opportunity with sponsorship and resources that wasn't there before.

Click to enlarge

Dear Casey community and beyond,

The Casey Middle School Bike Club is selling cycling jerseys to the community to help raise money for our activities. The jerseys are high-quality Belgian-made Vermarc jerseys with an original retro design (see attached). Casey Bike Club is growing and it is important that we continue to make this activity available to students of all backgrounds. The money helps pay for camping trips, one-day mountain bike excursions, use of the indoor cycling track (velodrome) in the winter, racing licenses and uniforms for students who cannot pay the activity fee. Please consider buying one of these sweet jerseys for yourselves, your children and your friends. Show your Casey pride whenever you ride!

To order, please print, fill out and return the attached order form to Ms. Powers with a check. Right now, we are only ordering jerseys but if there is a lot of interest in shorts, we might consider ordering some.

PLEASE HAVE YOUR ORDERS IN BY SEPTEMBER 17!

Thanks so much for your support!

Catherine Powers
Teacher, Bike Club Coordinator
Casey Middle School, C220
1301 High Street
Boulder, CO 80304

We have had multiple people contact us about the following story and we just got around to posting it. Congratulations Gene! I was on the same team with Gene for a few years and during my end tenure with the team Gene became very dedicated to the TT event and obviously the attention to the event has paid off! Gene placed 4th in the master's nationals in Louisville, KY.

Photo Credit: Boulder Velo Racing

On Saturday, August 29, I joined more than 1,800 other women and a few men dressed in drag to ride Venus de Miles through Longmont and Niwot. We were launched to pumping music, treated to a scenic route and surrounded by camaraderie. The three-year-old event, which was Colorado's first, women-only ride, tripled its inaugural turnout. It wasn't hard to see why.

The Venus de Miles ride raises money for Boulder-based Greenhouse Scholars. As it was explained to us before we hit the roads, only about 11 percent of disadvantaged college entrants graduate. Our society places a great deal of emphasis on graduating students from high school and getting them into college, but then most of them are left to their own devices. Greenhouse Scholars nurtures Colorado residents throughout their higher education years, helping them get scholarships, internships and jobs with the hope they will become community leaders rather than college dropouts.

Coming from Texas, I have participated in many organized rides, large and small. Needless to say, those events didn't feature organic foods, coconut water, compost bins and banjo-playing bands at rest stops. Don't get me wrong - I love a good peanut butter sandwich when riding, but the granola with yogurt and chocolate soy milk were unique twists. The post-ride German sausage I have come to love was replaced by grilled chicken, mixed-greens salad and honey-wheat roll, leaving me feeling like I didn't destroy my workout with lunch.

I was also impressed by the turnout due to the steep entrance fee of $79-$115, depending on what date a person registered to ride. Even though the money went toward a great cause (the ride expected to raise $100,000 for Greenhouse Scholars), these are tough economic times. Trying to budget several hundred dollars per season for rides and races can quickly become a challenge. Despite the high entrance fee, there was no shortage of young and old, experienced and beginner, wings and feather boas and colorful striped socks.

The schedule has been released for the Colorado Cross Cup series. There will be 14 races in the series and 3 of them will be in January of next year. Some of the races I am not familiar with but they may be an old venue with a different name (i.e. Aspen Lodge Cyclocross, Rosalie Race to Educate). Will all these races have all the categories that the ACA normally runs (i.e. 35+/4s, SingleSpeed etc.)?

Here is the current list from the ACA calendar:

• Oct 10th Cross the River
• Oct 17th Aspen Lodge Cross
• Oct 23rd Blue Sky Cup
• Oct 24th Boulder CX Series #3
• Oct 30th NACT - Colorado Cross
• Oct 31st Victory Circle Graphics Boulder Cup
• Nov 13th USGP
• Nov 14th USGP
• Nov 20th Rosalie Race to Educate
• Nov 21st Cyclo X
• Dec 4th and 5th 2010 Colorado CX Championships
• Jan 8th 2011 Pikes Peak SuperCross
• Jan 22nd 2011 Cyclo X
• Jan 29th 2011 Boulder CX Series

303Cycling Pictures

Results

Pictures

• 303Cycling Pictures

We decided to head down to the Primal Classic Criterium today and there is one word to describe the day HOT. Our car thermometer read 98 when we pulled into the parking lot and 101 when we left. We were there for three races (Mens 35+ 3s/4s, Mens Pro-1-2 and Womens 1-2-3).

We were impressed by both the crowd and the number of preems present at the Primal Classic. The break aways were also impressive with two riders leaping off the front in the first couple laps of the Men's Pro-1-2. More than the peloton drawing the leaders back in, more and more riders ventured out to bridge the gap. It made for an exciting race.

Photo credit: dennis Coughlin

Boulder native rider, Nico Toutenhoofd wins this nation's famous, 38th annual Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in the White Mountains of New Hampshire today! Nico is no stranger to hill climbs in Colorado having taken his fair share of podium finishes in many climbs through the years. Here is a great write up in WMUR New Hampshire. For those who are unfamiliar with this race, it's course can make Lookout Mountain in Golden seem flat and Flagstaff in Boulder an appetizer, with it's on average 12% grade nearing 22% at the finish.

Velonews did a great write up as well

In this 7.6-mile all-uphill grind to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast, Toutenhoofd rode the first two miles hidden behind more than two dozen other cyclists, then moved steadily to the front, dropping a struggling group of younger riders who were less familiar with the ultra-steep course. After occasional glances back to make sure his lead was secure, he pumped his fist as he broke the tape at the 6288-foot summit in 57 minutes 26 seconds.

His closest rival was another veteran, former U.S. National Mountain Bike Champion Tinker Juarez, of Whittier, Calif. Juarez, 49, who was encountering the Auto Road for the first time, showed that he still has the strength that took him to the Olympics in 1996. Trying to keep Toutenhoofd in sight, he pedaled side by side with Timothy Ahearn, 35, of Woodstock, Conn., then pulled away after the five-mile point to take second in 58:08 – a new record for men aged 45-49 in this race -- with Ahearn a delighted third in 58:22.

“I really wanted to win,” said Toutenhoofd, who placed second here on his first attempt, in 2008 and then was fourth last year. “Of course how well you place depends on who else shows up, but this year I was better rested. Also, this time I rode with a power-meter.” The new Mt. Washington champion explained that the meter on his bike makes it easier for him to keep his physical effort steady. “My goal was to get from the bottom to the top as fast as possible and ignore everyone else.”

2010 CycloCross Team and Training for Boulder Juniors

Boulder, Colorado, Aug 11, 2010 -- Boulder Junior Cycling (BJC) is hosting another exciting season of Cyclocross Training for Juniors!  BJC is currently registering riders for both Tier I and Tier II CX teams!  

Info, fees and forms are posted on the BJC website www.boulderjuniorcycling.org including the kit order and ?nancial assistance forms.Please bring completed forms and payment to the Junior Team Meeting.

Team Registration and Info Meeting

Wednesday, August 25th from 6-7:30pm at FasCat Coaching, 4550 N. Broadway Street Unit C-3B (just a couple doors south of Boulder Cycle Sport on N. Broadway)

Meet the BJC Coaches, BCS Staff and all of the other Junior Cyclocross Riders. Training starts the following week on Tues, August 31st.   Team jerseys will be ordered by Sept 1. 

Tier I CX Team Details

Rider Overview
Designed for the experienced, faster, and generally older junior athlete. Riders are more likely to train two or more days per week and have a full race calendar including States and Nationals
Program Costs

From BikeDenver

Perhaps you’re asking - “what’s Kidical Mass”? Kidical Mass is a legal, safe and FUN bike ride for kids, kids at heart, and their families. All types of bikes, trailers, trail-a-bikes, Xtracycles, longtails, bakfiets, , tandems, trikes, and whatever rolls are welcome! Come hoot it up with us, enjoy family fun on vehicles that don’t impact the environment and celebrate the fact that Kids are Traffic Too.

Save the Date!: Sunday, August 29th at 12:30pm.

Read More

Recently 303Cycling caught up with Jon Tarkington, Exective Director of the ACA, and asked him a few questions about the upcoming cyclocross season and the changes to Best Cyclocross Racer (BCR) and Best Cyclocross Team (BCT). Colorado Cross Cup Rules

[303Cycling] Why the changes to BCR / BCT and the name change to Colorado Cross Cup?
[Jon Tarkington] The ACA board has been looking for ways to encourage quality race promotion for some time. The season-long point competitions are a great way to achieve this by having promoters apply for a designation and get approval from the ACA. However, it's difficult to get the point across that the designation is worth it when it's the same look and feel of previous years' programs. So this year they decided it was time to rebrand the cyclocross points competition as the Colorado Cross Cup, focus on quality event promotion and attempt to move the season into January. Also, while acronyms are great, they are confusing to those outside of the sport and somewhat difficult to market to potential sponsors.

[303Cycling] I saw that with the new Colorado Cross Cup that no races in September will be part of the series. How will call ups be handled for the races in September?
[Jon Tarkington] Promoters can use whatever method they wish for call-ups during the pre-season. I'm sure many will use the previous year's BCR standings, some may use order of registration or perhaps the previous day's or weekend's race results. I'm guessing some may just go old-school and put a line on the course and let everyone line up behind it at will.

Boulder, Colo. — August 10, 2010 — Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder, a non-profit providing mountain biking and environmental awareness programs to underserved youth, has been awarded a $15,000 grant by REI Inc., the outdoor products retailer. With this smart investment from REI, the combined Trips for Kids Denver and Boulder programs aim introduce more than 800 underserved youth to the health and confidencebuilding sport of cycling during the 2010 ride season.
New Trips for Kids Programming in Boulder

The REI grant will allow Trips for Kids to expand the number of mountain bike rides and clinics it holds with Boulder youth. In addition, Trips for Kids will be able to expand its presence in Boulder’s Middle Cross league – a fast-growing program in local middle schools that fosters the establishment of after school Bike Clubs which meet once a week to ride and learn safe cycling skills and bike mechanics. Middle Cross Bike Clubs participate in cyclocross clinics held by local professional cyclists, meet for practice races and hold a huge Middle Cross Bike Fest race each year in November. Trips for Kids will be working extensively with at Bike Clubs this fall, providing bikes for students who don’t have their own as well as mechanical assistance and support on club rides.

About Trips For Kids Denver/Boulder

Results

List of All Entrants

Photos and Videos

• 303Photo (Over 1100+ pictures sorted by bib Number)
• Peter Wayne
• SingleTrack.com
• Rob O'Dea

303Cycling busted out the down coats and winter hats to head up to Leadville for the chilly start of the 2010 Race Across the Sky. With 1,568 signed up for the challenge, the charge up 6th Avenue was a sight to see. The film crew helicopters overhead and Levi Leiphemier and Jermey Horgan-Kobelski (JHK) leading the racers out, it made it all the more exciting.

While weather was not going to be a factor this year, the talk in the crowd was all about the altitude. Crews for racers from the Springs to Connecticut were concerned about how long before the mountain conditions would affect their riders. At least one member of the 303Cycling crew felt the 5,000 ft difference on the way to coffee and our next stop "The Powerline"!

This section of the race is equally famous for it's decent an hour into the race as it is for it's ascent hours later and the final significant climb. It was not only amazing to see the likes of JHK, who lead the decent, Todd Wells, Leipheimer, Dave Weins, and Jeremiah Bishop, but to see the crowd that lined the course. There were cheers and cowbells for these racers for at least the last mile and a half of this section. It was a great place for photos with nearly every racer excited and/or relieved about making it down!

Unfortunately one racer went down before The Powerline and as noted in the past, some parts of this course can be remote. We heard later in the crowd that four racers sacrificed their possibility of finishing in the 12 hour cut off to wait for the helicopter that finally lifted out the injured racer.

The next spot we caught the race was at Pipeline. This section follows the steepest climb of the course and is completely on the road. We didn't want to miss seeing a Tour de France podium finisher, even on an MTB, in his element. Leipheimer and JHK were working together to increase their lead over Wells and were on target to beat Lance Armstrong's 2009 course record.

Found this video on Singletrack.com of Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (JHK) and his plans and thoughts about racing the Leadville 100 MTB race.

Having raced only a single 100-mile competition, which by the way wasn’t the Leadville Trail 100, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski has a few thoughts about his coming foray above 10,200 feet on Saturday — like not blowing up.
Horgan-Kobelski, who normally races cross-country for the Subaru-Trek Mountain Bike Team, won the Bailey Hundo in Colorado last June, so he’s not a total greenhorn when it comes to endurance events. And he’s also won the 50-mile long mountain bike marathon national championships two years running.