Oct 31, 2011

Lion of the Den/ Storm the Greens

The regional cyclocross season continued this weekend with a split between the ICX #5 Lion of the Den near Muncie on Saturday and OVCX #8 Storm the Greens in Louisville, KY on Sunday. Both races saw sunny skies and mild temperatures once the early morning frost wore off.

Muncie ex-pats turned Bloomingtonians Adam and Lindsay Rodkey made the trip back to the flatland on Saturday to encounter a sweeping "roadie" that boasted much more elevation change than one might expect with a forced run-up on the back of the course. Lindsay took second in the Cat 3/4 Open women and Adam took fourth in the elite men.



Sunday was OVCX Halloween-style when both cyclocross races and a costume competition were contested at Eva Bandman Park, which will be the venue for the 2013 Cyclocross World Championships. In the more near future, Eva Bandman Park will be hosted the USGP of Cyclocross Derby City Cup, and this regional race provided a good opportunity to fine-tune the course which had been damaged by flooding the spring.

Lindsay Rodkey took the women's Cat 4 Open win and Tomasz Golas took second the in the men's Cat 3 Master's race. In the Elite men's wave, Andy Messer took fourth and Fred Rose took eighth overall.



Results for The Lion of the Den can be found here and results for Storm the Greens can be found here.

Next weekend Cincinnati will host their premiere event of the cyclocross season, the Cincy 3 Cyclocross Festival. Registration for all three days of racing can be found at Bikereg.com.

Thanks to Chris Jones and Marcia Seiler for photos.

Oct 26, 2011

Old but pretty cool.

Oct 24, 2011

Cyclefit

From Randi Cox:
Good Morning!

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be teaching an eight-week CycleFit class called Little 500 Power Training. It begins tomorrow and goes every Tuesday from 6:45pm to 7:45pm.

The spin bikes at the SRSC have cadence, power, and heart rate—all great tools for getting the best workout possible. This class would be beneficial to students training for Little5 and for anyone who takes riding seriously.

Here is the schedule and more information: http://www.iurecsports.org/cycle_fit_fall. If you’re interested, stop by the Member Services Desk at the SRSC to sign up. Please email me at randikcox@gmail.com or call Member Services at 855-7772 if you have any questions.

MTV Cycloplex CX #1

This weekend's break in the OVCX schedule provided many local racers a much-needed rest weekend before digging into the last half of the season. Those that continued racing in the Ohio Valley were all strewn to their own regional endeavors with the Ohioans contesting their state championship, Kentuckians migrating south to participate in the Nashville series, and an old bastion of Indiana cyclcocross seeing new life at Major Taylor Velodrome. With Marian University taking over management of the velodrome and surrounding MTV Cycloplex facilities, ICX Cup racers got to see the first of three variations on the MTV cyclocross theme that will be contested this season.

Fred Rose took his first age agnostic Elite Men's podium of the season, coming in second behind Marian University's 19-year-old Josh Johnson. In the men's Cat 3 race, Tomasz Golas took fourth and Ashton Wishmeier took seventh.



Full results and lap times can be view at http://www.indianacxcup.com/.

Coming up this weekend will the ICX #5 Lion of the Den Cycocross near Muncie on Saturday, and OVCX #8 Storm the Greens at Eva Bandman Park in Louisville on Sunday.

Oct 19, 2011

IUSF Fall Cycling Series

This is a reminder to all that the IUSF Fall Cycling Series will be taking place this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday! Unfortunately, registration closed yesterday, but for those not participating, come on out to watch! Thursday will be the annual Little 500 bike Cyclocross event on and around the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The weather looks like proper cyclocross weather, so participants should enjoy some mud and cowbells (hopefully) - spectators come watch as riders tackle the challenges of hay bales, stairs, track-pavements transitions, and more! Friday will be a new spin on an old event - the Duathlon. This year the Duathlon will take place both at and around Bill Armstrong Stadium with some running on Jordan Ave followed by 2 miles on the cinder Little 500 track and then some more running down to Assembly Hall and wrapping up at the Hall of Champions Concourse. Saturday will bring the now-annual Street Sprints competition on North Jordan Ave. This is probably the most exciting event in which participants will drag race from a dead stop down North Jordan in an all-out sprint.

Series information can be found here: http://iusf.indiana.edu/little500/rider_info/Fall%20Series%20App%202011%20w%20bike.pdf

The official IUSF Press Release can be found here: http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/19893.html?emailID=19893

Hope to see you all there either riding or spectating! Maybe you'll see some entertainment like this:

Sometimes, you forget to jump OVER the hay bale and run into it... (pay no mind to who it is in the picture). Photo courtesy of Lauren Gowdy.

Oct 18, 2011

BloomingCross

The Ohio Valley Cyclocross Series blew through Bloomington over the weekend along with some 40 mph winds. The seventh race of the series was contested on a sweeping, open course at Karst Farm Park.

In the Elite men's field, Fred Rose and Andy Messer continued to perform well. Fred took fourth overall and Andy took sixth, with each of them winning their respective age categories.

A trio of Bloomingtonians broke into the top 10 of the men's Cat 3 Open field, with Tomas Golas in fourth, Ryan Preske in sixth, and Aston Wichmeier in tenth. Robert Smallman and Will Sorg both took top 20 placings in the 55-man Cat 4 field, and Sarah Fredrickson walked away with another Cat 3 women's victory.

Finally, Bloomington was represented in a couple of categories that don't normally see much action on this blog with Chris Arvin competing in the singlespeed category and Henry Emmert competing in the Junior Boys 10-12 race.



At the end of the day, the Little 500 bike race provided some entertainment for the spectators who stuck around after the Elite men's race. Five women and six men took the challenge, but regular cyclocross experience proved valuable with Aaron Knapp and Sarah Fredrickson taking the respective wins after already competing earlier in the day.





Thanks to Carl Field for the photos.

Oct 17, 2011

Bloomingcross Pictures

From Carl Field: "I took a lot of pics at Sunday's CX races at Karst Farms. I really hope the images include all the locals who were there busting their asses on a windy, dry course. Higher-res images are available if you find one you really like. These are far from being pro quality pics, so I expect no compensation for using the images, but I probably won't say 'no' if you offer to buy me a beer some time! -Carl F."
Bloomington CX 10-16-11

Oct 15, 2011

Hilly Hundred!

Reminder that the Hilly Hundred is going on right now/this weekend! The weather is beautiful and the leaves look amazing right now. Head on over to Edgewood High School in nearby Elletsville, IN for the annual 2-day tour.

Details can be found at:
http://www.hillyhundred.org/

Oct 12, 2011

Wednesday CX Worlds at Karst Farm Park Again Tonight

Riding will commence around 6:30.

Fred Rose Named Zipp OVCX Athlete of the Week



Yet another Bloomington resident has been named the Zipp OVCX athlete of the week. From the OVCX Facebook page:

Congratulations to BikeReg.com's Fred Rose, and Shamrock Cycles' Rebecca Zink - whose hard racing and improvement through the first half of the OVCX season has earned them this week's OVCX Athletes-of-the-Week! They'll both be in Bloomington, IN for OVCX #7 this Sunday, racing on Zipp 303 tubulars. CONGRATS!!

Oct 10, 2011

Aaron Pilling's Excellent Hilly Hundred Going Away Day of Celebration

Join us Saturday morning at 9:00 am for a ride leaving the downtown Scholars Inn Bakehouse and heading up to the Hilly course. Later that evening, we'll retreat to Aaron Pilling's at 7:30pm for a farewell celebration where the beverages will flow like the water in a cold, crisp Colorado stream.

All are welcome.

Aaron Pilling's house in at 3825 Regent's Circle, Bloomington, 47401.
It's a left off of E Moores Pike (just before Smith Rd) as you're heading East, then your first right. The house in on the left a few doors down.

Aarons email: adpilling@gmail.com.


CXers on the Hunt

Regional cyclocross racing continued this weekend with a pair of hunting-themed courses. Saturday's ICX series race took place at the Trader's Point Hunt Club in Indianapolis, and Sunday's OVCX race took place at the Sycamore Pheasant Club, aka the Gun Club.

Saturday's race was held on a beautiful and smoking fast, rolling course. The only things that could slow riders down were the 80+ degree temperatures and a steep run-up with an extra-tall barrier at the bottom. Attendance was fair for the still-developing ICX series, but most of the participants seemed to come from the Indianapolis metro area. Bloomington was represented by William Sorg in the men's Cat 4 Open race, and Lindsay Rodkey in the women's Cat 3/4 Open race, who took third.



Sunday's Gun Club course is a perennial favorite of OVCX racers, and it proved lucky for Fred Rose and Lindsay Rodkey who each had breakthrough performances in their respective waves. Fred finished fourth out of the entire Elite Men's wave and took yet another Elite Master's 45+ victory. Lindsay was third overall in the Cat 4 women's wave, which was both considerably larger and more competitive than other recent OVCX races. Tomasz Golas started his 2011 cyclocross season off right, winning the men's Cat 3 Master's 35+ category. Adam Rodkey, Elizabeth Cobb, Ryan Preske, and Aston Wischmeier all competed at the Gun Club as well.



On the national scene, Ryan Knapp and Andy Messer tested their abilities at altitude at the USGP New Belgium Cup in Colorado. Andy managed to place in the top 20 in the Master's 35+ race each day, and Ryan placed 25th in the Elite Men on Saturday. Former Bloomingtonian recently turned Boulderite, Erik Hamilton, also competed in the Elite Men's race on Sunday.

Results from the weekend's races can be found here, here, and here.

Finally, don't miss your one chance to race cyclocross in Bloomington this season. Sign up for DRT BloomingCross presented by Wagner Research before 11:45 pm on Friday. Looking at the pre-reg list, it appears that there are still some cash prizes needing to be claimed in the men's Little 5 bike race, while the women's race is shaping up for some stiff competition.

Oct 7, 2011

Worth Remembering.

Every Great Journey Begins With A Single Step. And That Step Was Taken 25 Years Ago Today.

On October 7th, 1987, the IU Student Foundation announced the formation of the Women’s Little 500 Bicycle Race. Prior to this decision, Lee Ann Guzek and Martha Hinkamp, the two returning riders from the Kappa Alpha Theta team who had attempted to enter the men’s race in 1987, had decided that instead of taking another shot at the men’s race in 1988, they would put their efforts into creating a Women’s event. After many years of the IUSF dismissing such an idea, the two women found receptive ears in IUSF Director Rita Erickson and Asst. Director Spiro Polus.

The task ahead was daunting, in addition to class, studying, and training they made 5-night a week pilgrimages to sororities, dorms and apartments, presenting the idea, to anyone they could find. They asserted that the time had come to for women to have their own race. Michelle Brundick, a member of the 1988 Theta team recalled: “Lee Ann & Martha were either training, in class, or out talking to prospective riders, to this day I'm not sure when they found the time to study or even sleep.”

On November 12th, Lee Ann, a senior, was appointed as the first president of the first Women's Rider’s Council. The other members were, Sandy Miller - VP, Martha Hinkamp, Jill Janov, Chris Emde, Kim Hunt, Liz Shofer, Chris Sotak, Suzi Bostwick, and Lisa McCallum. Lee Ann and Martha were the only two members that had experience in pack riding, exchanges, rollers, basic maintenance and bike handling skills as they applied to Little 500. They had to focus on these critical elements with their fellow Rider's Council members. In turn, Rider’s Council rolled out this information to the rest of the women's riders. At the end of qualifications, the field stood at 32 teams and on race day 31 teams took the track, the 32nd team loosing a team member and dropping out. However, they did participate in the rider’s parade on race day.

Those 31 teams set the stage for an event, now in its 25th year, has impacted over 2000 riders and tens of thousands of fans in an event that knows no equal. It has challenged, encouraged and, most of all, inspired. This unparalleled event has compelled women at Indiana University to navigate a road less traveled. And in the end these remarkable women have been with rewarded with increased confidence, priceless memories and lifetime friendships: Every one of them ultimately serving as incredible inspiration to each subsequent generation of Little 500 participants; both female as well as male.

Let’s all of us make this date and the coming year, a celebration of the women who, for 25 years, have never failed to show us what grace under pressure is all about.

Tom Schwoegler

Oct 5, 2011

Cascades-Griffey Trail

In the paper this morning from The Herald Times:

Board OKs contract to build 8-foot-wide trail from Lower Cascades to Griffy Lake area. Hiring of consultants to assist with developing CSX Switchyard approved
331-4338 | rspaw@heraldt.com
October 5, 2011

Construction of an 8-feet-wide multiuse trail from Lower Cascades Park to near Griffy Lake was authorized Tuesday by the Bloomington parks board, which also approved hiring a consulting team to guide development of the old CSX Switchyard property.

The board approved a contract with Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. for $632,400 to build the nearly mile-long trail segment starting at Cascades Park. O’Mara was the lowest of five bidders for the work, according to Dave Williams, operations and development director for the Bloomington Department of Parks and Recreation.

The trail will begin at Clubhouse Drive in Lower Cascades Park and run along the west side of Cascades Park Road until crossing Walnut Street. The trail will end at a bridge over Griffy Creek across from Stone Mill Road.

A trail grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will pay for the work. Williams said construction is expected to begin before the end of the year and be completed by spring 2012....

Full article here: http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2011/10/05/news.qp-7897999.sto

Wednesday CX Worlds

From Adam Rodkey:

For the 10/4 edition of BTCXP/WWCX a few of us will be going out to Karst Farm Park. We will try to be there at 6:30 or so, but may be a touch later. The course is not marked so we will be attempting to reconstruct it by memory. We will try to keep the arguing ("it went to the left of this tree, then the right of that root" / "no it went to the right of this tree, then the left of that root") to a minimum and the riding to a maximum.

If your unable to make it out, feel free to ride the tailgate fields. The grounds have been scouted and are reported to be largely ride-able after this weekend's home game.

Have fun.

Oct 3, 2011

OVCX Dayton Weekend

The OVCX series rolled on this weekend with its fourth and fifth races in the Dayton, OH area. Saturday's race took place in conjunction with the Gearfest outdoor equipment expo, but the mid fourty degree temperatures, drizzing rain, and gusting wind made it a not so great day for outdoor pursuits. Sunday's race took place Bryan State Park under much sunnier weather on a course that provided a wide range of surfaces and obstacles on which the racers contended.

The Bikereg.com ladies moved up in the world this week, as Liz Cobb upgraded to Cat 2 and Sarah Fredickson became a Cat 3. Adjusting well to their new roles, Liz took fifth place in the stronger-than-usual Elite Women's waves both days, while Sarah garned a pair of Cat 3 wins. Lindsay Rodkey took second place in the Cat 4 Open women's class on Sunday and completed the first half of the OVCX series still leading the series standings by a considerable margin.

On Sunday, Kyle Perry of Team Upland had a bit of trouble proving to the officials that he should be in the men's Cat 3 race. However, he had no trouble proving it to his competitors, riding away from the field by a hefty margin.



Bloomington's own Bangable Dude, Ryan Knapp was the big winner in the Elite Men's race both days this weekend, while Andy Messer and Fred Rose engaged a nice battle for fifth and sixth during Sunday's race. In the end, Messer won the sprint for fifth and they each took away the top spot in their respective age categories.



The coming weekend will be split between the ICX race at Trader's Point on Saturday and the OVCX race at the Gun Club in Miamiville, OH on Sunday.