Chinese at the MTB World's

Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com said:

Kicked ass, 4 minutes ahead of the next rider...how did they do it?
the deepest mystery surrounding the Chinese riders was why they were
so damned strong. A billion people live in China, but before 2006 not
one of them had made a blip on mountain-bike racing's radar. China has
no NORBA or World Cup stops, so whom did these girls ride against to
get so fast?

I wonder???

Better riding thru chemistry...

Turtle soup.

Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com said:

Kicked ass, 4 minutes ahead of the next rider...how did they do it?

the deepest mystery surrounding the Chinese riders was why they were
so damned strong. A billion people live in China, but before 2006 not
one of them had made a blip on mountain-bike racing's radar. China has
no NORBA or World Cup stops, so whom did these girls ride against to
get so fast?

I wonder???

Better riding thru chemistry...

Sounds like the women's Olympic swim team redux.

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com said:

Kicked ass, 4 minutes ahead of the next rider...how did they do it?

the deepest mystery surrounding the Chinese riders was why they were
so damned strong. A billion people live in China, but before 2006 not
one of them had made a blip on mountain-bike racing's radar. China has
no NORBA or World Cup stops, so whom did these girls ride against to
get so fast?

I wonder???

Better riding thru chemistry...

Does chemistry really make that much of a difference in mountain
biking? I thought mountain biking was all about ridiculous levels of
insanity and skill.

-M

In article <[email hidden]>,

Marian said:

Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com said:

Kicked ass, 4 minutes ahead of the next rider...how did they do it?

the deepest mystery surrounding the Chinese riders was why they were
so damned strong. A billion people live in China, but before 2006 not
one of them had made a blip on mountain-bike racing's radar. China has
no NORBA or World Cup stops, so whom did these girls ride against to
get so fast?

I wonder???

Better riding thru chemistry...

Does chemistry really make that much of a difference in mountain
biking? I thought mountain biking was all about ridiculous levels of
insanity and skill.

While technique matters in Cross Country, watts/kg is way more
important. Most modern XC courses are not wildly technical (they used to
have jumps in XC races, now that's just not on the menu), but all would
have substantial climbing sections, mucky power sections (through soft
terrain, or maybe mud), or both.

The elite men's XC riders routinely become top-grade roadies as soon as
they are recruited. Notable ex-MTBers are Floyd Landis, Michael
Rasmussen and Ryder Hesjedahl. There are others.

Locally, I once saw retired World Champ Roland Green come out to do a
road race for fun, without a team. He didn't quite successfully escape
from Symmetrics (currently a top-flight Continental team), but he still
finished after a long breakaway, 3-up.

http://www.cycling.bc.ca/index.php?id=90&type=98&backPID=90&pS=1112342400
&pL=2588399&arc=1&tt_news=407

Oh yeah, I forgot about the women's race, where former XC monster Alison
Sydor came out and won the race, followed by CX specialist Wendy Simms
(former Canadian champ in that discipline).

So yeah, the best MTB riders are watts/kg monsters, and they don't get
beat by riders with better technique.

However, the 4X and downhill disciplines are much more
technique-oriented, and choice of line and rider skill are decisive.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Ryan Cousineau said:

The elite men's XC riders routinely become top-grade roadies as soon as
they are recruited. Notable ex-MTBers are Floyd Landis, Michael
Rasmussen and Ryder Hesjedahl. There are others.

Other favorites include Cadel Evans, Tom Danielson and Tiny Mig.

Quoted message said:

Locally, I once saw retired World Champ Roland Green come out to do a
road race for fun, without a team. He didn't quite successfully escape
from Symmetrics (currently a top-flight Continental team), but he still
finished after a long breakaway, 3-up.

http://www.cycling.bc.ca/index.php?id=90&type=98&backPID=90&pS=111234...
&pL=2588399&arc=1&tt_news=407

Oh yeah, I forgot about the women's race, where former XC monster Alison
Sydor came out and won the race, followed by CX specialist Wendy Simms
(former Canadian champ in that discipline).

So yeah, the best MTB riders are watts/kg monsters, and they don't get
beat by riders with better technique.

However, the 4X and downhill disciplines are much more
technique-oriented, and choice of line and rider skill are decisive.

I think you are generally correct with this, but top mtb races won't
be won by riders who aren't technically proficient, regardless of
their fitness and power. Look what happened to LANCE when he tried to
become a dual road racing/mtb olympic hero. He had more than enough
power and strength to win, but he couldn't ride a trail without eating
it. Likewise, downhill and 4cross races won't be won by riders who
can't generate a [censored] of power. Watch Michal Prokop out of the
gate -- amazing. Never really seen anything like it. It is not hard to
imagine his pedaling translating to success in very different cycling
venues, like some types of track racing, and road sprints. Both he and
McEwen, not incidentally, started as BMXers.

Robert

Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com said:

Kicked ass, 4 minutes ahead of the next rider...how did they do it?

the deepest mystery surrounding the Chinese riders was why they were
so damned strong. A billion people live in China, but before 2006 not
one of them had made a blip on mountain-bike racing's radar. China has
no NORBA or World Cup stops, so whom did these girls ride against to
get so fast?

I wonder???

Better riding thru chemistry...

Before we go all crazy on the ChiCom Menace [tm], what
race are you talking about and who are you quoting,
Peter? It isn't either the elite women or men's XC races
(won by a Russian and a Frenchy). I think it might
have been the U23 women's XC race:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb/2007/sep07/mtbworlds07/?id=results/mtbworlds073

But you know, fields aren't incredibly deep in
women's U23 mtb racing. I'm not ready to say that
a country needs to have NORBA and World Cup stops
to do well in the U23 women.

Ben

Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com said:

Kicked ass, 4 minutes ahead of the next rider...how did they do it?

the deepest mystery surrounding the Chinese riders was why they were
so damned strong. A billion people live in China, but before 2006 not
one of them had made a blip on mountain-bike racing's radar. China has
no NORBA or World Cup stops, so whom did these girls ride against to
get so fast?

I wonder???

Better riding thru chemistry...

Hey Peter, before we freak out over the ChiCom Menace,
at least give a link to who you're quoting:

http://www.velonews.com/race/mtn/articles/13386.0.html

The full article is more balanced.

At this year's MTB worlds, Chinese riders didn't win either
women's or men's elite XC - that was a Russian and a Frenchy
(both enemies of freedom, of course). They did 1-2 the
women's U23 XC:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb/2007/sep07/mtbworlds07/?id=results/mtbworlds073

But you know, women's U23 XC worlds may not be the
deepest field ever - I'm not ready to say that a country
has to have NORBA and World Cup stops in order to
win in the U23s.

Ben

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Ryan Cousineau said:

The elite men's XC riders routinely become top-grade roadies as soon as
they are recruited. Notable ex-MTBers are Floyd Landis, Michael
Rasmussen and Ryder Hesjedahl. There are others.

Other favorites include Cadel Evans, Tom Danielson and Tiny Mig.

Quoted message said:

Locally, I once saw retired World Champ Roland Green come out to do a
road race for fun, without a team. He didn't quite successfully escape
from Symmetrics (currently a top-flight Continental team), but he still
finished after a long breakaway, 3-up.

http://www.cycling.bc.ca/index.php?id=90&type=98&backPID=90&pS=111234...
&pL=2588399&arc=1&tt_news=407

Oh yeah, I forgot about the women's race, where former XC monster Alison
Sydor came out and won the race, followed by CX specialist Wendy Simms
(former Canadian champ in that discipline).

So yeah, the best MTB riders are watts/kg monsters, and they don't get
beat by riders with better technique.

However, the 4X and downhill disciplines are much more
technique-oriented, and choice of line and rider skill are decisive.

I think you are generally correct with this, but top mtb races won't
be won by riders who aren't technically proficient, regardless of
their fitness and power. Look what happened to LANCE when he tried to
become a dual road racing/mtb olympic hero. He had more than enough
power and strength to win, but he couldn't ride a trail without eating
it. Likewise, downhill and 4cross races won't be won by riders who
can't generate a [censored] of power. Watch Michal Prokop out of the
gate -- amazing. Never really seen anything like it. It is not hard to
imagine his pedaling translating to success in very different cycling
venues, like some types of track racing, and road sprints. Both he and
McEwen, not incidentally, started as BMXers.

Robert

Fair comment all. I didn't realize Lance took a shot at the MTB race.

BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms of
explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm (mainly,
I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of bike
racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's like
dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ryan Cousineau said:

BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms of
explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm (mainly,
I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of bike
racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's like
dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

You can learn some very good bike handling skills on a BMXer - sliding and
traction limits, etc... It's fun, too.

--
tanx,
Howard

Faberge eggs are elegant but I prefer Faberge bacon.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Howard Kveck said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ryan Cousineau said:

BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms of
explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm (mainly,
I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of bike
racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's like
dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

You can learn some very good bike handling skills on a BMXer - sliding and
traction limits, etc... It's fun, too.

--
tanx,
Howard

Faberge eggs are elegant but I prefer Faberge bacon.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

The same thing holds true for motorcycles. I used to teach advanced
rider education courses and I could pick out everyone with dirt riding
experience after a few minutes on the range.

Smokey

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Howard Kveck said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ryan Cousineau said:

BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms of
explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm (mainly,
I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of bike
racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's like
dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

You can learn some very good bike handling skills on a BMXer - sliding
and
traction limits, etc... It's fun, too.

--
tanx,
Howard

Faberge eggs are elegant but I prefer Faberge bacon.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

The same thing holds true for motorcycles. I used to teach advanced
rider education courses and I could pick out everyone with dirt riding
experience after a few minutes on the range.

Smokey

There was a period where, as traction became a really serious limitation
to GP bike racing, where most of the American riders had spent some time
doing flat-track (racing on horse racetracks, more or less), and had
learned the magic of finding traction when neither wheel was gripping
with any great tenacity.

The BMXers at today's cross race (organized by my club) were obvious
because they were the once doubling on the BMX jumps. The Cyclocross
champion of Denmark finished in second place in the men's A race, while
former MTB world champion (and Olympic Medallist) Alison Sydor did what
she does now that she's retired: won the women's A race. And passed me
in the process, since they started a minute behind the men's B race.

For my part, I was passed by a teammate with about 500m to go, and
struggled to stay with him. At the start of the 100m straight leading to
the finish, he looked back, and dismissed me as too far back to even try.

I then engaged in the sneakiest sprint in the history of cycling, and
with the onlookers staring openmouthed (possibly because I was wearing a
plush helmet cover shaped like a shark), I got him at the line by about
a foot.

And that's the story of how I won 38th place:

http://www.escapevelocity.bc.ca/2007/gpcxresults

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Howard Kveck said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]> wrote:

> BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms of
> explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm (mainly,
> I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of bike
> racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
> cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's like
> dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

You can learn some very good bike handling skills on a BMXer - sliding
and traction limits, etc... It's fun, too.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The same thing holds true for motorcycles. I used to teach advanced
rider education courses and I could pick out everyone with dirt riding
experience after a few minutes on the range.

Quoted message said:

There was a period where, as traction became a really serious limitation
to GP bike racing, where most of the American riders had spent some time
doing flat-track (racing on horse racetracks, more or less), and had
learned the magic of finding traction when neither wheel was gripping
with any great tenacity.

Kenny Roberts still runs a camp that teaches that stuff. You ride (IIRC) 100cc
Hondas with a somewhat grippy front tire and a far less grippy rear. The purpose is
to teach the smoothness that helps in low traction situations. Carl should be able to
give more details.

Quoted message said:

For my part, I was passed by a teammate with about 500m to go, and
struggled to stay with him. At the start of the 100m straight leading to
the finish, he looked back, and dismissed me as too far back to even try.

I then engaged in the sneakiest sprint in the history of cycling, and
with the onlookers staring openmouthed (possibly because I was wearing a
plush helmet cover shaped like a shark), I got him at the line by about
a foot.

And that's the story of how I won 38th place:

http://www.escapevelocity.bc.ca/2007/gpcxresults

Nice.

--
tanx,
Howard

Faberge eggs are elegant but I prefer Faberge bacon.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Howard Kveck said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms of
> explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm (mainly,
> I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of bike
> racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
> cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's like
> dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can learn some very good bike handling skills on a BMXer - sliding
and
traction limits, etc... It's fun, too.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

--
tanx,
Howard

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Faberge eggs are elegant but I prefer Faberge bacon.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Quoted message said:

The same thing holds true for motorcycles. I used to teach advanced
rider education courses and I could pick out everyone with dirt riding
experience after a few minutes on the range.

Quoted message said:

Smokey

There was a period where, as traction became a really serious limitation
to GP bike racing, where most of the American riders had spent some time
doing flat-track (racing on horse racetracks, more or less), and had
learned the magic of finding traction when neither wheel was gripping
with any great tenacity.

The BMXers at today's cross race (organized by my club) were obvious
because they were the once doubling on the BMX jumps. The Cyclocross
champion of Denmark finished in second place in the men's A race, while
former MTB world champion (and Olympic Medallist) Alison Sydor did what
she does now that she's retired: won the women's A race. And passed me
in the process, since they started a minute behind the men's B race.

For my part, I was passed by a teammate with about 500m to go, and
struggled to stay with him. At the start of the 100m straight leading to
the finish, he looked back, and dismissed me as too far back to even try.

I then engaged in the sneakiest sprint in the history of cycling, and
with the onlookers staring openmouthed (possibly because I was wearing a
plush helmet cover shaped like a shark), I got him at the line by about
a foot.

And that's the story of how I won 38th place:

http://www.escapevelocity.bc.ca/2007/gpcxresults

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden]://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Ryan,

How easy is it for someone south of the border to race in BC cross
races? I have relatives and friends in Bellingham so I might show up
some day.

Bret

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Howard Kveck said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]> wrote:

> BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms of
> explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm (mainly,
> I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of bike
> racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
> cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's like
> dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

You can learn some very good bike handling skills on a BMXer - sliding
and
traction limits, etc... It's fun, too.

--
tanx,
Howard

Faberge eggs are elegant but I prefer Faberge bacon.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

The same thing holds true for motorcycles. I used to teach advanced
rider education courses and I could pick out everyone with dirt riding
experience after a few minutes on the range.

Smokey

There was a period where, as traction became a really serious limitation
to GP bike racing, where most of the American riders had spent some time
doing flat-track (racing on horse racetracks, more or less), and had
learned the magic of finding traction when neither wheel was gripping
with any great tenacity.

The big flat tracks are probably the greatest show in motorsports. Nowhere else
are there that many lines through a corner and so many guys taking them all at
once. It's a beautiful thing.

Quoted message said:

The BMXers at today's cross race (organized by my club) were obvious
because they were the once doubling on the BMX jumps. The Cyclocross
champion of Denmark finished in second place in the men's A race, while
former MTB world champion (and Olympic Medallist) Alison Sydor did what
she does now that she's retired: won the women's A race. And passed me
in the process, since they started a minute behind the men's B race.

For my part, I was passed by a teammate with about 500m to go, and
struggled to stay with him. At the start of the 100m straight leading to
the finish, he looked back, and dismissed me as too far back to even try.

I then engaged in the sneakiest sprint in the history of cycling, and
with the onlookers staring openmouthed (possibly because I was wearing a
plush helmet cover shaped like a shark), I got him at the line by about
a foot.

Damn, I once got beat out for ninth that way once. It wasn't so much that I
dismissed the guy, I just couldn't stand on the pedals anymore. I'd thrown the
last bit of coal and furniture into the furnace to get ahead of him.

Quoted message said:

And that's the story of how I won 38th place:

http://www.escapevelocity.bc.ca/2007/gpcxresults

Good work and a credit to us all.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bret said:

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

On Sep 28, 8:54 pm, Howard Kveck <[email hidden]> wrote:
> In article <[email hidden]>,
> Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

> > BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms
> > of
> > explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm
> > (mainly,
> > I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of
> > bike
> > racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
> > cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's
> > like
> > dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

Quoted message said:

> You can learn some very good bike handling skills on a BMXer -
> sliding
> and
> traction limits, etc... It's fun, too.

Quoted message said:

> --
> tanx,
> Howard

Quoted message said:

> Faberge eggs are elegant but I prefer Faberge bacon.

Quoted message said:

> remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Quoted message said:

The same thing holds true for motorcycles. I used to teach advanced
rider education courses and I could pick out everyone with dirt riding
experience after a few minutes on the range.

Quoted message said:

Smokey

There was a period where, as traction became a really serious limitation
to GP bike racing, where most of the American riders had spent some time
doing flat-track (racing on horse racetracks, more or less), and had
learned the magic of finding traction when neither wheel was gripping
with any great tenacity.

The BMXers at today's cross race (organized by my club) were obvious
because they were the once doubling on the BMX jumps. The Cyclocross
champion of Denmark finished in second place in the men's A race, while
former MTB world champion (and Olympic Medallist) Alison Sydor did what
she does now that she's retired: won the women's A race. And passed me
in the process, since they started a minute behind the men's B race.

For my part, I was passed by a teammate with about 500m to go, and
struggled to stay with him. At the start of the 100m straight leading to
the finish, he looked back, and dismissed me as too far back to even try.

I then engaged in the sneakiest sprint in the history of cycling, and
with the onlookers staring openmouthed (possibly because I was wearing a
plush helmet cover shaped like a shark), I got him at the line by about
a foot.

And that's the story of how I won 38th place:

http://www.escapevelocity.bc.ca/2007/gpcxresults

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden]://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Ryan,

How easy is it for someone south of the border to race in BC cross
races? I have relatives and friends in Bellingham so I might show up
some day.

Argh. That is a very interesting question.

First, if you have a proper UCI license (has to be UCI, not just the
standard USCF license that is cheaper and doesn't have a UCI
endorsement), it's trivial. You show your license, pay the entry fee,
sign the waiver, and you're in.

If you are a Canadian resident or citizen and you have no license, you
can do a day-of license for $30 over and above the entry fee.

BUT, if you are a US resident with no UCI license, even if you have a
USCF license, the current Cycling BC rules say you're SOL: no
recognition of the license (if any), no option to buy a day-pass.

Not only does this suck big-time, it didn't used to be that way. This
may or may not change in the near future: it is certainly a
controversial element of the race regulations right now.

That said, Bellingham is also a hotbed of cyclocross, and several
noteworthy races are happening on the south side of the 49th parallel
this year:

Oct 27th, Muerto Cross, Bellingham, WA
Nov 17th, Tractor Cross, Bellingham , WA

The Oct. 27 race comes a day before a race about 10 miles from my house,
so I'd say it's a 40% chance I'll hit that one. The Nov. 17th race is
probably the last race of the year in the PNW, so I'll be pretty likely
to race it.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bret said:

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote:
> On Sep 28, 8:54 pm, Howard Kveck <[email hidden]> wrote:
> > In article <[email hidden]>,
> > Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> > > BMXers learn some tremendously transferable skills, at least in terms
> > > of
> > > explosive power. Our roadie club has just started up a BMX arm
> > > (mainly,
> > > I think, to accommodate the parents in the club who want a form of
> > > bike
> > > racing geared towards 7-15 year-olds; then they go out and buy $1000
> > > cruisers for themselves because it's so much fun), and yeah, it's
> > > like
> > > dirt-based training designed to produce sprinters.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> > You can learn some very good bike handling skills on a BMXer -
> > sliding
> > and
> > traction limits, etc... It's fun, too.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> > --
> > tanx,
> > Howard

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> > Faberge eggs are elegant but I prefer Faberge bacon.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> > remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> The same thing holds true for motorcycles. I used to teach advanced
> rider education courses and I could pick out everyone with dirt riding
> experience after a few minutes on the range.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Smokey

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

There was a period where, as traction became a really serious limitation
to GP bike racing, where most of the American riders had spent some time
doing flat-track (racing on horse racetracks, more or less), and had
learned the magic of finding traction when neither wheel was gripping
with any great tenacity.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The BMXers at today's cross race (organized by my club) were obvious
because they were the once doubling on the BMX jumps. The Cyclocross
champion of Denmark finished in second place in the men's A race, while
former MTB world champion (and Olympic Medallist) Alison Sydor did what
she does now that she's retired: won the women's A race. And passed me
in the process, since they started a minute behind the men's B race.

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For my part, I was passed by a teammate with about 500m to go, and
struggled to stay with him. At the start of the 100m straight leading to
the finish, he looked back, and dismissed me as too far back to even try.

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I then engaged in the sneakiest sprint in the history of cycling, and
with the onlookers staring openmouthed (possibly because I was wearing a
plush helmet cover shaped like a shark), I got him at the line by about
a foot.

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And that's the story of how I won 38th place:

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http://www.escapevelocity.bc.ca/2007/gpcxresults

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--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden]://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

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Ryan,

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How easy is it for someone south of the border to race in BC cross
races? I have relatives and friends in Bellingham so I might show up
some day.

Argh. That is a very interesting question.

First, if you have a proper UCI license (has to be UCI, not just the
standard USCF license that is cheaper and doesn't have a UCI
endorsement), it's trivial. You show your license, pay the entry fee,
sign the waiver, and you're in.

If you are a Canadian resident or citizen and you have no license, you
can do a day-of license for $30 over and above the entry fee.

BUT, if you are a US resident with no UCI license, even if you have a
USCF license, the current Cycling BC rules say you're SOL: no
recognition of the license (if any), no option to buy a day-pass.

Not only does this suck big-time, it didn't used to be that way. This
may or may not change in the near future: it is certainly a
controversial element of the race regulations right now.

That said, Bellingham is also a hotbed of cyclocross, and several
noteworthy races are happening on the south side of the 49th parallel
this year:

Oct 27th, Muerto Cross, Bellingham, WA
Nov 17th, Tractor Cross, Bellingham , WA

The Oct. 27 race comes a day before a race about 10 miles from my house,
so I'd say it's a 40% chance I'll hit that one. The Nov. 17th race is
probably the last race of the year in the PNW, so I'll be pretty likely
to race it.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden]://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Thanks for the response Ryan. Sorry to hear that I'd need an
International license for BC. In CO, we let the USCF types buy one-
days :-) The Nov 17th race in Bellingham is a possibility for me too.
I'm recovering from Pneumonia and it depends on how that goes. I'm not
going to try racing for another two weeks. Tractor Cross sounds muddy.

Bret