The Northcoast GP of Cleveland

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Racing some UCI weekends in Ohio has been on my Cyclocross calendar for quite awhile. I am originally from Ohio so when I heard that this year there was going to be a UCI weekend in Cleveland with CincyCX the following weekend it seemed like a perfect match for visiting family and racing some UCI Cyclocross.  I purchased flights months ago. Plans were made, family was ready to carpool, I had a pit mechanic lined up and for the first time I had a pit bike. The perfect UCI weekend was ready to roll. My entire family and I would arrive in Cleveland Saturday morning where they would for the first time witness my pre race rituals and madness.

The Northcoast GP of Cleveland was located in Kirtland park which was almost a stones throw away from Lake Erie. The winds were mighty and the temps were hovering in the high 40s. I would spend my time not on my bike inside of the truck seeking shelter from the wind. My pit mechanic Paul drove up from Columbus to help out for the weekend. Everything was in order. I felt good about my pre ride, my bikes were in check, the course was hard but nothing I didn’t think I couldn’t handle. Thirty minutes until start. I changed out of my kit and pre ride shoes and into my skinsuit and clean shoes with toe spikes freshly put in the night before. I was ready.

I did a few practice starts and made my way over for call ups. I was bib number 9. Having UCI points I was slightly disappointed with not being on the front row with such a small field but I got over that quickly.  I made the decision to line up in the middle right behind Amanda Nauman. 1 minute until start. I took my jacket off and threw it to my mom. Thirty seconds. GO.

Everyone’s fitness level at the start and eagerness to be in the front of the race was equal. We all surged forward with everything we had and within seconds I realized I was stuck in the middle of a group that was incredibly close and where no one seemed to be letting off the gas anytime soon. I knew this was bad and within seconds a shove came from my left knocking me into the girl on my right. I hit the ground with my head facing north and my legs facing south. I would end up the complete opposite with my head facing south, my legs facing north and my bike somewhere off to the east. A million different things ran through my mind. If you follow me on social media at all then you know one of those things was that I was pretty sure I shit my pants from the impact of the racer behind me running me over. I would later realize it was just because I was on my period and the impact was so hard that it forced out an obscene amount of uterine lining. Sorry boys. As I was laying there not being able to move my lower half I was freaked out. I touched my lower back by my tailbone and it was numb. I couldn’t get up and all I could think about was how disappointing it had to be for my family who has never seen me race to witness my first ever DNF of my entire cyclocross career. I never even made it over the start/finish line and clearly my weekend of racing was over. Potentially even the rest of my 2016 season was over.

Eventually I would get up and painfully walk it off.  The next 24 hrs I would go through a wide range of emotions. I was angry and frustrated that my weekend of racing was taken away from me. The moment of pride from my family and the understanding of what I spend day in and day out training for was ripped away. At the end of a race is where the sportsmanship comes in. You congratulate your fellow racers for the hard work and you all share that moment where you are happy that the suffering for the day is over. I didn’t get to take part in that. I left without talking to anyone I was to compete with that day and I didn’t know any of them to begin with. I left the race Saturday feeling pretty dismal about the midwest cx racing scene.

The next day my mom would drive me the 60 miles to Cleveland to spectate the women’s UCI race that I wasn’t going to be participating in.  I had a friend competing from Portland I was excited to meet and didn’t want to miss out on that. In the process I would chat with Sydney, the woman who ran me over and a couple other women I lined up with day before. We wished each other good luck on our upcoming races and laughed about the previous day’s results and injuries. I finally got my post race chatter. I left Cleveland on Sunday feeling good about my experience and the people I met along the way. Shit happens in races but never underestimate that post race chatter. Those are your people out there on that course with you and if you can’t put your shit aside and congratulate each other and say good job, share a laugh, a smile and shake hands then mentally this game will be much harder than it needs to be.

Next weekend I will take on Devou Park for the Pan American Championships and Kingswood Park for KingsCX. I am eager to pass that start/finish line.

The most entertaining spectator in Cleveland.

Dropping in to a steep off camber sketchy descent. The only way to take it was SLOW.

A steep run up. One of many.

One of the pro only sections of the race

Words and photos by Chelsea Weidinger and family.

LION OF FAIRFAX 2016

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Set in the foothills of Mt. Tamalpais, The Lion of Fairfax was back at the local middle school campus. With the year’s first real rain, the stage was set for some mildly wet/muddy cyclocross racing. Chelsea, Derek, Dylan, Eddy, and Rainier came out to race with the Bay Area community. This photo series was shot on 10-15-2016, and include some notes/thoughts from the races.Gabe went to school here, so for years, we called this race the Lion of Gabe’s middle school.Frank is a force of radness behind the scenes. Thanks FrankI laughed when I saw this “epic” mud shot in my selected images. Really playing up that one time it rained for us in 2016.The school campus is really beautiful, set among dry grass hills and native trees at the edge of town where some of the most famous singletrack in the world begins. Team Vive La TarteChelsea <<<Quill-stemmed OM Flyer set up like a beach cruiser. Quickly, these races get strung out. Chelsea sat 3rd wheel for laps.Cool Marin Hippie mural doubling as a wind tunnel illustration.The hecklers staked out this ride up waiting to see who would slip up.It was a toe spikes day. Yay!Chelsea held on to 3rd for the day in the Elite Women’s field.The SuperPro vibe is about stoke foremost and a lack of formality is part of the format.Wind can also play a factor in cross.Rainer DerekMtbers heard the call.Brandon, Jimmy, and Dylan launched the hole shot.We are so stoked on how the team bikes and kits came together. Thank you to the sponsors, and Al for doodling it up!Dylan rode up these steps later in the race.This part of the course was under constant repairs as riders blew it here.Cone zoneDerek handling the back set of barriers.Basketball courts, Soccer fields, and a Baseball diamond all made up the race course on this day.Brandon moving up (with a rear flat) finishing 2nd in the SS A’s.Rainier broke a spoke in the first lap. With no pit wheels, he had a couple hours to study for the GRE.Dylan set up some Ritchey Tires tubeless and was able to finish in the SS As, winning the group.Several scratchable dogs on course.The hecklers brought their best psych-outs.The ruling on handups… YES!They don’t do that in Europe. Do they?The wind brought barrier tape into the path of the racers. Some finished sooner then they had hoped.

Photos: Mike Martin

Words: Brandon Reif

MASH Bonus Features

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After the release of the full length video, we wanted to go back, and share footage that did not make that cut. Shot between 2012 to 2015, this preview is for an upcoming 60 minute edit of unpublished video shorts. Alleycats, alternate edits, Rob Ward helmet cam, group rides, and more. If you bought the book, your download code will give you exclusive access to this footage for the first 14 days. Look for an update November 1st 2016.

SUPER PRO NIGHT RACE 2016

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Racers found themselves on a pond in Vallejo California last Saturday night for the Super Pro Night race. We loaded the van, and sat in traffic, and made our way to this roller coaster backdrop, with lantern lit grass line taped off with yellow. Murphy is a local promoter, and this is his signature series. It is a little more out there than a traditional Bay Area CX race, mostly due to a few unique obstacles, and are historically challenging. The grass at this race just pulls on your wheel, eating your effort.

Chelsea was sensible, so got to the race 2 hours early, reg’d and rode the course before racing. We pulled up as they said, go, so jumped out to scream for her. She raced well, finishing with a top five spot for the Elite A’s.Keeping the mud out of your eyes while still being able to see on the dark course was essential and so clear lenses felt like a superpower as dusk turned to night. Thank you Oakley!The community that surrounds the Bay Area events is changing, and we are seeing younger folks forming men’s and women’s teams. We hope this new energy grows with the racing that happens here. Heres to a long future of Bay Area bike racing.Derek leading the elite As off the starting grid. It was a steep road sprint followed by a grueling mucky grass climb – the pack was thinned immediately.The front group on lap one included Rainier, Derek, Chas, and a couple other strong riders.Rainier chasing up the grassy hill – he would go on the finish in the top 5 in the Elite A’s.Riders mowing the dry descent would kick up a dust fog, more challenging to navigate for the following racers.Chas rode very strong – finishing in the top 5.Cubby navigating this root feature with long dark shadows. This is his first season racing in a skin suit, and we kinda miss the tank tops days.Derek plowed into an unseen concrete lip in the first lap while riding 2nd wheel. His tire exploded but the Enve rim held strong. He was determined to get a workout, in spite of the setback, and so borrowed what was basically a road wheel from a bystander. Santa Cruz Stigmata flying over a massive exposed root. The tricky obstacle has taken a beating over the years by pedals, BBs, chainrings, shins, etc. as part of the course in Vallejo.The glowing route read over a few hills in the park, and created a quite beautiful landscape.At the top of the hill racers were welcomed by a zealous group of hecklers.Derek stayed sharp and was determined to not give up, despite losing time while swapping wheels. Representing King Kog, Kel destroyed all the single speeders and nearly all the elite racers.Rainier cutting into the muddy grass on Ritchey Megabite tires.Climbs that would descend back near itself for some spectacular perspectives for fans and racers.Free Money from the kind folks at King Kog.This giant barrier/wall is an iconic SuperPro obstacle.Somehow this chain still moved along in the pulleys and propelled the bike, one reason the guys love their Sram CX1 setups.TCB launching off the line in the Men’s B race.Dylan has had a few mechanical, so we are building him new wheels this week. We want to see him out there racing, as much as we do enjoy seeing his race photographs.Racers relive the action while spectators look on. SuperPro always brings a festive atmosphere to the race.Eddy in the Men’s B’sRyan from TCB smashed the B’s.Eddy was weirding me out. I am constantly moving from spot to spot, shooting photos. Each lap, he would have found me, then look me in the eye, or the lens mid-race. Super weirdo.With results posted, podiums stood on, and cars loaded with bikes and bodies, we headed back to the city, to rest, work, wash bikes, and get ready for next weekend.

Words: Rainier and Mike

Photos: Mike

The Qiansen Trophy Cup

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A month ago I was given the chance to race The Qiansen Trophy Cup – two C1 UCI Cyclocross races in China. On August 27th a group of 9 of us, 6 racers and 3 staff members, flew halfway across the world to Beijing. It was an experience I will never forget.

By the time we arrived at our hotel it was around 5pm on Sunday the 28th. What was two days easily felt like one extremely long day. Ninety-five racers from over 15 countries were all staying at the same hotel having breakfast, lunch and dinner together for 7 days. It was like bike racer summer camp or as I would like to think, a dream come true!!

On Monday we had a group field trip to the Great Wall of China. Beijing is known to be smoggy and have terrible air quality conditions, but luckily for 99% of our trip the skies were blue and filled with puffy clouds. Later that day we would roll to the course and pre ride, getting ourselves and our bikes dialed in for the next day of racing. For most of us, this was our first cx race of the season.

Tuesday morning went like any other pre race morning. Meal planning, final bike prep and nervous jitters were all in attendance. After a final visit to the lunch buffet, we all headed over to the course. One side of the start/finish was lined with blue tents, with every team having their own tent and about 5 photographers per racer. I have never seen so much paparazzi. It was exciting, and helped to give us confidence that we belonged there.

It was hot that day with temperatures in the 80s. At least 75% of the course was in shade with a breeze which offered a little relief from the heat. One last lap on the course to dial in lines and we all retired to the tent to keep cool before call ups. There were 30 women racers and I was lucky number 30. Last call up. It gave me some relief because you can only move up when you are last. Three minutes before start, I was nervous. You spend all spring and summer training for the upcoming season and until those first few races happen, you have no idea how much that training is going to improve your performance on the race course in an actual race. When your first 2 races of the season are your first ever C1 UCI races and they are in China against women from all over the world, your mind is melting on the start line and your legs are shaking like leaves. Thirty seconds. Focus sets in and the next thing you know you are moving forward and you are doing the only thing that felt normal for the entire trip – racing your bike.

I would finish 15th that day earning myself a point to qualify for Nationals. I was beyond stoked. That night and the next morning we would pack up to move to another hotel on the other side of Beijing to race again on Saturday at a different venue.

Friday morning a group of us checked out the race course early so we could spend the afternoon being tourists in downtown Beijing. It was pretty phenomenal. Unfortunately none of us were willing to be too daring when it came to some of the foods so it was mostly just “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing while doing what most tourists do – taking photos.

I felt a little more confident in myself come Saturday morning, and my third row call up instead of dead last didn’t hurt either. It was another hot day and the course was dustier than the last with over 60 turns in one lap. I always questioned my ability to corner well and with this only being my 4th year racing cyclocross, I am still trying to figure out my strong suits. Apparently tight, twisty courses are not my enemy because I finished 13th this day getting myself 4 more points. 

That night we would again pack up our things, our bikes and get ready to shuttle out at 7am the next morning. That last night was the farewell banquet for all of the racers and staff who made the trip. The banquet was filled with interesting yet delicious food, lots of alcohol, awards, entertainment and of course it wouldn’t be complete without a teenage garage band playing Nirvana and The Ramones covers. Obviously we started a mosh pit for them with crowd surfing because why not (Sorry for the lack of photos). 

China was a success. The Qiansen Trophy Cup staff was amazing. My teammates for the trip couldn’t have been better and I can’t thank Jakroo enough for giving me the opportunity. I can’t wait to see you all again next year and I promise to bring enough coffee for everyone 😉

Words by Chelsea Weidinger. Photos by Campbell Steers.

LARZ WOLVH

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BASP 2 2016

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With the 2016/17 Bay Area CX season in full swing, and aligned with our Indian summer, racers met out at Candlestick State Park for BASP #2 of the series. This State Park is along the waterfront, next to a pile of dirt that used to house the local football team. Dry dirt, tall grasses and pungent fennel set the vibe here, and we like it. With a day of racing bikes and hanging out with friends ahead of us, the stage was set for the Bay Area Super Prestige Series.Proving we have evolved as a species, everyone found shade early in the day.Eddy crashed the day before, so was volunteering with registration and holding down the watermelon.Juniors to the start. Go get it kids!The Juniors finished up as the Elite A Women lined up. Just in time to catch this little dude running his mechanical to the line. Good hustle.Sean Mon had fans dressing up like their favorite racer and screaming his name.Let’s race bikesSinglespeeders on course with Brandon soaking up the mid-pack dust.Cubby is racing a prototype Low SSCX with cantis. Super nice build.Dylan sitting top three early in the SS As.A few laps later, he flatted. We are working on getting him set up with some tubeless rims for the next one.Brandon Harrison is all in this season. Racing our SSCX with TCB and out of the saddle most of the race.Kel was off the front both days, confirming he put in his work this season and wants to beat you. Brandon in a ripping sprint to the line.Dylan has been working at Specialized where even the lunch ride is competitive. In previous years he’d been a full time student, like Kyle and Walton, which didn’t leave much room for training and racing. Excited to see what this guy can do with a little more freedom in his calendar.KelBrandonWomen’s As on deckChelsea has been training her face off and the results are showing. Moving up from the Cs to As in a few seasons, now a contender for each holeshot and podium.Here are a bunch of photos of her shredding, because she’s so rad.RJ wishing he was racing bikesDylan with a firm understanding of summer.Winning snacksThe A men lined up and several handups sprouted.Derek and Rainier raced both days, so had call ups in the first two rows.Chas racing with TCB, cornering a sand pile, then heading out to the back of the course.Rainier was in for a podium finish. Dylan offering water with one lap to go.Chas left it all out there. Yard saleNext weekend is the night race. Check our calendar for the full schedule. See you out there!

CLIF CYKELSCRAMBLE 2016

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Saturday was the second year Clif threw an event called CykelScramble (pronounced sickle for sure, so there is room to grow there) in San Rafael. They took over the Marin County Fairgrounds and built this crazy race course with wall rides, tables, spines, rock gardens, swinging sand bags, logs, and on down the list. Teams of four signed up to race one bike in a relay.
The event brought out a diverse/rad group of Bay Area locals of all ages, all hopped up on bicycles. OG Marin clunkers, BMX shredders, pro XC and even DH racers like Rat Boy. And us for some reason.

Some people got weird and that was nice.
We did the green screen thing, not for the day’s events, but for what you, the viewer can now do to these photos. Please send to info@mashsf.com and we will make a new post.
 Dylan, Brandon, Jean, and Matt did not know what they where getting in for when they agreed to get in the van at 7:30 that morning.


The course was pretty challenging, so the conditions made for some highs and lows.
Stoked to have Matt Reyes out for the day. He could have competed on his FG no question. We chose a 26-inch BMX for the relay race. A full squish XC bike ended up being the winning format.

Down, but not out
E.T.
Someone got knocked out cold, but came around and was okay.

Matt spine tap crossing
Jake with the spine transfer
Matt shot some fake polaroids

Rad to see generations out there being stoked on being stoked.
The race started with a wheelbarrow stretch. We came in mid-pack.
Matt and Brandon had clean bike handoffs.

Guy is rad

Guy, Cubby,  Jake, and Danny raced on 20-inch bmx bikes, and crushed it, and got a little crushed. Sixth in the Roasters for the day.
Banked berm
Brandon in the rocks
The Bruce Lee style Ninja team had some rippers on it. Look them up on the Cykel Scramble site.
Jean got blood on the outside

Cubby

Cubby about to shoot out of the vert wall ride.
These dudes won, but we both lost for costume originality.

New track drops this fall. See you next year!

MM

Chas’ Cannondale Track

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Chas just painted up this Cannondale track bike and HED disc wheel. Check out the details. So rad.

CHAS + LEGOR + ERIK OTTO

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Ran into Chas on his new Legor road bike this morning.  While in route to the bridge, he showed me a spot of native plants where he chose colors for the frames paint work.  Was loving how Erik Otto’s warm and cold tones where looking with the summer greens.