For those of you who have been under a rock, the world seems to be getting either seriously wet and quite floody or firey and rather hot. This week saw Louisville, Kentucky take the brunt of Mother Nature’s wrath and oh boy did it make for an even greater Cyclo-Cross World Championships

Following worrying forecasts from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the organisers of the UCI Cyclo-Cross world championships in Louisville, Kentucky had to rearrange the races scheduled to ensure all of the events could be held on Saturday.

It was feared the projected high water levels in the Ohio River would cause Beargrass Creek to flood the low-lying areas of Eva Bandman Park in Louisville, in the early hours on Sunday morning and that water level will continue to rise causing any events held on Sunday to be ruined. The organisers and volunteers did a sterling  job to ensure flood defences were reinforced and the crowds were able to attend all the races on Saturday.

The impending floods, the snow and the slowly thawing concrete-hard-icy ground made for a mouth wateringly wonderful day of CX. The kind of conditions that make racing hard and unpredictable but don’t overshadow the power and skill of the riders to the extent where it becomes a farce. The racing was hard-fought and the winners more than worthy of their rainbow stripes. As they say, a picture tells a thousand words, so the full races are shown below for your cross delectation. Take some time to watch these, they are great and as the announcers say, we get to see someone who is possibly the greatest bike rider of all time… yes they even say she could be better than Merckx!!!!!

Men’s under 23 race

Elite Women’s race

Elite Men’s race

Let us know what you thought of the racing and the season ahead…

Stevie

courtesy of JPows.com

This post was first published on October 9th 2012. 

Due to race schedule issues this interview has not been recorded yet but I’m hoping to get it in the can within the next week. With that in mind, I’m taking the liberty of bumping this post back to the forefront of your minds and get you thinking about Cyclocross questions. The star of this interview is not heavily disguised and I’m sure you are all aware of how much of a personality this person has. I really want to make this an interview to remember so get commenting at the bottom and check out the videos for inspiration. 

With the rain and the mud approaching, there are many out there turning their sights towards the CX season.  Whether you are a complete newbie or a seasoned cross fanatic one of the greatest things about cyclocross is the fun that’s clear to see on everyone’s face; riders and spectators alike.  And from what I have seen, there is no other place in the world more wacky to cyclocross race than the United States.

This is why I am very excited about an up and coming interview with a certain US Cyclocross champion who shall remain nameless(!)  Now I know a thing or two about cross racing but only from watching it.  I have never gotten myself intentionally dirty (you’ve seen the new LTB road kit…I like to stay clean on the bike!), so I need some help from the LovingTheBike collective.

I’m sure you all have some burning questions you’d love to ask a pro cyclist, some cycling related, otherwise maybe not so.  Now is your chance.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out who this interview is going to be with, but let’s just say he’s a real character and I’m sure he will take any questions from his cycling fans in the good faith they are intended…within reason!

So here is your assignment – get commenting below and leave me your questions.  They can be serious, funny, though-provoking…but let’s stay away from weird!  I hope to have the fruits of your labour poster here very soon.

In the meantime, check out this COMPLETELY unrelated website of CX star Jeremy Powers and the fantastic Behind The Barriers show below, now in it’s 3rd season.

Stevie

Following on from Darryl’s great ‘Do It Now’ post featured here yesterday, I wondered what things it would spark people into doing. This might not be as thought provoking as Darryl’s post or so centred in distant grey memories, but we’d like to help kick start some people into new challenges as the seasons change.

Over the last few years cyclo cross has been gaining a massive following in this country. It’s seems to have taken much longer to grow into a legitimate cycling/sporting option over here than it has in North America, but it has gripped many with the muddy bug. I’ve wanted to give cyclo cross a go for a long time but I think the start up costs have held me back as at first it seemed like I’d have to buy a whole new bike, kit and mud resistant mouth guard. But I’ve decided to stop worrying about things like that.

Please don’t snitch on me to my fiance, I’m not off to the LBS to purchase a new bike light enough to shoulder, I’m just going to try to borrow my friends bike as much as I can! I’m also going to investigate ways to adapt my winter bike into something a bit more mud friendly. (BTW Joey is OK).

Photo courtesy of epicfail.net

I’m a roadie through and through. If you sliced me open you’d see I’m lined with pure white MicroTex bar tape. But I can’t deny that the lure of the woods and trails does try to grab me from time to time. I’m going to say it… sometimes, I want to be a mountain biker (Jeez I can’t believe I just said that out loud!) When the weather turns nasty and the clouds go grey, the wonderful terrain we cycle through all year doesn’t seem so exciting, so why not change up the view and go down to the woods? Again, I don’t have the specific equipment but I know how to handle a bike and don’t mind getting muddy, what’s been holding me back!? I guess I’ll be asking my other buddy if I can take his MTB into the woods this winter!

Photo courtesy of bigshotbikes.com

Bike polo has also been tempting me over the summer. To break a winning format, I do have the correct equipment for this sport (if you don’t mention the giant wooden mallet) but I have been honing my fixie skills. After using all of my Bart Simpson Band Aids I can track stand, I can ride backwards (a bit) and I generally look pretty cool on my fixie, even if I do say so myself. But even I could win a game of bike polo if I’m the only player, I need more fixie friends!  Well Hallelujah! I’ve found that a neighbouring town has an open league! It seems I have one less excuse to get my hockey mask on and start swinging that mallet!

Photo courtesy of… oh I can’t remember, but thanks!

I don’t need to have a go at road riding, I do it an awful lot and love it. But what if you have never been on a road bike before and want to start… what have you been missing?  The escapism as you leave the city and smell the fresh country air, the sights you see when travelling a little slower, the interaction with other cyclists and pedestrians and the feeling of speed in your face. Road riding seems to have a little more of a stigma about it as it’s seen as ‘the Lycra sport’ and thus some are not as open to trying it. But it’s not necessary to zip your flabby bits into skin-tight clothing to enjoy the delights of a road bike. Get out there, climb some hills and enjoy the downhill bits. Screw what your colleagues say about push bikes, you know they are wrong. Road bikes are the new mid-life crisis purchase… just get one now and buy a Porsche when you’re 50!

There are lots of new experiences out there, and I now have a few more to try, and then conquer over the coming months. I hope you have fun trying something new.  Whatever you do… Do It Now.

Stevie