Time to get to work…

It’s been surprisingly busy since the national championships at H-S world headquarters. Since the cyclocross season is exactly opposite of the sponsorship season, we actually end up working on next year’s sponsorship before we finish up the current season. Plus we try to start nailing down our riders as soon as Nationals are over. That means that very little time has been available to simply let the dust settle.

In addition with Louisville being named to hold the Cyclocross World Championships in 2013 earlier this week it is clear that the next three years will be a huge buildup to that race. Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld has their thing dialed with TJ, J-Pow and Driscoll is really showing that he’s got huge talent for the future. As a team, Hüdz-Subaru is very new and we’ll be working very hard to get together some magical collection of riders over the next year or two that could have a serious shot of challenging C-C on the national calendar and possibly making a serious go at worlds in 2013.

There is a lot of inspiration in the sport with Worlds coming, and fortunately I am getting myself in the center of that. Hopefully there will be a lot to announce here shortly, so stay tuned…

Baker takes first national title, Pacocha and Williams grab silvers after crashes

Jon Baker took his first national cyclocross title on Saturday in the Master’s 35-39 division. A great start took Jon from the fourth row into a chase group of 5 or 6 sitting about 10-15 seconds back of a raging Brandon Dwight – the defending champion – and two other escapees. Baker slowly moved himself up to the leaders – who had lost Dwight to a crash –  with 2 to go after dropping the other members of the chase and spending most of the race in 4th.

A last lap attack after the barrier section took Jon clear for the win. Brandon Dwight came in fourth adding another Boulder rider to the podium.

The day before Wendy Williams brought home the Hüdz-Subaru team’s first medal at a national championship when she took second in the Women’s 40-45 race. Wendy was the defending champion and 2 laps in looked like a solid bet to repeat. Unfortunately a hard crash on one of the slippery back sections of the course dropped her out of contention for the win and she spent the rest of the day valiantly chasing to secure a podium spot. In a sprint that went to the photo-finish camera, Wendy claimed the second step.

On the tails of Jon Baker’s win, Matt Pacocha – ACA 2009 best cross rider – took off with a stacked field of 30-34 racers. A typically-strong start put Matt in the lead with Jake Wells of Mafia Racing and a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory rider. Midway through the race Matt and the RMCF rider were clear of the field after Wells dropped out to concentrate on Sunday’s Elite Championship. Unfortunately, crashes once again took away the Hüdz-Subaru rider’s shot at the title after Pacocha crashed 3 times in the deteriorating course conditions.

All in all, it was an incredibly successful day 2 and 3 of the Nationals for Hüdz-Subaru and we look foreard to the Elite races Sunday…

States and USGP finals coming this weekend…

The Hüdz-Subaru team has been rather successful this year in Colorado with a solid lead in the Best Cross rider competition, and as soon as some glitches in the system are sorted, we should be crushing the Best Cross Team competition as well. Incredibly solid results for a first-year program. But, I’m feeling a bit greedy and want the state title too.

Matt Pacocha is a pretty solid pick for the race, but a resurgent Jon Baker could also prove to be the man on Saturday. With Brad White coming onto top form and Chuck Coyle always a solid team guy at the start of any race I think we have a good shot. The two people that we have to worry about most are Jake Wells, and Danny Summerhill if he races. We’ll post pics after the race and get you the scoop on how things went…

Of course, the USGP finals in Portland are this weekend as well. We expect great representation from Wendy and Emily up there, and Brian Fawley may be racing as well. Dave Drumm will be throwing down in the Masters field and then wrenching for the stars in the Elite races.

Xilinx Cross Video

The boys went 2,4 and 6th after a near podium sweep on Saturday!

Thank You Very Much! -Rebecca Much

DOLORES CYCLOCROSS November 8th, 2009

Before the next weekend of cross racing begins, I figure I’ll report in on a stellar past weekend of racing down in the San Juan mountains of Southwestern Colorado. I haven’t been back to the Durango/Dolores area in many a moon and was thrilled when I got word from the US Women’s Cycling Development Program (USWCDP) and Doug LaMunyon about at CX race in my old Fort Lewis College stomping grounds. We hit Schoolyard CX in Lafayette on Saturday before heading south—the race was heaps of fun and run to a T with every aspect of cross thrown into one super course. Schoolyard even boasted equal payout to the men’s and women’s field and little Amy D. out there crushing it. After the race full day of cross racing on the front range, an unforeseen epic drive was made in traffic, darkness and a missed turn to Durango. We made it just past midnight and were happy to crash in the bear’s living room with 2 awesome pups to greet us. The morning called for breakfast at Carver’s on Main St. in Durango and man did I forget how much I loved that place. With some Mexican Scramble and plenty of diluted perfect coffee in my belly, we drove up to Dolores to see what kind of a course Joe Rowell Park had in store. I’ve been taking the cyclocross season this year pretty relaxed and while giving it a solid effort each race, the pressure has never been on and I’ve enjoyed enjoying myself in the mud and dirt and loose corners and barriers and run up and what not. The Dolores Cyclocross race, however, I felt like I had a little more I wanted to give to such an awesome community. It was a beautiful day and the course had lost of fast sections, steep ride ups, crazy turns, run ups and well placed barriers. The locals were out in force and the fields were packed. It was cool to see the new generation of FLC kids out racing and all the local pros. My Hudz-Subaru teammate Lauren Hall was out killing it and Carmen Small chased me around the course all race after cracking a tooth on her bars, whoa! It was a stellar race though and I was stoked to pull off a W. Post race we headed over to the Dolores River Brewery, one of the coolest breweries you’ll ever see and picked up a nice chunk or change and a sweet Osprey pack! Thanks to the USWCDP for having me down for the race and I’m already looking forward to next year!

Emily checks in (with a win) from Portland…

Emily comes up with a big win.

After two days of torrential downpours we were in for the muddiest of muddiest cross races.  Just prior to our start the skies open up again and unleashed a massive rain storm. With temps in the 40’s there was no question that we were in for a cold and wet one.

Today Wendy and I needed to really be a team – coming into the race some how Alice Pennington had taken the lead in the series. So the plan meant that I had to be the spoiler at least finishing in front of Alice or taking the win.

Wendy got off to an amazing start, taking the lead immediately while I was looking down trying to find my pedal.  Once we where off I fought my way back up to the front pretty quickly, but low in behold I could not find Wendy anywhere?? I kept charging and about 1/4 through the first lap took a the lead.  The course was so muddy and sloppy with huge puddles that where in some spots hub deep and some sweet slippery off camber sections.

Finally on one of the over lapping sections I spotted Wendy.  She was a ways back but looked like she was gaining in on the third and second place spots.

As the race continued it just kept getting slipperier and slipperier, it became a race of who could stay up right on there bike.  After and awesome race and finishing in first I waited to see where and what happened to Wendy. Unbelievably she managed to crawl her way back up to Second after flatting in the starting chute.  I must of missed this while I was trying so hard to find that darn pedal.

After having and awesome race and still feeling really good, I rushed to the car to swap out for my single speed. I rushed back and Wendy started pinning my Single Speed Cyclocross Worlds # on, but to my demise in the processes they had already started the race.  I rushed over to try and jump in but the crowds where so thick there was no getting through. I guess it is what it is… unbeknownst to the starters of the Single Speed race there where 4 of us women who did one more lap that all others, which unfortunately bit into our ability to make it to the start line on time.  I really wanted that gold bikini…I guess I will just have to go up to Seattle next year and take it back!

Wendy and Emily always make the Hüdz-Subaru team look good...

A little recognition…

I have never been a big fan of Barbara Howe, the whole Barbarella thing to me seemed too contrived and I just didn’t care. As such I never would have seen the following if it hadn’t been pointed out to me. Maybe I’ll have to rethink my opinion…

Bryan Fawley is part of the Hüdz-Subaru Grass Roots Program. He has been a pro MTBer, and currently races road and cross. Sean Lambert at ROL Wheels – our team sponsor – asked if there was any way that we could help him out since he was such a good guy, so I took my own personal Blue NorCross out of the workstand and sent it down to him. We scrounged up some extra clothing and Brian was off to racing.

He does it pretty much all on his own, but shows up at most of the races on the USGP calendar because he loves it. I get the reports on occasion of his mechanical mishaps, and the scoop about his start position (pretty much always last row) and his finish (usually top 10 to top 20). He tells me about putting on a race series in Dallas and crushing all comers (my description, not his) in the Texas CC world.

Apparently he’s an inspiration to more than just me and the team.

Way to go Bryan. Get that point. Can’t wait to see you at Nats…

Bike profile – VeloNews tech editor Matt Pacocha’s SRAM Force-equipped Blue Norcross

 

…this was originally posted on ‘the road diaries’ (www.theroaddiaries.com)

Paco rides a SRAM Force equipped Blue Norcross Cross bike – thanks to superstar announcer Dave Towle for holding his bike (that’s his finger on the saddle)

Matt Pacocha is a Boulder, CO, based technical editor for VeloNews magazine and a gifted cyclocross rider. ‘Paco’ finished 14th at the 2007 Cyclocross Nationals and regularly wins regional Colorado cross events. Having his choice of componentry we at SRAM are always proud to equip his A and B bikes for his upcoming cross season(s). At this past Saturday’s Blue Sky Velo haunted haunted race and Sunday’s Boulder Cup Cross race he finished a respective 15th and 14th against top competition that included the powerful Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com team of Jamey Driscoll, Jeremy Powers and Tim Johnson, as well as many of the country’s top pros.

In discussions Paco says that he prefers SRAM’s powerful shifting in the challenging conditions of Cross, our ergo levers, and like the single shift lever. Here is a quick profile off Matt’s cross machine.

2010 SRAM Force shift levers with custom white hoods, he adjusts the reach of the shift levers only slightly. These SL’s Weigh a mere 303 grams.

Matt put his RED crank on this bike, simply moving it from last year’s bike, with 39/46 chainrings

The SRAM Force rear derailleur weighs 178 grams, the second lightest RD in the world (to RED’s 153 grams).

SRAM’s steel caged Force 88g front derailleur.

With great mud clearance and impressive durability, Paco’s PowerGlide 1070 cassette ratio is 11-26.

Rol carbon wheels are out of Denver, CO, glued to 32mm Challenge Grifo tires.

Aluminum Ritchey bar and stem.

Crank Bros. pedals with duct tape on the ends – some pros like Katie Compton put superglue and rub in sand, all for better grip.

Brakes are TRP’s Euro X magnesium.

Matt ‘Paco’ Pacocha – bike specs
VeloNews Tech Editor and local Boulder Cross hizoss
Frame – Blue Norcross – 54cm

Gruppo:
SRAM Force (2010) w/RED
Shift levers –SRAM Force
Cranks – SRAM RED 172.5 compact 39/46 shainrings
BB – Ceramic
Rear derailleur – SRAM Force
Front Deraileur – SRAM Force
Chain – SRAM PC 1070
Cassette – SRAM PG 1070 11-26

Pedals – Crank Bros. (duct taped ends)
Wheels – Rol – prototype cross carbon
Tires – 32mm Challenge Greifo
Saddle – Fizik Alliante
Bar & stem – Ritchey (aluminum)
Bartape – SRAM
Brakes – TRP Euro X magnesium
Cables – Gore Ride-On

Custom
SL reach adjust – “I only bring in the shift lever slightly”

Weight – 15.5 lbs

Mud Sweat & Gears!

The NACT (North American Cyclocross Trophy) Cyclocross Series made its way to Colorado this weekend with two UCI events.  Saturday was the UCI-C2 Blue Sky Velo Cup with Sunday being the UCI-C1 Boulder Cup.

Both days the crows were huge and treated to watching the best racers and racing in the US!

 

Chuck getting crooked

 

The big UCI Races finally made their way to the mountains……and in true Colorado fashion the weather extremes did not disappoint.  Racers were greeted to a fresh 17″ of snow that fell during the week.  By the time Saturday rolled around the weather warmed up and turned the Blue Sky Velo Cup course into a mud bath.

 

Matt got a great start

 

The race saw Matt Pacocha get a great start and it got better form there.  He was taking a bike exchage every lap and it worked out with a solid 15th place.

Team member Brad White also had a great day.  “My Blue 6.5 was just perfect for today,” Brad said.  “It was clearing mud really well and since it is so light the extra weight of the mud I was picking up didn’t affect me at all.”

 

The team set up shop in and around the Oskar Blue’s RV.  All of the other races were jealous becuse we had the best place to change and prepare for the race.  Even better were the drinks that were provided by the guys from Ocsar Blues!!

 

Rebecca loved the mud

 

Sunday’s UCI Boulder Cup race had to change venue’s at the last minute due to the weather.  In the end the sun came out and dried out everything.  This made the course fast except for the heinous sand sections that the promters treated the races to.

 

Lots of sand

 

This race was even better for the Hudz-Subaru riders with 3 of the guys finishing in the top 25, while on the womans side Rebecca got 12th and Lauren 23rd!

 

Rolling the mud

 

Matt & Tom from the Grassroots team in full kit!

Boulder Cup, Xilinx, and we even have some team clothes…

This weekend is the SuperBowl of Colorado Cross racing. With the UCI visiting the Boulder-area that means that everyone who’s been training at altitude all year is g’d-up to take on the flat-landers. I expect Pacocha and Baker to come out flying and flog themselves like Finnegan’s urchins to get a solid result. Rebecca is starting her “serious” part of the season, and Lauren is going baptism by fire with her first big event. Throw in some gluten-free blueberry pancakes on Saturday morning and enough coffee to stun a team of oxen, and I think we’ve got a big winner.

Also on Saturday after the race we will be celebrating in style at Oskar Blues in Longmont. It should be a great time and includes free beer with a race number, so how can you pass on that? It’ll be going off at Home Made Liquids & Solids, you definitely won’t want to miss it…

Also, we finally got in our team clothes. Well, most of it anyway. Turns out we’re backordered on a couple things and the Federales kept the jackets and vests in lockup a little long, but we’re trying to get those delivered tomorrow so that no one gets hypothermia…

See you at the races…