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August 29, 2008
Carl Decker Wins Single Speed World Championship
Carl Decker, two time Star Crossed winner, won the Mountain Bike Single Speed World Championship last weekend. Here is his report Napa, CA:
Since Adam Craig was in Beijing last weekend for some kind of sports festival thing, the hopes of a Nation would rest on my shoulders at one of the most (un)important events of 2008; the Single Speed World Championships(SSWC), held in Napa, California. This would be my fourth attempt at SSWD (SingleSpeedWorldDomination), and as it turns out, my most successful attempt to date.
Race day started out foggy and had me concerned, as my "race kit" consisted mostly of dental floss and good intentions. Fortunately the sun burned through and the weather was perfect. The Scottish contingent was suffocating from the heat. It was probably 79 degrees. After the usual LeMans style start, I was in maybe 50th place of the 400 racers. A little pedalling and cape crusading later, I was at the front with Barry and Mark Weir. Mark had a nice low gear and a 6" travel bike. He was haulin' ass. Weir led most of the race while B.Wicks and I were cheered on by the sizeable crowd, who were undeniably turned on by our dead sexy outfits. On the last lap I caught and dispatched Weir for the lead. At the top of the last descent, with an insurmountable gap, I stopped for a small sip of beer. With a half mile of flat gravel to go, I slapped Curtis, the race organizer on the bum as I lapped him. Curtis said "Good to see you guys" and I looked over my shoulder and saw Weir on my wheel. Cheeky bastard. At that point I had ridden 98% of the race in way too big of gear (34/16) and Weir had been picking daisies with his 32/18. So I pedaled away from the lycra-clad God Of Downieville, leaving him a view of my best parts and a fluttering cape.
After 30 minutes spent sipping beers and scrubbing my entire body with Tecnu poison oak remover, I headed to the Tatoo parlor with women's winner Rachel Lloyd to receive my hard earned reward. I was almost disappointed to see that the tatoo was kinda small. Almost.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)
Barry Wicks Interview
Check out the Barry Wicks interview at Race Cyclocross! Barry responds to their Cyclocross Professional Questionnaire. Barry finished third at Star Crossed last year and we are looking forward to having him back this year with Kona teammate Ryan Trebon.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)
Course Revision
Rich McClung revised the course for '08 earlier in the summer with the goal of maintaining the spectator friendly features while adding a functional double pit. Three nights ago he woke up in the middle of the night and realized he had got the pit backwards. Oops, I thought I was the only one that mixed up my right with my left. Check out the revision, looks great.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2008
Men 4 Field Closed
The Men 4 race reached its field limit of 80 riders today. Registration is closed. Erik Rucker of Wines of Washington got the last entry. If you missed out on Star Crossed make sure to race the Rad Racing GP the next day.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 08:46 AM | Comments (1)
August 26, 2008
A Dirty Moose
Terry does 90% of the work on the race... I do a bit of flailing about and rounding up sponsors and then a whole multitude of people help cover the rest to make this a great event. One of those great people is Evan Schmitt. Evan is a great film maker and was kind enough to put together our very cool little commercial for the race. I believe he is all of 18 years old and already has two feature films to his credit and doesn't look like he is slowing down. Make sure you check out www.dirtymoose.com for trailers of his most recent work. I believe there may even be a secret show of his latest movie the night before the event... stay tuned.
Make sure you also check out the facebook page that Evan created at http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=23122768825&ref=mf
Posted by stevewestover at 04:49 PM | Comments (1)
Past Winners
| YR. | MEN | WOMEN |
| '02 | Jonny Sundt | Josie Beggs |
| '03 | Marc Gullickson | Anne Grande |
| '04 | Carl Decker | Anne Knapp |
| '05 | Carl Decker | Lynn Bessette |
| '06 | Andy Jaques-Maynes | Wendy Sims |
| '07 | Christian Heule | Wendy Williams |
Posted by tnbuck70 at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2008
Men 3 & Men 4 Fields Filling Up
These fields are getting close to the field limits. Only 20 spots left in the Men 3 and 17 in the Men 4. Don't hesitate to sign up.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)
Fabulous Shots from '07 by Seng Chen
So Steve didn't like the barrier pictures, here are some nice action shots from last year to by Seng Chen to wet your appetite for cross:
Click the photo for more!
Posted by tnbuck70 at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2008
Stories from Star Crossed
Terry has been killing it with blog updates and I feel bad because this was my idea. Not sure if I agree that freshly painted barriers are more interesting than.... watching freshly painted barriers dry but he tries.
I have had some great experiences over the past several years at Star Crossed. Whether it was the year Adam Craig had the race won and biffed on the last lap, Barry Wicks taking a digger in the lead halfway through, or the Deckerator winning 2 years in a row it has always been fun. The spectators always add the best flavor to the race with wacked out outfits (canadians) or the guys that show up for the beer first and racing second. Some of the best stories are the ones that happen off the race track. The year Todd Wells got "urinal caked" at the bar later or watching Geoff Kabush wrestling random dudes after the race (or taking beers from the crowd during the race) or watching Anthony Dickson wear his tighty whities and race the womens race. I suspect that many new funny things will happen at this years race and I hope I am involved.
Anyone got a good story? Best one gets into the race free and a few beverages.
Send me an email at steve.westoverATgmail.com and I will post the best story I get.
Posted by stevewestover at 09:06 PM | Comments (1)
Fresh Barriers Built
New barriers have been built. Start working on your dismounts so you don't scuff them. Next step, logo them up.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 03:48 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2008
Press Release #1
Star Crossed: The First and Premier Nightime Cyclocross Event is Now the Official Opener Of the North American Cyclocross Trophy
Full Speed Ahead and Gerk’s Ski and Cycle Return As Co-Title Sponsors.
Foundation Bank signs on as Elite Race sponsor
August 18, 2008 - Full Speed Ahead Star Crossed presented by Gerk's Ski and Cycle , the nation's first twilight cyclocross race, is returning on September 20th to King County's Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA. Star Crossed kicks off the US 'cross season for the 7th consecutive year under the bright lights of the Group Health Velodrome. This year Star Crossed will be the first UCI level race in the US and the first race in the new North American Cyclocross Trophy (NACT) that spans the entire United States. Inclusion in the tour and our already proven formula of great racing, spectator friendly course, beer garden, and music should add up to another successful and record breaking year for this event.
Money and international prestige are the foundation of the NACT Trophy, which was conceived from the start as a professional series. “Top racers are interested in two things, money and points; and we’ve got more of both of them than anybody else in North America,” said Myles Romanow, long time promoter of cyclocross in the upscale Hamptons. “It’s August and right now the series is already committed to race prizes in excess of $40,000 cash – plus appearance fees and an additional $7,000 in year-end cash bonuses for the top three season finishers in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
Already confirmed for Star Crossed is Olympic competitor Adam Craig who is set to take a shot at bringing home the gold on August 23rd. Also confirmed to attend is current National Cyclocross National Champion Tim Johnson, former National Champion Ryan Trebon and his dangerous teammate Barry Wicks. In the women’s category you will have several big hitters from around the nation such as Wendy Simms who won Star Crossed in 2006 and placed 6th overall at the 2007 World Championships and local series rockstar Kristi Berg.
Long time sponsor Full Speed Ahead has returned to the event as title sponsor "Star Crossed has been a fixture in the northwest cyclocross scene and it keeps getting bigger and better. It's a great kick-off for the national season. They have created a great vehicle to get our name and our new products out in the spotlight for the season," states Max Ralph, Marketing Manager FSA.
Local sponsor Gerk's Ski and Cycle are also returning for the second consecutive year. "We had a great time at the event and were impressed with the course and crowds and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of what seems like an end of summer tradition” says owner Brian Gierke "We are making a strong commitment to cyclocross and it's great to see bikes we sell in action!"
Also coming aboard this year is Foundation Bank as the presenting sponsor of the elite races. There sponsorship helps add additional funds to the elite races and helps us attract and even higher level of competition. Foundation Bank is a locally-owned, full-service, Washington State chartered commercial bank, offering a wide array of individually designed commercial credit and deposit products for Seattle area businesses and professionals.
Deschutes Brewery has returned as the official beer garden sponsor providing a variety of local brews. The event will also feature a live DJ sponsored by Zune, free spectator raffles and giveaways including a Ridley Cyclocross frameset, Redline Framesets and other prizes. Food will also be provided at the event by FrankFurter and Jamba Juice. Other sponsors and contributors to the event include Specialized, De La Paz, Herriot Sports Performance, Cycle University, Sonadei, NOS energy drink, and others.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2008
Master Men 3/4 Field Closed
The Masters Men 3/4 race reached its field limit of 80 riders today. Registration is closed. Sorry guys. Come on out to watch the Elite Men and Women, have a cold Deschutes and race Rad Racing GP the next day.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 08:24 PM | Comments (1)
Star Crossed / Rad Racing GP Double = Free Raffle Entry
Preregister for Star Crossed and Rad Racing GP at BikeReg.com and receive entry into a raffle for some sweet swag organized by Rad Racing NW. For the offer will be a Kona Jake the Snake frame, goodies from Full Speed Ahead, Shimano Ultegra wheelsets, and a Thule Rack System. Both races will be kicking off the opening weekend of the North American Cyclocross Trophy with a bag of swag so large it must be Crossmas.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2008
Wendy Sims Wins TransRockies Challenge
Wendy Sims (Kona) a Star Crossed crowd favorite has won the Open Mixed Division of the TransRockies Chanllenge with husband Normon Thibault. Sims, 6th place at the '08 Cross Worlds, has Star Crossed on her calendar and hopes to match her '06 Star Crossed victory again this year. Thibault, a Canadian Masters Cyclocross National Champ, will be racing the Masters 1/2 race hoping to ride up front with defending Masters winner Richard Feldman and course designer Rich McClung.
Winning the final stage of the Open Men at the TransRockies Challenge was Chris Sheppard and Andreas Hestler. Sheppard finished 7th at Star Crossed last year and we hope he brings his aggressive style back this year.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2008
Master Men 3/4 Filling Up
Dudes, you better sign up quick if you want to race the Masters 3/4 35+. The field limit is 80 and there are only 22 spots left. Go to BikeReg to grab a final spot.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2008
Jesse Anthony Broken Wrist Prevents Race Start
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Jesse Anthony (Jamis) will unfortunately miss Star Crossed and the opening weekend of the North American Cyclocross Trophy due to a broken wrist. The 7-time US Cyclocross National Champion (Junior & U-23) will hope to be back to full speed by NACT Weekend #2 to defend his title at Gloucester GP #2. Anthony is also the defending champion of the Verge New England Championship Cyclocross Series.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 12:16 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2008
Confirmation
Over the years we have gotten some great riders to attend Star Crossed - Christian Heule, Marc Gullickson, Todd Wells, Tim Johnson, Carl Decker, Adam Craig, The Twin towers, Jacques Mayne, etc... but I think this year with the involvement in the NACT series we are hitting a new high. As of today we have confirmed that Tim Johnson, Ryan Trebon, Barry Wicks, Carl Decker, Jeremy Powers, and Adam Craig are set to attend the event. Still working on a few others but it looks like we will most of the key riders from that last few years all together for one big blow out race.
Come out - Have a beer - watch the best race of the year
Posted by stevewestover at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)
Weiners
I feel comfortable talking about weiners in this forum.. Why? because they involve eating them - as in Franfurter that is showing up for Star Crossed again this year. I don't know what it is but after setting up the course all day, chatting with friends, having several beers, and watching the races a big DOG hits the spot. I am definitely going to have a few before the night is over
Posted by stevewestover at 02:24 PM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2008
Star Crossed YouTube Ad
Spread the Word!
Thanks to Evan Schmitt
Posted by tnbuck70 at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2008
Race Registration is Now Open Online!
All you very anxious cross racers can now stop asking, race registration is now open online. Go to BikeReg.com to sign up. David Diviney of Cyclepath Racing gets the award for being the first to sign up.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2008
Star Crossed Posters Going Up
Star Crossed posters are going up in area bike shops and restaurants in the next two weeks. Keep your eye open for them. If you would like to post one in your place of business please contact us.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 04:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2008
Disc Brakes?
Disc brakes will be allowed in all USCF sanctioned categories(non-Elite Men and Women). The UCI rules do not allow the Elite Men and Women to use disc brakes.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2008
North American Cyclocross Trophy Design Contest
Submissions Now Being Accepted for Design of Cyclocross’ Future Icon
August 4, 2008 (Seattle, Washington) The promoters of the North American Cyclocross Trophy are turning to the cyclocross community to design the inaugural series trophy for the Elite Men and Women. The community that supports and loves cyclocross in North America is, at its core, creative and interested in giving to the sport. This design contest for the inaugural series trophy is an opportunity for an interested artist to express the essence of cyclocross in what will become the top prize in North American Cyclocross.
The NACT will be accepting design concepts until September 1, 2008. Sketch it, explain it, video it, whatever it takes to convince us you got the right design. Please explain the medium and scale of your creation in your submission. We’ll argue about which design is best for a week and name a winning on September 8, 2008.
The NACT will provide $250 toward materials. The selected artist will donate their labor. The two trophies must be completed in time to ship to the series final in Southampton, NY the weekend of November 22nd and 23rd.
Hockey’s Stanley Cup … Indy 500’s Borg Warner Trophy … Yachting’s America’s Cup
Be an enduring part of cyclocross history. Do YOU have what it takes to design cyclocross’ iconic trophy?
Send all entries to Terry Buchanan at terry@buchanangc.com or 129 NE 57th Street, Seattle, WA 98105.
About the Series---
Four of America’s premiere UCI cyclocross weekends are proud to announce the formation of new national race series for Elite Men and Women, the North American Cyclocross Trophy. Coming together to offer a series cash purse of $7,000, the eight race North American Cyclocross Trophy will consist of Full Speed Ahead Star Crossed presented by Gerk’s Ski & Cycle, Rad Racing Grand Prix presented by FSA and Kona, Gran Prix of Gloucester, Boulder Cup and Whitmore’s Landscaping Super Cross Cup.The five promoters of these events aspire to bring continuity to a portion of North American UCI cyclocross calendar by bringing the continent’s top talent together at the acknowledged “classics of American cross”. Myles Romanow of Whitmore’s Landscaping Super Cross Cup envisions the series as “Cross of the Titans” with all the best talent in North America competing in the hotbeds of North American cyclocross.
Full details on the series available soon at www.nacyclocross.com.
Posted by tnbuck70 at 02:47 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2008
De La Paz Coffee Coming to Star Crossed
De La Paz Coffee will be our espresso cart sponsor this year. They are generously supporting our spectator and racer prize lists.
De La Paz Coffee is a small batch coffee roasting company that focuses on freshness and great tasting coffee. Their goal is to change the way people think about coffee. Whether that means learning more about the small farmer and his family or understanding the difference between an espresso grind or press pot grind, they want their customers to think of coffee as more than just a bag on the shelf.
Buy a bag online today to support this Star Crossed sponsor!
Posted by tnbuck70 at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)