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Late Season Colorado Cyclocross Fun - On The Cross
Looking for some fun and/or competition this weekend? If you’ve ever wanted to give cyclocross a try but are still hesitant due to intimidation, lack of experience, fitness, or the fact that you’re only four years old, then On The Cross is for you! The annual “On The Cross” at Chatfield brings a nice competition for experienced racers, and will also feature some of those fun categories that lend themselves so well to cyclocross, including contests like bunny hop, bike limbo, kids race, and what I predict to be a sweeping trend, the “Huffy toss” (see video)!
“Bowl of Death” Taunts Colorado Cyclocross Riders
Last weekend capped Boulder Racing’s cyclocross series with a technically challenging course at the Louisville Rec Center. Affectionately called “The Bowl of Death”, the course lured some of Colorado’s top riders to come out and test their mettle. The course features some tight turns, lots of elevation changes, and bumpy terrain. While Mother Nature has kept the CX courses mostly dry this season, that didn’t prevent all casualties, namely in men’s Cat 3. At least one rider was sent to the hospital after a spectacular crash involving multiple riders, but aside from that it was a great day for cyclocross. There’s a great descriptive write up in this post from the Chipotle-Titus Mountain Bike Team blog. A trend in cyclocross that seems to continue growing is the inclusion of open, “fun” categories, such as a cruiser category. This race featured the rare chance for the rug rats to get a taste of cyclocross.
The season’s winding down, but we still have Mammoth Cross at Fossil Trace, Supercross in Colorado Springs, and the annual “On The Cross” at Chatfield to go. Check out the race calendar for more details on these.
2008 Chatfield Five And Dime
Well my friends it was cold this morning. But not cold enough to stop a pretty good size crowd from rockin’ the trails at Chatfield State Park. Organized by the Colorado Masters Running Association, the Five and Dime consisted of a 5 mile and 10 mile trail run.
This was my very first trail run and it was awesome. As far as the level of fun had while running a race goes, this is way at the top of my list. The course started on a dirt road that wound through a field and turned into single track about 2 miles in. I was super nervous about rolling an ankle at first, and though the trails got pretty narrow, they stayed relatively smooth for the first 6 miles so I had a good chance to get comfortable with the course and my pace. This particular section (from about mile 2 to mile 6-ish) was so much fun to race on… and not just because nobody can pass you due to the narrowness of the track (hahaha to everyone stuck behind me)! It moved quickly through a lightly wooded area and had several turns and small but worthy hills to keep the legs limber and the mind active. After mile 6, the course took runners out into a field where the path itself was quite a bit rougher and involved some longer hills (including some sketchy and steep down hill sections) but did offer more visibility, and of course the prospect of the finish line.
So, the race itself was amazing. Getting to the race was… questionable. The CMRA website is a bit rudimentry and doesn’t include contact or registration information. It was only after I talked to a few people who had done CMRA events that I realized one can just show up to the race and pay. The only other thing that bothered me was that the location was listed as “Chatfield” and it took a conversation with a less than pleasant park ranger to find out where exactly in “Chatfield” the race was.
While I did hear a few people mention that course wasn’t marked well, I didn’t have any real problems finding my way around and felt pretty confident the whole time. In fact, I have to say I was impressed with how smoothly things went along once underway. And hey, for only $10, one can’t really complain.
Despite a few very minor glitches with actually getting myself to the race (old-school website, no contact info, etc), I think the Five and Dime was pretty well organized and the only thing missing was a t-shirt to commemorate the event (though, with that kind of price tag, I can probably make my own).
This is by far my favorite race this year - fun course, small race, laid-back atmosphere, cheap, good competition if you’re into that and plenty of folks just out for a good run - and gets my very selective and awesome stamp of awesomeness.
2008 Littleton Stride - 5K/10K
So have you even heard of this race? I didn’t think so. It’s small and not advertised much outside of Littleton Public Schools. But, my friends, it is definitely worth looking into.
When I stumbled on this last year, I happened to read a little blip on the Littleton Public Schools website saying something to effect of “For the experienced runner, this is the most challenging course in the Denver-Metro area”. Being the snob that I am, I instantly thought “Psssh. Whatever, Littleton Public Schools.”
Yeah. They weren’t joking.
The event benifits (um, obviously) Littleton Public Schools and consists of a 10k run, 5k run, 5k walk, and 1k fun run. While I can’t speak for the 5k or 1k course, I can absolutely attest to the beastiness of the 10k course. It is hilly. And when I say “hilly”, I mean borderline mountainous. I consider myself a strong runner and this course just rocked me. After the first two miles my legs felt like marshmallow fluff, my lungs felt like they may be bleeding, and I found myself wondering why I payed money to put myself in such a position. If it means anything to you, I finished in 43:30… and I won (okay, okay, I was the first female, but 6th overall).
What I didn’t see this year was Derek Griffiths of Colorado Runner Magazine out taking pictures… Ya know, high school volleyball players seem to get more press than even the fastest runners in Colorado, so a nice little shout out in Colorado Runner is pretty awesome (even if it’s a bad picture, which it will be ’cause this race doesn’t make anyone look pretty). So I don’t know if that happened this year or not, but I’m pretty vain so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Either way, it’s suuuuuuuch a good race. When you’re done and you get over the strange and disturbing burning sensation in your bronchial tubes, you feel like you should be hanging out with the X-Men. The Littleton Stride also seems to be pretty well organized - there’s a ton of parking, plenty of port-a-potties, a fair price tag, and a well marked course which employs a lot of high school students to cheer for you (which they do quite well - thank you to all the girls in the tie-dyed shirts and the folks on the corners going “First Girl!! Woo!!!”).
This is one tough but tasty cookie. I highly recommend giving it a try if you haven’t, and I will leave you with a bit of advice: hill repeats are indeed your ally, and keep your eyes peeled for folks jogging with strollers and dogs. Hope to see some more of you out there next November!
2008 Denver Marathon
Happy Monday and congratulations to everyone who dragged themselves out of bed and ran the Denver Marathon yesterday! It was a beautiful day to run a great race. However… there were a few things I found irksome.
The first was the whole packet pickup nonsense. Once again, it was held downtown which (hello! duh!) is nearing New York in its ridiculous (lack of) parking situation. It was a pain in the ass only to be alleviated by the employees at the Convention Center riding around on Segway scooters, which was quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve seen. Ever. But, fine. Whatever. It was nothing compared to the complete clusterf-… complete circus that was the start of the Denver Marathon. The line to the port-a-potties was absurd! Who would have thought that 3000 people would all have to pee at the same time? Well, not the folks organizing the race. I would think that such an experienced race director would kind of have that figured out but… obviously not. I sure wasn’t about to wait in that line so i went ahead and cut in front of everyone. Sorry! But like the great thinker Mos Def said “While y’all was askin’ permission, I just stepped up and took it.” Word. But even if you made it to the bathroom in time, it didn’t exactly matter ’cause you couldn’t get to the start line - yeah, it was barricaded! I had to climb over a railing! I could have been injured! Jerks! And! When I was done with the race, they didn’t have the bananas out yet. Don’t you think i might have wanted a banana?! Yeah, I wanted a banana.
That being said…
This is a must do race. The energy at the start line is awesome and i love the crowd here - the runners, the spectators… Everyone is so excited to be there. The course is perfectly designed. It’s flat for the first 4 miles so you have plenty of time to warm your legs up (since you didn’t have time before - remember? you were in line for the bathroom) and settle into your pace without worrying about hills. City Park is gorgeous this time of year and really helps take your mind off the fact that the section that leads into and around Cheeseman Park will make you seriously question your abilities as a runner. It isn’t that steep, but, as many a runner in the Denver-Metro area knows, this 2 mile stretch owns you. But, when you get through it, you’re a better person and you’ve probably gotten rid of some weaker runners who were latching onto you to keep a good pace (bonus!). If you’re running the half, you have just over two miles to go and it’s on a slight decline so you have a nice strong finish. I haven’t run the whole thing but I can only imagine spectacular views at Wash Park (indeed, a quintessential place to run if you haven’t yet) and a great run down Santa Fe. The Denver Marathon draws a huge crowd, fast runners, and will put you in your place (OMG crushed egos everywhere!) among fellow Coloradans. Given that this is only it’s third year with sponsor monster ING behind it, the race can only stand to get bigger and better and it will continue to be a personal challenge of mine.
New Colorado Mountain Bike Stage Race
While not official yet, it looks like Colorado will host a premier mountain bike stage race next year. MB Word, the blog of mountainbike.com announced plans by promoter, Mike McCormack, to host “Breck Epic” next July. Details apparently still need to be finalized before the official announcement and launch of the race web site at breckepic.com.
McCormack, whose previous involvement with other Colorado mountain bike races such as the Mountain States Cup series and G3 gravity series, brings the experience needed to launch a logistically-complex, multi-day stage race. The focus of this 5-day race will be on quality. From MB Word:
In a departure from point-to-point races like BC and TransRockies, the Breck Epic will use a “cloverleaf” model, with each day’s stage starting and finishing in Breckenridge. As McCormack explained it, that means a single campground, no transfers and the possibility of lodging…. offering a maximum of remote alpine singletrack and a minimum of pavement or even fire roads. “The Breck Epic is intended to be a rugged backcountry experience,” he said in his initial announcement. As part of that, McCormack cautions that the courses will be long, with 90 percent of the terrain above 10,000 feet in elevation, cut-off times strictly enforced and this is not the sort of event a weekend warrior should pick for his one-time-a-year extreme challenge.
Let’s hope for the best on this one. We know Colorado has awesome mountain biking, and a race like this would bring the potential for one of the finest mountain bike races in the country.
Colorado Gold Mountain Biking
Another perfect Colorado cycling day.
Well, I did make it to Kenosha pass - along with seemingly every other mountain biker, hiker, walker, and dog. Truly, the Colorado Trail at Kenosha this weekend was the busiest trail in Colorado I’ve ever seen. But give me a day in the saddle on a busy, beautiful Colorado trail over a day in the ‘burbs any day! My advice: get out there while you can, but go on a weekday. The aspen are just amazing, and whether you need a training ride/run, or just a breath of fresh air, Kenosha pass is the most abundant groves close to the front range that I know of. Any others?
Copper Triangle Cycling Tour Review
Here’s a link to a post by a Connecticut resident who came out for the Copper Triangle in August. His original post can be found here. 
He describes a challenging, yet well-organized and supported tour. “…overall it was a fantastic experience, participating in a very well-organized, challenging ride with breathtaking scenery, difficult climbs and incredible, never-ending descents. Plus the event benefits charity for a good cause. I hope you will all join me next year, to suffer together.”
Cyclocross Underway in Colorado Cycling Season
Cyclocross season is upon us, and races are still being added to the RacingColorado.com cycling calendar.
If you’re not familiar with this exciting sport, it’s a super-fun way to continue your racing season into the Fall, and early winter, and part of what makes cycling in Colorado so fun. This is an off-road criterium style race, complete with barriers and dismounts. It’s a sport that truly embraces the unpredictable Colorado weather, and welcomes newbies. You’ll generally need an ACA or USCA license, but you can always get a one-day license inexpensively. If you don’t have a ‘cross bike, not to worry. You can ride your mountain bike if you like - that’s not too unusual, especially in the lower divisions. It’s also a fantastic spectator sport, so go check out a race to see what the excitement’s all about. I found this video of last year’s State Champs Pro Division on the website of On The Cross, who is hosting this years Junior Championships.
12 Hours of Snowmass - Great Coming Out For Colorado Mountain Bike Race
Yes, Lance was there, and given the situation, it’s hard to separate the man from the story of the race. That being said, what a great way to get an innaugural race off on the right foot. Lance brought the spotlight and the riders to a race that’s sure to be on the mountain bike calendar for at least the next few years.
Here’s a clip from Velonews:
Not to diminish the performances of Lance, Max Taam, & Len Zanni, and Beaver Creek’s Jay Henry, Mike Kloser, and Dave Weins, I wanted to shed some light on the “smaller” stories of the race. The kind that would be there without the Lance Factor. For example, the world beyond Colorado probably doesn’t realize there was a division other than Men’s Trio in this well-run Colorado mountain bike race. :-) Yuki Saito turned in a tight performance for men’s solo overall, and Kelly Cullen captured the women’s solo title. Jeff Kerkove has a nice report on his blog offering an internal perspective.
