Bay Area racers woke up to rain on November 26th and that is a special treat for this part of California. The CX Nation Cup was a new race course in Sonoma and it was ripping fun. It had the standard long straight grass sections expected at these events but over half of the route was more technical and as the day went on, became a proper mess. Enclosed are some details from a day of racing the CX Nation Cup.
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Chelsea changed her program mid-season this year, and is starting to see those results. It was a blast to see her dig in.
The new Santa Cruz Stigmata team bikes are ripping. The carbon is built up to create a more forgiving ride, with this same ripping geo.
File tread is a common tire pattern for our dry race season. Skinny mud tires with tons of clearance worked on this day.
Always fun to race with the Vive La Tarte team here in the Bay.
Red on the racers right
Chelsea took 2nd for the Elite Women.
Pit bikes would be nice for these conditions, as mud added weight and resistance quickly to all the racers.
Oak
The team is racing on our new X-Grid tape. Rubberized, so it is super grippy in all conditions.
Dylan finding his own way of staying warm and dry. Time to get out of the van and race bikes.
Bike Monkey supported the event and ran the timing for all the races. Thank you.
Chas coming out of a wet rooted section that was ran more then ridden.
This section was made up of a series of rollers both up and down before heading back into the trees.
Crihs was in town for the holiday, so was nice seeing him in nature, where there are bugs and poison oak.
Lots of this all day.
This was the first time Chas raced CX with disc brakes and he was so hyped at the end of the race with no mechanicals and brakes that worked in the wet and mud. Three years ago it was death before…
Sometimes the best line was on the grassy edge.
The faster line often put you in the bushes.
When one racer would bobble a technical section, it was a chain reaction slowing the next line of racers until the gap.
Found object.
Down + out
Out + back
Chas is always so positive in races and his energy is contagious. Fully muddy tongue for an hour of racing.
The oak leaves on top of the wet earth made for some very slippery sections.
Glasses did not help on this day, but once racers eyes filled with mud, it took tears to continuously flush them.
Kell smashes but found a flat with only a lap or two to go.
As a photographer I love these course tape drawings in nature.
Brue is 40 and putting in some of his best racing of his carier.
Ryan fully coated.
Cantis did not stop at all. You could tell the fixed gear riders by hearing the foot jam brakes coming into a corner on a descent.
Not recommended.
Thank for making this race happen. The proceeds go to help Junior development teams and their campaign to race at cx nats in Reno. Such an awesome reason to come out and race and support the kids.
Winner
Loser
Makeshift laundry rack.
Dylan is new to racing geared bikes but is learning what all the cogs and levers do. This day may have been better suited for a single speed.
That’s a wrap. Thank you CX Nation and Bike Monkey for making it happen and helping support the Junior program.
An email message can lead to nothing or something. One was from an old friend, Yohei Hanazwa, who produces crazy events in Japan now. You might remember him from the friends chapter of our 2007 video. He let us know that official Keirin had tracked him down and asked if he knew how to get in touch with MASH. To promote the 2020 Olympics coming to Japan, Keirin was organizing a large event at the Izu velodrome, inviting national and international racers to compete and wanted to invite us. Incredible!
was a one day event that encompassed a fixed criterium, a box jump demo, a flatland demo, live music, comedians as announcers, gold sprints, vendors, and a ton of track racing. Enclosed are details from this special time in Japan getting hyped on bikes.
is a magnificent structure. Modern indoor tracks come at a steep cost, but are a requirement for a nation applying to host the Olympic games. The Izu velodrome is five years new and is perfect. It is built on a cycling campus that includes multiple velodromes and a Keirin school, which hosts training and racing for the state and national level teams. Programs like this are crucial for the future of this sport community.
It was a massive rush to be invited to race on this Olympic level velodrome. MASH was born on the street, helping adopt bikes intended for velodrome use and contributing to the fluidity they bring to the streets. Over the past 12 years, the velodrome has been a part of our community, but admittedly, a smaller piece than other cycling formats. It could be location, with the closest track an hour away by car, but a core group from SF have made the pilgrimage year after year to train and race at
Ever wonder what those high speed cameras that record photo finishes look like?
Track racing has been part of the Olympic games for 120 years and with the rise of urban cycling feeding into fixed gear criteriums, there has not been a spike in track cycling that reflects the rise of the bikes born from the velodrome.
Happy to have been able to bring Duke on this trip. He raced, explored, soaked, and ate some new stuff.
Outside the velodrome, several events, displays, vendor tents, and a fixed criterium all happened in the rain.
Traveling around the world to race bikes is an incredible opportunity. Rainier and Chas have found themselves in so many inspiring moments together over the years, and this trip was one of them.
Qualifiers required putting in a fast lap. Sub 10 second laps transferred you to the main events.
Ultra-high-performance sports speak less and less to the new generation, and this is a concern for its organizers. A skateboarder has a low buy-in to their sport. They can roll around in the area they live and progress. Cycling has a more expensive entry that can come easier to some. Velodromes can offer youth programs and loaner equipment to help those who show potential, but do not facilitate a support system that can fund the required commitment and expenses. The facility and the equipment seem to be limiters for growth to the sport.
Like a skate park, a velodrome can be a community center – a place where those interested can meet, share ideas, train, learn and race together. This trip was challenging to digest as a high performance sport. It felt like the future of these spaces and this level of competition could be less exclusive – opening these spaces to after school programs, maybe using the infields for mixed use like skate parks.
View from the top of the bank looking down
This is Yohei, you might know him from the friends section of a video we released in 2007. He is an event organizer in Japan, and helped bring us on this trip. Thank you for helping make it happen!
The flatland demo went on throughout the day, making a fun use of the infield.
A racer changing his gearing between race formats.
Roller race set up for adults and kids
Duke warming up in a quiet spot
Derny
Chas raced on one of the frames he hand painted
The equipment can make a difference. If you are fast, you simply are. When the races come down to a fraction of a second, the technology matters. A $7,000.00 wheelset makes a difference at the line, and the list goes on. The clothing can shave as much time as the bike and when you are defining winning and losing by a fraction of time, it all adds up.
Duke traveled from London to race bikes. This was his first time to Japan.
He won his race, and felt good about his effort.
Rainier
Chas on his last of an eight lap individual pursuit.
motivated to get friends together to race track bikes in the dirt. Golden Gate Park was the last stop for the season, and it did not disappoint. Sharing part of a
DFL is a longstanding tradition in San Francisco. This group of friends have organized underground cyclocross races in the Bay for 23 years and have helped shape the community here, no question. As members grow and have families of their own, the turnout is a mix of new racers learning about these traditions, racing side-by-side with the founding members of the hush-hush race series. It is perfect.
The following moments capture the energy and spirit of the series, found by word-of-mouth, on a week night in an empty park, Hunters Point, SF CA.
Drag race
Cubby
Gerry
Ride the snake
Christina
HDTV
Ryan
Chas
Broken barrier
Sean
Pro
The next generation
Wild fennel often dominates this dry landscape
East side of the course
Chas
Brad
This part of the city was human made by filling the bay to create more land.
With the third stop of the 2017 Red Hook Criterium series in the books, we take a moment to look back at the details from Barcelona, Spain.
With a solid six years of racing this series as a team, we have a good understanding of what to expect. International travel includes packing smart and light, remembering the power adapters, snacks, and sleeping on couches. As a small bike shop, we never have enough support for our racers, always bare bones, no private shade tent, cooler, our own rollers, chairs, limited tools, and it always works out. We adjust to the ever-changing rules for qualifying and the press.
Duke’s custom Giro road shoes. Chas draws on his friends’ stuff, and we love the finished results.
The series is a well oiled machine with almost all details sorted out for the athletes and spectators.
Gabe is the MC for the day, offering insight to the crowd. Racers love hearing their names come through this mic with high energy.
Wearing the red jersey marks you with the racers and the cameras.
The new qualifying format is a much safer system for the racers, which are set up as mini races with the top transferring.
Duke qualifying in group four.
Volunteers fill the course to notify racers of what to look for through a series of colored and pattered flags.
David Trimble started this series as a birthday party, with racing in his blood, he wanted to grow it to an elite event. His vision is coming to fruition with a solid budget, events running like clockwork, and over the years, has gained the attention of world class athletes, billion dollar brands, and the UCI.
It feels good to be passionate about something. The racers are fulfilling personal goals while working for their teams and the logos they wear, and the photo/video crew have a job to tell a story, and fill obligations for publications. We are our own client, so there is no pressure to make something specific, just what is striking.
Been all over the world with Chas and have watched him drink from every faucet and eat like a local with no effect, but the stomach bug caught up to him on race day, and he still smiled and dry-heaved his way through qualifying like a champ.
Hot Dog
These events are part bike-race and part car-show of sorts where looking is part of the day.
The concrete in corner two had a very smooth surface, and took some cornering adjustments for racers to ride it in a more conservative way. The learning curve was steep.
This kid was having a blast, and it reminded me why we all fell in love with bikes in the first place.
Evan crashed in the first hairpin corner during qualifiers. He re-wrapped his bars between events, offering fresh mojo for the main race.
Crihs has raced this series since it’s inception, and still shoots from the pits between racing.
Turn 2 was very slippery, the organizers tried adding grip tape but the pavement was too smooth for it to stick
Evan Murphy
Duke
Super Pole is phase 3 for the top 25 qualifying racers, where each racer will put in one fast lap to decide the top 10 start positions.
Evan qualified 4th in group one, so was eligible for the Super pole.
Ash Duban
Ash raced a smart race and gave the crowd a very exciting show.
Qualifing men to the line
600mm Prime GoPro
With spotty rain the days before, Barcelona gave the racers a clear night.
Evan singing at the start and nobody having it.
Dave about to call racers up.
The goal is to get in and stay with the lead group. The first few laps string out the field quickly.
The barriers on the last straight to the finish are covered with corrugated plastic and create a drum that brings good energy to the finish.
Evan animated the field throughout the race, breaking for a few laps at a time, regrouping, and going again. This is what the races used to feel like before super teams bought their way into this format of racing, and it is very exciting to see the underdog mix things up symbolically, and actually.
We have seen the pace of these races increase from event to event. You can no longer turn a gear ratio that would have kept you in the front a year or two ago.
Official bell lap
Evan was in the lead group going into the last lap, but was crashed out in corner eight with several of the projected front runners.
David Van Eerd avoided the crashes, and out-sprinted Davide Vigano to take the win on this night.
Bring your own just in case.
Alec bobbled the last corner and crashed. He will be back for Milano no question.
Pack it up, and send it to Italy.
Thank you to all the organizers, staff, crew, and volunteers who help make this traveling series happen.
to spin legs in preparation for to tomorrow’s main event. With clouds helping keep the temperatures low, a solid group took turns putting down laps on this
gathered up the crew and headed to the Port of Oakland for stop three of their Track-X series. Racers met on a warm Sunday afternoon, ate tacos, enjoyed a coffee or beer, registered, and lined up to race mostly brakeless track bikes in the sandy landfill that is the port. Enclosed are some photo details for the day.
Massive cargo ships unload fidget spinners and whatever else as a backdrop for some bike racing.
Tacos and coffee reg was so nice. Thank you!
53 for the dirt
UCI testing some road disc options for the 2018 road season
Quick negotiation
GO!
stop
GO!
Jeff made a good showing having not been on a track bike in the dirt maybe ever.
Chas so was hungry to get out front eary and hold it. He won, and is in the lead for the series.
Kel is a beast. He chased Chas on this day, but there is always tomorrow. 2nd for the day.
Drez was the only kid out there, and did the entire race. You inspire us!
Wild life
Hand up recipient
40 minutes of brakeless ripping in the loose sand and dirt
3
Ferda Boys
Nick and Jean counted laps, and placed the podium
Podium
Wet Podium
Rolling cargo keg stands. Why not
Thanks for organizing, and look for Golden Gate Park next!
As brothers, Evan and Kyle Murphy have their own way of communicating and sharing. Get an inside look as someone gave them a GoPro when they went to Red Hook Crit Barcelona 2016.
