Mazda – COTR – Newsletter 2017 #1 – Cleaned and prepped by Muc Off. #COTR2017

The main thing you want to know is what is our MAIN hashtag for the year…..and it is…….#COTR2017 So tag away!!

Welcome to the 2017 season of Cross on the Rock. It is our 11th season for this race series and our 14th year of organizing cyclocross races on Vancouver Island.

FIRST OFF: IF YOU WANT OUT. NOW IS THE TIME. DON’T WANT THE COTR NEWSLETTERS ANYMORE….NO PROBLEM. FIRE ME A NOTE. LIFE CHANGES. WE WON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. This goes for any time over the next 3 months.

The first COTR newsletter of 2017!!

Are you ready? Is your bike ready? Does not matter you have until November 18th to get it all dialled in and put it all together.

We have a lot of information BUT I have been accused of having the LONGEST e-mails so I will try to restrict it to ONLY 5 things this week. Next week we will fire up the 1st race preview for The Pro City Grand Prix and give you a bit more information.

There has been a lot of cyclocross related action since we last left you at Saanich Fairgrounds last November. Every week I hear a new COTR rumour. On STRAVA I see lots of riders TRAINING HARD and early. We have been jostling the schedule and events around a bit. Earlier this month we hosted the MIVA Mid-Summer Night race at Diver Lake for the 2nd year. It has been a busy “off season”. We can’t wait for the real season to start up.

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

Series Overview.
Some of the changes this year.
Outlining license requirements.
Other cross happenings on the island.
Registration.

1. SERIES OVERVIEW.

If you have not been checking the website, or FB page and have been eagerly anticipating this e-mail…..here is the schedule for the year. If you have the promo card on your fridge or in your car already and the dates marked on your calendar. You will want to make a few adjustments to what you have.

2017 Cross on the Rock Race Schedule

2017 Locations:
Race #1. September 10th: Victoria. Topaz Park.
Race #2. September 17th: Ladysmith. Transfer Beach.
Race #3. October 1st: Cumberland. Village Park.
Race #4. October 9th: Nanaimo. Bowen Park.
Race #5. October 22nd: Qualicum Beach. Civic Park.
Race #6. November 4th: Victoria. Western Speedway.
Race #7. November 5th : Central Saanich. Saanich Fairgrounds.
Race #8. November 18th: Nanaimo. Bowen Park.

2017 Events:
Race #1. September 10th: Pro City Cyclocross Grand Prix
Race #2. September 17th: Tugboat Cross
Race #3. October 1st: Coal Cross
Race #4. October 9th: Kona Kup
Race #5. October 22nd: Cross on the Commons
Race #6. November 4th: Day of Thunder
Race #7. November 5th: De Grote Prijs van Fairgrounds
Race #8. November 18th: Hot Crossed Bunnies.

A few things of note:

8 races again this year.
5 Returning Venues from 2016: Topaz Park. Transfer Beach. Bowen Park. Saanich Fairgrounds. Beban Park.
2 Returning Venues from previous years. Western Speedway and Village Park.
1 Totally New Venues: Civic Park in Qualicum Beach.
3 races in Greater Victoria. 3 races mid island. 2 races up island. Same as 2016
5 Sundays. 2 Saturdays. 1 Monday

If you have the 2016 Promo Card or made notes when we published the schedule at the end of 2016 you will note the following changes:

We are not hosting the Provincial Championships.
Ladysmith and Cumberland have changed dates.

2. SOME OF THE CHANGES TO COTR THIS YEAR.

We made quite a few changes last year to the series which will carry over into the 2017 season. A couple more things that will change this year:

Continuing with electronic timing.
Last year we started working with chip timing to get overall times and lap splits. There were some bugs to work out but everything progressed in the right direction. For this season we are continuing to develop this. There will be number tags for your bike and cloth numbers for your body issued at your first race of the year with your registration. These will be yours for the season and you are expected and required to bring these to EVERY event you race in. The bike number tag is easy to attach on the seat tube with a zap strap. The race numbers go on your back as usual and you will need to wash them with your race kit after each event.

If you are racing with an extra bike (or using someone else’s bike in the pit) you will NEED to get an extra bike chip for that bike. IF it is someone else’s bike you need to make sure YOUR chip is on that bike when it goes into the pit.

If you lose your bike timing chip or your race number the replacement cost is $5. We want you to hold onto these and be responsible for them.
If you need a second timing chip for your second bike it will be $3 for the race season.

The timing chips and race numbers are YOUR responsibility to manage and take care of!

Registration Fees.
The race registration fees for this year remain the same for 6 of the 8 events. $25 Adult $15 for youth (under 19) for PRE-REGISTRATION.
For Western Speedway and Saanich Fairgrounds the registration fees will be $5 more to cover the larger expense of those two race sites.

If you want to roll the dice. Lose your call up. Check the weather etc. and register on the day of the race it will cost you an additional $10.

Pre-Registration VS. Day of race registration.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS PRETTY MUCH MANDATORY._

Again given the changes with electronic timing and the preparations that are needed for that and to make sure our call up lists are as accurate as possible we need to have time to do this work. Race morning 10 minutes before the start is not the time! So pre-registration is “pretty much” mandatory. By “Pretty Much” we mean if you delay, procrastinate, hedge your bets on weather etc. you can still come and race BUT it will cost you and extra $10 and you will NOT receive a call up. All day of race registrations will be
started at the back. After the people with points and the people without points that pre-registered. We really want people to pre-register.

3. LICENSE REQUIREMENTS FOR COTR THIS YEAR.

Once again the Cross on the Rock’s series is sanctioned and supported by Cycling BC. As always everyone that races a series race needs to have either a UCI license from Cycling BC (or another province). A Cycling BC “iRide” License for local events. OR fill out your 1,000,000 form and purchase yet another day of race license ($10).

Masters cycling. Triathlon BC. ABA. Your library card. None of those count or will help you out.

Here is a link to the Cycling BC page on licenses: https://cyclingbc.net/membership/registration-2017/

What we need to see is:

a) UCI Racing License. A.K.A. a “BC Race License”. This license used to be late season discounted to $99 for the cross season but that is no longer the case. You have to pay full-pop. This will allow you to race any cross
race any place any category any where until the end of the year. This will also allow you to race Elite at Provincials and if you win provincials you will get the provincial champion jersey.

b) A Provincial Ride License. $60. This will allow you to do all our races and is VERY economical. With this license you can also race the Provincial Championships…..but not in Elite….and if you win Provincials you will NOT be crowned the Provincial Champion….even if you are from this province and race here. You can also use this license to race the Cross Club Victoria races or do the cross clinics in Nanaimo and Cowichan.

c) Day of race license. Fill out a form at the event…..yes…..a PAPER form. Pony up $10. Good to go.

As has been for the last 10 year…..EVERYONE needs to have their license WITH them at check in at EVERY COTR race to race. If not you will be required to pay the $10 day of race insurance to participate. No exceptions so don’t even ask.

4. OTHER CROSS HAPPENINGS ON THE ISLAND

Cross on the Rock is not the only thing happening on Vancouver Island for Cross over the next few months…..there is a LOT going on (at least until the days get too short to make any of this possible)

VICTORIA
In Victoria there is the Cross Club. 7 training “rides”.
Cross Club 2017, Victoria’s Underground Cyclocross Series Returns

Rain we need rain…. regardless it’s Cyclocross Season, so time to sharpen your CX skills!

B’s ride at 5:30pm

A’s at 6:00pm.

Details on locations will be emailed to the registered riders list each week.

Ride #1 and Kickoff is September 13
Ride#2 is September 20
Ride#3 is September 27
Ride#4 is October 4
Ride#5 is October 18
Ride#6 is October 25
Ride#7 is November 1
www.crossclubvictoria.com

COWICHAN VALLEY
First CX practice is a go for this Wednesday (tonight. August 30th) behind Quamichan high school (on Beverley) starting at 6:30pm. See you there – first race is in two weeks!! #crossiscoming”
cowichancx@gmail.com and Cowichan Cyclocross on Facebook

NANAIMO
Wednesday nights at Rock City Cycles. Cross ride starting at 6:00. Will adjust length based on daylight.

Thursday nights starting September 7th. Cross practices hosted by MIVA and run by Carey Mark. Carey3221@gmail.com . 6:00pm at Bowen Park off Wall Street. 5 weeks and re-asses based on light.

COMOX VALLEY
Wednesday Night cross practices. 5:30pm. Location will vary each week in either Cumberland/Courtenay/Comox. FB group for more info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/457383181299940/

ALSO IMPORTANT
Put October 15th on your calendar for the second year of the Cross Fondo hosted and organized by Tripleshot. 40km of backcountry trails. www.Tripleshotcrossfondo.ca Everyone that did this event last year said it was AWESOME!!

5. REGISTRATION.

So…..are you ready to get registered?

BEFORE YOU DO…..If you are racing with a TEAM this year. Make sure that EVERYONE is on the same “page” about what the Team name should be and what it is registered as. With the prestige of the team rankings….we had a lot of teams that could have done a lot better if they would just organize their team names (not mentioning any specific ones Broad Street Cycles).

And remember that men’s intermediate and men’s masters categories are limited …..so don’t be disappointed.

Here are the registration links.

2017 Series Page – https://raceroster.com/events/2017/14156/2017-cross-on-the-rock-series
When you sign up for the first 7 races you get the 8th race for FREE!!

Check your in-box next week for Newsletter #2 with more on the series our awesome sponsors and a preview of the Pro City Grand Prix.

Cross on the Rock

Mazda – COTR – Newsletter 2017 #1 – Cleaned and prepped by Muc Off. #COTR2017