Hot Crossed Bunnies wrap up and other SUPER important news.

The FULL CoweX race preview will be out in the newsletter and on our web site later this week.  We had way too much news to share to wait so have a read through over the weekend as you listen to the rain come down and watch the highlights and results from Pan Am Championships where Eleanor Wiinchell and possibly other COTR racers are?  As well as the Euro Champs in Pont Chateau which was the first World Championships we went to in 2004.  What an experience that was!!

Small segments of COTR information:

• If you need a sweet bike for a small or JR racer I have been asked to share this one from COTR racer Tanya Binette.  A super nice Trek Crockett.  We don’t normally share B&S stuff but this is a super deal and we would love to see if under one of our upcoming JR racers!
• Registration is OPEN for CoweX and you can link it here.  We have tried our best to keep the entry fees the same as previous years but EVERYTHING IS COSTING MORE.  Venues and first aid have in some cases doubled from 2022.  Everything from caution tape to vandalism has gone up.  Last year the CoweX venue was very expensive as well.  We had to pop the registration up $2 for the last race to help cover some of this extra expense for the finals.  Remember registration closes at 6:00pm the night before the race.  The last race we had 12 people miss the cut off and were scrambling.
• Hopefully you are on our socials and had a chance to watch the finish like short interview with Open Women’s winner last weekend Marin Lowe and the clip of the masters men start from Tom Skinner.  If you are NOT on our socials….check them out!
• Check your results.  Check your team name.  Make sure everything is correct.  IF IT IS NOT then hit that link at the top of the page and let the stats masters know.  We want to have as few errors going into the series final as possible!!

1. The SUPER GRAND PRIZE for 2023!!
There were a few mentions of the GRAND PRIZE reveal for the season at the last event.  The way the grand prize always works is:

1. Every time you race your name gets entered for the prize.  If you race once you are entered once.  If you do the full series you are entered 6 times.
2. You have to be there at the final awards at the END to win the prize.  That is when we draw for it.
3. Sorry but the LITTLE kids are not eligible for this prize.  So not the Riverway Dental Hot Lappers or the little nutcase racers.  You have to have raced an “adult” category.

Hotel Zed has been a huge supporter of our series over the years.  From their amazing cycling jerseys for their women’s club to providing room nights for draw prizes.  This year they have taken it up a BIG notch providing an AMAZING vacation in Tofino.  NOT at their super cool Hotel Zed but at their exclusive water front Hotel Zed Tofino Cottage located next to Hotel Zed.  4 Nights!

CHECK OUT THE AMAZING LISTING HERE

This prize is worth $4000-$8000 depending on time of the year.  No black out dates BUT you have to book it separately which we will give you the contact information.

2. Hot Crossed Bunnies. Race #5 – Review

Flemming Sorvin snapped some photos of the LAUNCH category at Hot Crossed Bunnies.  You can check them out here!
Patrick’s photos from Hot Crossed Bunnies.

Race Director Patrick Burnham’s notes.

What a difference a couple of weeks can make.  After years of this being a November event it was a welcome change to have a warm dry race course.  For comparison here are a couple of photos from years past.

2015.  Pre-Steve Smith Bike park.

2021

Beyond the weather we’re very fortunate to have a venue like this available to us.  It isn’t the easiest to schedule an event here as we have to work with three major stakeholders in the park. The Vancouver Island Exhibition, Nanaimo Equestrian Asscociation and City of Nanaimo were all very helpful in letting us hold our event here.  Also making the event happen were the board members of Mid Island Velo arranging permits and port-a-potties. Contacting food trucks and wrangling volunteers to put it all together.  Huge thanks need to go to current President Christine Schilling for leading the charge behind the scenes.  For this years course, if you got lost in the big field on the top corner, Shep Stewart is the man to thank for that.  He spent plenty of hours on his computer mapping that out and piecing the course together for us.

Sip and Sliders food truck was out again for the second year in a row making sure everyone had something to eat.  Those were the best fries I’ve had in a long time.

And Norms favorite prize of the year once again from Georgies Pies.  She went above and beyond with three different flavors for first second and third place.  They’re so good.

Additional prizes were provided by long time supporters Rock City Cycles and Coal City Cycles who have been helping with this race and series for years.

We also can’t forget the man in the Muc-Off tent Pete Creighton who does so much behind the scenes to help make this event happen.  He didn’t need to turn it on but he was here and ready with his pressure washer to help out.  This series wouldn’t be the same without him.

Finally, Thank you to all the racers who came out and made this event so special and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the series finals at the Cowichan Exhibition grounds next week.

SEASON #17 COTR Schedule
DONE AND DUSTY – September 10th. Season opener in Cumberland at Coal Cross.
PERFECT FALL DAY – October 1st. Cross on the Commons in Qualicum.
NOT quite as rainy as we LOVE but still awesome – October 9th. Nanaimo. Bowen park.
Once again this was a GREAT event – October 15th Triple Shot Cross fondo.
October 22nd. Broad Street Cycles GP at the Jordie Lunn Bike Park.
October 29th. Hot Crossed Bunnies at Beban Park in Nanaimo
November 12th. CoweX series final at the Cowichan Fair Grounds!!

Bonus material for making it this far.
Season #18 COTR Preliminary Schedule
Mark these dates on your calendar for the fall of 2024 so that you remember to NOT book a work conference, concert, dentist appointment or anything else!!  The Council of Cross will be BUSY getting all the details set.  All you have to do is ride your bike with friends.  Practice your skills and be ready for Season #18
September 15th.  Series will kick off with Race #1
September 29th.  We will be racing someplace on the island for Race #2.
Fast and furious Race #3 will be on October 6th.
Most likely Bowen Park again on our traditional date of Thanksgiving Monday which next year is October 14th for Race #4
October 20th is Cross Fondo
We are not 100% sure on the rest of the dates but likely we will be racing on the 17th of October in costumes.
Into November mark the 3rd off with an extra hour of sleep that night and finish the season off on the island on the 17th!!

OTHER CYCLOCROSS of importance for 2023
So good to see more group practices happening this fall.  Lets work to keep building those up.  Let us know if you have a practice and we will promote it on the newsletter!

Nanaimo Cross Practices : Done for the season.

Victoria Cross Club : Done for the season

Cowichan Cross Practices: Done for the season?

Comox Valley Cross Practices: Done for the season

Provincial Championships. The Thrashers bike club will be putting this event on the THIRD weekend in November in Chilliwack.  This is the weekend between the COTR finals and the National Championships in Victoria.  Perfect time to dial in your fitness.  Sounds like they are going to have some youth categories which is a small step in the right direction.  Still using the really silly UCI age rule for those categories…..small steps….

Cyclocross National Championships are going to be November 24-25-26.  So far we have not seen the event take up the suggestions that were put forth last year.

Parting Shot
In any sport there are always “those people” that jump in and help out at a moments notice.  We are lucky at Cross on the Rock to have a number of “those people”.  One of them is the manager of the Airhouse in Nanaimo.  Any Hamilton.  He is always ready to take some kids around the course, jump in to lead the Riverway Dental Hot lap races, move something heavy and also sponsor the kids race prizes for the Muc Off Cup.  Then he goes and races OPEN!  One of the few people in open in costume!  Always taking it out HARD.  Thanks Andy and all of our other “those people” that step in to help make the series great.