Cross on the Rock 2015. Season #10. Newsletter #9.
With Bear X-Ing last weekend we have officially reached the half way point
of the Cyclocross Season on Vancouver Island (based on # of events). Up
until now the races have been at an even 2 weeks apart pace. But from now
to the finish it is rapid fire with the Nanaimo – Nanoose Double header.
COTR Series final race at Shawnigan Lake School. Then the SSXCWC in
Victoria. 16 days. 4 races.
4 Events Down. 4 to go. Lots of racing left.
So enjoy this weekend break from the action. Enjoy Halloween. Enjoy
catching up on a few things around the house. Get out for a bike ride. Do
a few intervals. Make sure all your equipment is in good order. From now
until the finish…..it is back to back action. This is cross on Vancouver
Island.
I can’t wait.
In this Newsletter:
1) National Championships Re-Cap
2) Bear X-Ing Re-cap.
3) The Ticket Noir….next
4) What is a Filthy Taco
5) Pre-preview for the Double Header weekend
1) National CX Championships Re-Cap
A small but enthusiastic crew of COTR riders went to Winnipeg for Cross
National Champs held mid-cross season this year. And…well….they came
away with a few Jerseys with Maple leafs on them!!
Mical Dyck won her second National Championship for Elite Women! I heard
she crushed them from the start. Super-extra cool as she was riding a Naked
Bike our series sponsor.
Triple Shot’s Toria Kalyniuk won the youth U15 championships. Olivia Gribbon
(Also Triple Shot) made the podium in 3rd for that same race.
Sometime (when schedule allows) COTR racer, Bob Welbourn, from Vancouver
(Glotman Simpson) won a sprint finish in the Masters 40-49.
2008 was the last time Geoff Kabush raced COTR…but he is still an Island
boy and I am sure he learned something in his 2 races with us that helped
him get 2nd at Nationals this year.
Also notable were Craig Ritchey in 9th, Parker Bloom in 14th, Terry McKall
in 17th and Janna Gillick in 10th all in the Elite races.
Nationals moves even FURTHER away next year to Quebec in (Boo) October
still. I know most/almost all of us will be waiting until it comes out West
and is at the END of the cross season again before we make a full
COTR-National Champs onslaught. Until then we will just keep working on our
skills and fitness battling each other!!
2) COTR-2015. Race #4. Bear X-Ing. Re-Cap
Even though the COTR series is getting bigger we are still doing a great job
looking out for each other. In my race last Sunday I took a slip out on one
of the dirt piles and the 4 guys that were chasing me ALL asked as they went
by if I was OK. Sure we were all racing hard….but we were still looking
out for each other. Also look at Sylvia Storry’s crash at Bear X-Ing. She
slipped out. Smashed her knee and split it open. People stopped. People
gave up their races or their warm ups to make sure she was OK and taken care
of. There is always another race and in the grand scheme of things COTR is
fun but people’s well being is far more important. Thank you for being
considerate and compassionate.
From Slyvia (last Sunday Night):
Hi Norm,
Thanks for checking in on me today. I am at the hospital still. 30ish
stitches later my knee is back together.
Please send a HUGE thank you to the racers in the women’s race who stopped
to check on on me. The one lady who stopped her race to make sure I was ok.
Thanks to “Emily’s dad” ken who called the ambulance and made sure I was ok.
Thanks to Ben, Sandra, David Huntley, and one of the masters men racers
who’s name I can’t remember who kept me warm!
Thanks to Joele for her jacket and to Mitch for taking care of my stuff.
I think I missed a bunch of people but it just goes to show how awesome this
series is, people taking care of people 🙂 everyone is the best!!
Have a great day,
Syl 🙂
From Race Director (and Vancouver Island Cross pioneer) Drew MacKenzie:
Special thanks to Rob Fawcett of Bear Mountain who was instrumental in
getting us access to the driving range (and for playing such a massive role
in all the awesome bike related activities that are thriving at Bear
Mountain) and making sure we had awesome food down at the course, wicked
groomed terrain free of golf balls, and a super sweet awards party location.
A very special thanks to Norm, Katie and Roland, and for all of their hard
work and tireless dedication to making the COTR series the wicked good time
that it is.
Also a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all our volunteers!
Please take the time to recognize and thank all those folks you saw out at
the race up early to set up the course, time the events, register everyone,
put on kids races, tabulate all the results, clean up afterwards, and just
generally making the whole show run so smoothly (in no particular order):
* Chrystina Mitchell
* Danielle Cameron
* Brent Hooper
* Doug Doyle
* Scott Mitchell
* Joele Guynup
* Sylvia Storry (besides thanking Sylvia the next time you see her,
also make sure to send her positive healing vibes for her stitched up knee!)
* Peter Wellsman
* Andrew Barnes
* Betsy MacKenzie
* Andy Achuff
* Peter Hunsinger
* Joanna Fox
* Jasper Blake
* Patricia Roney
* Ed Thacker
* Sabrina MacLeod
* Rosalind Penty
* Sherry Barnes
If I have somehow missed somebody I am terribly sorry!
And last but not least, a big THANK YOU to all of you. I spent most of the
day running around, never really putting my head up to chat for any length
of time, but I really want to earnestly thank you all. You come out, have
fun on bikes, cheer on/good naturedly heckle other racers, many of you just
show up on the day and end up helping out, and just by those simple acts you
make a massive contribution to our scene and the good times had by so many
racing COTR. It’s so awesome to see. So THANK YOU for that!
Please remember to vote with your dollars and your kind words the next time
you’re out shopping or talking about cyclocross to friends and strangers
alike. The internet does not put on events or provide prizing for all the
races in your local community.
Make sure to support those that support you!
Race Sponsors: Shimano, Pearl Izumi and Pro Components.
Venue and Race sponsor: Bear Mountain Resort!
3) What is a Filthy Taco?
We gave away our second Filthy Taco of the season at Bear Mountain. We
heard a lot of “what is a filthy taco” coming from the crowd….well…let
us tell you…’cause you need one for cross!!
It is a:
Change Mat
Storage Device
And a privacy curtain
Made on the Island (Cumberland)
Made to last.
CHECK IT OUT!!
http://sewwhatisew.com/outdoor-recreation/filthy-taco-change-mat-storage-device/
4) The Ticket Noir
We gave away 7 of these at Bear X-Ing and Mazda has made
sure we have a few more to give away at the next couple of races….Not
always the same way to win….so stay tuned for the previews and we will let
you know how to earn one.
And now a word from our awesome COTR sponsor:
5) Pre-preview for the Double Header weekend
We will get out the preview for the Double Header early next week so that
you have lots of time to plan. Double headers are VERY hard to organize and
pull off. A LOT of work go into them so we hope you can come and support
the events and the series. Lots of fun. Lots of prizes. Great racing.
There will be a social event Saturday Night at Oak Bay Bikes.
Hotel deal is at the Howard Johnston. Ask for the Cross on the Rock deal
$69/night.
Saturday’s race is at BEBAN Park. We have not raced there since November
2012 but before that we raced every year from the first sanctioned CX race
on Vancouver Island in 2004 to the National Championships in 2006 and up
until 2012. It is a BIG course that will test both fitness and finesse.
Pre-Registration will of course end on FRIDAY as COTR #5 is Saturday and the
normal Saturday for Sunday’s My Little Pony Race.
Here is the easy link: https://www.raceonline.ca/events/details/?id=1002
Check out the best CX poster of all time for My Little Pony Cross below.