Surf City Halloween race Harbor High

 Large companies make the bulk of bicycles out on the road and in racing there are few venues for handbuilt bikes. Cyclocross used to be the domain of specialty built custom bikes but the big companies got the idea that cyclocross is the growth sport and an opportunity for a new market. This is a great thing for the majority of racers as the production bikes are easier to come by and in some cases more affordable. What this does is make it difficult for a small builder to keep viable in the sport-small builders have to offer something better and with the Chinese produced light carbon CX bikes becoming the norm it is difficult to say that the custom bike made from steel, aluminum or titanium is better. I just let the racers tell me what is good and what isn't about my bikes and hope that I have a better idea and a more immediate way to respond to requests.

 We have some really great talent on this team and they provide not only great results but valuable feedback for me. There are many reasons to have a team-sell bikes , help support the sport , create a group of like minded folks that can all go out and have a good time and realize goals in their life. The reason I value is that fielding a team allows me to try to build better bikes-everyone including me can benefit from that.

 Now to the race report. As the results are not posted yet on the internet this will be as complete of a report as I can do based on what I saw today.  The first podium of the team on the day that I was told of was Benoit Dubuisson placing 5th in the single speed B race. I did get to see the women's elite race and Caroline Dezendorf continued her great season with a second place. Campbell Steers nearly made the podium in 6th and Kelly Chang rode to 12th.

 In the men's A race we had a full squad but most of the crew had to start from the back. This made for a difficult race for some-Matthew Tracy Cooke came to grief at some point early in the race and had to run a long ways to get on a borrowed bike while his race bike was repaired. Ian Stowe wound up steadly picking off riders eventually finishing 10th. Alex Work was nearly as successful riding up to the top-15. Another unfortunate was Brendan Lehman, riding strong early only to flat and have two bike changes but still he powered to finish just in front of Work.  Max Judelson showed some serious speed riding from the back all the way up to 4th place and a podium spot. The one rider with the good start was Justin Abbott who rode at the front aggressively and finished 3rd.

 In the single speed A race Kailin Waterman had a great race and finished 3rd against the largest and best single speed A field of the season so far.

 There were other team riders at the event, David Crum , Detlef Adam, Michael Schaller and Frank Kalcic in the 45 B race as well as Tim Watson in the 45 A race and Javier Valencia in the open B race. These placings will be up soon on the Surf City CX site, along with Single speed A rider Scott Junker. I hope that's everyone ! All in all, a good showing on the day -a very competetive day at that.

CCCX Toro Park

With other races happening the same day the turnout for this challenging race was pretty small. Even though the numbers weren't there the competition was fierce in all classes. Our limited number of team riders made a pretty big impact on the day starting with Benoit Bubuisson getting 2nd in the single speed B race. In the mens 45 B race Michael Schaller rode to 12th and David Crum finished 18th.

 The next races were the mens master A and open age groups. In the 55+ Greg Foy , hobbled by a trained hamstring still finished 4th with Rick Ortenblad making the podium in 5th. In the new 60+ category I finally had some company-I managed 2nd while Hal Stanley finished in 3rd.

In the elite races we only had two riders in the men, none in the women's race. Our two racers were Brendan Lehman who rode at the front for the first few laps and held on for a podium spot in 5th. Matthew Tracy Cooke was in the front group when he lost his chain and had a lengthy delay dislodging the chain from the cranks. In spite of losing a lot of minutes and finding himself in last he was able to get up to speed and pass enough riders to get to 10th place. Without the mechanical I am pretty sure he would have been in the top-5. The consistent riding of Brendan Lehman , Benoit Dubuisson and others on the team will most likely result in high overall placings at the end of the series-a series that the team has always show well in.

CCCX III Manzanita park

 There have been many days in the history of this team where we brought about 3/4 of the team and at least 3/4 of them wound up on the podium. First of the day was David Kalcic racing the open C class instead of his 14-16 age group. He came in second. Next was Benoit Dubuisson getting second in the single speed B class adding to his two other podium spots in the series. Tim Watson rode strongly to third in the mens 45+ A race. Alexis De Zubria rode to third in the womens B race and Michelle Perez rode to third in the women's 45+ race. Greg Foy rode to third in the men's 55+ race , his fourth podium in as many races.

 In the Elite races the performance was even more dominant with Justin Abbott taking the win ( his first A win ever ) and 41 year old Alex Work coming in second. Rounding out the podium was Brendan Lehman riding a strong race finishing fifth. Ian Stowe came in eighth with a solid ride.The Womens Elite race was a similar story as Caroline Dezendorf rode an aggressive race for the win with Campbell Steers coming in third with a strong performance.

Other riders on the team had decent rides with Ben Dodge coming in tenth in the mens 35 A race, Rick Ortenblad 7th in the men's 55+, Frank Kalcic in twelfth in the men's 45 B race followed by Davind Crum in 18th, Detlef Adam in 22nd and Michael Schaller in 23rd.  Javier Valencia rode to 12th in the men's B field, one of the largest of the day.

 Ian Stowe in action riding well in spite of an earlier fall.

 Michael Schaller starting his race.

 Newcomer David Crum starting in the 45 B race.

 Campbell  Steers in full flight during the women's A race .

 Caroline on the front line starting a lead that she would not relinquish.

 The 45 A podium with Tim Watson.

The 55 + podium with Greg Foy.

CCCX I Ft. Ord

The conditions were very hot and dry at the season opener for the CCCX series on Sept. 6th. Many of our team were out of town and not able to be there but the riders who showed up represented in a big way. We didn't have to wait long for the first win: Benoit Dubuisson besting the rest in the single speed B race. In the 45 B race we had three riders, Detlef Adam at 18th , Michael Schaller at 21st, and newcomer David Crum at 21st after a lengthy wheel change.

 Later on in the mens 35 A race Ben Dodge showed some early season form and got 5th and a podium spot, his second of the season. Tim Watson had a good first race of the season coming in 7th in the large 45 A field.

 In the 55 + race Greg Foy showed again that he is ready to animate the race from the front and got 2nd. Rick Ortenblad followed at 8th place getting his first taste of CX since January.

 The second win of the day was in the women's A race. Caroline Dezendorf showed that she is ready to make life tough in Nor Cal for all the other women a racers. She led wire to wire and won by a healthy margin. Campbell Steers came in 3rd in one of here best performances ever at CCCX.

 The mens A race was dominated by a couple of other teams but our riders handled the course pretty well and were pretty much all in a row at the end of the race. Ian Stowe overcame a sore back and neck from a crash the week before to come in 8th with a strong ride. New team member Justin Abbott was the only rider that day to jump the barriers and did so with ease, coming in at 9th. Behind Justin was Ben Dodge racing his second race of the day at 10th. Last but not least was Brendan Lehman , delayed by a shoe problem he rode single speed in the elite race to 11th , even after two bike changes.

 In the end it was a really good start to the season and signs of a song lineup sure to shake up the standings in No-Cal. Big thanks go out to Voler, Clif, HRS, Enve, Knog, Paul Components, Chris King, Greg Foy construction, Go Westy, and all of our supporters. Big thanks to Bonny Doon airport, LLC for hosting our race on August 29th.

Rock Lobster cup race

The Rock Lobster cup fundraiser for the elite team was a huge success. Prize sponsors Clif bar, Knog, Sheila Moon, Ritchey design, Road magazine, WD-40 Bike, Pro-Gold, Strawfoot and Totally Tubular gave us the best prize list of any Nor-Cal CX event. 320 riders registered and the fields were top quality. Races ran a bit longer and folks got a real taste of that early season Bonny Doon dust. The team had some stellar results even with lots of key riders choosing to work the event instead of racing. Here's the results for the riders who participated:

Men's A race.
2nd. Max Judelson, 6th, Alex Work, 8th Andrew Juiliano. 29th Justin Abbott. 33rd  Dean Poshard.
Women's A race: Caroline Dezendorf  2nd, Campbell Steers 5th  Kelly Chang 6th.
Single Speed A race:  Brendan Lehman  4th, Eric Nelson 12th, Ian Stowe 13th, Simon Vickers 14th.
Junior 17-18   David Kalcic 1st.
Women's B race: Alexis De Zubria  5th.
Single speed B race : Benoit Dubuisson 3rd.
Men's 35 A race: Ben Dodge 5th, Ken Dick 8th, Zac Stanley 17th.
Men's 45 B race: Craig Ball 3rd, Frank Kalcic 27th.
Men's 55+: Greg Foy 1st, Mark Michel 4th.
Men's 65+ Hal Stanley 1st.

Thanks to all the sponsors and volunteers that made the race happen and a big thanks to Bonny Doon Airport, LLC for hosting the event and Jeff Clark for bringing the course furniture and setting up and running the timing.

The team is putting on a race

This pre-season contest will be on a piece of land that has never seen a bike race of any kind. Check it out-you'll get the privilege of being at a first ever event and bear witness to a crazy CX party.
Prizes provided by: Cluf Bar, Knog, Strawfoot, WD-40 Bike, Pro-Gold and others. You can register on biker.com -look for 'Rock Lobster cup' or you can register on site with cash or check.

New sponsor......Clif !

The team wishes to welcome new sponsor Clif nutrition. This photo is of the now empty box of Clif gels I have been buying and using this year. We are all really happy to have the products from Clif and to have them on our kit.

CCCX final , Ft. Ord

 These are the overall series totals for the team riders in the lion CCCX series of nine races. If like me, you did all nine events you would be rewarded for your efforts to be there. I got 2nd overall in the 55 +, not for stellar racing but for showing up and not being the worst. Rick Ortenblad had a couple of crashes that took him out of the last race but he finished up 6th overall with Brent Harris getting 18th. Not in the photos, Benoit Dubuisson rode strong to 2nd in the single speed B category with Michael Schaller getting 7th in the mens 45 B category.

 Our women 45 series winner was Michelle Perez with a huge point total. Her husband Michael Saccone won the mens 45 C category as well. Alexis De Zubria was not at the race that day but accumulated enough points to wind up 3rd in the womens B races. Our elite women missed the last day but figured in on the overall tally with Cambell Steers at 9th, Ellen Sherrill at 11th and Kelly Chang at 16th.

Our mens elite team had to split its time between traveling and the local scene so we didn't dominate CCCX as in years past but still had a big presence in the top-10 with Kailin Waterman at 2nd, Alex Work at 4th, Max Judson at 5th, Brendan Lehman at 9th, Ian Stowe at 11th, Ben Dodge at 12th and Dean Poshard at 40th.

 Here's Max on the last day, nearly pulling off the win coming in at 2nd.

Kaitlin coming across the line knowing that he would be on the podium for the overall in 2nd for the series.

Nationals report 2015 , Austin Texas.

 The nationals headed south this season for a rare trip to Texas. In spite of the southerly location the weather was cold and rain came for the weekend races. With the rain came the mud and cyclocross racers rejoiced. Some of the people in Austin did not rejoice.....more on that later.

Scott Chapin commandeered a van from his employer and shuttled nearly all of the team bikes to the rented house in Austin. This house was the former residence of Tommy Shannon, bass player in Stevie Ray Vaughan's band 'Double Trouble'.  There were numerous portraits on the wall of famous musicians. The house was overcrowded with team folks but it served us very well.

Te first day was all about single speeds and Ellen Sherrill rode a great race to finish 3rd with the bronze medal. In the mens race nearly all of our riders had to start in the back half of the field so getting onto the podium would be nearly impossible. This said, they all rode strong with Max Judson coming in 21st, Scott Chapin 27th, Alex Work at 39th and Kailin Waterman at 49th out of a field of 135 starters.

 The next day saw some masters racing with Kelly Chang riding to 19th in the women's 40-44 group. Rick Ortenblad and I lined up on the back row of 52 60-64 aged riders with Rick riding strongly up to 29th and I was able to do a bit of passing to finish 38th.

On Friday the masters racing continued , first with Scott Chapin finishing 15th in the mens 30-34 race, Kailin Waterman finishing 45th in the mens 35-39 race and Alex Work finishing 35th in the mens 40-44 race. Again, the riders had to battle poor starting positions and traffic .

Not a team member but always an inspiration, Ron Riley on his way to the bronze medal in the masters 80+ division.

 supposedly because of erosion on the course and potential damage to heritage oak trees, the race was shut down for about 30 hours. This was local politics at work and I can't really go into it but the team used the time constructively in other activities-the giant outdoor chess set was one example.

 Example # 2, bowing.....a team tradition since 2009. There's something very satisfying doing a sport where everybody is lousy, even the top athletes. The drinks are very affordable, too.

 Another tradition-the team dinners. Austin is home to many great eateries and watering holes. This was the last night and the entire crew got out to an excellent  Tex-Mex dinner and reflections on the week away from home.

 The next morning a battered and weary crew got the van loaded to work the final day at the course with three elite riders still to race in the main events. First to go was Ellen Sherrill, getting 37th in the women's elite race and finishing on the lead lap. Next were Andrew Juiliano finishing 36th and Max Judelson finishing 43rd, both of whom started from the back row. These back row starting positions are a byproduct of the lack of USAC races on the west coast. This is likely to change for the next season.

 Immediately after the last race the van was re-packed and driven the 30 hours through the southwest rain and sleet to Santa Cruz. Others on the team saw the southwest out of the window of a 737.

We came home to this......it is especially good to be home and for some of us , the end of a long and fruitful CX season. The season would not have been possible without our title sponsor Voler sports apparel, Capital sponsors Steven's Creek B.M.W., H.R.S. with Karen and Larry Bullard, the Jeff Traugott guitar company. Material sponsors kept us rolling and styling' were Chris King precision, Paul Component engineering, Buckler embrocation, Knog lighting, a huge thanks to WD-40 Bike for the lube and support at the nationals, Ritchey design for help with new components for the new team members bike builds. A shout out goes to Kalcic family wines for a box of some great red wine used at team gatherings here and in Austin. Thanks also to Amanda Schaper, Eric Brown, Rick Ortenblad and Eric Nelson for helping the team when you were not competing. A final thanks in a big way goes to Bob's Red Mill for keeping us fed and fast with the best stuff on earth. Cheers and happy new year !

Nationals bound

Thanks to our generous sponsors : Voler sportswear, Steven's Creek B.M.W. , Human Resource Solutions and the Jeff Traugott guitar company we are en route to Austin , Texas and the Cyclocross National championships. We have a strong roster of athletes and there will be some fast racing. Our team is small and grassroots but we always have a big impact at big events. We hope to do proud by all the many folks who make this possible. Check the Rock Lobster Facebook page for updates.