Homestake XC - Full Report/Results - Flurry Curry

John Curry:

The pro/expert field was pretty tiny, just me Frank, Alex, Brad, and John Coulthard. Alex took off fast and led for a while. Eventually I surged around him and Frank followed and the two of us built a gap. I continued to lead for half the first lap with Frank on my wheel. I kept attacking Frank but he always fought back onto my wheel. Going into the longest climb he came around me and set a mean tempo that eventually put me into the red and I had to back off or totally blow. I watched him power away and rode the rest of the race solo. Frank absolutley killed it and put about 5 minutes on me by the end. Alex rode strong and finished 3rd not too far behind me. Frank will be racing the semi-pro field down at the NMBS finals in Brain Head in a month. All I can say is watch out!

In the Men's Sport, Sebastian took the win just ahead of Tomas. I'm not sure about 3rd. The men's field was still pretty small at maybe 15 or so.

There were a handful of women racers. Michelle Richardson was there and rode really strong and took the win just ahead of Lisa. Lisa had some good pre-race drama. Her frame cracked on her pre-ride lap and she scrambled to borrow a bike right before the start. She ended up on a 5 in travel trail bike owned by a Bob Waggoner who happended to have the same pedals and a similar inseam. Thanks Bob! Unfortunatley for Lisa both the front and rear suspension were locked out the whole race so Lisa got all the disadvantages of the heavy bike without any of the cush! Anyway, she was happy just to be able to race. Michelle looks to be some good competition for Lisa in the coming races.


RESULTS

Frank GGGGGGG (3 mtb wins!)
Flurry
Lussier
Bad Brad
John Coulthard

Sport
Sebastian
Thomas
Gates
Schoenfelder
Ellefson
Landl
Mackenzie
Warner
Schoening
Cambell
Cunkelman
Parks
Veis
Finley
McDonough
Brown
Veis
Smith
Stannard

Beginner
Schoenfelder
Wright
Warner

Beginner Junior
Schoenfelder
Clayton

Women
LC

Sport
MRich
Smith
Landl
Thomas
Brown
Pendergrast

Beginner
Fritz
Klapan
Stimatz
Petritz

Beginner Junior
Brown

Homestake XC - I know nothing!

Someone please help me out. I know nothing about Homestake XC. What happened? Top 5? Crazy performances? Please add a comment with your race experience or knowledge.

Missoula Wednesday Night Cross Series

The legendary Missoula Wednesday Night Cross Series has just announced it's schedule.

Sept 24
Oct 1, 8, 15, 22

Once again the series will be put on by cyclocross staple Tim Bechtold. For a local Montana series, these races have sure seen a lot of talent. Teejay used to trade blows with Tom Robertson and others. Sam Schultz came out on a mountain bike. Jamul Hahn put on many shows during his hayday. Proctor, Fiore, Brink, and Weyhrich have all raced the series hard. The last couple years have seen the infusion of the next generation of Missoula crossers. Doug Dale, Pipo, Toby, and Hartman are the new names of the series. Who will be the next name of the Missoula Cross Series? Will someone step out of the pack fodder to join Missoula's elite?

Here's some more info on the series from Tim:

*Advance notice of the Missoula Wednesday Night Cross Series, starting September 24 and continuing until October 22 at Fort Missoula.

*Sam Schultz has won one of these races on a mountain bike, though.

*Standard details: 5 races, $20 for the series, $5 per race. Juniors $10 for the series, $5 per race. You need a license. One-days are OK. Prizes are good Missoula beer and good Missoula bread, and some bike shop schwag thrown in for good measure.

*This series is the most fun you will have racing a bicycle in Missoula. It is also the only bicycle racing still in Missoula. The atmosphere is very relaxed, but the competition is keen. All talent and experience levels are welcome. There is still a certain amount of suffering, but everything ends in just under an hour, and pretty much everyone can endure a little leg burn for an hour.

*Only 8 weeks to go. Start your training regimen now: practice your sprints, bunny hops, dis-and-re-mounts, and your rock-dodging and ditch-riding skills. Or don’t train at all. That works well for cross racing. Anyone can ride a bike for an hour.

-Thanks Tim

Post Tour De France Depression

I just got back from Washington where I was visiting my folks. This morning I had my first Missoula morning in three weeks without the Tour De France. This happens to me every season. The tour ends and the road season winds down. It could be the toughest time of year. I'm so used to waking up with a cup of coffee and watching versus until work starts. Once the stage is over I'm exchanging emails with with Pat, Bessetto, and Nacho about what should have happened. I miss all that excitement. In honor of my depressed state I'm going to reflect on the last three weeks of racing:

-Carlos Sastre and his Team CSC road a tactically superior race. The only better tactician besides Riis is Bruyneel (I'm reading his book right now "We might as well win" great book." Since Bruyneel wasn't there Riis destroyed any hope of someone else winning. CSC didn't waste energy and go for early wins (Valverde, Kirchen, Evans) they wasted as little energy as possible. Popovych is a world class rider.......where was he on the climbs. The one day he was away it looked like he was riding for himself.

-Freire winning the green jersey has been a long time coming. When he is healthy he's the best bike rider out of the sprinters. It was just a matter of time before he won the green. So, don't be surprised that he beat the Viking.

-Sastre won't repeat. With Contrador coming back next year, and A Schleck looking real strong I think Sastre timed his victory right. Contrador will win by 3 minutes next year.

-Garmin Chipolte is the real deal. Pate had killer TT performances and almost won an alpine stage?!?!? Who knew Pate could climb like that (he looked like death most of the time). VaneVelde is a new American hero and Frishkorn's journal has been great to follow. How about Vaughters slipping the F bomb in the team car?? There are real team, and it's hard not to like them.

-The Frenchman make their mark. Chavanel and Dessel are great riders but they will never win the tour. So instead they claimed amazing stage victories. That's the way to ride. I was never a huge fan of Chavanel but the way he rode this tour was great to watch. He attacked and was in the break 8 times!