DCCX
DCCX, the only cyclocross race held in the nation’s capital, will be held on
October 26 on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in NW Washington, DC. Registration is now open on BikeReg.com.
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=7143
For the second-annual event, race promoters DCMTB/City Bikes are building on
last year’s exciting, successful race and will offer improvements to an already awesome race experience — and provide even more extra-curricular fun for
racers, kids and spectators. DCCX joined the MABRA cross series this year.
Three ways the fun continues from last year:
- The race is held on a classic, European-style cyclocross course. It’s fast
with lots of transitions from grass to pavement to gravel and back. There are some tricky barriers and roots. Amateur archeologists from DCMTB uncovered a stone, Paris-Roubaix-style path before last year’s race, and that has become DCCX’s signature feature. The layout is great for first time cyclocross racers and a fast, challenging event for veterans. - The Armed Forces Retirement Home is the site of four National Historic
Landmarks, including the Lincoln Cottage. Lincoln withdrew to the
Soldiers’ Home each summer to escape the heat in the White House. It’s difficult to get on the grounds the other 364 days of the year; with a registration you can drive right in and check out the grounds, and schedule a tour of the Lincoln Cottage. - Beer. Yes, indeed: Racers will once again be able to enjoy a beer after
their race courtesy of Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar in Washington, DC.
Three ways the race will be so much better this year:
- We’ve upped our payout for elite racers. Whole Foods-P St. has expanded its sponsorship of the event so that the winner of the women’s 1/2 race will for the first time get the same payout as the winner of the men’s 1/2 race. City Bikes remains as the title sponsor of the men’s elite race, with both races paying $700 total, seven deep. Other category winners will get cool loot.
- Li’l Belgians will be sponsored by the Belgians. This year, as part of the MABRA series, DCCX is adding a race for kids, and we’ve pulled in as sponsors the Belgian Embassy, which will be offering all participating kids a special (and tasty) prize.
- Frites! Just adding to the Belgian ambience, we will be serving free — yes, free — frites (that’s Belgian for French fries) to riders and spectators. Oh, and there will be delicious, vegan cookies from Sticky Fingers bakery and Drink More Water for those opposed to beer and frites.
What you need to do:
- Register early at BikeReg.com. Last year’s race drew 240 participants, including a sold-out 80 for the Cat 4/beginner category. Given the great buzz that followed last year’s event, this year’s race is likely to be even more popular, and so register now to get into the race of your choice - and get a better call-up. (As of Oct. 2 there were already 51 Cat 4 racers registered.) http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=7143
- Bring an ID on race day. You may be asked to present an ID upon entering the base; please be prepared. Also, there will be day-of registration, but it is guaranteed to be a royal pain in the neck. No money can change hands on the grounds of the Armed Forces base, and so you will need to drive back out to an undisclosed location to make your payment before you race.
- Remember that Oct. 26 is also the day of the Marine Corps Marathon. There may be traffic issues. I-395 is open to traffic from the south (except the HOV lane). Road closures can be found at:
http://www.marinemarathon.com/Assets/Street+Closings+Release+07.pdf - AFRH address: Rock Creek Church Rd, NW & Upshur St, NW, Washington, DC 20011
Other Notes:
DCCX is also sponsored by Cyclocross Magazine.
Course layout can be seen at:
http://tinyurl.com/4r6nve
Use the satellite view. Distance 2 miles. In last year’s dry conditions the top B and masters riders did 5 laps in their 45-minute race. The winning elite men averaged seven minutes a lap.
Photos from last year’s race: http://picasaweb.google.com/ou98dtbiggs/DCCX
The write up of last year’s race is here: http://www.dcmtb.com/blog/archives/222
Starting order will be based on the most recent MABRA 2008 CX Series standings, order of registration, and promoter discretion. The most recent MABRA-Cross standings will be used to call up the first 2 rows (16 spots), then racers will line up row by row, as determined by order of registration/bib number. There are no call-ups for the 9am/Cat 4 Men race. Racers will line up by row based on order of registration.
City Bikes/DCMTB Cyclocross Clinics - Wednesdays in September at Ft. Reno
DCMTB/City Bikes will be conducting a series of free Cyclocross clinics on Wednesdays in September at Ft. Reno in Washington DC from 6pm until dark. The clinics will feature basic cyclocross instruction from DCMTB team members and other experienced local racers. September 3rd will be a special women’s only DC-ChiX clinic with instruction by Melanie Swartz; September 10, 17, and 24 will be open to all. Space is limited, so email gwadzilla8@yahoo.com Just show up!
Check for updates, weather cancellations, and additional details on the DCCX page on dcmtb.com and the Gwadzilla blog.
Dates: 9/3 (Women Only), 9/10, 9/17, 9/24
Time: 6pm
Location: Ft. Reno Park, Northwest Washington, DC
Cost: Free; bring your USAC license is you have one, if not we’ll cover the cost of your 1-day license
Schedule:
6:00 pm - 6:10 - registration
6:15 - 6:45 pm - skills instruction
6:45 - 7:30 pm (light permitting) - unstructured skills work and ride on practice loop.
DCMTB-City Bikes: Clinic One DC-ChiX
Last night DCMTB-City Bikes hosted Clinic One in a four part clinic series at Fort Reno Park in Northwest Washington DC. This clinic was women specific and was lead by local racer Melanie Swartz of Velo Bella.
Lots of woman signed up for this event. In fact so many people signed up via email that I ended up turning people away in an effort not to have the first session become the last session. As it turns out, not everyone showed up and it was not the massive cluster of lycra that I feared would offend the usual park users at Fort Reno. In fact, it seemed that our athletic presence fit in just fine with the other athletes on the various fields in the park as well as not offending the people passing through or picnicing on the grounds. There did not seem to be any conflict with any of the other park users. Sure a leashless dog chased a rider or two and I would not be shocked if a headphone wearing runner was spooked by the approaching cyclists, but there appeared to be no real conflicts.
Melanie Swartz came prepare!
The clinic started off a few minutes later than expected as many of these cycling events do. Raul handled the registration of the riders while Marc Gwadz and Mark Drajem aided Melanie in course set up. One by one women started showing up with their bicycles. Once a good number of woman showed up the DCMTB men stepped back and the women stepped forward. Melanie lead this clinic as if she had done this sort of things before. She gave a good verbal introduction to the objectives of the evening then immediately flowed into a number of drills. It was not the adrenalin based cross practice that I had anticipated. It was Melanie’s intention to slow things down and get down to the basic comfort on the bike. In watching the riders I understood that Melanie’s approach made good sense as there is so much that veteran cyclists take for granted. Many of these women were comfortable on the bike but completely new to cyclocross. There was such a wide variety of cyclists that it made sense to start at the ground and build things up… even the seasoned veterans can use some review on the basic skills.
After the initial drills on cornering, balance, track stands, and sight lines the group moved to faster paced activities. There were laps around the grounds at Fort Reno Park that took advantage of the variables that the park presents. A set of barriers was set up to compliment the natural obstacles in the park. There was a wide variety of skill levels and fitness, everyone meshed together quite well. At the end of the evening as the sun set in the distance everyone was smiling and it appeared as if everyone left looking for more.
The DCMTB-City Bikes Cross Clinic Session Number One was a success!
I was pleased with the turn out… I regretted turning people away.
Things went so well that I expect a good number of the women from this Clinic to attend some of the clinics at this same park on Wednesdays in September.
special thanks to Melanie Swartz for leading this clinic
and thanks to everyone who showed up
this sort of gathering is exactly what the DC cycling scene needs to introduce more people to the sport of cyclocross
more images to appear on my page
www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com
Weston Schempf and Betsy Shogren take top honors at DCCX
 |
| From DC-CX |
Weston Schempf of C3-Sollay.com and Betsy Shogren of FORT Factory Team pulled away from their top competitors early to ride to commanding victories in the inaugural DCCX Cyclocross Race presented by DCMTB/City Bikes in Washington, D.C.
The event, held on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, was the first-ever cyclocross race held in the nation’s capital, and — with a crystalline fall day as an added draw — the race had a full field of 225 riders, including a packed CAT 4/beginners race with more than 80 riders.
The race was promoted by the DC Mountain Bike Team with the assistance of team sponsors City Bikes, Metro Gutter and Home Services, Temperance Hall and Whole Foods Market - P Street. Specific race sponsors included Sticky Fingers Bakery, Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar, DrinkMore Water, Louis Garneau, WTB, Serfas, Surly and Salsa.
The course, which was muddied up by three days of rain in the days before the race, included a wide mix of rooted, swooping curves, open road, two sets of tricky barriers and a Paris-Roubaix style brick section. Roadies called it a mountain bikers’ course because of the rough, rooted sections; mountain bikers wondered why their competitors hung on their wheel during the brutal windy, road section. Everyone was heard praising the course design.
“Props to whoever put it together,” Schempf said. “There was a lot of good rhythm to it.”
Schempf, from Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, led the field of 17 top riders by the time the field hit the first uphill barrier section and said after that he knew the race was his to lose. No one else had a chance: Schempf had his car, with his bikes in it, towed the night before. He had to scramble in just the few hours before the race to recover his bikes (and car) and make his way to the venue.
“I was a little angry,” Schempf said. “I decided to take it out on the course.”
Blair Saunders of Henry’s Bikes led a group of four riders who chased Schempf for much of the race. Saunders tried in vain to get some help to lead the effort to work the way back up to Schempf, whose lead exceeded one minute at halfway into the hour-long race. Saunders finally attacked his group and got clear for second place.
The most dramatic finish in the race came from Bethesda’s own Nick Bax, a member of the junior national road team. Bax started at the back of the field and was shaky around some of the tight, technical turns. But as the race went on he picked better lines — and picked off riders ahead of him. With less than a half a lap to go, Bax put on a charge, and was able to nip Patrick Engleman at the line to take fifth place and a podium position.
“He might have won this race if it lasted another 30 minutes,” announcer Shawn “Bega” Blumenfeld told the crowd, which at that point was enjoying the free beer offered by Sonoma.
In the women’s race Shogren, from Morgantown, West Virginia, took off with Jessica Hill from the start, and then built a lead after Hill had technical problems. She smoothly built up a big lead, wide enough that she could switch to her single-speed pit bike after a few laps.
For Shogren, the DCCX event was about more than just racing: She hadn’t visited Washington before and spent Saturday touring the historic monuments with husband and third-place finisher Gunnar Shogren on their bikes.
The earlier races had bigger fields and lots of drama. Russell Langley, a professional with Battley Harley Davidson, throttled the B field and then pledged Blumenfeld — and the crowd — that he would race with the A riders next week.
In the Masters race, course designer Marc Gwadz moved out to an early lead but was slowly roped in by Randall Root and Bernie Shiao. Gwadz held on with the Root and Shiao and then made a dramatic sprint in what he thought was the last lap. It wasn’t, and Shiao and Root, who are both 45+ riders, then moved out to win the race in that order.
In the packed C Race Ryan Bannon used his mountain biking skill to move out to an early lead. Steve Wall and Matt Parse put on the chase and took the lead. Parse of Route 1 Velo held out for the victory, and Wall faded to fifth - one place behind Bannon - after a flat tire.
Race director Matt Donahue lives near the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and approached the government-sponsored retirement home about using the grounds for the race. Race proceeds will be donated to benefit the veterans at the AFRH. One official donated his daily salary to the veterans.
Results are here: http://www.dcmtb.com/blog/archives/221
Photos are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ou98dtbiggs/DCCX
Photos and blog here: http://www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com/
DCCX Results
Updated 10/29/07
Men’s 1-2-3 (A)
Time Bib # Last Name First Name Team
1 56:53 1 SCHEMPF Weston C3-Sollay.com
2 57:27 2 SAUNDERS Blair Henry’s
3 57:41 5 SHOGREN Gunnar Fort Factory Team
4 57:46 6 WEAVER Dave
5 57:48 9 BAX Nick Hot Tubes Development Team
6 57:56 4 WOOD David Bike Doctor
7 58:47 7 ELLICOTT Evan team n-tieractive/Bike Doctor-Waldorf
8 1:00:19 10 BREWER John Squadra Coppi/IM SAAB
9 1:01:13 14 MEALEY Sean Hunt Valley Bicycles/Marathon Roofing
10 1:01:44 13 RUSSELL Eric Clif Bar
11 1:03:34 8 NIETERS Jared Haymarket Bicycles/World Gym
12 1:04:35 17 PRENTICE Jed n-tieractive/Bike Doctor Waldorf
13 3 FADER Evan Battley Harley-Davidson/Hudson Trail
14 11 DUKE David Page Valley Cycling
15 12 FUNG Adam Clean Currents p/b Don Beyer Volvo
16 15 MCGILL Chris FORT Factory Team
17 16 WAGNER 0
Women’s A
Time Bib # Last Name First Name
1 49:37 40 SHOGREN Betsy
2 51:08 41 HILL Jessica
3 51:11 47 HARLOW Elizabeth
4 52:03 45 SPANOGLE Terri
5 54:23 43 VON TEITENBERG Heidi
6 N/T 44 KEMMERER Arley
Masters Men 1-2-3-4
45+ Bib # Last Name First Name Team
1 45 203 SHIAO Bernie Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV Amateur Cycling
2 45 201 ROOT Randall ABRT/Latitude
3 200 GWADZ Marc DCMTB/City Bikes
4 207 BIRNER Michael All American Bicycle Center
5 202 PITTMAN Todd
6 206 HOUGHTON Jonathan
7 45 241 GREENE Albert Yellow Breeches Racing
8 246 WAGNER James W.
9 211 HOLMAN Barry Team Fuji
10 213 BLODGETT David AABC
11 45 239 DOWNING Shawn Chesapeake Wheelmen/King Pawn
12 45 240 KENSINGER Karl NCVC/Inova Health System
13 205 CLARKE Christopher DCMTB/City Bikes
14 208 LEAVER Erik NCVC/Inova Health System
15 242 CONNOLLY Karl Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV Amateur Cycling
16 45 219 ANDERSON Jeff HPC/List
17 232 NUSBAUM John Haymarket Bicycles
18 45 209 HUEBNER Ron Potomac Velo Club
19 45 222 KAY David Clean Currents p/b Don Beyer Volvo
20 210 BERNARD Darren Haymarket Bicycles
21 214 SOVEK Chip Potomac Velo Club
22 212 MICHEL Matt NCVC / Inova Health System
23 230 ENGBLOM Thor NCVC/Inova Health System
24 249 DOWNS Jay Fort Factory Team
25 247 FRAZER Marc Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV Amatuer Racing
26 226 DRAJEM Mark DCMTB
27 45 234 NEAL Sapp BMC/RacePace Columbia
28 224 GWADZ Joel DCMTB/City Bikes
29 45 216 THOMPSON Tony 3-D Fitness Whole Wheel Velo Club
30 228 VAUGHN Tom DCMTB
31 45 225 SNYDER Thomas
32 231 DEPENNING Paul Haymarket Bicycles
33 250 WIEGMANN Dietrich DCMTB/City Bikes
34 251 LEA Rob T.E.A.M. Fuji
35 245 LEITNER Steve
36 220 KOTUN Joseph Lanterne Rouge
37 215 WANCO Mark World Cup Ski and Cycle cycling team
38 227 HEYWOOD John 1412 Velo Club
39 237 BUKI Charles
40 253 SCHAEFFER Will
41 229 KINNEY Michael Potomac Velo club
42 235 MATHIAS Michael Prince William Elite Racing
43 243 ROMEFELT Alan Kelly Benefit Strategies- LSV Amateur
44 252 Scott Chris SMT
45 254 ARNETT Eric
Mabra -Jr- U18
Time Place Bib # Last Name First Name Team
48:28:00 1 361 MACKAY Thomas Family Bike Shop
55:42:00 2 360 CLARKE Langston DCMTB/City Bikes
DNS DNS 362 WALLACE Vaughn Trek of Pittsburgh
Men’s 3/4 (B)
Time Bib # Last Name First Name Team
1 45:06 331 LANGLEY Russell Battley Harley Davidson
2 46:20 324 JONES Taylor American University Cycling/Inland Construction
3 46:40 328 MURPHY Kyle The Bike Lane
4 46:42 302 FIFE Steve ETS / Silver Cycles
5 47:05 300 MCDONALD Bernard C3/Sollay.com
6 47:48 306 WALENCIKOWSKI Judd team n-tieractive/Bike Doctor-Waldorf
7 47:55 316 SMITH Phil Pit Bike Maryland
8 48:03 303 ANDERSON Terry Haymarket Bicycles
9 48:06 333 HARSHMAN Chris ABRT/Latitude
10 48:20 304 SHATTUCK Trevor Hunt Valley Bicycles/Marathon Roofing
11 48:27 317 MONTE-SANO Alex
12 48:45 305 THOMPSON Scott Squadra Coppi/IM Saab
13 48:47 330 BUCKLEY Bruce THE Bike Lane
14 48:47 320 MILINKOVIC George Squadra Coppi/IM Saab
15 49:12 314 LUMM Brandon Route 1 Velo / Capitol Hill Bikes
16 49:25 322 HUNTER Cary Potomac Velo Club
17 49:38 318 ASHMAN Joseph
18 49:55 315 BIGGS Darren DCMTB/City Bikes
19 50:07 323 OKEEFE Sam C3-Solay.com
20 50:09 336 FISHER Ed ShoreVelocity
21 50:11 334 BURNS Bryan Haymarket Bicycles
22 50:12 311 COATS Joseph Squadra Coppi/IM Saab
23 50:22 319 LORIE Mark Kelly Benefits Strategies/LSV Amateur Cycling
24 51:00 326 BLACK Steven National Capital Velo Club/Inova Health
25 51:21 335 ROHR Keith Adventures for the Cure
26 51:34 329 KOTUN Joseph Lanterne Rouge
27 51:34 310 SCARDAVILLE Michael DCMTB/City Bikes
28 51:37 309 MCWETHY Loren DCMTB/City Bikes
29 51:47 332 RALEY John Artemis
30 53:58 313 LEA Syd TEAM FUJI
Men’s 4(C)
Bib # Last Name First Name Team
1 103 PARSE Matt Route 1 Velo / Capitol Hill Bikes
2 114 WILCOX David broadway bicycle school
3 101 KING Christopher Route 1 Velo / Capitol Hill Bikes
4 167 BANNON Ryan The Bike Lane
5 100 WAHL Stephen AVC/ Team Hagerstown-Washington Co
6 125 ENGLEMAN Patrick Keswick Cycle
7 170 BLACK Steven National Capital Velo Club/Inova Health
8 141 GILLESPIE Bob All American
9 173 FEBBRARO Frank The Bike Lane
10 105 BICKLING Todd Team N~tieractive/Bike Doctor-Waldorf
11 175 MINAR Petr SEAVS Racing
12 159 PEARCE Michael DCMTB/City Bikes
13 104 TWYMAN Corey Hub Racing
14 115 RISKUS Stephen
15 113 BATTAN David Squadra Coppi/IM SAAB
16 110 SCHIEKEN William
17 133 MORRIS Gary Lanterne Rouge
18 162 BASSETT Benjamin
19 132 BAVIER John
20 107 GUE Todd dhbd /bicycle place velo
21 177 WOLFE Thori
22 122 STAPLETON Kevin Racing Union
23 179 LEUNG Ka Chun Squadra Coppi/IM Saab
24 111 BARRY Ronald All American Bicycle Club
25 112 GOLDBERG Richard Hunt Valley Bicycles
26 165 REDENIUS Nick
27 171 ADAIR Chris ABRT
28 151 MARESCA Kevin
29 143 TRESSLER Lyal
30 178 NEWILL Ryan Squadra Coppi/IM Saab
31 145 PARSE Dave Route 1 Velo/Capitol Hill Bikes
32 144 CLARK Kevin The Bicycle Escape
33 117 GOULD Christopher Racing Union
34 120 MCNEELY James Squadra Coppi / IM Saab
35 109 DOUGLAS Ryan Route 1 Velo/Capitol Hill Bikes
36 134 GHAIS Aaron ALL-AMERICAN BICYCLE CLUB
37 130 WHEATON Jonathan DCMTB
38 129 DANOFF Jake DCMTB
39 127 DUDEK Ryan The Bike Rack
40 128 NADAS Joshua Proteus
41 108 SAUNDERS Will HPC List
42 140 PARRAMORE Dave Cadence Cycling
43 135 CARLISLE James
44 153 SCHMIERER Brian
45 146 CICCORETTI Eric
46 123 PEARLMAN Jason The Bike Rack
47 149 CERNICH Scott Route 1 Velo/Capitol Hill Bikes
48 174 PORTER Read
49 154 GLODEK John NCVC/INOVA Health Systems
50 181 PEEL Jeff
51 102 JONES Davey C3-Sollay.com
52 168 BRANCHEAU Matthew Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV Amateur Cycling
53 139 BARNES Charles Lanterne Rouge
54 118 ANKRAH Rodges Route 1 Velo /Capitol Hill Bicycles
55 119 SCHIAVO Mike Lanterne Rouge
56 157 COLBY Robert NCVC/Inova Health Systems
57 124 BLANCHARD Tim The Children in the Shoe
58 158 DAVIS Bill Potomac Velo Club
59 169 COLTER Haig
60 172 CLEMENTS Christopher n/a
61 160 VALDEZ Samuel
62 152 LETWIN Noah Team BBC
63 166 SAUNDERS James Route 1 Velo/Capitol Hill Bikes
64 163 EMERY Shannon Team Rear Guard
65 136 HOLMES Dale Proteus
66 121 CONATSER Blake
67 138 LERCH Wayne The Bike Rack
68 116 VENTOSA Joseph PROTEUS
Women’s 3-4(C)
Place Bib # Last Name First Name Team
1 82 ARTUSIO Lynda
2 88 LEA Tracy T.E.A.M Fuji
3 83 KNOPF Ilana DCMTB
4 94 JOHNSON Cynthia Artemis
5 87 LETWIN Rebecca Team BBC
6 146 WOLFSON jennifer HUB RACING
7 86 PETERSAN Doron NCVC/INOVA
8 97 ROSS Heather The Bike Rack
9 91 WENDELL Kimberlee Velo Bella
10 93 SHUE Nicole Velo Bella-Kona
11 84 PEACOCK Marisa Velo Bella-Kona
12 95 Newbury Beatrice DCMTB
13 96 HUEBNER Christina Potomac Velo Club
14 90 FINNEY Christie The Children in the Shoe
15 92 ASHBROOK-BARNES Karen
16 98 MACK Constance
17 85 HILLESHEIM Lindsey Squadra Coppi/IM Saab
18 89 ANDERSON Laura Alan Factory
19 99 KLEIFORTH Barbara
Juniors (U16)
Place Bib # Last Name First Name Team
1 68 MAUCH Justin NCVC/Inova Health System
2 65 BARR Jackson NCVC/Inova Health System
3 71 WILSON Avery NCVC/Inova Health System
4 67 HUEBNER Emily Potomac Velo Club
5 70 THOMPSON Jake Squadra Coppi/IM Saab
6 69 ROGERS Zeke Clean Currents p/b Don Beyer Volvo
7 66 BATTAN Nicholas squadra coppi
Cyclocross Comes to the Nation’s Capital October 28th at DCCX
Press Contact:
Matt Donahue, Race Director
mattydonahue@hotmail.com
Cyclocross racing is coming to Washington, DC this fall. The first USA Cycling sanctioned cyclocross race in the city will take place October 28th, 2007 on the Grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. Bike racers from across the mid-atlantic will line up for a full day of racing in 9 categories that range from beginners and juniors racing for prizes and cowbells to elite and professionals racing for a cash purse. The race is being promoted by the City Bikes DC Mountain Bike Team with the assistance of the team’s sponsors: Metro Gutter and Home Services, Whole Foods Market - P Street, and Temperance Hall.
“The DCMTB/City Bikes team has always wanted to hold a race within the District since we are based out of Washington.” says race promoter Matt Donahue “The AFRH offered us a chance to do this, and the location is great for cyclocross.” Living close to the Armed Forces Retirement Home gave Donahue many chances to look at the grounds and the thought that kept jumping to mind was “wouldn’t it be great to set up a cyclocross course in there?” Earlier this year he was able to schedule a meeting with the AFRH staff to explain cyclocross racing and what it was all about. “They were receptive to the idea,” says Donahue “and now we have ourselves a race. A lot of area teams hold some excellent cross races outside of the city. We thought it would be great to hold one in the city and we found a great venue.” Race proceeds will be donated to benefit the veterans at the AFRH.
According to Course Designer Marc Gwadz the course is “a mix of grass, gravel road and pavement.” The picturesque course circling 2 fishing ponds will encourage exciting racing by rewarding “carrying high speed around the 2 mile circuit with a set of barriers, a run-up, and a brick sidewalk” says Gwadz.
Volunteers are needed to help register racers and keep things running smoothly. Any interested volunteers should contact DCCX volunteer coordinator Loren McWethy at loren.mcwethy@gmail.com.
Cyclocross is a style of bike racing that developed in Europe early 1900s. Bicycle racers seeking to stay in shape and improve their bike handling skills started riding on forest roads in the winter and soon these rides developed into race. The sport first grew in popularity in Europe and is now booming both there and in the United States.
Typically raced in the fall and winter, it’s a sport that now stands on it’s own, not just an off-season training discipline. Cyclocross races are short, fast, and intense. Professionals race for one hour and lower classes race for 40 to 50 minutes around a wide grassy track between one and two miles long. Cyclocross courses typically feature tricky off camber corners and use both natural (hills, sandpits) and artificial (barriers - 16″ planks set across the course) obstacles to force racers to dismount, run, jump, and then remount their bicycles. Despite terrain that typically reminds the layman more of mountain biking, riders race on bikes that are closer to road racing bikes with drop handlebars and narrow tires.
The relatively short and compact courses used in cyclocross races make them great spectator events.
There will be no on-site Registration for DCCX, so racers will need to register online at http://www.bikereg.com by 9pm on Friday October 26th. Please note that a valid government issued photo ID will be required for entry to the Armed Forces Retirement Home Grounds. All racers, volunteers, and spectators should enter the Retirement Home Grounds at “Eagle” gate, which is located at Rock Creek Church Rd, NW & Upshur St, NW.
Racers, volunteers, and spectators should take note that this event is taking place the same day as the Marine Corps Marathon and as a result some roads will be closed throughout the day. Please be advised to plan your route carefully.
Additional information about DCCX and the DCMTB/City Bikes Mountain Bike Team can be found at http://www.dcmtb.com
Online Registration is Available at http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=5327
Shenandoah Mountain 100
The one and only Shenandoah Mountain 100 is September 2. Starting at 6:30 in the morning hundreds of mountain bikers will face a hundred miles of beautiful GWNF trails, roads, and fireroads.
Cranky Monkey - Quantico
The 2007 Cranky Monkey Mountain Bike Race Series concludes on August 26th at the Quantico Marine Base. See the EX2Adventures website for details - http://www.ex2adventures.com
Cranky Monkey - Fountainhead
Stop 3 of the Cranky Monkey Mountain Bike Race Series hits Fountainhead Regional Park on August 19th. See the EX2Adventures website for details - http://www.ex2adventures.com
team meeting
monthly team meeting at temperance hall at 7:30pm - the new jerseys are in, so make sure you come to pick yours up.
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