So Cal's own, Chance Noble points leader USGP of Cyclocross - wow!

For those of you who know Chance Noble or don't, he is our shining star on the national cyclocross scene winning the first two USGP in the U23 category of the US Grand Prix of cyclocross!  Go Chance!!!   See the latest news at:  http://www.usgpcyclocross.com

Spooky Cross Short Report by Dot:

Spooky Cross - year three, actually... brought out the ghosts and goblins and the stars of cycling Saturday for a star-studded field making the event feel like Cross Vegas and a National caliber dare I say, UCI cyclocross event:  Numerous cycling champions came to play in the men's elite races including: Ned Overend, Brian Lopes, Johnny O'Meara, Ben Bostrom, Sid Taberlay, Sergio Garcia and Tony Cruz along with the best SoCalCrossers led by Brent Prenzow and Kyle Gritters this night.  The women's elite field continues to grow its competition draw led by our young cycling champions and both Juniors becoming the dynamic duo sisters of SoCalCross, Kendall and Alexis Ryan and contenders Megan Elliott, Lana Atchley and Beatriz Rodriguez all accomplished road racers as well as a special appearance from National CX champion Melodie Metzger who looks like she has been transplanted to Santa Monica from Nor Cal.

Thanks to everyone for bringing the fun to Spooky Cross and for making this the highest attended SoCalCross Prestige Series race and the highest attended cyclocross race ever in Southern California!!!  Thanks to Jeff and Rock N Road Cyclery for supporting the race... Da ghoul-ish boyz: Ted, Gritters x 2, Mike for designing an amazing course along with Jeff, JL and Greg who have been the core of our course building/design/support team this season!  Thanks to the registration zombie team led by Pam got the goblins signed up and out on course in time to race!  Thanks to Team SoCalCross werewolves Tyler and Jay and Ken for always being the first to arrive and last to leave each race and this time after midnight.  Thanks to DJ Echo Brown, the Gruesome Twosome, The Rims and Kinkade for rockin' the night away!  Thanks to the our ghostly sponsors led by Shimano along with Planet Bike, Fluid, Kool N Fit, Ellsworth, Moots, Sock Guy, Friction Freedom and H2O Overdrive for providing us the support to make this happen and expecially the Team Duke pumpkin peeps for supporting the Jack-o-Lantern smashing Spooky Costume Cyclocross race - complete with FOUR tandems!  Thanks to Ibis for donating the super cool wool jersey, Mike Telega at Oakley and Dotsie Bausch at Hibiscus Sunglasses for donating super eyewear on the night.  Thanks to Energy Efficiency Solar and The Green Truck On The Go for bringing the Green to Spooky Cross - solar powering the night race and veggie oil vapors were a welcoming smell as we passed by the food truck each lap!

As I've said for the 100th time, it takes a lot of hard work and the community of the crossers to make this sport happen, so as we grow our series thanks to ALL of you for making cyclocross what it is in Southern California!  Cross on! 8 down, 8 to go!  So, Let's Storm the Beach for SCPS 8 this Sunday, November 1st as the Prestige Series moves to San Diego County (Oceanside)!  DON'T FORGET THE TIME CHANGE YA'LL!!!

OFFICIAL PHOTOS FROM SCPS #1 - CXC San Dimas & SCPS #7 - Spooky Cross: Page1Studio.com

BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS BY DJ ECHO BROWN

PODIUM PHOTOS BY KENNETH HILL

UPLOAD YOUR PHOTOS ON FLICKER - PHOTO OF THE WEEK

COOL FEATURE VIDEO ON THE NIGHT ON:  WOMENSCYCLINGMAGAZINE.COM

OFFICIAL PHOTOS FROM SCPS #2, 3, 4, 5:  KreativeShots.com  --  EVENT IDs:  Simi - Temecula927 - Irvine104 - Bonelli1010 - Bonelli1011 - LongBeach1018

WHAT'S UP WITH SOCALCROSS?

8 MORE RACES  TO GO - GET YOUR FIVE-RACE SERIES PASS AT SPORTSBASEONLINE.COM

Save time, don't wait in line and $$$ pre-register at SportsbaseOnline.com.  Each entry gets you entered to win a Fuji CX frameset.

STAY UP TO DATE!  JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP:  Southern California Prestige Series of Cyclocross

THE 2009-10 GO GREEN RACER COMPETITION PRESENTED BY PLANET BIKE IS UP AND RUNNING!

WEEKLY POINTS LEADERS WILL GET THE GO GREEN RACER JERSEY BY VOLER FOR THEIR ECO-ACTIONS.  THANKS TO PLANET BIKE AND VOLER FOR SUPPORTING BICYCLE ADVOCACY AND SPECIAL THANKS TO ENERGY EFFIENCY FOR SOLAR POWERING EACH OF OUR PRESTIGE SERIES RACES THIS SEASON!!!

BECOME A SOCALCROSS MOSHER!  JOIN OUR FACEBOOK CAUSE  GROW CROSS FOR THE LOVE OF 'CROSS! 

Weekly SoCalCross Moshers are chosen for those who bring the fun to 'cross... Week 5 winners are the Santa Barbara gals (Somersby, Avalon, Kimberly and Alexis) "HELGAS FROM HELL:  BEER MAIDENS GONE BAD" for getting into the Kross-toberfest spirit and dressed up for the team relay... turned into a parade and pics instead.

SCPS #12 - CONVERT CROSS IN VENTURA AWARDED SCNCA DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS!  SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND!!! 

IMPORTANT DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION!  ANNUAL USA CYCLING LICENSE REQUIRED TO COMPETE IN CHAMPIONSHIP RACES. 

GET YOUR ANNUAL LICENSE TODAY!

2009 SCNCA Championship Eligibility:  Per USAC rules, here are the requirements to enter any SCNCA Championship event:
1. You must have an annual USAC license. You cannot enter with a one-day license, a foreign license, or with a CBR license.
2. You must be a USA Citizen or a Permanent Resident. If your license has an "N" for Citizen, you will be not be able to register for the race.
3. Riders who meet the entry requirements, but live outside the SCNCA territory, can compete but are not eligible for any title, medal, or jersey. The three top spots are reserved for the first three SCNCA riders.

The Prestige Series will also be running non-championship Prestige Series races include:  CX Men/Women 4 - licensed and one-day licensed riders

ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL BE AWARDED FOR CX 3 and CX 4 as part of the CX 3/4 race for both Men and Women. 

ELITE 1/2/3 championships will be awarded to top 3 finishers in CX 1/2/3 races.  Cat 1/2/3 SCNCA licensed and in disctrict riders are eligible for championship medals.

MASTERS AGED CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL BE AWARDED FOR MASTERS PRESTIGE IN FOUR YEAR INCREMENTS SO:  35-39, 40-44 we will have one mega race - blending the 35+ 1/2/3 and 35+ 3/4 Prestige Series categories.  When signing up, please enter the appropriate Prestige Series race and we will score you all together for championship medals and then separate riders in their Prestige Series categories.  Riders will be staged based on their Prestige Series placing, so top 4 35+ 1/2/3 and top 4 35+ 3/4 on the front row then 5-8 of each in the second row, then the rest of the riders to the line!

45+ Men will include championships for:  45-49 and 50-54

55+ Men will include championships for:  55-59 and 60+

35+ Women will include championships: PLEASE READ.  NEED YOUR INPUT.

The SCNCA currently only awards SCNCA District Championships to 35+ and 45+ for women = 2 masters women's categories vs 6 for the men.  With the growth our our women's fields and work to get more women in cycling, I feel we need to speak up to the SCNCA together to say we deserve some equality!  I would recommend this:  35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50+ categories, so 4 masters championships for women and 6 for the masters men.  If you agree, please send me an e-mail so we can petition our rights as women and deserve an SCNCA district championship somewhat comparable to the men!  Send e-mail to: Dot@SoCalCross.org if you agree... or not.

Juniors will be per the Prestige Series Categories so Junior Men and Junior Women 10-14 and 15-18 the same. 

No championships will be awarded for Youth category, but Prestige Series Points and awards will be on the line!

** remember your cyclocross racing age is that of 12/31/2010!!!

CYCLOCROSS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP REGISTRATION OPEN -- Colorado Springs, Colo. (October 7, 2009)

Online registration for the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships is at Sports Base Online. Click here to register.  Slated for December 10-13 in Bend, Ore., the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships will award the final national titles of 2009 in elite, juniors, masters, single speed, U23, and collegiate categories. Click here for more information.

NO SAND BAGS ALLOWED IN CYCLOCROSS - DON'T GET DQ'D

KNOW YOUR USA CYCLING RULEBOOK BEFORE THE NEXT RACE.  CX CATEGORIES & UPGRADES EXPLAINED... 

** You must1D4. Cyclocross Upgrades

Cyclocross categories are upgraded similarly to road upgrades using the system below:
 
(a)  Requirements for upgrading via points: 
4-3: Experience in 5 qualifying races or 7 points in 12 months
3-2: 10 points in 12 months (two wins is an automatic upgrade if the field had at least 11 competitors)
2-1: 20 points in 12 months (two wins is an automatic  upgrade if the field had at least 40 competitors)
 
(b)  Points awarded for Cyclocross Races:
           Number of Starters
Placing 5-10 11-20 21-50 50+

DON'T GET DQ'D!!!

1         3       4       5       7
2         2       3       4       5
3         1       2       3       4
4         1       2       3
5         1       2
6         1
 
USA Cycling may add additional requirements for upgrading at their discretion. Any such changes shall be made available
on the website.
 
1D5. Cyclocross Conversion
Cyclocross categories may also be upgraded by conversion from a rider’s earned road or cross country category. If during the season, a rider upgrades his or her road category or XC category, the cyclocross category can be upgraded to match the road or XC category shown below by request of the rider or by request of the administrator.

CX category based on road or XC category
Road Category - MTB XC Category - CX Category
        1                     Pro                      1
        2                     1                         2
        3                     2                         3
        4 or 5              3                         4

Make sure you register for the appropriate race category per your license or you stand the chance of getting DQ'd and that's no fun.

We asked Abbie, our resident Inside Sales and Cyclocross extraordinaire to explain her fondness of the sport from both racing and general aspect points of view. Read on. 1) It is an excuse to get muddy and not feel guilty about it. I think there is some sort of time travel that happens for me when I speed my bike through a mud puddle causing a great splash -all of a sudden I am a kid again.  Of course at that time I didn't know or think about all the mechanical issues with getting a metal bike with many working parts wet and muddy.  It was just fun, and 'cross brings that back for me, unfortunately now I have to clean my own bike. 2) Making new friends.  You are hardly ever riding alone as there are so many laps in a race and the mass group starts ensures that you will always have a friend or friendly competitor nearby.  The group nature takes away much of the competitive pressure, as one woman I was riding with last week said, "It was awesome, no one could tell if I was way off the back and I was never alone!"  As 'cross is still an up and coming sport in many areas people are generally eager and excited to share their knowledge and passion to newcomers so the possibilities of meeting new friends is endless. 3)  Spectators.  Cyclocross spectators are simply the best.  How can you not smile when there are people lining the whole course with cowbells cheering you on?  Who doesn't love a little encouragement, especially if it comes from a man dressed as Santa or a lady in a Superwoman costume?  Then, when you are done riding it is your turn to rally people over the barriers and through the taped course.  This role swapping creates a real community feel to the sport. 4) A change of pace.  After a summer of counting miles, heart rate, wattage and calories it is nice to take a break and remember that we ride bikes for fun.  The less serious nature of 'cross racing aids in the laid-back attitude and fun atmosphere.  It also forces me to ride in different areas, the switch from riding in traffic to riding through grassy fields is a refreshing mental break. 9)  Re-newed motivation.  With that change of pace I become excited to ride my bike all over again.  The diversification of your cycling life will help you stay mentally and physically fresh and interested in riding.  Even the shortest attention span will be captivated by the ever changing nature of cross.  With sand pits, mud, run ups, fly overs, barriers and more it is hard to get bored. 6) Total body workout.  The short explosive nature of riding a cross bike coupled with running and carrying your bike you will make you feel better about the extra slice of pie on Thanksgiving and may give you some new muscles to show off as well!  7) It's short and sweet.  With fading daylight, exhaustion from Summer and a busy daily life it is nice to have an activity that you can fit in within and hour to an hour and a half.  The high intensity of cross allows for shorter workouts that you can do virtually anywhere; any local park, field, playground that is friendly to bikes is perfect. 8) New challenges.  Cyclocross forces me to sharpen my technical skills without making it feel like I am doing boring drills.  Riding on uneven grass, dirt, gravel, roots, through sand and mud, over barriers, off camber, s-turns...it all helps and will easily transfer to your other riding pursuits. 9) Anyone can do it.  Whether you are hoping on a dirt bike path or competing on a national level, 'cross is accessible to you.  It is up to you how hard or technical you want to make it. 10) Did I mention it was fun?!?! Okay, now back to making the neighbors wonder why I am out in the yard jumping on and off my bike and weaving through trees.  I wish you all a fun 'cross season!