TWTW: Cross is Here?
We have spent the last few weeks writing about that end-of-season transition from road to cyclocross, or for those that do not race cross, the transition from road to the couch for some R&R at the end of a notoriously long season of road. This was officially the first weekend on the other side of that transition --- all of our skinny tire race wheels have been put away and for the last few days we have been celebrating the arrival of our shinny new fleet of Garneau CX bikes. As we get ready for the full fledged start of cyclocross season next week at Nittany and the rest of the fall race calendar here is a look back at the week that was in New York City:
The Week That Was (TWTW) On the Bike
While our squad may have transitioned out of road season there was a bit of skinny tire racing worth calling out this past weekend at the Thompson Criterium of Doylestown. With bleak weather on tap there was a very long list of DNS's including seemingly the majority of CRCA racers who were registered for the event. In the end it was Ty Magner of Rally taking home the win while the top CRCA finisher was down in 15th place. (Doylestown Results)
In the more seasonally appropriate cyclocross category several TBD'ers headed down to Whirlybird to start the cross season off at an unusually muddy edition of what is normally a very pedal-y grass criterium. The unusual conditions didn't really seem to impact the squad however as Steve scored his third podium in three cross races and Cullen added a 5th place finish in his field to mark a very successful start to the season for the team. (Whirlybird Results)
While Rochester Cross was taking place a few hours further northwest of New York City, Ted started his cyclocross season off more locally at the PCX series in Paterson, NY. It turned out to be a great start to the season for him as he took home the win in the A-field.
Otherwise it was a pretty casual weekend in New York City as the team prepared cross bikes for the season to come and snuck in the first relaxed coffee cruise of the fall on 9W. A few photos from the team's official photographer, Daghan:
The Week That Was On the TBD Journal
Links: Café du Catskills (Sep 6, 2018) - Lucia recounted a spectacularly beautiful weekend of riding in upstate New York as captured by one of our favorite cycling photographers, Donalrey.
This is the End: The Season Finale (Sep 5, 2018) - in which I recollect a fairly mediocre season of results on the bike, albeit one that includes some of my favorite overall memories thanks in large part to the TBD boys
TWTW: Farewell Road, We Hardly Knew Ye (Sep 4, 2018) - celebrating the last of the skinny tire racing for the squad in 2018.
Reading, Links and Random Facts
The reinvention of Adam Hansen (CyclingTips) - we have always been intrigued by the type of person who can not just start twenty (20!) consecutive grand tours, but finish them as well. But with that streak now ended, Adam Hansen is entering the next phase of his career and Shane Stokes from Cycling Tips spoke with him about this latest transition.
'I'm Sorry. I Don't Usually Cry' Olympic Cyclist Kristina Vogel on the Aftermath of Her Terrible Accident (Spiegel) - a touching and emotional interview with World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Kristina Vogel after her serious crash that left her paralyzed.
Parting Shot
Sure, there is a bike race going on in Spain at the moment but the most exciting professional racing of the weekend definitely took place elsewhere as Kate Courtney won the first US MTB XCO World Championship in seventeen years this weekend. If you haven't see it the final few laps are well worth watching on Red Bull TV.