Russell Stigall

Oct 2007

Arctic Cross cyclocross

Here’s mud in your eye. And ears and teeth and brand new bike jersey. That is the call of Cyclocross bike racing and in Anchorage that call can be answered at the Bicycle Shop 2007 Alaska Cyclocross series.

Part Lance Armstrong part Missy “The Missile” Giove, cyclocross blends the quad-cranking speed of road racing with the off road technical skills of mountain biking. Toss in slippery roots, mud and foot-high barriers and let the mayhem ensue.

Nick Enos and Jim Peot fired up the first Arctic Cross cyclocross race four years ago with half a dozen racers. This season, races typically turn out 30 to 45 racers.

Unlike most feats of speed and skill, cyclocross racing isn’t just about the fastest time. The sport’s elite riders don’t spend a whole lot less time on the course than the more mortal among us. No matter their speed racers have to spend a minimum amount of time, usually 45 to 60 minutes, on the course looping around a one and a half to two mile course. After 50 minutes a bell lets riders know they have only one lap left.

Compared with other forms of cycle racing, tactics are fairly straightforward, and the emphasis is on the rider’s aerobic endurance and bike-handling skills, according to Wikipedia.

Cyclocross season starts in the fall and in milder climes, extends through the winter.

While mud, wet grass, puddles, off-camber S curves are difficult enough obstacles on a bicycle that is not much more than a ten-speed with knobby tires – much like running Bird Ridge on a pair of serrated ice skates – the clever course directors erect foot-high wooden barriers to piss off riders a bit more.

While most mountain bike racers pride themselves on staying on their mounts regardless of how technical the course, skilled cross racers perfect the sketchy art of dismounting, carrying and remounting their lightweight cycles. After hurdling as many as four barriers in a row cross riders drop their bikes back to the ground and, ever so gently, leap back onto their fist-sized saddles. Spectators new to the sport are easy to spot by their reflexive flinch.

Riders can also bunny hop the barriers, three in a row, spaced several feet apart, on mud and wet grass. So good luck with that.

It comes as no surprise that fun like this may have been born on the front lines of World War One.

Arctic Cross volunteer Bruce Ross said that cyclocross found its humble beginnings in the trips professional road bikers took as they shuttled messages from the troops in the trenches along the front lines to the command positions situated in less bullet-prone positions to the rear. The riders had to jump hedges and ride cross country out of places like Flanders Field.

After the war remaining pro racers staged races in city parks that simulated the conditions of these message runs, sans canons.

Other accounts say the sport began a decade before world war one as a way for road bikers to cross train and extend their racing season.

The fourth ArcticCross race of this season slogged through the deep wet grass, swift paved trails around the Cartee Complex at the corner of Debarr and Pine Street.

Matt Novakovich and Josh Yeaton broke away from the pack early on and stayed out front the entire race. The two cyclists made it look easy, talking the whole race.

Yeaton held on to first place in series standings with Novakovich and James Stull tied for second.

Amber Stull crushed the women’s competition with a four minute lead over second place Tiffanie Novakovich.

Rebecca Mamrol, 16, won the Junior division. She said the course was good.

“It was pretty flat and had lots of pavement so it was really fast,” Mamrol said.

Sixth place Allison Ross, helped her father lay out the Cartee Complex course. She said she personally picked out a deep section of muddy water.

“But after going through it a couple of times, it lost its fun,” Ross said.

The next race will take place Sept. 29, noon at Quianna Park with the series championships at the Alaska Pacific University stadium, Oct. 6 at noon.

Find more information at www.arcticcross.org.

–Russell Freeman Stigall

I’ve just added over 100 photos to the Breath of Life Run albumn. Click HERE to see if your picture is up.

Behind every successful event are a ton of unseen volunteers. While the organizer usually gets the KUDOS, Thank Yous, Well Done, I for one would like to pass those along to a crew of exceptional volunteers. For 15 years the Lost Lake Run has been a success, this year, the 15th was no different.

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Race Photos