ThNR Report

James, Steve, Albert, Tom, David, Shaun, Duke, Curt and I enjoyed a nice night ride.  The pace was set and before we knew it, 2 had dropped off (aka won the race to the clubhouse), then another, then another.  The final group looked small but we were enjoying the pace.  We joined the "winners" at Grumpy's where the minutes included: sweeping gravel driveways, XS jacket - Albert, XL bike - Albert, Go ABS, Shaun is using vapor technology and has reduced his cigarette intake by 15 packs in the last 35 days (incredible), Curt gets an unintentional nut-shot after retuning from his medical leave, Paul jogged in - even his tights aren't tight, randy to run?, Southern Cross bunny hop hill hell, cortisone v chicken fat, I'm lesbian pants, low pain threshold/high awkward threshold, Grand Fondo rides, shitty awesome Lorne, happy Filipinos, Steve took a grenade for the team, DSwat has race number 53 - Herpie the love bug, Grad 88 related car auction bids, and "I will get laid tonight - even if i have to do it myself!".  Good times.  JS

Friends ARE friends forever

Barn Raising Request - The Southern Cross course set-up will start Saturday morning at 9:00  Bring a big hammer (or hatchet with a flat end), work gloves, elbow grease, and patience.  We'll be able to set up a lot of the course but I could use some additional help Sunday morning as well.  The more the merrier.  If you still don't have a job for Sunday, let me know and I'll find a way to make you helpful.  Thanks.

Southern Cross Press

I’m trying to get the word out.  Tell your friends.  Cyclocross racing is for everybody; roadies, MTB’ers, young, old, svelt and clydesdales.  This is never more true than when a race is open to non-MCA licensed riders – like friendly Southern Cross!  If you’ve ever thought about giving it a sniff – come on out to Altona to experience some southern hospitality.  Racing is free for kids with a food donation to our local food bank!  Adults are encouraged to bring a tin for the bin too.

 

Southern Cross in the local paper

http://www.altonaecho.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=3326951

 

Cute Kate Sawatsky poses in front of some local SC advertising.
I guarantee Kate to finish in the top 20 for pushbikes.

 

I’m also being interviewed by local radio morning man Al Friesen on CFAM.  Once you’ve hear the local funeral announcements, you might hear me stammer and babble about the goodness of Southern Cross.  Thanks Al!

 

The Thursday Night Ride is on - 9:00 at my place.  We’ll ride and try to find a way to quench our thirst from the salty popcorn at the clubhouse.  JS

Southern Cross is brought to you by...

The town of Altona has given us permission to use their beautiful park and have provided some stakes, cones, as well as mowing, trimming and their general blessing.  Mayor Mel Klassen has once again agreed to barbecue the farmer sausage.  Sweet!

These two hosers (Bruce Penner and Curt Falk TOEWS!) are the brains behind Back Alley Cycle.  They kicked in some cash to ensure ANYBODY could race.  Thanks brothers!

Bunge likes bikes.  They support the Head for the Hills bike fundraiser for Eden and have kicked in cash and prizes ensuring everybody can have a safe and enjoyable race. 

Altona's sausage czar, Scott Penner delivers all the fresh sausage anyone could want.  It's so good.  They will once again provide all the hot meat we need.  They are also featured on the back of the ABES jersey. See you at the races Scott?

Access Credit Union sponsors local goodness including Southern Cross and we loving it!

We are lucky to have all the support that we do.  I appreciate what we have.

Tonights Cross Lab was good fun.  Thanks to all that came.  JS 

Food for thought graffiti

And then Johnny's dream bike...

More Southern Cross Shwag

The Altona Farm Service is a unique store.  Not only do they stock A LOT of anything you could possibly need, and close their store for lunch (what business does that?!), they also support Southern Cross.  This year they donated a sweeet Brooks Saddle to be used as a draw prize at the SC post race festivities at the Altona Curling Club.  Nice.

Team Pro Honey Copper

I've wanted one of these for a long time

It has been decided by my boss that there will be a Cross Lab at the park on Wednesday from 6:15 - 7:15.  Everybody is welcome.  See ya'll at cross central.  JS

Southern Cross Plates

Shaun Dyck has worked his magic and has produced these plates for some of the winners at Southern Cross.  "Clydesdales" winners can expect to win either a plate, or butter dish, and a LARGE glass of beer, a double link of Pioneer Meat farmer sausage and a bag of homemade verenikja (mennonite perogies).  Good times.  Attaboy Shaun!

The Southern Cross Pact

Julia, Tom, Myron and James make a pact to race Southern Cross in 2011

These souls watched the races at Southern Cross last year.  They liked watching but they were left wanting.  They decided right then at the top of the hill during the B race to make a pact (see photo) to race next year and get in on the action.   That is awesome.  I encourage everybody to take their brave lead and leave your doubts at the door (or on the couch) and take a sip of the Southern Cross juice.  People will even cheer for you!  Is it challenging?  Yes it is.  That's why you'll feel so good about yourself when you try it instead of thinking maybe you should.  

Want to pre-ride the course?  Meet at the park Monday at 1:00 and see what you'll be getting yourself into.  JS

ThNR Report

James, Shaun, Gavin, Steven, Duke, Derrick, W, David, Tom, Albert and I spun around town, and rode a couple of laps of the Southern Cross course.  Tom was looking fine riding his new 29’er.  David had groomed the trails and they look better than ever.  Once somebody said beer? there was no unringing the bell and we headed back to the clubhouse.  Steve joined us and minutes included: SC volunteers, Yankees lose, crushed Mexican beetles, bison varieties - “I was close enough that I could smell the buffalo”, ugly families, Paul B sauntered through, stupid funny movies, bright bike lights, the NHL is on, the billion dollar bribe, dominated v domi-cheated, cheeze whiz and Rogers golden syrup on toast, W wants to pare down his bike fleet so he can buy more bikes, Fargo waffles - again, the Southern Cross Pact, Joeeeey, Gin and Trombones,  iSad, the Jets and “Jump” by Van Halen, reasons why Myron hates “Dtwat” and Johnny loves David and Teemu.  Good times.     

Tom's new ride

The nicest and fastest bike James has ever owned

Great bike, great guy!

Jonny “Guy Smiley” G and I are planning on riding the trails at Lake Minnewasta on Saturday.  Feel free to join us – we are planning on leaving at 1’ish.  Post a comment or call if you’d like to join us.  JS

Wednesday X Lab & Thursday Night Ride

Wednesday night - I spoke too soon - I can't make the cross lab but David did mow the tall grass at the park so we can ride the course anytime.  Sweet.  Here is a map of the course - it's as tech-savvy as I get.  Pathetic.

Thursday Night Ride - we'll return to our 9:00 start time.  It makes sense.  I'll see you mo-fo's then.

Menno Cross Report

Menno Cross was good fun - especially when you finally finished your race.  It was a fun, flowing course with a couple of trips up the bunker.  Albert, Gavin, Steven, James, Cheryl, Mia, Kate and I raced at CMU and families were in tow to cheer us on.  Gavin looked very strong taking 2nd in the Open, Steven took 6th and James fulfilled his personal goal and did not finish DFL - he also had a wipeout and the sweetest long skid to cross the finish line.  Cheryl was 5th women in C and Albert was mid-pack.  Mia did great and worked hard to ride two laps, Kate had a big fall going down a hill but still finished the lap with her hair in her eyes and a smile on her face.  I finished 5th!?  Craig Penner race out of his mind to win the A race.  Highlights: faspa, a bouncy castle and childcare, great summer weather, biking with my family and friends, and a BBQ supper.  Thanks FGBC.  Results here.  Good Times.  JS

ThNR Report

Gavin, Steve, James, Giles, Steven, David, Shaun, Chaz, and I were ready to ride and race.  David was in one of his moods so there was no racing.  That’s too bad, it was a good month of races.  We toured the town, Giles had bike issues, we rode the Southern Cross course in the dark, and found our way to the clubhouse where were were joined by Duke.  The minutes included: roller racing at Grumpy’s, the Bombers are hurting, Dark Cross stories were revisited, Go Jets Go, white-washing the Van Gogh for movie night, fancy gadgets = look at my shit, Shaun is keeping stats and decreasing his cigarette totals while his bacon consumption remains steady, the joy of cyclocross, short court action, chickens in the basement, oil fires at the dump, rugby hurts, great woman and Ahole husbands, pool parties and white bikinis circa 1985, a lawnmower as a mothers day gift, Rosenort Credit Union in Altona, Menno Cross attendees include: James/Sandra, Steven/kids/Sandra?, Gavin/Nelson, Johnny/Cheryl/Mia/Kate, Albert, Douce Bag/Marguerite?, Cross labs in Altona – Wednesdays at the park – 6:30 – 7:30 – bring the family/spread the word, and the Altona Farm Service donated a sweet Brookes saddle that we will raffle off at Southern Cross.  Good times.  JS


No pictures this week but Thomas did submit this...

Good times keep on rolling in Rocktona - thanks Thomas

GRAND PRIX FINALE

Thursday at 8 PM we'll wrap up the Grand Prix.  It was brought to my attention that some ABES are a little tired of racing.  Noted.  So Thursday we;ll ride around a bit and cap off the racing with some decidedly non-racy races.  Knockdown and slow race.  And then a little more cruisi8ng.  Back to normal.  Only one rule...no fixies!

So come on out for some fun while we still have this gorgeous weather to ride in!

Citius, Altius, Fortius Report

David came up with a trilogy of bike skill races with the Olympic theme Higher, Stronger, Faster to add to the September Grand Prix.  The first time trial started at the West side of the hill.  Riders went up and down the hill, over the bridge, then up the hill and down to the finish.  The recent rain left the trail slightly sticky and a metal pole sent Gavin flying over his bars in the dark. 

Results:

Johnny – 1:19.3

Charles – 1:25.5

Steve – 1:26.0

Gavin – 1:26.6

Craig – 1:30.2

Albert – 1:41.1

James – 1:41.9

David – 1:49.3

Shaun – 1:45.6

Tom – 1:53.1

Paul – 2:20.5

The strongman competition saw riders drag a cross country ski groomer weighted down with cinder blocks a designated distance.  After each round another brick was added.  This event saw the powerful clydesdales excell.  Tom took the win beating Steve by a foot.  Shaun, James and Giles made three successful pulls to round out the best of the best.  Gavin made round one look easy but decided to take my bad advice and attempted to catwalk over the finish line – he ended up on his back and about 2 feet short.  Oops.  Steve had the best successful wild-ride as he needed to double back and under the groomer before he finally crossed the line.  Nicely done.

The parking lot time trial sprints saw Gavin and Craig tie for first.  They needed a second run to determine the winner; Gavin squeeked out the win to take the gold.  Charles dropped a chain but showed true grit by running the final stretch, much to the delight of the crowd.

Results:

Gavin – 31.1 – 31.4

Craig – 31.1 – 31.5

Johnny – 32.00

Steve – 32.6

Giles - 32.6

Tom – 33.6

David – 34.1

Albert – 34.2

Shaun – 34.4

James – 35.2

Charles – 45.4

When the final results were tabulated, it was Steve that took the title.  It’s about time - well done Steve!  It must have been his bike choice – mountain bike with a skinny tire in the front and a fatty in the back.  Interesting.  Bruiser is more saavy than we realize.  Giles would have finished higher if he had particiapted in the hill climb (punctuality counts) and Gavin had too much mustard on his hot-dog to find the podium. 

Stage 4 results:

Steve – 60 points

Johnny – 59

Craig – 52

Gavin – 49

Tom – 45

Giles – 43

Charles – 41

James – 38

Albert – 38

Shaun – 36

David – 25

Paul - 16

We were joined at the clubhouse by Duke and Paul B.  The tunes were dialed in to perfection, beef jerky was supplied by Charles and Giles, free popcorn was supplied as usual and the minutes included: Dark Cross stories, the Southern Cross Clydesdales – it was agreed that a female clydesdale class might be a bad idea, deer jerkey season, Turkish delight massage, DVBS/eating glue for Jesus, “Balanced” cigarettes, soy milk steamer with cinnammon sprinkles = super gay, Craigs sweet new cross bike and another bike club blog – MOFOs  (great name).  He said ABES has inspired a handful of fat bikers to start a blog.  I’m not sure if it was because we ride bike and have fun or if its for heavier reasons.  Don’t ask, don’t tell works for me in this case.  Next week will be the Grand Prix Finale.  David has some fun races planned - Lower, Weaker, Slower – or something like that.  Good times.  JS

Faster, Higher, Stronger?

Citius, Altius, Fortius

For those of you who don't speak Latin (i.e. anyone other than the Slim Slammer Jimmy Hamm) this translates to Faster, Higher, Stronger and its the name of stage 4 in the ABES Grand Prix. It also happens to be the slogan of a little known event called THE OLYMPICS. Which is fitting since winning this stage will take a near Herculean effort. The tests you ask? Well, in order to not have an unfair advantage I'll say this: expect to sprint (faster), expect to climb (higher), and expect to pull (stronger). So choose your steed and hoof said steed appropriately. One might not be good for the next. And by the way, only one ride per rider. No changing of steeds or hooves. That said, scroll down and check out the Darkcross pics and scan the interwebs for any other tasty tidbits. It was a gooder.

Dark Cross Report

Highlights:
- Sweet Cheryl Koop was the second woman in her race
- Fellow ABES racing: David, Steven, Steve, Bruce, DB, Albert, Brian (?), Cheryl, Mia, other Altonians: Franklin and Bethany and past Altonan - Sierra. Ben - where were you? - Music, both live and DJ'd kept the vibe alive
- The run-up through the grandstand with the flashbulbs, cowbells and screaming fans was the best!
- Drinking Pilsner and "encouraging" racers to try their best
- Racing in a field of 68 riders under the bright lights, tiki-torches, and Christmas lights at a race track!

Thanks to the organizers who dreamed big and made it happen, the volunteers who did so much, and all the racers and fans for cheering everybody on. It all added up to an incredible night.

Parks and Rec-Tacular Alleycat Report

David likes organizing good alleycats and this one featured a twist. A set of questions racers discovered during the race had us scrambling through the park to find more answers. It was the race within the race, unless you’re the Duker and you can’t find the questions. Oh well, he still managed a top 10 finish. Chris had his headlamp fall apart on him and left him scrambling hopelessly in the dark which added up to 55 minutes in penalties, Steve was the only racer to run a penalty free race (even though he fell twice) and Gavins honosty dropped him from 2nd to 3rd. One mystery park clue/red herring later and we were all back at the clubhouse – eventually; we were rounding up a search party, but Giles finally returned. The 10 minute penalty per mistake, and 5 minute penalty on the race within the race made reading comprehension skills an asset, something that is not usually my forte. It must have been the ALL CAPS directions that gave me my focus to hold on for the win. Final results: 1 - Johnny – 41:50 + 5 = 46:50 2 – Steve – 50:00 + 0 = 50:00 3 - Gavin – 45:22 + 10 = 55:22 4 – Shaun – 53:24 + 20 + 1:13:24 5 – Mike – 55:51 + 30 = 1:25:51 6 – Albert – 57:03 + 30 = 1:27:03 7 – Tom – 1:05:03 +25 = 1:30:03 8 – Giles – 1:24:55 + 15 = 1:39:55 9 – Chris – 50:51 + 55 = 1:45:51 10 – Myron – DNFind DB, Franklin, Curt and James joined us at the clubhouse where the minutes included: stop sign laws etc., being cheap vs visionary, my new bike light, complaining (DB) vs noting, the Shaun-Dyck wrap vs the Shaun Dyck-wrap, Jets tickets, wheelchair backflips, Craig Doell gained 20 pounds in 2 days, the hour of power – 1 oz of beer every minute, Steve is the leading contender for ABE of the year, David has a new cross bike, Athena Bike Club runs stop-signs, and the problem of crooked nuts. Good times. Party people - see you at Dark Cross this Saturday. Sorry about the messed up layout - I'm having computer (read: personal) issues. JS

ABES Grand Prix rcae #3: The Parks and Rec-Tacular Alleycat

This Thursday starting at 8 PM sharp you're all invited to the third leg of the ABES Grand Prix. Just a few notes...bring a pen and a light. You'll need them. Unless you have an amazing memory and the night vision of a puma. That would be so cool. I hope one of us does. See you all Thursday night at Johnny's.

New Bike New Club

Cheryl is pumped that she got a cross bike.

She is also pumped that she can ride it in Altona's newest bike club. I hope this town is big enough for two bike gangs. It could get ugly. I'm in no shape to rumble and if we have a dance-off, we're screwed. JS

Mudfest Cross Report

The first cross race of the season was great.  OCC does a lot for the MCA and sharing their love with the St. Adolphe Mudfest was the perfect fit.  The conditions were hot and dry.  I felt like I was making glue in my mouth during the race.  The course had soft dirt sections, with little time to rest and featured a crowd pleasing mud pit option.  It was soon apparent that the fastest way to go was through the mud - it was also the perfect opportunity to baptize my new shoes.  I was joined at the race by fellow ABE'ers DB and Albert as well as family racers Cheryl and Mia.  DB was slowly gaining on me and I was definitely running scared but at some point in the final lap his front tire washed out and sent him flying.  Cheryl finished 2nd woman in C (now called cat 4/5 (category 4 and 5) and is definitely looking forward to her new cross bike for Dark Cross next week.  Mia had fun racing, cheering and playing with her friends in the sand and mud. Highlights included: two EPIC mud pit crashes, cheering/jeering the A racers, finishing the race.  Lowlight for Jonny G - noticing he had a flat tire moments before the start of the race.  Tough luck brother.  Dark cross will treat you better.

I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE everybody to race or at least watch Dark Cross next week.  It could be the best MCA race Manitoba has ever put on.  Seriously.   JS