CICX - Central Illinois Cyclocross
Cyclocrossing in Central Illinois
Just got blocked on Twitter by Phil Gaimon for pointing out that hating dopers but having lifelong career dopers who would not have had a career otherwise as best buds is contradictory. Important to control the narrative in this age.
Dirty Mudd'r cancelled. Great ride. hope that it will be promptly rescheduled.
19/04/2017
Peoria native Chris Daggs coaching World Champion. Not CX but worth sharing.
05/04/2017
"Tilly takes an ice bath"
In 2006 I was taking my first steps in CX racing and following the scene. This Velonews report was the first time I ever heard the name Steve Tilford. Seems to sum up his character nicely.
05/04/2017
Probably my favorite ever Tilly story.
Nokere Koerse, Bel (1.1) Regrets? I saw on cyclingnews a couple days ago the Nokere Koerse results for this year. I have very few regrets in my years in the sport of cycling. There are too many moments that come and go during each …
RIP Steve Tilford. Devastating news. Steve was simply the best all-around bike rider to ever come out of the Midwest. 4 time US cyclocross champion. US and World MTB champ. Multiple masters champs. His lifelong love and enthusiasm for the sport was beyond compare. His insights and stories made his blog compulsive daily reading for all bike riders and animal lovers.
Condolences to partner Trudi and brother Kris; and all who got a vicarious thrill and joy from watching him race and reading about his adventures and thoughts.
I had the privilege of seeing Steve race dozens of times. I remember him talking up a storm in the pack at the Tour of St Genevieve and descending the high speed corners in the rain at Snake Alley faster than I thought possible. Many times I've seen him putting 2 minutes on his age group at CX nationals. My most abiding memories are of seeing him at Jingle Cross. Last time was in September when I stood next to Steve, Trudi and Tucker for a few minutes watching Wout destroy the field at the World cup.
I'm posting two personal videos of the first and last time I saw him race. The first is from Nov 2008 at Jingle where he gave us a show in how to descend a mudslide (2008-09 was the best time for cx racing IMO). The second video is from Jingle in 2015, not in the best of form but still enjoying racing at the highest level.
31/03/2017
Van der Poel expects to go the road in two years. No surprise there but I don't know if his knees will last that long. He's an exceptionally talented rider but I don't know where his niche will be on the road. He's more of an explosive rider than a big engine like Wout. Might not be big enough for PR/Flanders classics or have the endurance for stage racing. Maybe more of a Valverde/Dan Martin type rider. Amstel Gold and LBL would probably suit him. I think Wout is made for the road - will win a lot of prologues and be in the leading groups on PR/Flanders very quickly.
Van der Poel legt carrièreplanning uit: "Over twee jaar naar de weg" Mathieu van der Poel volgt de klassiekers op de voet. In Extra Time Koers geeft de veldrijder toe dat het begint te kriebelen.
One of the most enjoyable rides of the year. Zero elevation but plenty of wind. Almost 100% gravel. Rideable on 28 mm tires. Beer and spuds and good times at the finish. Highly recommended. The best of all that is Illinois.
08/02/2017
Trainer Van Aert: "Wout and Mathieu drive each other Kaputt"
I fully agree. WVA and VDP race with such all-out intensity - it's not sustainable. Sven was mid-late 20s before his body was repeatably able to take such efforts. VDP already had some serious knee problems - his joints are probably 12 years older than his age. Wout is destined for the road in a year or two if he's not broken by then. Both need to learn to choose their battles and race with more tactics and guile.
06/02/2017
Official crash video worldchampionship cyclocross Bieles (CARNAGE) all the falls of the world championships! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
30/01/2017
The story behind Michelin Mud 1s: In the late 90s, early 2000s the green Michelin mud clinchers were the only good mud tire available. Apart from the grip and fast rolling, the rubber had a very low surface energy and mud adhered poorly. Michelin discontinued them and after a few years introduced the black Mud 2s. These had good grip but the rubber wasn't so hydrophobic - didn't shed mud so well. Both tires were so good that many riders resorted to clinchers for muddy races or got Dugast or FMB to cut the treads off and glue them to tubular carcasses. The green michelins still go for for high prices on ebay - green is because a french engineer decided to add green dye for a little 'pop'. The tires that Wout was running are 15-18 years old. Probably never used because Dugast carcasses are famous for rotting after a season of use. The anti puncture properties and higher rolling resistance are probably more due to the rubber outgassing over the years and hardening than intrinsic properties of the rubber.
igortavella on Twitter “After victory should I auction those on ? Or you need some ? Anyway... amazing race guys... ”
30/01/2017
Lap times available here. Note that Wout was faster on every single lap except lap 1. Flats or no flats Wout would have won. Mathieu is a poor tactician - trying to out-Wout Wout on a hard course will not work.
Cyclo-cross - UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships Cyclo-cross: Events - UCI.ch
Day 2 Predictions:
M U23 Traditionally the top 8 places are exclusively dominated by Belgians and Dutch throwing elbows and shoulders. No one else gets a look in. Will expect Iserbyt, Hermans, Nieuwenhuis to the fore. This year the nontraditional opposition is strong - Toupalik will look to make up for his premature lap too early sprint of last year, Andreasson is super strong, Italian Bertolini and Frenchman Russo will also be in the mix. USA is sending its strongest ever U23 team - Haidet, White, Chance, Hecht are all worth top 20 but maybe only one - Hecht, has a shot at top 10.
1. Iserbyt 2. Nieuwenhuis 3. Andreasson 10. Hecht
M Elite: hard to see it not being a duel between Wout and Mathieu. Mathieu is punchier and a better bike handler, Wout has the biggest engine of all time and will try to motor away and drop Mathieu. If he doesn't Mathieu will beat him. Neither are good tactically. Meanwhile Tom Meuseen is the best and smartest handler in the race and is getting better each week. Kevin Pauwels has never put his nose in front in his life but is having a great season and getting stronger towards the end of each race. Van der Haar is ravenously hungry for a win but not yet fully fit for the all out war of a 70 minute cx race. Marcel Meisen will also be prominent and Lars Boom will try to storm his way to the front Styby-style in the first couple of laps and play a part. I'm calling Wout and Mathieu to wear themselves out, Meuseen to steal their lunch money. The course will suit Hyde and he will do well, All other US riders to get pulled early
1. Meuseen 2. Pauwels 3. Van der Haar 14. Hyde
Katie Update:
Mark Legg on Twitter “Early flat for then crash last lap bike broke the rear der. Thanks for all the support. We really appreciate it 👍”
Disc brakes: Juniors were dominated by cantis but almost zero ladies rode them. Would have expected that the weight difference would be worth it on such a course. Perhaps the hand strength advantage made the ladies so overwhelmingly favor discs. Will be interesting to see the choices tomorrow in U23 and M Elite.
Day 1 Predictions:
Junors: Pidcock is deserved favorite. No idea about the rest but expect a Czech rider to come out of nowhere to challenge a Belgian and a Frenchie for the podium. US is consistently producing a solid crop of junior riders but only Stephenson might see a top 10.
W U-23: Evie Richards is defending champ and won by a huge margin last year. Ellen Noble is World Cup champ. Emma White is improving with each race. Verdonschot is a little off the radar but pushed Sanne Cant to the limit in Belgian Champs. Worst is extremely strong.
1. Verdonschot 2. Richards 3. Noble. 8. White
W Elite: Vos is overwhelming favorite but seems to have had it just too easy since she returned to racing. Cant is the best overall rider but a long season takes its toll. Katie Compton is the strongest rider and functions best while not under pressure - this year will suit her, but the course might not be hard enough to use her power and she either didn't start/ or crashed in the last two world cups. Nash is the best bike handler and tactically the most savvy - a slippery course will suit her. Miller is also a great handler and will thrive in tricky conditions. Lechner is a good handler and strong rider. De Boer is a good all-rounder with a great sprint.
Terribly difficult race to call. Going out on a limb here for fun.
1. Nash 2. Compton 3. Vos 8. Miller 10. Antonneau
2017 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships schedule
(7 hour time difference to Central Time)
Saturday January 28
Men Junior: 11am (4 am CT)
Women Under-23: 1pm (6 am CT)
Women Elite: 3pm (8 am CT)
Sunday January 29
Men Under-23: 11am (4 am CT)
Men Elite: 3pm (8 am CT)
NBCSPORTS.COM will have excellent live streaming coverage. Other than that Cyclingfans.com or steephill.tv is your friend. Hola or Tunnelbear with Chrome works best for those live feeds.
26/01/2017
Weather in Luxembourg has made the course a frozen mess - necessitating reroutes. On such a speed-limited course advantage will be to lighter riders with good accelerations - Vos, Van der Poel. Won't be many places to put down any power. Weather is supposed to get a bit warmer at the weekend. Remains to be seen if the course will thaw significantly. Predicting results is very difficult in these conditions.
2017 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, Bieles - Day 1 Gallery - cyclephotos So, it’s here. The Cyclocross World Championships. The preview videos promised a vanilla course, and this is anything but. It’s all frozen and the final descent is super technical – and fun. The racing here will be really good, I can’t wait for it to kick off on Saturday morning! Also, if you haven’...
24/01/2017
Even though they can't spell his name, Tom Pidcock is the deserved favorite in the Jrs for Worlds.
24/01/2017
Worlds course under snow. Only a little precipitation in the next week. Will it turn into a muddy mess, dry out or freeze into a skating rink? Will have a huge influence on who wins. Wout and Katie if it's Mud. Mathieu and Marianne if it's dry. Tom Meeusen don't care..
Sven Nys verkent spectaculair besneeuwd WK-parcours met onze camera op zijn helm
22/01/2017
Like Father, Like Son. Belgian National Champ Thibau Nys on a roll!
14/01/2017
I've been watching Katie race since 2006, when she was racing and winning Mens Cat3 races. I've seen her when she lost too much weight, when she was at her strongest, when her form vanished, when she was most confident and when her confidence vanished. I've watched her race half a dozen times this season already. I can report that she's the strongest I've seen for several years, her weight is optimal, confidence is sky high and her handling skills are the best I've seen. With any kind of a technical or heavy course at Worlds she will be fighting for Gold.
There’s No Bad Luck for Katie Compton’s 13th National Cyclocross Title There were no rabbits feet or broken mirrors that could slow a motivated Katie Compton on her quest for her 13th National Cyclocross title.
14/01/2017
This is huge. As CX racing participation in Illinois has trebled over the past few years, the impact at a national level has decreased. Compare to Wisco which has been stable in numbers but consistently produces national champions and competitive elite and masters racers. While I don't see any improvement on the Mens side of things there has been a noticeable increase in competitiveness from the Ladies at Junior, Elite and Masters levels. The Ladies are changing things and this result places Illinois and ChicrossCup on the map. Congrats Sydney.
Sydney Guagliardo Conquers Her Tall Task in Women's Masters 35-39 2017 Cyclocross National Championships Sydney Guagliardo (Psimet) broke out to an unexpected lead and kept it all the way to the finish line for the Women's Masters 35-39 National Title.
09/12/2016
Make sure to turn up to holler and/or race at this Sunday's Miller Chill. Featuring all the fixins of a great cx course, including the beach (which should be ridable in these temps). Best of all is the organization and atmosphere provided by the Bloomington Cycles Team.
09/12/2016
Results - Heart of Illinois Cyclocross HICX Results
16/11/2016
Danielle Arman visited Miller Chill last year and took the win in the W Open and then smoked most of the guys in the M Open for a warmdown. She and Alex moved to cycling hotbed of Boulder, Colorado shortly after. Last week Dani took her first CO Elite win in the Feedback Cup in Golden - handily beating national champ Kristen Weber into 2nd. Congrats to Dani from all her downstate fans!
1:55pm - SW Open / MW40+ - Brent Murphy Photography Cycling and nature photography by Brent Murphy.
16/11/2016
My absolute favorite CX race in Illinois. Tough as nails course matched only by the hospitality and the atmosphere. This Saturday. Do not miss!
Course getting set up on a beautiful day.
16/11/2016
Jaarmarktcx Niel: Black Lab bandits the pro race and smokes the leaders on the run up.