Bike Hugger 

Haven’t seen this before and wow! MGMatt, who uploaded the photo to Flickr, wrote about it

The back of the photo is stamped AGIP Robert Cohen. I think the year was 1965 or 1966. I purchased the photo at La Galcante in Paris.

Anquetil is one of the legends, and the first to win 5 Tours, but I didn’t know he raced Cross in the 60s.

Uploaded by MGMatt | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Photo: Lori Montoya Brazel

What’s that in the mud pit at #SSCXWC? A lost helmet maybe? A Cross racer lost a contact?

Nope, a dude mud snorkeling. Also the devil-horns being thrown.

That’s Steve “Cosmic” Miller, a surfer-like dude, Cross racer who has more fun out there than anyone. I’ve nicknamed him "Mikey," cause dude LIKES everything – that’s a cultural reference to an old-timey Life cereal commercial.

Racers just ahead, behind, and in between him are turning themselves inside out in a huge effort to place and he’s rolling through with a big smile.

Instead of riding a surf board though, this bro is on a race bike. His enthusiasm and the fun he has with it, is a good perspective. For me, racing Elites has been very hard, stressful, intense and it’s good to remember to have fun with the sport; especially, as the Season is coming to an end.

Cosmic is the opposite of a Suffer Face. In the Yin and Yang of racing he’s the light of a happy face. As it was told to me, Cosmic has been racing something his entire life, including motos with Bob “Hurricane” Hannah, the original Supercross superstar. He also used to freestyle jet skis with fireworks and is in the IJSBA Hall Of Fame.

While we were burying ourselves on the Seattle CX run up, racers like Captain Morgan were taking at mud bath at #sswcxc in San Francisco.

Via Cedar Cycling.

All quiet before the hurt parade arrives

It wasn’t that steep, muddy, or technical of a run up. It was the location in the Seattle CX course, after a bumpy off-camber turn and the spacing of the railroad tie barriers, that just shattered racers.

A Face Full of Twists and Turns

Haven’t seen so many Suffer Faces in one 9ft section of a course all year. It stole their form and it was anything goes to get it up it. At 2 and then 1 to go, racers we’re doing whatever it took to get up it. We saw heads collapsed on forearms as they carried, pushed, and dragged their bikes to the top.

Every breath you take, Every move you make, Every step you take

Tale of a Run Up

When asked about Cyclocross, I say, “the tales are on the run ups.” That’s the TT, the sprints finishes, or mountain tops of this sport. After 7 laps, run ups become a blurry obstacle on your way to the finish. It’s where you carry the bike like a burning urn between your forearms. Where you’ll excel or suck and likely discover something about yourself.

Like, how hard you can actually go and just how deep your reserves are.

Hard Fall

I took a break from getting my ass kicked in the Elites and raced Single Speed. Decided to roll the course and realized I made a bad choice in tires. After coming close and then falling hard on the pit turn, I phoned it in to the finish. I want to stay healthy with just a few races to go.

Molly Cameron made the beach section look easy in Kansai, Japan

Photo: Heidi Swift

while SSCXWC competitors qualified on a San Francisco Beach.

Photo: Jenny Oh Hatfield!

To win the grand prize at the MFG Cross Awards Party, it was a game of musical chairs.

Series winners with Terry and Zac announcing them

The 1st finishers in each category grabbed the chairs while the 2nd place finishers watched. Then they both got to go up to the schwag table.

The Hodala cheer was heard even in this game

Eye on the empty chair

It was the most competitive game of musical chairs I’ve seen (or remember from Kindergarten).

Cosmic Miller gets his butt on the seat fast

Henry Geary was on last chair and won a this Raleigh Cross bike.

Carbon Cross bike from Raleigh

More photos on G+ and Flickr.

There was a time, not so long ago, when wives and girlfriends at Cross races waited in the car or team tent, cold, bitter, and anxious to do something else. Now look at the women in these photos.

Ready

Nona Varnado wrote today on the Bird Wheel about how women didn’t get the memo that cycling is a man’s sport.

Set

These women didn’t get that memo either and if they did, they ignored it.

Race!

Then worked on their skills over the barriers and hitting the run ups at full effort.

Nona argues that

In cities and towns all over North America (hello Canada!) women are making major waves in cycling – but it doesn’t look the same as what the boys have done. Women are making cycling an everyday, civic and style minded affair to integrate into the everyday as something that’s non-competitive and… fun.

Cycle Chic? Non-competitive and… fun? Sure in jeans, converse, a stylish helmet, and dropping the men in the Cat 4 field.

Showed up in plain clothes and dropped the men around her

When you talk women, cycling, and evangelize #girlbikegangs, include the women who ride to work and race on the weekends.

I’ll argue that those women are doing more for the cause than checking fashion blogs, to see if their shoes match their bike and in the right color of the season.

Earlier this year, posted on Pelostache v. Cross Chops and featured a member of the Team SLK crew. Soft Like Kitten is a fav team of mine, for their kit, soft brand, and bromance-inducing good looks. AND! their motto is

… Anathema to the jock-tastic bro racers and their “HTFU”s. To be Soft Like Kitten is to “ruin the race for everyone.” To be Soft Like Kitten is to get out to a race and pedal your ass off without being too cool for school.

@positronicshell just announced their caps are on sale.

Suggest you get yours and soften the fuck up.

A few photos say everything about Deschutes River CX in Tumwater, Wa. Her face

Someone get her a towel and a blanket, quick

this single speed

Red chain

and mud bog

Best to ride into a bog like this with confidence