"A Look Back"- Gina Hall 2004

Northern California racing has produced many outstanding fast women of the Cyclocross discipline. The names of female racers who blossomed from Nor-Cal competitions and went on to compete at the National & World Class level is quite extensive. Gina Hall is one of the greats from Nor-Cal and I have always respected her as a person and a tremendous racing talent...



Adverse conditions only highlighted Gina Hall's talent on two wheels.....
Perfect technique and form made Hall one of the fastest Nor-Cal racers of all time.....

Gina Hall was one of this regions pioneer athletes who used the sport of Cyclocross to demonstrate her tenacity, athletic ability, and mental fortitude during competition. In racing her Cross bike, Hall was able to show everyone that being fast is not about gender, but more about desire and pure fluidity when going at it on two wheels. Hall produced many over the top results, such as 2004 US Cyclocross Nationals- 2nd, 2004 US Grand Prix/Crank Brothers Series, Seattle, Washington- 1st, 2004 Bay Area Super Prestige CX- 1st, 2003 Bakal Holland- 1st, 2002 CX World Championships, Belgium- 13th, 2004 CX World Championships, Pont Chateau, Fr- 12th, 2004 CX World Cup, Nommay, Fr- 6th, 2004 CX World Championships, Pont Chateau, Fr- 12th. These results- and so many more- really show why Hall is one of the true legends of Nor-Cal Cyclocross.

I found this excellent interview with Hall from CyclingNews that really shows her knowledge of racing at a World Class level, and how difficult it is to live the dream of being a professional bicycle racer.

Here is the link- have a read, a quality report I would say......

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/riders/2004/interviews/?id=gina_hall04

Gina Hall can still be seen riding her bike in Northern California, mostly for fun & still putting the hammer down on anyone who tries to speed ahead of her elegant pedaling style.

Hall even showed up and took part in one the Central Coast Cyclocross races recently.

I have always admired Gina Hall the racer. She set the bar very high for other female athletes who today follow in her foot-steps and take on the challenge of racing ones bike Cyclocross style.

Nor-Cal Cross- "A Look Back"

The NCNCA region has produced outstanding racers in Cyclocross always. It is important to sometimes take "A Look Back" and remember the history of Nor-Cal Cross racing. I will randomly highlight the past exploits of NCNCA Cross racing. Here is a solid look at Robert "Buckwheat" Meighan from 1999...


If your going to where those colors on your racing kit, you better be fast....
"Buckwheat" backed it up with intense racing, just look at the determination on that face below~. Meighan has always been very skillful on a Cross Bike and the link to the story about his racing in 1999 makes for good reading....

I always like to take "A Look Back", and remember how the racing was 10 years ago- or maybe 20 years ago in Northern California Cyclocross. Our region has always had fast riders who demonstrated unbelievable talent on the race course. Nor-Cal has also boasted numerous riders who made a name for themselves while racing hard, having fun, and generally being a ambassador for the sport of Cyclocross. Over the many, many years I have raced my path has crossed, in one way or another, basically every racer from Nor-Cal. So it is my pleasure to highlight some of the riders who have raced for years and years. Some of the best racers of the past have retired, and some still compete. It is my pleasure to have "A Look Back" at how things were years ago, and share with you the history of NCNCA Cross.

In this version of "A Look Back", the year is 1999, exactly 10 years ago. I found a very cool article on one of Nor-Cal's fast men Robert "Buckwheat" Meighan. The article was from the Los Gatos Weekly Times and it was very well written. Here is the link...

http://www.svcn.com/archives/lgwt/06.07.00/cover-0023.html

The story talks of a racer, a father, and how there is a dream to race fast, race hard, and succeed at a high level. A very good story indeed~

Meighan continues to race Cyclocross, and in 2008 posted some excellent results including a stellar race win at the Bay Area Super Prestige Series race #2 in the Master 45+ A division.

Stay tuned, as there will be more reports coming of riders and people from the past who made their mark racing and promoting the sport of Cyclocross in Northern California.

National Championships 2009- West Coast Plays The Host

Justin Robinson, seen here winning the 2008 Elite N.C.N.C.A. Districts at Manzanita Park, has delivered "BIG" performances at past U.S.A. National Cyclocross Championships. The 2009 U.S.A. Nationals will have a West Coast flavor with Bend-Oregon
playing host. Nor-Cal Cross riders will have a impact at this race, this is guaranteed.....

The 2009 version of USA Cycling's National Cyclocross Championships is going to be huge. The West Coast will play host to U.S.A.'s most outstanding Cyclocross racers on Dec. 10-13. Bend-Oregon will be where the action unfolds and this city is not called Bike Town USA for nothing. The action will be non stop and you can plan on the weather to play a large role in the proceedings as December in the Northwest is always interesting for Cross racing.

Any racer looking to sign up, and get a proper starting grid position, really needs to keep an eye on the host web site. Just as a Road rider would watch for cross winds on a flat Tour de France stage, Cyclocross riders do not want to be caught out on missing sign up day for Nationals.

here is a good link to VisitBend.com, it is full of info for the National event.....

http://www.visitbend.com/Bend_Oregon_Activities_Recreation/National-Championships/Cyclo-cross/default.aspx

This page has all kinds of info for anyone planning on making the trip to Bend to contend in the events of spectate on the action.

Nor-Cal riders have made stellar performances at previous U.S.A. Cyclocross Championships, with many riders bringing home National titles or podium appearances.

2009 will no doubt be the same.

2009 Cross Schedule Taking Shape

Lance Armstrong sharpens his skills and form taking part in selected Cyclocross races. Nor-Cal's top Road riders Shelley Olds & Ben Jacques-Maynes have also developed their talent over the years racing Cyclocross in Northern California.

Nor-Cal Cyclocross racers should keep a eye on the NCNCA calender as the 2009 schedule begins to take shape. As in the past few years the LARPD Series will jump start the racing action in Livermore the first week of September. The CCCX Series opens with their back to back weekends of racing on September 20 & 27. The Sacramento Series will open up their racing action on September 27. ... These races, and others that will be run in September, build up anticipation for the BASP Series opener on October 4th at McLaren Park. Team Santa Cruz is planning on a expanded Series of races for 2009 with a planned opener date of October 11. Also in the Surf City/Santa Cruz region will be one of Nor-Cal's most popular events the Velo Bella Halloween race on October 31. The CXSR Series opens up on November 7th. Velo Promo will host their first Cross race of the year on November 15.

Luckily for Nor-Cal Cross racers there is racing action almost every weekend from September to the end of January, making Northern California one of the elite regions in the USA for producing standout Cyclocross talent.

See you at the races.....

NCNCA Cup Winners Crowned at Peak Season Race #2

It was a simply glorious day at the Watsonville Fairgrounds on Sunday, and most of Northern California's best racers were on-hand to contest the final event in the NCNCA Cup Series presented by Santa Cruz Bicycles.

Andy Jacques-Maynes (Specialized/Cal-Giant) returned from back East to school the Elite Men, along with brother Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) pushing a huge gear on his Single-Speed cross bike - though nobody could take the NCNCA Cup crown from Scott Chapin - who rode a solid race to ensure his overall victory. The Women's Elite race saw Karen Brems (Webcor) take her first victory in the series which vaulted her onto the overall NCNCA Cup podium, though Stell Carey hung tough just behind to ensure her own series victory. Bjorn Fox stomped out another emphatic victory in the Junior Men, as did Madeline Myall in the Junior Women - both Junior winners went on to win their respective series handily. Todd Hoefer was unstoppable in the Masters 35+ race, but nobody could wrest the NCNCA Cup overall lead from the stranglehold Alan Coates had on it.

See the Peak Season site for results on all the day's racing.

Here's a list of the 2008-2009 NCNCA Cup Winners:

Scott Chapin - Men A
Stella Carey - Women A
Bjorn Fox - Junior Men
Madeline Myall - Junior Women
Alan Coates - Master 35+ Men
Jill Fattor - Master 35+ Women
Cesar Chavez - Single Speed
Brett Lambert - Master 45+ Men
Sam Berg - B Men
Beth Welliver - B Women

Full NCNCA Cup results are available here.

All series winners went home with custom-embroidered "2008 NCNCA CUP Series Winner" messenger bags that were provided by Timbuk2...

Here are a few podium shots for the NCNCA Cup (contact me if you have some more):

Women A Podium

Men A Podium

Junior Men Podium

Single Speed Podium

Women 35+ Podium

Three Santa Cruz Stigmata cyclocross frames were raffled off as overall prize for the series, as well as a whole lot of other NCNCA Cup schwag, some CXMagazine subscriptions and magazines.

Many thanks to our sponsors, please support them:

NCNCA Cup Finale Sunday at the Fairgrounds!

Series Overall and Raffle Prizes Up For Grabs

The stage is set for this Sunday's NCNCA Cup Finals (a.k.a. Peak Season Cyclocross Series Race 2) and Raffle at the Watsonville Fairgrounds. The weather is looking absolutely perfect for a winter day in Nor-Cal, so bring out the family and make a day of it.

While a few of the categories are pretty much sewn up (methinks Alan and Stella just need to pin on their numbers), most are definitely not, especially when you drop one race from the results. Here are the current standings.

More details:

NCNCA Cup Series Overall

• Series overall winners will be tallied from the best 5 of 6 races in the series
• Riders must compete in the final race be eligible for the overall
• The final race will NOT be weighted (apologies for confusion)
  
• Awards will begin promptly after the last race
• Final Overall Standings will most likely NOT be available at the race - only the podiums will be tallied on the day of the event - Casey will probably tally these ASAP the following week
  

NCNCA Cup Raffle - You May Already Be A Winner!

Well, not really, but most likely you already have a handful of raffle tickets in your name. After registering for your race, come over to the NCNCA Cup table and present your race number, at which point you'll receive one raffle ticket for each series race you participated in on our tally sheet plus one for the current day...

• Every rider who raced in ANY race in the NCNCA Cup Series (including non-overall series events) will receive one raffle ticket for each race they participated in
• You must be present to be eligible
• You must come to the NCNCA Cup table to claim your tickets - if you don't, you forfeit your chances
  
• 3 Santa Cruz Stigmata frames are the grand prizes
• We'll also be raffle-ing off unsold NCNCA Cup glasses, socks, and t-shirts
• We might allow people to purchase raffle tickets but if we do, we'll price them somewhere in the $5-10 range (still working out) - because we are really focusing on participation as the main criteria for the raffle
• Raffle will immediately follow series overall award ceremonies
  

Hope to see you all out there!

Oh, and a big thanks to our sponsors:

Norcal Natz Wrap Up - Rachel 3rd in Elites, Andy and Sarah Strike Masters Gold Again

Congratulations to Rachel Lloyd (Cal Giant Strawberries) for scoring a Bronze medal in the Women's Elite race, as well as to Sarah Kerlin (HRS Rocklobster) and Andy Jacques-Maynes (Specialized/KMC/Cal Giant), who have each brought home Masters National Champion jerseys to their collections from the 2008 US National Cyclocross Championships in Kansas City. Rachel hung tough to finish within a minute of winner Katie Compton and just 10 seconds behind 2nd placed Georgia Gould. Jacques-Maynes (Masters Men 30-34) and Kerlin (Masters Women 35-39) each took commanding wins in their respective races. Also notable was Andy's 7th place behind winner Ryan Trebon in the Men's Elite race on Sunday.

Update: I just learned that SCCCC rider Ron Riley got bumped up to 1st in his category instead of 2nd as the results had listed.

Other Northern California Podiums (note: 5 Silver Medals!):

Cody Kaiser - 4th Junior Men 17-18
Josie Jacques-Maynes - 4th Master Women 30-34
Justin Robinson - 5th Master Men 30-34
Beverly Chaney - 2nd Master Women 45+
Mark Noble - 2nd Master Men 45-49
Henry Kramer - 2nd Master Men 50-54
John Elgart - 2nd Master Men 60+
Ron Riley - 1st Master Men 70+

Congratulations to you all!

Please stay tuned for more (hopefully first-hand) Natz recaps.

Here are some photos of Bay Area notables from Larry Rosa...

Rachel Rocks (photo: Larry Rosa Photography)

Sarah Scores (photo: Larry Rosa Photography)

John Elgart (photo: Larry Rosa Photography)

Josie Jacques-Maynes (photo: Larry Rosa Photography)

Cody Kaiser (photo: Larry Rosa Photography)

Beverly Chaney (photo: Larry Rosa Photography)

Andy Jacques-Maynes (photo: Larry Rosa Photography)

Ron Riley (photo: SCCCC Team Santa Cruz)

Full results are here.

Oh, and please let me know in the comments if I've left anyone out (and/or provide your own honorable mentions)...

Cheers,
-Funke