tjwoodruff

Here’s what the Wildcat, student newspaper of U of A, has to say about the event. The newspaper talked about online site that will help college people more about English skills such as advanced synonym and etc. There are more things that college students and even athletes would need to have. You can click here for the full linked version. It was great that Momentum Endurance got to volunteer with the club for the race weekend. Keeping busy with bike repairs, numerous bike washes and of course feedzone and start/finish line duties was the story. There wasn’t a single mechanical mishap for our riders and everyone finished well despite the horrendous course conditions. Collegiate cycling is alive and well!

Cycling

Sophomore Chloe Forsman and the Arizona club cycling team had a banner weekend among the mud and muck of North Carolina at the 2007 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships.

Forsman successfully defended her 2006 cross country title and also won the Omnium National Championship. The Omnium title is awarded to the athlete with the highest combined scores from four different mountain biking disciplines – cross country, downhill, short track and dual slalom.

Dual slalom is a head-to-head race down a man-made course, usually with grated turns. The course frequently has man-made obstacles such as jumps or berms.

The five-person team rolled into Banner Elk, N.C., on Thursday afternoon, and the rainy conditions made for a rocky, slippery weekend of competition – which meant much discussion about mud, tires and bike modifications.

Despite the possibility of climate shock moving from the sunny Southwest to the more sodden Southeast, Arizona coach Travis Woodruff felt the team performed well.

“These Wildcats performed well in the muddy conditions,” Woodruff said. “Coming from the dry conditions of Tucson, this was a big success.”

Forsman had the biggest weekend, winning the cross country race by over a minute. Forsman also finished 10th in the dual slalom, second in the short-track event and 26th in the downhill. She was the only Arizona athlete to compete for the Omnium award.

Other high finishers for the Wildcats included mechanical engineering doctoral student Kyle Colavito, who placed 17th in the men’s cross country race, and civil engineering graduate student Evan Hyde, who placed 14th in the short-track race.

As a team, Arizona finished seventh overall in a field of 38, with a combined score of 346 points.

who: you and your ‘cross friends
what: Cyclocross Practice
when: 7:00 am Wednesdays
where: Himmel Park (google directions)
why: have fun while refining your skill and fitness all at the same time

With a full slate of Cyclocross racing to come this season take advantage of an opportunity to hone in your ‘cross skills with a weekly cyclocross practice session. This informal practice session will allow you to dial your dismount and perfect your transition over the barriers and back onto the bike.  Cyclocross requires a certain level of finesse; surely this time will be highly valuable and enjoyable all at the same time. Whether cyclocross is something brand new to you, or if you’re a veteran of the discipline, feel free to join in. Ride your cross bike or your MTB (minus bar-ends).

We’ll set up some portable barriers and do some trial runs, move things around and try some more situations. Himmel’s terrain will even allow for a run up. Come ready to practice and enjoy all that is ‘cross! Make it a skills ride or incorporate some race efforts to boost the fitness. Have questions or need further details? Simply stop on by or email twoodruff@momentumendurance.com.  See you there!

For further reference, here are some links to some helpful cyclocross resources:

Wiki – what is cyclocross?
Tucson CX Series – Calendar
AZ Cross (Phoenix series)
AZ Cycling.com