The Rutgers-Raleigh Clinic Gets a Cyclocross Magazine Shoutout!

From drizzling rain, to slippery fields, the Rutgers-Raleigh Clinic went off this past weekend without a hitch. Attendees covered the essential skills needed during a cross race, a great BBQ, and some great prizes from our sponsor over at Efingers Sporting Goods to lots of smiling, albeit muddy, faces too. Check out the link below!

Rutgers-Raleigh Clinic Coverage!

2011 Rutgers-Raleigh Cyclocross Clinic Announced! Register Now!

Rutgers University-Raleigh Cycling Team is proud to present a cyclocross skills clinic at the Livingston Campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ.

Whether you've heard about cyclocross and wanted to give it a try, or you've done a few races and want to learn the techniques, or you're an experienced racer looking to further polish your skills, this clinic will provide a great head start to your 2011 cyclocross season.

Topics Covered:

Safety

Equipment

Bike Fit

Wheel/tire Selection

Tire Pressure

Race Start Technique

First Lap Tips

Cornering & Proper Breaking

Dismounting

Portaging/Shouldering

Remounting

Training Theory

Race Day Prep

Race Ethics

Off Camber Riding

Bike Changes

Last Lap Tactics

Registration:

For USAC/riders not currently on a NCCA-recognized collegiate team, the fee is $30/day and $50 for the weekend. A valid USAC license is required; one-day licenses will be available for an additional $5.

For collegiate riders, the fee is $20/day and $30 for the weekend. A valid NCCA license is required; one-day licenses will be available for an additional $5.

We invite all participants for an 8:00 PM BBQ on Saturday August 6th!

Head over to BIKEREG.com to find out more and register!

A letter to my teammates

As the semester comes to an end, it’s hitting me more and more that after this, I won’t be a part of Rutgers Cycling anymore.  So, with that in mind, I wanted to say a few thank yous and goodbyes.  I’m not going anywhere far away, and I know I’ll see a lot of you often- especially during cyclocross season, but I’ll have on a different kit, and that makes me kind of sad.  

  

When I first joined the team, as Chris or Rich can tell you, I went on a first bridge ride with them, almost passed out at the turning point from cold (turns out sweatshirts are not quite warm enough for 10 degree days) and Chris literally had to put his booties onto my feet for me so I could survive the ride home.  I’m sure at that point, he was thinking that I wouldn’t last a week on the team. 

But then, I started riding more, got proper cold weather gear, and fell in love with the sport and with the team.  I quickly realized that the team wasn’t just a few guys who I would see on race days: you were my new friends.  My first season racing Intros (until Karina and I got bored and upgraded to Bs) wasn’t exactly stellar, but I had an amazing time.  Racing bikes was way more fun than triathlon, for the express reason that I had awesome teammates to hang out with before and after every race.

Then…cyclocross happened.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I got bullied into racing, but it quickly turned into something more.  I had no intention of keeping it up, but then I realized that without actually being good at cyclocross AT ALL, I was still winning the Women’s B’s, and bringing in more points than most of the guys.  Thank you, lack of women in the sport!  So, I stuck with it, and fell in love with it, despite still sucking.  I also realized just how “punk rock” Rutgers Cycling is, compared to the other colleges, and I loved it even more. 

My second road season- thanks to a season of cyclocross to improve my handling skills- was much better than the first, in a drastic way.  Suddenly, the A and B women’s fields were combined, and I was staying with the top few A riders.  It hit me: I didn’t suck at this!

 

Cyclocross this last season was inarguably the high point of my life.  Sitting in the hotel room at Nationals watching the video that Will had put together of all of us made me realize just how much I had gotten from this team, and I actually cried from watching it, I was so happy to be part of this.

You have all been amazing and wonderful, and I will miss defining myself as a Rutgers Cycling racer, because that’s the identity I am most proud of.  This team is part of my heart, and has changed my life in so many ways.  It makes me so sad to realize that so many of us are leaving after this semester, and while I know we’ll remain friends, it hurts to think that we won’t see each other almost every day, or spend weekends cramped into one hotel room together, laughing hysterically about silly stuff.  I mean, this is the team where not one, not two, but five of us have matching cowbell tattoos.  I don’t know of any other team that can boast about that.  Almost all of the defining moments in my life in recent years can be traced back to this team, and there isn’t a thing that I would change about it.

A few specific thank yous I wanted to say:

Mark/Mama Bear: words cannot begin to describe how grateful I am for everything that you did for the team, and for me. On a cycling level, you’re the one who finally managed to teach me how to remount, which I could have sworn I would never do.  I can honestly say that you taught me pretty much everything I know about racing bikes, cx in particular.  And on a personal level, you have been there for me so much in the past two years, and I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss you when you’re in Texas.

Charlie, Pat, and Matt: I love you guys, plain and simple.  Cyclocross wouldn’t be the same without you, and I can say without any exaggeration that Nationals was the most fun 4 days of my life.  There’s so much more I want to say, but I don’t have that kind of eloquence/space in this email, so I’ll leave it at that.  You mean everything to me.

Karina, Gina, and Gabby: thank you for being women!  Seriously, having you on the team has been awesome.  The women on this team are nothing short of amazing, and I don’t think I’ll ever find a team with a more fun group.  (Also, Karina and Gina, thanks for being part of our awesome TTT team in Philly last year.  We kicked ass.)

Don: thank you for every single pre-race speech about how I “have the fitness” and am “better than all these girls.”  And for teaching me how to corner when I first started racing.

Blake: you were the reason I got into triathlon to begin with, and when I was just a freshman, you introduced me to cyclocross (though I didn’t realize how I would come to love/live it at the time).  And, more importantly, without you, I never would have known about the Rutgers Cycling team.  So, thank you.

Thanks to Will, Marcos, David, Andy, George, Nick, Eugene, Adam, Chris, Rich, and everyone else: I could go on all day with how much everyone has meant to me.

You all have been my family for the past three years, and I have loved every second I have spent with all of you.  There is no team I would rather be on, and the time I’ve spent with you has been unforgettable. So, thank you all.

I’ll end on a note that most of you will appreciate: with a quote from Adam Myerson that Mark had sent out to the team a couple years ago.

“Do you love racing your bike? Is this team the gang you want to be a part of, to throw down with, to stand side by side with?”

Yes.

Good Luck to everyone graduating, and to everyone staying: I'm expecting great things from all of you next year! 

Love,
Molly

Road Season is Almost Upon Us!

I'm not sure how it happened, exactly, but it did: road season is officially less than 2 weeks away.  With road season almost here, Rutgers is in full prep mode (or panic mode, depending on which member you talk to).  This year, we're hosting our traditional season opener with only 1 race run the same as last year.  It's been a year of change, and we've said goodbye to some members, and hello to a few new racers- from Intro on up- for this coming season. 

The team is in a transitional phase as a lot of the seniors prepare to graduate, and the younger members prepare to step up to take on leadership roles for the team.  It's going to be an interesting shift!  Of course, our younger members are 100% up to the challenge of running the team, maintaining Rutgers Cycling's "punk rock cred," dominating in CX, and running a fantastic road race.

But we still have months before graduation!  In the meantime, new and old racers are preparing mentally and physically for the Rutgers Season Opener in just 2 weeks.  We've been hitting the roads on any clear non-snowy day, and Sunday Centuries are back and more crowded than ever, despite the crazy winter weather that we've been hit with.  And when the snow kept up shut up indoors, we turned to team trainer rides for motivation.

The team has also been hitting the gym for a team training session with an awesome personal trainer who has tailored our workout to make us the best cyclists that we can be.  (I admit, I may have gotten a little miffed when she suggested that I use the "girl weights," but after watching me do more pull ups than most of our guys, she reformed her opinion about me.)

After such a successful cyclocross season, it's going to be hard to top our Fall efforts.  Between the excellent race results, the trip to Nationals, and all the fun non-race moments during cyclocross, it's pretty much going to be impossible to top it, but we'll definitely try to match it with road season this year.  It's a last hurrah for a lot of us, so we're going to make it count!

See you all in a couple of weeks!

A Rutgers Cyclocross Retrospective

Just in time for US Cyclocross Nationals...

A Rutgers Cyclocross Retrospective from Rutgers Cycling on Vimeo.

Huge thanks to Will for putting this together

Heading to CX Nationals! (and ECCC CX Win!)

This Thursday, Oregon is getting invaded by Rutgers CX!  Pat Bradley, Charles Thompson, Matt Bathe and Molly Hurford will all be representing Rutgers Cycling at CX Nationals in Bend, OR.  After a long season, including a hefty preseason, it's all come down to this one weekend, and we're all crazy excited. 

More on that later, but for now, we're celebrating our 5th year in a row winning the ECCC CX conference:



We had a ton of individual podiums too, including Pat Bradley winning the A Men field, Charles Thompson winning the B field,  and Molly Hurford winning the B Women field and placing 2nd in the A Women field.  More podiums will be announced later after some final tallying on the part of the awesome MIT crew.

This past weekend, a horde of Rutgers cyclists landed in Warwick, RI for NBX, the final race in the Verge series.  Pat Bradley started the weekend off nicely with a 13th place in the Elite Men's race, and with 9 Rutgers racers in total, the collegiate field was intense.

Sunday saw our final fight to maintain CX dominance, and I (Molly) managed to secure a third place spot in the 3/4 Women's race, making it my first (and very exciting) big series podium. 

We'll be keeping in touch as we get ready to race at Nationals, I can't wait!!

Last Chance for Alumni to Order Jerseys!

The deadline for our jersey order is October 1, so this is last call for alumni and supporters of Rutgers Cycling to order jerseys! The jerseys look fantastic, so make sure to get your order in!

Find the order form here on BikeReg.com.

Thanks for the support!

Rutgers-Raleigh p/b Kim's Bike Shop 2010 Race Schedule

Hot off the presses, the team has confirmed its 2010 cyclocross schedule! If you are in the area, come out and cheer the team on.

The team will be focusing on the Mid-Atlantic Championship Series and the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference's Cyclocross Series. In the past four years, Rutgers has won several individual MAC titles and many, many individual and team titles in the ECCC series. Rutgers will also compete in select North American Cyclocross Trophy races and will compete at US Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, OR.

October
10/16-17 Granogue - Newark, DE UCI C2 (MAC)
10/23 Cornell Red Cross - Richford, NY (ECCC)
10/24 Saratoga Spa - Saratoga Springs, NY (ECCC)
10/30 Beacon - Bridgeton, NJ UCI C2 (MAC/ECCC)
10/31 HPCX - Jamesburg, NJ UCI C2 (MAC/ECCC)

November
11/6-7 Cycle-Smart International - Northampton, MA UCI C2 (NECCS/ECCC)
11/13 StatenCX - Staten Island, NY (ECCC)
11/14 West Point #1 - West Point, NY (ECCC)
11/20 Whitmore SuperCross - Southampton, NY UCI C1 (MAC/NACT) and
West Point #2 - West Point, NY (ECCC)
11/21 Whitmore SuperCross - Southampton, NY UCI C2 (MAC/NACT)

December
12/4-5 NBX Gran Prix - Warwick, RI (NECCS/ECCC)
12/8-12 US Cyclocross National Championships - Bend, OR

New Kits!

Rutger Cyclocross 2010 crew sporting our seriously stylish new kits!

Rutgers Cycling Does IRONMAN!

As the Rutgers Cycling token triathlete, I feel like it's my job to do at least one post about my races this summer...

As a lot of you know, my past year has revolved around training for Ironman Louisville. I raced repping Rutgers, rocking my sleevless jersey on the bike and a running t-shirt with Rutgers Cyclocross written on the back. It' s been a good summer with a lot of good triathlon race results, including being the 28th female overall in the Nautica NYC triathlon (out of +1400 women or so), 5th overall female at the Skylands sprint triathlon, and being 2nd in my age group in the Rev3 Quassy 70.3. Ironman KY, I was 7th in my age group, which was an OK finish despite some serious medical setbacks.

In all, I'm glad to be done with IM and starting CX season!

Anyway, here's a race report from Ironman:

Pre Race
Transition opened at 5:30, so at 4:30 I was awake, trying to eat a bagel and drink a ton of fluids, and out the door. Because we had stashed everything in transition the night before, it was a pretty simple morning. Got to transition, got everything set up, and was generally feeling pretty calm. Then, a .75 mile walk down to the start of the swim. We got there and were wondering why everyone was sitting in front of the portapotties.

I got bodymarked, and dad realized that they were all people in line. Honestly, people must have been there since the night before- I kid you not, I saw an air mattress. We walked and walked and walked and about a mile later got to the end of the line. I looked at the guys in front of me and asked if this was the line for Springsteen tickets. They laughed, but I guess that joke makes the most sense if you’re from NJ. Anyway, I chatted and ate, and was still feeling good. The guy behind me kept asking if I was nervous though, which did little to relax me.

The Swim
Once the line started moving, it moved quick. Before I really knew what was happening, I had a surge of volunteers pushing me into the swim chute yelling “keep running!” We went off the 2 docks 2 at a time 2 seconds apart, so before I really realized just what was happening, I was in the water and swimming. It was crazy. Because I started far back, it was pretty rough going. Got elbowed, kicked, and generally manhandled as I crawled my way up. The problem was that I kept getting slowed down because of all of the random people in front of me breast-stroking and popping out to sight. Seriously, there was a traffic jam at the turn buoy! I just kept telling myself to stay calm and just keep going. No crazy antics, just stay calm and KEEP SWIMMING! We swam under a couple of bridges, which was pretty neat, and then before I really realized it, the end was in sight! I got out of the water in about 1:18, which was kind of slow for me, but with the washing machine effect of having to get around so many people, I was ok with it. My only issue with the race setup was that they had so few buoys, it was almost impossible to sight sometimes. You had to assume that everyone knew where they were going and follow blindly until a buoy finally came into sight.

But… out of the swim and into bike transition! I ran into the changing tent and was shocked at how many people were totally changing! I was wearing my bike stuff so I crammed my shoes and helmet on, pulled my Rutgers jersey on over my head and booked it out of the tent, pausing to get copious amounts of lotion everywhere. Ran out, mounted, and took a deep breath… 112 miles to go.

The Bike
The bike started FAST. I was passing people, and feeling really good. (My results are a tribute to this, my average for the first part was 19.5). I was expecting a flat course, but it was more accurately described as rolling. A lot of the time, it was kind of tough avoiding drafting, and I felt like I got slowed down a lot because of it in some segments. I had a nutrition plan in place and I was sticking to it, feeling good, despite the fact that it was getting HOT out. I was refilling my bottles at every station, drinking as much as possible between them, and generally trying to stay calm, but stay going at a steady clip. I didn’t want to be beat for the marathon (though in retrospect I might as well have been) and I was trying to conserve energy. It’s amazing how fast 112 miles goes by, and how exciting it was when we passed through LaGrange and just could hear the crowd going crazy for us. I made a few “friends” on the bike, men and women, because we had a group of about 25 of us that kept constantly passing and re-passing each other. It made it fun, knowing who had just passed you so you could head for them on the next hill. I'm glad I have this picture of me smiling, because honestly, this part was fun:

By the last 20 miles or so, I started having some “respiratory issues,” which made me aware that I was probably getting dehydrated. As I said, I had been drinking as much as I could without making myself sick or cramping. As the miles ticked off, I knew the marathon was going to be tough, but I tried to stay focused. I definitely slowed down a bit towards the end, but still ended the bike with an average of 18.5 mph. Not too shabby, though I wish I hadn’t started losing it at the end.

I'll never be nervous about making it through a full century ride with the team again...

The Run
… to call it the run is kind of an insult to running. I got into transition, actually changed shorts and threw on a running top with Rutgers Cyclocross written in marker on the back. I charged out of transition, planning to eek as much actual running as I could. I made it to the first aid station, got through that walking, and started running again. For the first couple stations, I wasn’t feeling great but I was surviving. But then… my lungs started really hurting.

And this was around mile 5 or so. I kept going, running when I could, walking the aid stations, drinking as much as possible. The ice cold sponges definitely helped, and made me feel a lot less gross. The problem was, I couldn’t eat.

Around mile 10, I started dry heaving. Which is the worst. All I wanted was to actually throw up, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Still, I kept run-walking.

When we hit loop 2, I felt a little better. It is amazing how short 13 miles seems when you have 127 finished! I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to finish, and that kept me going. People were great- I talked to a lot of other racers about IM and about cyclocross, but by mile 15, my lungs were not thrilled with me and talking hurt. By mile 20, I couldn’t really drink, and I was walking way more than I was running. The problem with dehydration, I learned, is that once it starts, no amount of drinking is really going to help when you’re still racing. It was depressing, my legs felt fine but I couldn’t breathe or drink. I wanted to run but every time I did, I thought I was going to fall over. Everything hurt except my legs and I just wanted to keep running. I was watching the clock tick away past my goal times that I could have made, had I been able to take in more fluids. And that hurt. Still, kept going.

Anyway, finally hit those last couple miles and started trying to run from cone to cone- run one cone, walk the next, run one, walk one… And after what seemed like forever, the finish line started to come into sight. Rather, you could hear it before you saw it. A dull roar that you could hear 4 blocks away. And knowing that I wanted to run across the line, and knowing that medical help was just blocks away, I gave it everything I had, ran through the cheering crowd, and finally got to hear that I was an Ironman. Final time: 13:37. Way more than I had planned, but faster than I thought I would do once I started hurting.

It was incredible. There's just something amazing about hearing "Molly Hurford, you are an Ironman."

Right after this picture was taken I went to the medical building and got pumped full of IV fluids thanks to a whole lot of amazing volunteers.

And that is Ironman in a nutshell. It was an experience. I’m glad I did it, and I’m glad I pushed through to finish. Thank you to all my lovely teammates who helped me on crazy long rides all last year, and thanks to all of you for messaging me to say good luck the day before- I was thinking of you all the whole bike leg!

“Swim 2.4 miles. Ride 112 miles. Run 26.2 miles. Then brag for the rest of your life.” -Commander John Collins, Ironman Triathlon creator

Rutgers University-Raleigh Cycling Team presented by Kim’s Bike Shop Announces its 2010 Cyclocross Season Sponsors

For the 2010 cyclocross season, Rutgers-Raleigh p/b Kim’s Bike Shop has lined up an exciting cast of new and returning sponsors to support its run at a fifth consecutive Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Championship.

New Sponsors:

Raleigh USA has stepped up as co-sponsor of the team. Raleigh lends both their name and 2011 Rx 1.0 cyclocross bikes to the team. The team will be riding a mix of custom painted and stock Rx 1.0s. All the bikes feature revamped tube shapes to maximize both stiffness for out-of-the-saddle efforts and comfort over the challenging terrain of the cyclocross course.

Kim’s Bike Shop is the Rutgers-Raleigh presenting sponsor for 2010. Located in New Brunswick, NJ, Kim’s is a full-service bike shop offering Raleigh, Specialized, Litespeed and more. The shop is managed by Rutgers Cycling alumnus and fitting expert David Kim who is also the genius behind many of the team’s perfectly-fit bicycles.

Revolution Wheelworks is a new sponsor for the 2010 season. Revolution makes available high-end racing tubulars for the cyclocross team in both carbon and alloy.

Gaerne USA will be providing extra-special G. Ara carbon mountain bike shoes in Team Red for members of Rutgers-Raleigh p/b Kim’s. The shoes feature a stiff carbon sole for pedaling efficiency and grippy tread for times when you have to get off the bike and run.

Challenge USA is the new tire sponsor for 2010. The team will be using the Challenge Grifo tubular, open tubular, and clincher for training and racing.

Princeton Psychological Consultants comes onboard for 2010 to offer sports psychology seminars for the team to ensure a positive and competitive mental attitude.

Returning Sponsors:

Verge Sport, a long-time sponsor of Rutgers Cycling, returns again to provide team kit for the 2010 season. The Team will be using Skinsuits, jerseys, and jackets from the Verge Elite Collection.

Cycle-Smart, another long-time sponsor, Adam Myerson and his coaches at Cycle-Smart continue to offer coaching, clinics, and wisdom (along with a bit of wit) to the members of Rutgers Cycling.

Gu Energy Products will be handling nutritional duties for the team before, during, and after training and racing. The team will be using Gu gels, Gu Brew, and Gu Chomps.

SRAM drivetrain components will grace many of the team bikes this fall. The innovative DoubleTap shifting has won over the cyclocross team for its consistency and durability in all conditions.

Ritchey Components will again handle cockpit controls for Rutgers. Tested season in and season out, Ritchey has proven to be some of the strongest, yet lightest handlebars, stems, and seatposts for the discipline of cyclocross.

Rudy Project will be keeping the mud and sun from our eyes with their line of stylish and innovative technical eyewear.

Maul Electric, Inc. Maul Electric specializes in commercial electrical work and has been a long-time supporter of Rutgers Cycling.

Berkeley Heights and Beyond returns for the 2010 season and is your source for real estate in the Berkeley Heights area (and beyond!).

Assured Networks LLC is a technology and research consultancy for telecommunications network design to support reliable services. They have a strong focus on customer priority and use of the latest research in networking to promote service quality, reliability, and profitability.

53x11 Coffee will be ensuring everyone on the team is bright eyed and bushy tailed with their line of delicious fair-trade organic coffee.

RockTape has been holding together members of Rutgers Cycling since 2009. RockTape returns again for the 2010 season. Ask AngryMark about the tape on his leg; he’ll tell you why it’s awesome! Use the code rutgers for 20% off your order.

Rutgers-Raleigh Cyclocross Clinic - DATE CHANGE!

Cyclocross Clinic

Presented by

Rutgers University-Raleigh Cycling Team

Interested in learning more about cyclocross? Want to brush-up on some skills before the season starts? Need to learn some race strategy, training tips, or find out more about cyclocross equipment choices?

Come join us to learn from some of NJ’s best cyclocross racers.

Skills will be appropriate for all levels.

When: Friday, August 6^th 2010 from 4 p.m. till 7:30 PM. Check in opens at 3 pm.

Where: Livingston Campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ (directions available on Bikereg page)

$40 for all USAC/non-collegiate riders

$20 for Collegiate Riders on NCCA-recognized collegiate teams and Juniors

USAC or NCCA license required. One-day licenses will be available for $5

USAC Permit #2010-2401

For more information feel free to contact cyclocross@rutgerscycling.com

Register Now!

Rutgers Cycling and Raleigh Team Up for 2010 Cyclocross Season

(photo: David Wilson)

Rutgers Cycling is excited to announce Raleigh Bicycles as its co-sponsor for the 2010 cyclocross season. Rutgers University-Raleigh Cycling Team will be riding the all-new 2011 Raleigh Rx 1.0 cyclocross bikes and framesets in their campaign to win a fifth-straight Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference cyclocross championship and a National Championship at US Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, OR.

The team will be led by junior Patrick Bradley, whose palmares include 6th place at Collegiate Cyclocross Nationals at the 2009 US Cyclocross National Championships and the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Cyclocross Series U23 series title.

Returning to the team will be junior Marcos Picchio, seniors Matt Bathe and Charles Thompson, and graduate students Molly Hurford, Will Cukierski, and racer and team director, Mark Vareschi.

“We’re very happy that we haven’t lost too many racers this year,” Vareschi said, “and as the season starts, we always bring in new riders who realize just how cool ‘cross is. We plan on racing at least fifteen riders over the course of the season.”

“Raleigh Bicycles is excited to be partnering this cross season with Rutgers Cycling,” said enthusiastic Raleigh Marketing Director Brian Fornes.

“We look forward to growing this relationship and utilizing their valuable racer feedback on current and future cross bikes we will be producing. We’re even more excited about the level of commitment, and friendly, fun attitude that the Rutgers Cycling program brings to the sport. They are great ambassadors, and we feel that they will continue to help grow the sport on a local basis and be very competitive on a National level.”

The team will be riding the newly-revamped 2011 Raleigh Rx 1.0 cyclocross bikes. “We are psyched for the Rx 1.0. Last year, it was a killer bike and this year, Raleigh has made it even better” said Vareschi.

The 2011 Raleigh Rx 1.0 (photo: Raleigh Bicycles)

The 2011 bikes feature revised tubing shapes and a BB30 bottom bracket. “For ‘cross, the BB30 is perfect; it allows you to reduce your Q-factor, which is important when you are using road cranksets with mountain bike pedals that typically increase your Q-factor. Our riders will be able to easily transition from the set-ups that they have been riding and racing on the road to their cyclocross bikes. Plus, it’s a lighter system. Light bikes in ‘cross make a difference,” Vareschi said.

Raleigh joins a family of sponsors that will be supporting Rutgers for the 2010 cyclocross season including:

Kim’s Bike Shop – presenting and shop sponsor
Challenge USA – cyclocross tires
Verge Sport – cycling clothing
Ritchey – cockpit components
SRAM – drivetrain components
Cycle-Smart - coaching
Gaerne - cycling shoes
Rudy Project - eyewear
Gu - nutritional products
Rocktape – kinesiology tape
53x11 Coffee – caffeine
Maul Electric, Inc. – financial sponsor
Berkeley Heights and Beyond – financial sponsor

Rutgers-Raleigh Cycling Team Tentative Schedule

September:
11th Nittany Lion Cross UCI C2 – Trexlertown, PA
18th Charm City Cyclocross UCI C2 – Baltimore, MD
19th Charm City Cyclocross UCI C2 – Baltimore, MD
26th Ellison Park Cyclocross UCI C2 – Rochester, NY

October:
2nd Grand Prix of Gloucester UCI C2 – Gloucester, MA
3rd Grand Prix of Gloucester UCI C2 – Gloucester, MA
16th Granogue Cyclocross UCI C2 – Newark, DE
17th Granogue Cyclocross UCI C2 – Newark, DE
23rd Downeast Cyclocross UCI C2 – New Gloucester, ME
24th Downeast Cyclocross UCI C2 – New Gloucester, ME
30th Beacon Cross UCI C2 – Bridgeton, NJ
31st HPCX UCI C2 – Jamesburg, NJ

November:
6th Cycle-Smart International UCI C2 – Northampton, MA
7th Cycle-Smart International UCI C2 – Northampton, MA
20th Super Cross Cup UCI C2 – Southampton, NJ
21st Super Cross Cup UCI C2 – Southampton, NJ
27th Baystate Cyclocross UCI C2 – Sterling, MA
28th Baystate Cyclocross UCI C2 – Sterling, MA

December:
4th NBX Grand Prix UCI C2 – Warwick, RI
5th NBX Grand Prix UCI C2 – Warwick, RI
8-12th USA Cyclocross National Championships, U23 and Collegiate – Bend, OR

Cycling Team in Rutgers Focus!

Scarlet Cyclists Brave the Jersey Roads and Show their Competitive Edge
A venerable sports club has grown steadily and is attracting more women

By Jeff May

"Spinning your wheels is no way to get through college – unless you’re a member of the Rutgers University Cycling Team.

The team, a club sport established more than 30 years ago, has grown steadily in prominence over the past decade. Rutgers riders are now a force in cyclocross, a deviant strain of steeplechase that requires cyclists to slog through mud and rough terrain with frequent dismounts to scale stairs or leap over barriers.

It goes without saying that training in New Jersey takes a tough mindset. The state has a well-earned reputation as a snakepit for drivers, so it’s not exactly a hospitable place for pedal-pushers who share the road."


Check the full article out here.

Off Road Adventures!

The Dream Team

Even with a couple weekends away from road racing, I've managed to stay pretty busy. Months ago, Mark and I made plans to do the Hibernia Off Road Duathlon as a co-ed relay team- the Rutgers Cycling Team, to be precise, and since I do love my position on the team as "that triathlete," I very quickly agreed to do the run. Mark was in charge of destroying the competition on the mountain bike section, and my job was to kill it during the run. Can I just say, Mission Accomplished?

From Mark's brief race report:
"Molly and I crushed the team event. Rutgers won this last year, but had a fairly lackluster finish in the overall standings. This year with a much stronger team, we destroyed it. Molly had an amazing run and got me on the bike in third place. I passed the guy and second and got within 45 seconds of the race leader. He was, however, ridiculously fast, and I never made the catch. I did, however, put some serious time into everyone else. Molly and I did a flawless transition, and Molly KILLED the second run to come in 2nd overall.

Yeah, we beat all the other teams, male-male, coed, female-female, AND all the individual athletes (except for the overall winner who was sick,) some of whom were pretty elite."

Mark and I right after the race. Don't I look tired? In my defense, I just finished the second 5k, while Mark had 20 minutes to recover before this was taken!

So, my "race report":

The race was in Hibernia, which is about 2 hours from my parents house. Up at 5, on the road by 5:30- bleck. Dad (our unofficial team Dad, as many of you know) couldn't make it to the race but woke up at 5 am to make sure that I was ready to go and out the door on time with all my gear. Gotta love him!

Anyway, the directions from the website sent me to the right area but wrong Park Avenue- I was about ten miles from the race site, along with a few other SUVs toting mountain bikes, so we formed a small caravan and I somehow ended up finding our way to the park through guesswork and frantic calls to Mark. Luckily, we made it there on time.

It was nice doing a race where the only stuff I needed was shorts, a shirt, and my sneakers- normally pre-race is hectic because of all the equipment, from bike to wetsuit that needs checking, but this race was awesome in that regard. It was less awesome because it was the coldest day of April- hovering in the 40s with some wind. I was not psyched about the middle segment when I'd be waiting for Mark to finish the ride, waiting around sweaty and chilly.

The race was awesomely chill- no racks for bikes in transition, super nice race director that knew Mark (which led to some hilarious antics at the award ceremony), and generally a more relaxed crowd than any triathlon I've done.

The starting line was at the base of a grassy hill, and the course was 2.8 miles of off road, then an 11 mile (2 loop) mountain bike, then another 2.8 mile run. The director yelled Go and we charged up the hill. I knew that the trails would narrow fast, making passing tough, so I gunned it up the hill as fast as I could and hit the trail segment in the top 10, the first female. It took a good mile before people got strung out, and in that time, I worked my way up to 6th or so, still the first female. The trail was awesome- lots of rocks, streams, mud, logs, and general crap to hurtle, jump or run around. Plus, a lot of short but intense up and down hills. This is what I'm good at, so I was happy.

By the time the trail was easy enough that I could look back, there were only two guys in my line of sight, a decent way behind me. The course went way faster than I expected, and when I realized we were almost to transition, I stepped on the gas and sprinted it out. Apparently, I surprised Mark (shocked the hell out of myself too), since I was the 6th or 7th person overall (including some runners just there to do the 5k trail run), and the first woman (I would have won the 5k!).

Mark took off up the same hill I had started on, chasing down two men in front of him. When he came around to start the second loop, he had passed one of the men and was in second. The guy in front of him, as he said, was clearly elite, and he put more time on Mark in the second loop. Mark put a huge gap between himself and the people behind him though, so when he came into transition and I started, I knew I didn't have to worry too much about anyone coming up behind me. Even with the first man 2 minutes or so ahead of me, I still was entertaining thoughts of closing the gap, unrealistic as that may have been, so I went hard.

Mark coming into transition.

The second loop was easier in some ways but mentally harder- with no one behind me and one person way ahead, it was hard to keep my head in the game, but I think I managed fairly well. I have no idea how close we were to that guy's time, but I was really pleased with how we did finish.

Me looking amazingly silly after hitting the finishing chute.

This race was awesome- I realized that I'm better at trail running than I thought, and that Mark and I make one awesome team. Ahem- Duathlon Off Road Nationals next year, perhaps?

When they did the awards and they got to the co-ed relay category, the director pointed out that not only were we the first co-ed team, but we were the first relay team overall, and the second ones to finish the race in general. I was stoked that the director came up to me and said, "you must be a runner, right?" (to which I replied, "heck no, I'm a triathlete!") and Mark got about a million compliments on his mad skillz on the mountain bike. In all, it was an excellent use of a Sunday!

Getting Race Ready

While all the A racing men on the team have been spending hours gluing tubulars and spending even more time talking about various bike components and how much they have to do before races (you know who you are, and I love you all anyway), I keep things a bit simpler. Admittedly, it was out of necessity, on the grounds that I don't have any tubulars, but nonetheless...

I was thinking about being a new racer last year, trying to get ready to head off to the first race, and realizing that I had know idea what I needed to bring. So, for those of you who are mildly confused about what to pack, I made a list of the important things that everyone should bring to the races. So, enjoy, and of course, feel free to add anything I've forgotten in the comments!

For The Races:
1. license!!
2. race receipt from when you registered
3. photo ID- school or driver's license, whatever
4. cash monies!
5. bike (with tires pumped and chain lubed)
6. bike shoes
7. spare tubes, whatever bike repair stuff you may want to bring
8. race clothes- skinsuit, bib and jersey, whatever
9. socks for racing
10. food! this includes Gu's and everything for racing, as well as food for breakfast/lunch in case there's nothing around
11. water bottles (for regular drinking, for racing, and premixed with Gu2o or Heed or whatever you use)
12. ipod, cell phone, camera, etc.
13. sunglasses for racing
14. helmet
15. "street clothes" including (don't forget!) underwear, extra socks, and extra shoes
16. warm jacket (even if it's supposed to be warm out, it's often useful)
17. towel (can be used as a changing skirt!)
18. homework! we are students and there is a lot of down time between races...
19. gloves for racing
20. gloves and hat for after races
21. toilet paper or tissues (they run out in the portapotties a lot, so it's best to BYOTP)
22. WEATHER: is it going to rain or snow? bring galoshes, raincoat, umbrella, anything to keep dry!


Multiple Day Races (with overnight)
1. sleeping bag
2. toiletries
3. towel (hotels and host houses rarely have enough)
4. pjs
5. any extra clothing you might need
6. cell phone charger (seriously, it's super helpful, I've had to buy them at 2 different races because my phone died)
7. extra race kit for day #2

Road Season is (Almost) Upon Us!

Road season is less than two weeks away, which means weekend centuries when the weather is good, and epic (and sweaty) basement trainer rides when the snow is piled too high.

However, it takes more than snow to keep RU Cycling inside! When we got hit with "snowmeggedon" a couple weeks ago, rather than staying inside with hot cocoa and enjoying the day off, we did this:
OK, so we didn't stay up a whole lot during the ride. But who could in a foot of super hard to get through snow? At least we tried...

Speaking of photographic evidence, check out our ECCC Cyclocross podium back in December in Rhode Island, courtesy of Paul Weiss:

Marcos Picchio, Matt Bathe, Mark Vareschi, Charlie Thompson, Pat Bradley, Molly Hurford
(We're missing a couple of teammates that couldn't make it to NBX, but a lot of us are here!)

This season should be an exciting one. With new officers for the team and a lot of new racers, it's going to be an eventful season. Bring on the training rides, the weight sets (my legs may fall off if I do any more leg presses or calf extensions), and the interval work. Bring on the aching muscles, the recovery rides, the race recaps that inevitably point out how I could have done better, the road rash, and the bruises.

Bring on the fun!

The Accidental Cyclocross Racer

As I write this, my first season of cyclocross has come to an end, and it’s bittersweet. It’s nice to have time to do laundry- and not have so much of it! It’s nice to be home on weekends, to get work done, to not be driving all over creation for races, to be able to take a little break for a change, and to not have mystery cuts and bruises crop up every Monday after a weekend of racing. But I miss it so much already!

I miss the camaraderie, the excitement of racing, the sore throat from cheering everyone on, the teamwork, and heck, even the riding itself. I admit, I started out a skeptic, thinking nothing could replace triathlon as my most fun sport. But now, I’m already looking to next year, thinking of how to make improvements, to move up in my category, and to start really racing, not just trying to ride the course without falling down. In short, there is a decided chance that I have succumbed to the desire to be a legit cyclocross racer.

In one season, I went from a new racer to the #1 Women’s B racer and #2 Women’s A racer, and helped the Rutgers University Cycling Team maintain our dominance in collegiate cyclocross. It felt pretty great to be part of it.

Earlier in the season, I borrowed a cyclocross bike, “just to test out and race a couple times.”

Then, I raced at Granogue, in freezing rain and mud up to my shins. I fell, I slid, I was one of the last people to finish, and I ended up with a myriad of cuts and bruises to show for it. But, I had fun. And it didn’t hurt that just by racing, I had accrued a lot of collegiate points for the team.

My first race finish at Granogue

So, I raced again at Highland Park, and didn’t do too badly- in fact, I was pretty decent. I was 12^th in the Women’s 3/4 race, and the first collegiate woman. I admit, I was hooked. I was also doing well, by collegiate standards. By my second week of ECCC ‘cross, I was ranked #1 in Women’s B. Mainly because I was the one of about five on the list. However, I had a marathon in late November, so HPCX looked like it would be my last serious race. I hadn’t learned dismounts, barriers, or how to ride anything technical. My season was pretty much over, barring maybe a race or two after the marathon. My ranking went from #1 to #10 or so as other women raced and I stayed home and did long runs.

Then, a tendon in my foot did something kinda weird, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t run for a few weeks. I took this as a sign- I was meant to race ‘cross.

So, I started practicing dismounts in my backyard, signed up for all of the races for the last 3 weeks, and attempted to become a decent rider. While that may not have happened, I felt fairly decent going into the last three weeks, even managing to jump barriers instead of climb slowly over them.

Actually "getting air" over a barrier at Staten Island CX

More than that, I learned how much fun cyclocross and spending time with the team really was. From the excitement of the USGP at Mercer to the killer course at Whitmore to racing singlespeed (not by choice) at Allentown, the team was there cheering like crazy every time I raced. And it helped a lot.

Climbing the stairs at the Mercer USGP race

About to start a very scary descent at Whitmore.

I’m not going to go into too many details, as to avoid the longest post in the world, but Rhode Island and the NBX race was probably the most fun weekend that I’ve ever had. It was great racing, an awesome course, vegan pizza, and serious team bonding. I may not have done amazing in the race, but I definitely realized how much progress that I’ve made in the past months. I only wish I had figured out that I wasn’t going to be able to run the marathon earlier, so I could have been working on my ‘cross skills much sooner. As it was, it was a pretty piecemeal season and training schedule. Next year will be a lot different, and I’m expecting pretty good things from myself, not just in the collegiate context, but in the broader context of the 3/4 women in general.

When I joined the cycling team, I had no idea what was so great about cyclocross and why everyone on the team was so excited about the season instead of road season. But after this, I can see why, and I think I’ve joined the ranks of the cyclocross devotees.

So, a final round of HUGE thank you’s to everyone who helped make this season so great for me.

Of course, thank you to the Team. Without them, I never would have been able to have the confidence and drive to get on the bike, much less ride. They helped me whenever I needed it, offered tons of great advice, and cheered like crazy for a newbie racer. Especially to Mark, who kept me and everyone else organized and sane though out the season, and Charlie, who did so much by way of bike repair on my borrowed bike. Everyone: it was much appreciated.

Huge thank you to my Dad, who drove to nearly every race, yelled like crazy and pushed me to try as hard as I could and put as much effort possible into every race. He really is the Team Dad, and hopefully next year we’ll get to see him race, since he’s pretty hooked on it too.

My whole family- including Mom, Colleen and Robbie- for not just coming to some races but for being so incredibly supportive and doing so much (mostly laundry) for me as I drove them nuts every weekend with racing.

Thank you to all of the promoters for putting on awesome races, to all of my non-collegiate cyclocross friends (both old and new) for cheering and generally making the season super fun for all of us.

Overall, thank you for a great season, and I can’t wait to kick ass next year!

My first podium for collegiate cycling!