Fall events and races





Racing in Webberville



It's been a busy fall, with cyclocross season in full swing and multiple events to direct. I raced two out-of- town CX events (Webberville and New Braunfels), and I'll be racing again in Austin on Dec 12 to prep for the Texas Cyclocross Championship in Dallas on Dec 18. I'm not as strong on the bike as I had hoped (two 3rd places thus far), but I keep reminding myself about what my oncologist said ("It will take 12-18 months for you to recover from the chemo treatments and be back to the pre-cancer fitness level"). I’m hoping for wet, cold, and muddy conditions for the state race, as I tend to do better in rough conditions.



Turkey Trot start

 I've been busy putting on events over the past several weeks. The big event was a 5K race on the Angelo State University campus on Nov 20 (3rd annual Turkey Trot). The 2010 race was really a nice success, with double the number of participants compared to 2009. I designed a new "runner friendly" course this year, and then measured it using USA Track and Field procedures so we can submit if for certification. We also partnered with the ASU Sports Medicine club for this year's event, which helped attract more students.



Christina McBride racing at ASU



The 2nd event that I'm currently directing is the new cyclocross series. This series will consist of four races in Nov, Dec, and Jan . The first race of series took place on Nov.21 with a good mix of roadies and mountain bikers competing for race one bragging rights. Scott White, fresh off of his 2nd place finish in the TMBRA mountain bike series, took the overall victory with Christina Wilson leading the ladies home.  White and Devin “Fixed Gear” Gustafson battled for the lead through the first seven laps, with Gustafson having a slight edge on the straights and White making up ground through the corners and rough sections. Gustafson flatted on lap #8, ran his bike around the course to his spare bike in the pits, and hung on to finish 3rd.  In the Ladies category, Christina Wilson rolled home with a slight advantage over mountain biker Christina McBride of MAC Racing. Both of these ladies are strong cyclists, with Wilson being the winner of the 2010 Triple Treat event at the HHH 100 and McBride fresh off of her the Cat 1 win in the ladies division in the fall TMBRA series Full Race results are online at angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Race1_Results_2010.pdf and pictures are posted at http://s722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/ASUFit/Cyclocross%20Series%20race%201/.  Full event information for the CX series is posted at www.angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf.

The good news is that more local people are cycling and running, which – I hope – bodes well for the future related to San Angelo becoming a more active and healthy city. We’ve got a long ways to go before that goal is achieved, and we’ll need some attitude changes in city management related to infrastructure such as bike/ pedestrian trails. It was interesting to see City Council discussing Health Risk Assessments for city employees this past week … a definite step in the right direction.

Upcoming Events

Dec 4: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #2, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Dec 5: Christmas Lights bike ride, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com//.

Dec 11: Run Rudolph Run (Christmas lights along the river), www.angelo.edu/asufit

Dec 18: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #3, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf

Dec 15: ASUFit Brown Bag luncheon with speaker Ashley Gay, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/seminars/December2010_Cookies_Gay.pdf

January 1, 2011: ECVFD Resolution Run, East Concho Volunteer Fire Department, roadlizards.org

Jan 15: ASUFit Cyclocross Series race #4, angelo.edu/services/fitness_wellness/documents/CX_Series_Packet_2010.pdf