On tap for the weekend

Its finally here.
The KC Cup weekend at the Swope Park Trails
Cyclocross (Saturday) and cross country mountain bike (Sunday) action back to back over two days.
I rode the CX course last night and its a hoot. They make use of the new short track course that was installed for the Thursday Night Throwdown. So lots of single track to really please the CX roadie set.
I'll be doing the CX race this year. I'm considering racing twice.
I can do the Master's 30+ race at 11AM on my geared CX and then the single speed race @ 1PM on... well my single speed.
Hopefully I get further in than the first lap before I flat like I did last year.
I'm blowing off the MTN race on Sunday. I just haven't logged any time on my 29er this year. I was the same way last year but did the race. Ended up so frustrated that I blew my top and pitched the 29er into the woods. Not the best tactic.
I'm not much of a MTN racer anyway. I prefer to cruise along with frequent stops.
However, I should be attending the event as a spectator to cheer & heckle the racers. Maybe I'll even bring some beers.

That is of course that I'm alive after the Pub 'N Pedal 4 gets done with me Saturday night.

Straight from the FaceBook event page:
Free to all who come out and register to race!!!

Once again I should tell you that this is a free bicycle race photo scavenger hunt pub crawl. I will not ask any money from you but the final bar requires $2 per racer to be donated to the staff. This will allow you to drink from a FREE keg (as long as it has something in it).

• Registration begins at 7pm in the old OSCO Drug parking lot at Westport RD and Main St
• Race begins at 8pm
• Teams of 1-4 people
• You are not required to drink on this ride
• One digital camera per team to take photos of objects off the manifest


Need more info? Check out http://www.kcsprints.blogspot.com/ or http://www.candycranks.com/

So there is the planned weekend in a nut shell.
It fall, its gonna be a beautiful weekend, get out there and do something with it.

Day off dirt

I had Thursday off so after doing nothing all morning I pulled the trusty 29er single speed off the rack, knocked off the dust (been a bit since I've been on it), aired up the tires, lubed the chain and headed east to the Swope Park Trails.
I didn't realize until right before I headed out that a chuck of Phase 3 was now open.
After a roughly 30 minute spin of the road (the 29er is geared for off road not on so its cadence practice to get there)I dove into the trails.
I wasnt sure where the entrance to Phase 3 was exactly but it was easy to find.
I did a couple of laps. The first one was kinda rough but its hard to carry any speed when you aren't sure what is coming up around the next bend.
Over all a great ride. The HSP & ERTA gang have done a great job building some sweet single track.
The Swope Trails even made the front page of the KC Star recently, check it out & then get out to ride some best dirt in KCMO.

A little taste:

KC Cup weekend

The HSP KC Cup weekend is over with
It was fun but disappointing
CX race on Saturday and XC race on Sunday
Mr Joshua and I flew the Stars and Hearts of the BKB for the CX race Saturday
It was a great course but I flatted out right at the end of the 1st lap.
I was feeling good but with no pit bike or extra wheels my race was over

Mr Joshua hung on with a respectable middle of the pack finish.
Mr Joshua's little lady even did her first CX race ever
She was all smiles for the grueling 40 minutes race in her BKB t-shirt

Mr Joshua and I flew the All Blacks of Evil for Sunday's XC race

We raced in the Clydesdale class and screwed ourselves right from the start
The course started with a long pave section and instead of treating it like a CX race and putting the hammer down from the gun we slow rolled.
This put us behind the people in our class that we should have beaten to the woods
We managed to work our way up by the middle of the first lap.
I got tangled up in a technical section and watched Mr Joshua and the others ride a way
At the end of the first lap I turned it up a notch on the road section and got back in front of a small group and started a gap.
Back into the woods I spotted Mr Joshua and thought I was gonna reel him back in
But once again when I got to the technical section (8 Pins) if faltered and stepped aside to let some other racers around me.
After that I struggled to find a rhythm, I kept clipping my pedals and was getting knocked all over the trail.
It was frustrating and I let it get the best of me... ended up losing it and in a rage threw my bike off into the woods.
Not my finest moment... luckily there was no one around to witness it.
I composed myself and got back to it. Things came together a little.
I came across Mr Joshua getting up off the ground. He had flatted his front which in turn pitched him over the bars.
He was disappointed, he had crashed (swore at the start he wasn't going to), flatted (costing him precious time) and had been sitting in 2nd when it all happened.
I pushed on and once again got tangled up and lost a couple of spots.
Popped out on the road for the finial climb and put the hammer down to catch one of the two that had passed me.
Crossed the line in 4th.
Mr Joshua got back in it quick enough to pick up 6th.
Over all not a bad race for either of us with respectable finishes just not as good as we could have done.
It was the first MTB race of the year for both of us so really it was pretty good all things considered.

Next weekend we are back on the CX bikes for the Diamond BlackFan Cyclocross Challenge at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa, KS
We're racing single speed class since it starts later in the day.
Mr Joshua determined that the 4's 10am start was too early (funny since he is an early riser) and I am working the MS150 that morning (hope I make it in time).
We normally race SS in the CAT 4 race (we never win but we're never last either) but next week we'll be dragging the SS race down to our level of mediocrity.

Cross season has begun
Time to find the bugles and cowbells

Kansas City Cup Challenge

09.02.2009

KANSAS CITY, MO.

Dirt Lovin Good Times presented by The North Face

Kansas City Cup Challenge

http://www.heartlandrace.com



Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls:

Heartland Sports Promotions [HSP] is pleased to announce the inaugural cycling and trail running event at Camp Lake of the Woods in Swope Park.
Last winter the Earth Riders Trails Association [ERTA] and their board members, architects and builders of the trail Scott Capstack and Craig Stoeltzing, opened 1.5 miles of singletrack to the public, since then the trail has expanded to 3.5 miles.

The Kansas City Cup Challenge is fast approaching. This cycling event is the first of what many hope will be a continuing tradition of great trail building and showcasing through races in the Kansas City Metro area. Races will include the cyclo-cross season opener, a trail running race, kid’s race, and a traditional cross-country mountain bike race.

Saturday’s festivities begin with the trail run registration at 7:00 a.m. and the trail run start at 8:00 a.m. There will be a 5k and 10k option. Many runners have been using the trail for training and this will be an outstanding time to compare times with fellow runners.

Before the cyclo-cross race start, kids of all ages are welcome to come race their bicycles! The kids’ race will loop around the cyclo-cross course, completing their allotted number of half loops or a loop.

The cyclo-cross race will be a 1.5-mile loop with racers competing on modified road bikes that have bigger, knobby tires for the dirt. Racers will complete as many laps as possible in the allotted time for each category. Cyclo-cross registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue throughout the day so racers may register for their different categories. The race flyer can be found on our website.

The traditional cross-country mountain bike race will take off on Sunday. The beginner, sport, and expert classes will be taking off at different times to accommodate the tight trail. The mountain bike course at Swope is (so far) 3.5 miles of pristine dirt. The trail has technical sections made more so by the exertion of climbing to one of the highest peaks in Swope Park.

To aid in the further completion of singletrack at Swope, many items will be raffled on Saturday and Sunday [proceeds go to ERTA and HSP trail building efforts].

Entry fees and classes can be found on our website.

Saturday Chipotle burritos will be available and Sunday ERTA will provide concessions [proceeds go to ERTA and HSP trail building efforts].

JET Chiropractic will be on hand for any adjustments.



See you on the trail September 19-20!



Heartland Sports Promotions [HSP]

Speaking of Avoiding the Bummer Life...

I am a regular reader of How to Avoid the Bummer Life dot Com but imagine my surprised when in a post found myself reading words that I had wrote.
HTATBL gave a nod to the new KC dirt out at Swope Park using text from an email I sent to HTATBL main man Stevil Kinevil after my first ride there.
Nifty. Eh?

Swope Park Trails - Short but oh so Sweet!

Last weekend was the official opening of some sweet new dirt in Kansas City, Swope Park Trails
http://www.swopetrails.com/

Thanks to a super boss I got the day off to go check out the loop on a beautiful 60 degree day

The loop is only phase one and there is more planned.

Its short but super sweet.
Some of the best single track I have ever ridden.
An added bonus is that I could easily ride there from my house.
I rode 4 laps (2 each direction) and was surprised to discover that I had only ridden a little over an hour.
There seems to be quite of bit of climbing at first since the trail head is at the bottom of the hill.
But its well worth it.

I had been told that it wasn't overly single speed friendly but I didn't seem to have much problem once I got in the groove.


In the coming years this will be another destination mountain bike location in the KC area.


Here is a link to a few photos I took on my afternoon ride.
http://flickr.com/photos/1eyedz/sets/72157609470079089/






















*The official thumbs up from the One Eyed z*

Swope Park Trails grand opening press release

*SPREAD THE DIRT*

Swope Park opens an urban hiking and mountain biking trail system
11.10.2008
Kansas City, MO

Swope Park opens an urban hiking and mountain biking trail system.

Kansas City Parks and Recreation in partnership with the Earth Riders Trails Association (ERTA) will host the grand opening of the planned 16 mile primitive, recreational trail system within Sowpe Park. The Formal dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled at 10:00am Saturday November 15 followed immediately by the official opening of the trail. The celebration is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend.

The first phase of the trail, designed and built entirely by volunteers labor, is in the historic Camp Lake of the Woods section of Swope Park. The 1.35 mile trail features many rock outcroppings, spectacular views of the surrounding parkland and two small waterfall sections. Marci Jones, South Regional Director of KCMO Parks and Recreations, says "We are so excited to have ERTA in association with Heartland Sports Promotions building such a world class hiking and biking trails. The trails will be a real treasure."

The Swope Park Trail system is managed by Scott Capstack and Craig Stoeltzing, co-owners of Heartland Sports Promotions and ERTA Board of Advisior members, who bring over 22 years of trail design and construction experience to the project. Since January, 40 volunteers have invested over 600 hours designing and construction Phase One. Phase Two will commence in December, with 3-4 miles of additional trail scheduled for completion over the next six months.

ERTA maintains and manages over 100 miles of trails throughout the Midwest, working with over 10 Land Managers. To learn more about how you can volunteer and assist with Sowpe Park trails or any of the other trail systems in the area, go to htt://swopetrails.com or www.earthriders.org and click on Get Involved!

Event Location:
Camp Lake of the Woods
Swope Park
Kansas City, MO

For a map of the trailhead please go to http://swopeparktrails.com/ and click on the Camp Lake of the Woods map (upper right side of the page). Parking is available at multiple locations along Oldham Road.

Tentative plans call for hikers to be the first to venture onto the trails with the riders rolling out around 10:30/11am.