Newsletter #5.
1. Pro City GP of Cyclocross Preview
2. Cross on the Commons. Review
3. Triple Shot Cross Fondo. One more day to register!

Warm Ups.

• • Wannawafel coming to Topaz Park on Monday. Everything is RIGHT in the world! (No pie truck this year though)
  • Cross on the Commons ranked #6 in all time TAMEST races. Meaning the 6th fewest DNF’s EVER!
  • As always please make sure you are HEALTHY for the race this weekend (and your social events) if you plan on attending. Refresh your memory on our COVID Protocols.
  • If you are CHANGING RACE categories please #1. Let us know so you get your points and #2. we need to re-assign you a number in the new race category so you need to come to registration.
  • Speaking of registration how is everyone liking the new process for registration this year?
  • LAST Warm up is Patrick’s Photo Album from Cross on the Commons.

1. Pro City GP of Cyclocross Preview

Pro City GP of Cyclocross Monday October 11th 2021

Volunteers needed for all the normal race stuff: Set Up. In Race Day Maintenance. Timing. Registration. Timing. Take Down. Raking etc. Without volunteers none of the races happen! You can still race AND volunteer. Contact Scott Mitchell to help out please: scott@trekbikesvictoria.com

REGISTRATION CLOSES: Sunday at 6:00 PM. CLOSES! No on site registration. LINK TO REGISTRATION

Description:
Could this be the final race at Topaz? There are plans to change the park considerably in the next year so this could be our last chance to race in this central Victoria park.
There will be grass…. and more grass… stairs…. and more grass…… Expect some slippery off camber corners, some long painful straightaways, there is room for the largest whirly whirl in Cross on the Rock history but we will leave that to the course crew on Monday morning.

Venue:
Topaz Park is located at the corner of Finlayson Street and Blanshard Street in Victoria. Parking is available on the north end of the park off of Finlayson Street or on the East side of the park by taking Spruce St off of Quadra Street. Additional parking is available at Mayfair Centre and SJ Willis School, a short walking distance to the park.

Please be courteous to other park users during race day and keep off the sports fields. The park is still open to the public so please be respectful.

We encourage team tents along the East side of the course near the Spruce parking lot, first come first served. If you do not have gear to haul please consider those that do and try to find parking a bit further from the fields.

Race sponsors: Shimano, Pro and Trek Bikes Victoria

2. CROSS ON THE COMMONS. Review.

2021 Cross on the Commons – The Rear View

Thanks everyone for coming out to the second race in the Cross on The Rock series. Race registrations (334) were awesome as we learn to live in the time of COVID. Thanks also for wearing masks, hard and difficult as it is and being respectful of others.

How did you like the new location for registration, award presentation etc? I figure it worked well and not having to put cardboard down in the Civic Centre was a bonus. Ok, so maybe access to the team tent area was not the best but if we go back there that won’t change. Another thing missing was a handy bike wash site (unless you had an ‘in’ with Jake Mar) but maybe we can twist some QB arms to change that!

And the race course? Just the right amount of gooey mud, slippery grass and, oh ya, the 3 sand sections, fast flat sections and some slow techy sections. OK, so maybe all that sunshine played a big role roll with the fun factor. And what about those Younglings, pushing their bikes up the middle sand slope? True Grit (even better then John Wayne or Jeff Bridges)! I asked one youngster, maybe 6 or 7 yrs. old, how he liked it, his answer; “it was fun”. Sweeeet!

Dean figures the “Start worked well, loved the finish line (barring antics like mine!), excellent utilization of the venue and actually felt a bit more user friendly then previous years”. So all in all, judging from the comments, feedback, smiles and camaraderie, I would say we had a good time!!

A special shout-out goes to the many volunteers that come out to make this race really happen. By my count, 25 volunteers doing multiple jobs and putting in many hours of service. Starting with course set-up on Saturday (once again, course was still standing come Sunday morning, 4 for 4), registration, marshalling and timing. Thanks to Georgia from Big Grin Bikes for conducting the Beginners Clinic as well as leading out the Younglings half (almost full) lap. Also, a special thanks to Michael Addiscott for providing the First Aid coverage. And then, course take-down, with a lot of thanks to those that helped out. I think Norm’s trailer went away a little more organized and, as usual, packed to the gills.

Also, thanks to the Town of Qualicum Beach for wanting and making this race happen.

And far from last, is the awesome support we received from a large number of businesses in Qualicum Beach and Parksville that donated product, gift certificates and a whole lot more to a great event! Including:

Onwards and upwards for #COTR2022!

Thanks one and all,
Roy

Town of Qualicum Beach Qualicum Pet Foods, Qualicum Beach
Arrowsmith Bikes, Parksville Qualicum Toy Shop, Qualicum Beach
Big Grin Bikes, Qualicum Beach Quality Foods, Qualicum Beach
Creekmore’s Coffee, Qualicum Beach Richard Frankin, Parksville
Dolly’s Home Hardware, Qualicum Beach Samsara Cycle, Vancouver
French Press Coffee Roasters, Qualicum Beach Seabreeze Gifts, Qualicum Beach
Island Cycle, Parksville Sweet Dreams Bed & Bath, Qualicum Beach
Mercy Seat Tattoo Company, Qualicum Beach The Tool Shed, Parksville
Mount Arrowsmith Brewing, Parksville Wild Culture Artisan Bakery, Qualicum Beach

The Cross on the Rock race series is supported through all 6 events by:
MUC OFF
Naked Bikes
Eleven speed coffee
Hotel Zed
Island Cycles
Study Build
Nutcase
Frontrunners
Riverway Dental
Shimano
Rock City Cycles
Phillips Brewery

3. Triple Shot CrossFondo. Last Chance to register!!

2021 Tripleshot CrossFondo, presented by Properties in Victoria Real Estate….45km or 25km….wave starts with both routes showcasing new scenery on private property, swoopy trails with nutrition/aid stations and a hot lunch (salmon! eggplant parmigiana!) and cold bevies (Whistle Buoy brews, Spinnakers cider and sodas, Cultured Kombucha!) …. and so so much more! Registration closes midnight Friday Oct 8! All proceeds go to youth cycling and trail development and maintenance! Register at tripleshotcrossfondo.ca

Parting Shot.
So many smiles at the start line for the Younglings.

Newsletter #2.
1. Coal Cross Wrap Up
2. Qualicum Beach. Early Preview and Registration Information.

Warm Ups.
Get excited to get on your bike and play this weekend by checking out Patrick’s photos from Coal Cross. https://www.flickr.com/photos/palleus/sets/72157719879563551/

For MORE excitement check out the finish line camera footage from the WOMEN’S OPEN race and race for third in MEN’S OPEN race from Coal Cross.

Well that was both AWESOME and strange to be back racing last weekend! So good to see so many people….but it felt strange for sure. Personally I have not been with that many people in one area since the LAST COTR race in December 2019. It was a tiny bit overwhelming.

We felt good about the processed put in place for the year so far. Registration went VERY well. Once you have gone to registration once this year and picked up your season numbers (which you need to keep and use BOTH numbers for all future races) you don’t need to back to registration again for the season!

Most people were ON-IT for masks at the start area. We appreciated that and hope to see 100% for the next race.

Some people had masks on for the awards. We know it is hard to drink your “recovery drink” during the awards but we hope to see a bit more masks on for that in the future.

All and all a great return to racing!

I wanted to thank those of you that took the time to send us a note this week following the race. They were very much appreciated and a couple actually made my eyes sweat a bit. We have all been through a lot since March of 2020 and we all want things to get a bit more normal.

What great racing as well! So many new riders in the mix at the front and battles through all the placings. Lots of back and forth racing. Some great rivalries developing. New people on the podium. LEGENDS like Dawn and Tanya returning to COTR. Lots of kids in the little kids races PUSHING it! Some new friendly heckles.

I can not wait for Cross on the Commons!

1. COAL CROSS WRAP UP

From our race directors Lisa and Curtis.

Thank you so much to the COTR Community for making Coal Cross 2021 such a great event. Everyone I spoke with on Sunday remarked that it was great to be a part of the COTR vibe, and I am so stoked that this kicked off the tone for the racing season. Pats on the back and high fives all around! (Even Cumberland’s Mayor Laurie Baird stopped by to say she was impressed with the crowd.)

Curtis Saunders worked his magic again on the course (you may remember his earlier Coal Cross race features: Choose Your Own Adventure, The Moto Gap Jump, and the early iterations of the Whirly Whirl). Even though he and I weren’t between the tape this time, we heard that you enjoyed the course for the first COTR cross race in two years! It was so awesome to see you all out there digging deep.

SHOUT OUTS! Our Volunteer Team (who went above and beyond):
Big thanks go out to Tim and Heather Roberts, Dan Lehton and Chuck Ashton for hours of brush clearing to tidy up the trail behind the BMX track.

Installation/tear down Crew: Tom Skinner, Jen Miller, Brett Whitehead, Scott MacGregor, Phil/Sam/Nico Schum, Tim, Heather, Dan Lehton, Chad Grice, Greg and Sofia MacDonald, Guy Pollard, the Rachers, the Pechters, and the Meldrums.

My apologies to those of you that I saw out there during tear down who I did not know – thank you for your help; we couldn’t have done it without you.

Intro to Cross clinic coaches: Tom Skinner, Jenny LeBlanc and Scott MacGregor

Timers extraordinaire: Therese, Nina, Jon, Belinda Irwin, CJ Hendren, Rachael Black, Malaika, and Mr. Dave Nowak

The Registration team: Tanya Allen, Heather Roberts, Mike Tunnah and Erica Spizawka

Masters of Glamourous jobs (custodial duties): Victoria Leeson, Chad Grice

The Ride Like a Girl ride crew who helped Wendy steer the Kids’ Races: Adele Winker, Kimberly Chen, Annabelle Whitehead, Sarah Roberts and Jade Blouin-Comeau

Donations in kind: Dave Nowak/Chris Sykes for water bottles, Jane Podmore and Cheryl Glennie for their garden flowers for the bouquets

My sideshow admin and sanity barometer: Joele Guynup

The gifts that keep on giving: Tycho, Tessa, Rafferty and Pep

Course designer and liaison with the Village and Coal Hills BMX: Curtis (as well as navigator of our house and kids when my brain was full with Coal Cross planning). I am grateful with the sincerest of thanks.

And… hugest of thanks to the energizer bunny Norm and Wendy for their endless energy, reliability and equanimity. YOU ARE BOTH SO AWESOME.

THANK YOU to our Sponsors:

We had an outpouring of support from local Comox Valley businesses who helped our draw prize selection run deep. When you come back to ride in our little hamlet, be sure to check out these people who graciously support our bike community. You will be well fed, outfitted and dressed.

@trailbicycles
@bibliotaco_cumberland
@cumberlandearthworks
@cumberlandcrate company
@riderspizza
@ridingfoolhostel
@gravitymtb.ca
@nikkeiramenya (authentic ramen in Courtenay, BC)
@dodgecitycycles
@blue_toque_sports
@loves.ice.cream
@peacefieldfarmpottery
@gonzaoko (Japanese okonomiyaki food truck in Cumberland)
@babes.foodtruck
@wholeglowcafe

PAY IT FORWARD! Ride Like A Girl Program:

We’d love for you to check out www.ridelikeagirl.ca @ridelikeagirl.ca to see which organization our race proceeds will be supporting this year. This non-profit supports young women/teens in mountain biking and cyclocross in BC. The aims are to help them build connections with mentors and peers in the cycling world, and to encourage engagement in trail building days and in their local bike community. Pretty great youth initiative for a super awesome sport. Take a look on social – these girls totally shred.

Thanks for coming to Coal Cross, everyone. Till next time!

Lisa and Curtis, 2021 Coal Cross Race Directors

As well the series is supported through all 6 events by:
MUC OFF
Naked Bikes
Eleven speed coffee
Hotel Zed
Island Cycles
Study Build
Nutcase
Frontrunners
Riverway Dental
Shimano
Rock City Cycles
Phillips Brewery

Check out this PERFECT photo of the finish of the kids full lap for all the glory race. On the ground. Reading. Thanks to Riverway Dental for supporting the prizes for this category this year.

2. Qualicum Beach. Early Preview and Registration information.

NOTE: As instructed

We will send out a full pre-race update next week for Cross on the commons next week. It will include the new registration area and where to park as we can not use our past area due to COVID testing.

For now here is the link for registration which will open at 5:00pm Friday, September 24th: https://ccnbikes.com/#!/events/cross-on-the-rock-2021-race-2-cross-on-the-commons
We have updated and changed a few things for registration and will continue to try to improve this as the season goes on.

• Added Singlespeed (this was missed for the first 150 registrations for Coal Cross)
• Added Pit Pass purchase option (we missed this for about 100 registrations for Coal Cross) NOTE you only need to purchase this ONCE for the season
• Added an option that you can register for multiple races at once. Ie. Launch and Masters or Intermediate and Open.
• Added a discount if a racer registers for more than one race. You will get a 25% discount on each of the registrations. BUT they have to be done at the same time. If you sign up for one race, then come back 2 days later and sign up for another, the 25% discount will be automatically applied to the second registration only (no retroactive refunds).
• Combined some of the waivers so you don’t have to e-sign as many.
• Fixed the link so if you are registering someone under 12 that you don’t have to upload vaccination information.

Parting Shot.
Awesome to see the kids pushing so hard that they collapse word-cup-style on the finish line.

Cross on the Rock 2021: Newsletter #1

Get your bikes washed, lubed and ready to race by Muc Off.

Newsletter #1.
1. Cross on the Rock 2021. What you need to know.
2. Coal Cross Early Preview.

The Warm Up.

It is time to get your cross bike ready to race. Hopefully you have been stockpiling tires and chains over the last year as there is not much equipment to be had out there!! Race what you have. Gravel bike with cross tires. Mountain bike. Cross bike with 2.0’s. It does not matter. What matters now is getting our community back together and getting back racing this fall!

We have been updating people of the plan for the fall through our Facebook page. We realize that some people are not on facebook but taking out an ad in your local paper is a bit tough for us so we have chosen Facebook as our social media of the now. If you want to wait until a newsletter or the web site to be updated it is up to you. If you want up to date info…..check Facebook.

Getting Cross on the Rock rolling again after a season off has been a huge amount of work. We will be cramming right until Sunday morning of Coal cross. We are EXCITED about getting back racing but also very nervous. It is up to everyone to act appropriately at our events. To follow the guidelines we have set out and to do what is right. We want to make it through the season as safely as possible. Have patience. Enjoy the community and have fun.

1. Cross on the Rock 2021

What you need to know broken down into categories and bullet points.

A. If you are 12 this year or older you need to be vaccinated to race Cross on the Rock.
Please see our full COVID-19 Protocols on our web site. Previously we had said “12 and older” but after reviewing the provincial guidelines we understand that is not accurate. With vaccines available for anyone 12 this year it is the recommendation that kids are vaccinated. We are giving a bit of leeway for kids 12-18 that they need to have at least 1 shot at least 14 days before Coal Cross and 2 by the time Cross on the Commons happens in October. For 11 year olds turning 12 this year you need to have 1 shot by Cross on the Commons and 2 shots by which ever race ends up happening on October 23rd.

Link to COVID-19 COTR Protocols: https://www.crossontherock.com/about/covid-19-safety-protocols/

B. The schedule is posted on the web page BUT it still may change.
The first two races of the season are FIRM in their dates and venues. Race 3 and 4 may still change. Race 5 and 6 are currently stable. We will keep you posted on any changes. (First on Facebook of course).

C. Which License should you buy?
Cycling BC license requirements this year are INTEGRATED into our registration page. A great paper reduction and time reduction at registration. This will be a BIG help on race day. But what license should you buy?
If you are only going to do a couple of COTR races (We strongly encourage you to race them all) but you don’t want to buy any license. You are racing COTR races ONLY. Pay for a Day of Race licence each time you race $12 (Subsidized by COTR to $10) for an adult. $5 for youth. This is OK if you are only going to race once or twice a year and you are NOT going to race Provincials and you are NOT going to race National Champs in Langford this November.
Buy a “Provincial Cycling for All License” from Cycling BC. $80. This works if you are racing the LAUNCH category (Beginners/Youth/Sport) races at COTR. If you are going to race 6 or more cyclocross events this year this is your best bet but ONLY if you are ONLY going to race Cross on the Rock this fall. You can not race other events or the provincial championships with this license.
Buy a “Provincial Race License” from Cycling BC.Adult $120. Youth $75 Get this one if you want to race COTR as well as in Vancouver and Provincial Championships. You can race any category in the province.
Buy a UCI license (Cost currently reduced $65-$120 depending on age) if you want to race Cross on the Rock AND a BIGGER race such as UCI races or National Championship in Langford. You need a UCI race to race National Champs.
D. When can I register for each Race
We will not be doing a full series registration option this year. If provincial restrictions tighten or we have to cancel races because of circumstances this would be a nightmare to administer.
We will open up registration 10-14 days before each event (9 days in the case of COAL CROSS). This will help us monitor the situation and made adjustments to our registration.
There is NO DAY OF RACE REGISTRATION FOR ANY OF OUR EVENTS. That includes kids events. That includes everyone.
To put is another way. All our events are pre-registration ONLY.
Registration will close at 6:00pm the night before each event.
E. Things are bound to change through the year.
We will do our best to keep things moving and the series going but it will be up to all of us to do our part. This will not happen without the support from our community.

2. Coal Cross EARLY preview.

As of Friday, September 10th at 5:00 pm the registration for the first Cross on the Rock Race since November 2019 is OPEN. We are now on CCN for registration. The link is: https://ccnbikes.com/#!/events/cross-on-the-rock-2021-race-1-coal-cros
It should be noted that without us posting this link anywhere Chad Grice was able to figure out where it was and that it was open and registered minutes after the link going live. I have no idea how he did that but we will be giving him a MUC OFF Filth 2 pack for this achievement.

We are excited to be back racing.

Thanks to Coal Cross organizers for helping us re-start the series.

Newsletter #1 – 2020. MAZDA-COTR. The cx race season that never happened.

Powered by MAZDA

Bikes washed, lubed and ready to ride (but not race) by Muc Off..

Newsletter #1.

1. Cross on the Rock 2020 Season Cancelled.
2. Crossfondo is still on the schedule for the fall.
3. Burnt Bridge Gravel Fondo

The Warm Up.
Not a lot of warm ups for this newsletter BUT keep your eyes open for an upcoming issue of Canadian Cycling Magazine which is supposed to have a feature on the 15 years of Cross on the rock.

1. Cross on the Rock 2020 Season Cancelled.

Unfortunately, the 2020 COTR season has been cancelled.

In a perfect world we would be gluing tubulars and thinking about tire choices for the first race of the season. We would be starting to ride our cross bikes a bit more. Thinking about ordering team kit (as usual a bit too late). Riding dirt (everyone is doing that so that part is great). All gearing up for the start of the 15th Cross on the Rock race season.

But WAY back in March we realized that at some point we might be making an announcement about this season being cancelled due to the global pandemic. We wanted to hold off JUST in case the virus burnt itself out over the summer. We wanted to be optimists and we REALLY wanted a race season!!

There is no “Modified” format or “virtual” equivalent of Cross on the Rock. The racing happens in “groups”. It is wheel to wheel. It is an 80 person grid jammed into a close area. It is a community of people coming together and having a great time. Little of this can be done without heavy breathing! Little of it can be done 2 meters apart. Honestly if we want to be safe we don’t want to be racing cyclocross right now…….as much as we want to!

More importantly, we can not get insurance. Cycling BC will not sanction cyclocross right now.

No do not have a crystal balls. There is no set timeline for the safe return of our type of racing. When our beloved Bonnie Henry says it is time to go to “Phase 4” we can start thinking about a gathering our community back together. Lets be honest this might not happen in 2021 or even 2022. But we will get there and we will be ready.

In the meantime don’t lose the stoke.

Get out there. Get together safely with people in your bubble. Outside. On bikes, hiking, running, going to the lakes and rivers. Explore the island!! This is the time to do it.

Enjoy this fall in a different way than how we normally do it.

Please realize we are gutted about this but it will be OK.

2. Crossfondo is still on the schedule for the fall.
The Tripleshot Cross Fondo is still proceeding with planning for October 18th. This is the youth oriented cycling club’s primary fundraiser for the year to support their programs.

From their recent e-mail:

We’ve had lots of questions about the 2020 Tripleshot CrossFondo and we want to update you on our plans.

To begin with, our Early Bird registration for the 2020 Tripleshot CrossFondo has been extended until Sunday, August 16 at 11:59 pm while we work out some final details.

We are working with the tremendous staff at Island Health (VIHA) Environmental Health Office to take the appropriate modifications due to Covid-19.

Some of the modifications include:
Individual Time Trial format (your predicted riding speed on your registration form will help us determine the start list)
Volunteers will be masked and practicing physical distancing
Hand washing stations at access points and port-a-potty sites
Sanitized surfaces and physical distancing throughout the start/finish area and at nutrition/water stations. No-touch bottle filling.
Distanced parking
Musette lunch to enjoy away from the start/finish area (a ‘musette’ is a sling bag full of goodies that is given to pro riders while they’re racing. Don’t worry, you can stop for a moment to get yours!)
Of course, if the pandemic conditions worsen and there is a requirement to postpone the event until 2021, we will offer a refund (less a service fee) or will defer your entry to 2021.

Thanks for your patience; we’ll get back to you with more details shortly!
Your TSCF Organizing Committee

COTR Star Holly Henry making one of the water crossings at the 2019 Crossfondo.

3. Burnt Bridge Gravel Fondo

BURNT BRIDGE CLASSIC GRAVEL FONDO IS HAPPENING!

When: Saturday – September 26, 2020
Time: 9 am to 2pm
Where: Burnt Bridge, near Koksilah River Provincial Park. Route will be 82km through Mosaic Forest Gravel Roads, heading South on the Cowichan Valley Regional Trail, and then finish back at Burn Bridge. https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/3305229973
What: 100 Participant Limit, to be ridden as an individual time trial. Social distancing requirements will be in place during both start and finish. Participants will be given their assigned start time. Note that at this point there will be no food concession, or awards presentations. We will have a livestream presentation 24hrs after the event has completed. We will have hand wash stations, porta potties on hand.

Entry Fee: $50

Format: The event will be run as an endurance individual time trial where riders will attempt the 82km route in a solo effort. The rules will apply similar to an Ironman triathlon where there will be no drafting allowed and you will need to give people space to pass. Riders will need to be self sufficient to manage common bike repairs and nutrition. The Start/Finish area will be at the original Burnt Bridge Classic race site from the 1990’s.

Link to map: https://goo.gl/maps/zFSKGWTKisU2tA9u9

Entry Fee: We have reduced the entry fee to $50. Those who paid the original $150 entry fee will have the option to donate $100 towards the Jordie Lunn Bike Park project or can receive a refund. For information on the project visit www.jordielunnbikepark.com

If you have any questions, please email info@burntbridgeclassic.com

Cross on the Rock is an ISLAND series and the past support we have received from our island community is awesome. Lets keep it up in the future as it is what drives this series and makes it special. PLEASE SUPPORT THE SPONSORS. These are local businesses and companies that support local businesses. On-line companies, amazon, big business (besides Shimano and local dealers of MAZDA) do NOT support community events.

Cross on the Rock is organized by the council of cross and supported by a lot of bike shops and awesome people.

Let us remember the happy times…..like this MASSIVE whirly – whirl from Cumberland a few years back.

Newsletter #13 – 2019. MAZDA-COTR. Season #14. The big finish!

Powered by MAZDA

Don’t leave your bike dirty in the garage. Clean it. Check it over. Put some 40c tires and a wide range cassette on it. Get out there again!.

Buckle in……this is the last e-mail of the season….and it is a big one!

Newsletter #13.

1. COTR does not happen without the support from these people
2. Save the dates (aka don’t send us an e-mail asking which dates the races are on in 2020)
3. Hot Crossed Bunnies Review
4. Study Build Youth Fund Details (Your young racer has 2 weeks for this)
5. If you want to keep racing this year (you know you do!!)

The Warm Ups

1. If you had a chance to look around at the prize table at Hot Crossed Bunnies you might have notices we gave away a LOT of stuff. Just at that race alone the total was over $12,000 worth of prizes, cash and merchandise. Over the course of the season the total goes well over $20,000. COTR gave away 3 bikes and 2 framesets! Thousands of dollars worth of prizes! Cash!! Take a look at the sponsor list on this newsletter. MEMORIZE IT! Give them your thanks and your spending dollars. They make the sport that we all love happen on the island. It is not because they EXPECT more business because of it…..but man it would be sweet if they did get a bit more business BECAUSE of it!
2. The various stages of “Post COTR” race season. Day 1. Happy it is over. Day 2. Wash the bikes. Day 3. Start thinking about racing again. Day 4. Start looking at the race calendar looking at late season cx races and early season gravel/mountain bike/adventures.
3. If you did not see our FB post about the crazy stolen bike-found bike-recovered bike story from Hot Crossed Bunnies you can check it out on our page. One thing for sure is that we all get a little complacent from time to time with our bikes. Heck one of the Naked riders (We can all guess who that was) left his bike behind last Saturday…..it was just sitting outside when we came out and were cleaning up from the awards. Stay vigilant people! Keep an eye on your stuff and especially your bikes. We live in a crazy time right now…..we don’t want people losing their bikes as a byproduct of this crazy time!
4. Lots of highlights this year; the sheer number of first time podium and winners, the number of Zoom Zoom racers (check our FB post this week for contrast), the team atmosphere especially the Team Hotel Zed Cycledelic Blurs and Buttcat FACTORY racing! Mostly the increased POSITIVE vibe this year. There were so few “not as positive” notes or suggestions. People were cheering rather than “jeering”. Encouraging. Real positive racing. General respect for other racers. It was noticed through the season. Everyone is working to make it better…..this will carry this series onward and make even a better community for cycling on the island! So thanks to everyone this year!
5. If you don’t have the Quadra Island Cycloquest on your radar and schedule for 2020 you should put it on. May long weekend. MayhemAggedon edition. https://quadracycloquest.ca/details It will be an epic event with awesome people.

Title Sponsor: MAZDA who make a LOT more possible with the series including covering all the prizes for ALL the kids races. Sean and Justin were super bummed to miss the last race by 24 hours. They love being at the races and watching the little kids!

Presenting/Prizing Sponsor and main sponsor of the Muc Off Cup: Peter Creighton from HLC and MUC OFF

Prizing sponsors for our Victoria races: Pro-Pearl Izumi, Shimano and Lazer.

Super Masters Men’s Category Sponsors Island Cycles…a small bike shop on Quadra and one man, (Jack Mar) makes ALL the prizing for Super Masters happen all season long. No wonder we ran out of Super Masters race number this year…..word is out!

Corey and Sean from Rock City Cycles Nanaimo

Phillips Brewery for their continued support for the Single Speed category and series prizes

Frontrunners who let me race and organize and do prizing for some of the races.

Nutcase do a great job supporting the kids races for years!

Trek Bikes Victoria. Pro City Cycles for Topaz

Wade Luksay from Riverway Dental (Youth Category Sponsors giving CASH to these little up coming racers)

Andreas and Danielle from Study Build from Quadra Island who are sponsoring the Youth race for FREE program (See the details and deadline below)

Kyle Denny from 11 Speed Coffee covering the Last Not Lapped (AKA most in need of coffee) and this years “Moving on Up”

And Sam Wittingham from Naked Bikes for once again sponsoring the GRAND PRIZE and supporting this years winning team.

There can only be ONE WINNER of the COTR Naked frame for the season!!
Congratulations to Brian Moran!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. Save the dates

Every year the calendar for the fall gets more and more busy! We are all active people enjoying a multitude of activities including Cross on the Rock. For 2020 there are extra considerations for the calendar that we have not had to factor in before including the Grand Fondo World Championships in Vancouver that quite a few of our racers are doing. As well the National Cyclocross Championships will be held at Bear Mountain on Cross on the Rock’s old driving range course. This will occupy another spot on the fall calendar. We are in discussions weekly with all our races and directors but this is how the September to November calendar looks so far.

AUGUST
Mid-Summer Cyclocross Night. Most likely Wednesday the 8th or Thursday the 9th. We will keep you posted!

SEPTEMBER
5th and 6th. Labour day weekend. People are busy. Triple shot is taking a break. Summer is finishing up. Enjoy!

12th and 13th. Grand Fondo World Championships in Vancouver.

CYCLOCROSS STARTS ON THE ISLAND. BE READY!
19th and 20th. COTR #1: Qualicum Beach or possibly Victoria.

26th and 27th. MOMAR is on the 26th as well as possibly the Burnt Bridge Gravel Fondo. We will be racing on the 27th. Most likely in Cumberland for COTR #2.

OCTOBER
3rd and 4th. So this would be COTR race #3. Venue will depend on where we are going for Thanksgiving…….still waiting to hear back.

Thanksgiving weekend. October 12th. Thanksgiving MONDAY. This will make it weekend #4 for COTR. Starting the season with a HUGE BANG!! Either in Victoria or back in Nanaimo.

OCTOBER 17th and 18th. Crossfondo is looking at the 18th. Cross on the Rock takes a break.

October 24th and 25th. COTR Race #5. (Possibly a double header).

October 31st/November 1st. AVOIDing this weekend. Weekend OFF of all races. Halloween. Possible time change. Recovery. Rake leaves.

Which takes us to November which will be again FULL ON!

NOVEMBER
November 7th and 8th. Possibly a double header. So could be Race #6 or race #6 and #7.

14th and 15th. Last COTR race weekend. MOST likely on the 14th to give us maximal time to recover and get ready for the National Championships on the 20th to 22nd in Victoria. Because Nationals are in Victoria we may look at doing this race back up island as people will otherwise be double traveling to the south island for back to back weekends.

20th to 22nd. National Championships at Bear Mountain. We have high hopes for this event to have FULL Youth categories. 5 year age categories for Masters. A possible revised and fair call up system using Provincial Championships as ranking. A single speed race for the jersey all over 3 days. We all want to see this be the best and most modern Cyclocross Championships in Canadian CX history! Something to work towards and focus on!

So in Summary we will have EITHER 7 races again or possibly 8 if we can figure out the challenge or a double header. Most of the events will be on Sundays. The season will start with a BANG with 4 weekends in a row!

2020 will be our 15th season of Cross on the Rock. We have some specific things we will be focuses on for the season and will share those as 2020 kicks off. We will also have some special items to celebrate the 15 years we have been racing on Vancouver Island! We can’t wait.

3. Hot Crossed Bunnies Review

Check out Patrick’s photos from the event including many podium shots

Norm’s Notes.

• Thanks to everyone that helped tear down the course after the racing was done. People were out there pulling tape. Raking. Loading. Stacking…..it was so fast! Many hand make faster and lighter work!!
• Extra thanks to Paul Brend for constructing the awesome trophies again this year. Every year we think we have started them early enough and earlier than previous years….every year we are building them during the OPEN races! I was personally pumped to earn one again this year!
• MIVA did a great job with this event again this year!
• Loved the course….even though I personally missed the BMX track! With the BMX club trying to work towards an entirely new track our use of the track may be history.
• Roland absolutely killed it with his fast results for the awards!
• Extra thanks to Brett, Sheri and Patrick for all the work they do on the full series as well as all our race directors and groups/clubs.

Notes from Patrick….the race Directors Notes.

Thank you to everyone who braved the weather and came out for final race of the Cross on the Rock season. It was nice to have proper cross weather and deep mud for our final. Every year we try to take what worked from previous years and refine it and improve the overall experience. I have to thank Norm and Shep for their work and input on this years course. Moving the team tents and food trucks really seemed to tighten up the venue and improve the atmosphere while also reducing the number of close calls on that fast opening straight.

I’m always amazed how quickly this course comes together, Beban doesn’t have a lot of trees to tie off to which means that every single stake and cone in the Cross on the Rock trailer get used. We can’t do that without the support of the Club members coming out put it all together and then help maintain and repair the course through out the days events.