Thinking of you...

Time to pour some out for my homie Brad "Papa Bear" Sheridan. I know how much you enjoy kicking back and sipping a nice glass of Chardonnay.

Backyard Cross - CX isn't over...

We are well into the month of December, the OVCX series has ended, but cyclocross racing is still going strong in the Ohio Valley region. Five races remain in the Indiana Cyclocross Cup series and some of the most exciting racing of the season is yet to come as the temperature drops and snow begins to fall. This weekend is the first of two double headers featuring Depot Cross in Ft. Wayne on Saturday and Backyard Cross in Bargersville (just south of Indianapolis) on Sunday.

Sunday's Backyard Cross is a race that you can't afford to miss. The course is set up in an undeveloped subdivision with a fantastic variety of terrain. There are open fields, wooded patches, a good chance for a log laydown that you cant bunny hop, plenty of off camber stuff along the banks of the lake, a little pavement and probably a good amount of mud mixed in throughout. This course is a hidden gem that has a chance to become the crown jewel of the series.

This year Team Indiebike p/b Angie's List is stepping it up a notch as well. The team tent will be set up and heated. Inside you will find us serving up hot dishes of Yats cajun creole food to warm your soul as you cheer on the action.

Central Indiana racers have spent the past few months making regular trips to Cincinnati and Louisville to race OVCX. Now its time for OH and KY racers to get in their cars and show some love to the other up and coming series in the region. Backyard cross will be well worth the trip.

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Milestones

We just ran the numbers and Team Indiebike.com p/b Angie's List is approaching 300 race entries in 2011. By the end of the cyclocross season we will easily exceed that mark. We will have a full stats at the end of the year. Stay tuned to find out what is in store for 2012 as the team continues to develop and increase its presence.

The "Grovel" lives up to its name

In case you are aren't already aware, the Gravel Grovel is a mass start race in southern Indiana that covers 60+ miles of mostly gravel roads that traverse some of the state's hilliest terrain. Some of the descriptions of this year's event included pharses like, "that hurt", "I was in a dark place for a while", and "most brutal race I have ever done." In spite of those ringing endorsements, more than 160 racers came out for the challenge on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

For a few the suffering paid off handsomly. Recent Team Indiebike addition, Scott Baumer, managed an exceptional 11th place finish among some pretty strong regional talent. Cory Swihart came across the line 23rd in spite of the fact that most of his recent training has been sharply focused on short, intense efforts in preparation for one hour long cyclocross races. Others, well lets just say they survived long enough to still get a hot plate of delicious etouffee from Yats after crossing the finish line.

You can see full results posted here