We have come to expect that the off-road racing scene has a more lax atmosphere, thereby, making it a more accessible arena to get up close and personal with our cycling heroes. In spite of the meteoric rise of the cyclocross sport across the country, the pro level has remained consistently approachable and eager to share the excitement with their fans. There is even a spectacular showing of the younger elite crowd that were once overshadowed by the masters elite group and now forcefully taking the front of the group and perhaps the reins of the sport.

This younger generation is the next bastion of fun and vigor that are taking the sport into new depths of skill and speed. We are confident that soon riders such as Zach McDonald, from the prolific Rapha-Focus Cyclocross squad, will become the bane of the elite Euro cyclocross racer. There is an energy that exists in cyclocross that is greatly exemplified by the youthful spirt and talent from Rapha-Focus, and it is indeed why we line the barriers, toll The Bonebell, and devote our personal lives to the sport – for the glimpse of talents that blow by in front of us in the mud-ladened courses could be the talents we speak of for generations to come.

Zach McDonald - Nationals Race Face

Thanks to the humbleness and grassroots approach of the cyclocross sport – we were fortunate to have been introduced to Zach McDonald through his team management at Rapha-Focus. They had sparked our immediate interest via our love of the elan-inducing Rapha name and its association with a jubilant star and incredible pro talent of Jeremy Powers onboard the Focus rockets that have become a fashion signature in the cyclocross US scene. Zach is not just a young gun on the squad, but an integral team member that showed style with his winning attitude as a U23 class rider, and as a veteran-smashing elite racer when it counted most. Zach is the future of the US cyclocross elite and we asked a few questions to see what is behind it all. Here is the excerpt from a set of interview questions we posed specifically to Zach – we have more questions we will be publishing on a separate date in conjunction with an interview with his teammate.

Tearing into the lead at the start!

After your roller-coaster start in the Elite race at Nats, you torched laps 2-4. Did you think you were going to catch that lead group and be a major factor in the race like you did?
I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen. I knew my legs felt good so I more or less just went hard and tried to see how long I could hold the pace for and how far I could move up. At that point in the race I really had nothing to lose so I put all of my cards on the table and just let it unfold.

You are known to be one of the best bike handlers on the North American cross circuit. Where did those skills come from? Where did you learn the wheelie that is quickly becoming your trademark? And do you have barrier hopping in your bag of tricks?
I think a lot of my handling comes from when I was just getting into cycling. I loved downhill and really wanted to race but we didn’t have too many races in the northwest at that point. I tried to ride as much as possible and got a chunk of days in cruising runs at whistler on a 5 and 5 trail bike. I never really thought twice about running the hardest runs on the mountain with the bike which made me pay close attention to line choice, especially since I’ve always loved going fast. When you’re ripping through a rock garden and make a mistake on a 5 inch bike, you pay for it more than a full blown downhill bike. I was always riding over my head and pushing myself to go faster and be smoother. I think helped a ton with line choice, speed and confidence. Now I’ve mellowed out on the downhill bike a bit but I still get out there and it definitely helps with line selection and just being confident going into corners at speed and nailing braking points. As far as the wheelie goes, my buddy and I always tried to see who could wheelie the furthest when we were kids, and he usually came out on top; I can get him now though, and yes, barrier hopping is in my bag of tricks but I rarely use it, it’s rarely fast enough to justify the risk.

How familiar with a course do you need to be before you can really let go and brake late in the right lines? Do you need a few runs on the course to dial in the tough sections, or is it mostly a fly by wire thing for you?
You just need to be comfortable with the conditions and the corner. How long that takes varies for everyone including myself, if there is solid traction and fairly basic corners than just a lap usually works. The more I’ve raced the less prep time on courses I’ve needed to get them more or less dialed. That being said, there are always places where you can corner faster, the possibilities are endless.

Zach - powering in the back half.

What advice do you give the juniors who look up to you and want to go down the path of professional cyclocross racing?
Well, I wouldn’t really say that I’ve quite made it down the path of “professional cyclocross racing” yet since I’m still a student, but make sure it’s fun and keep an open mind. If you aren’t having fun at some point of it then why bother. It’s important to remember that everyone is different and others might approach their racing and just life in general differently than you, if their approach doesn’t sit well with you and takes the fun out of it then keep doing it your way. The whole time I’ve been racing everyone has told me that my approach to racing won’t work or I need to do this or not do this and yeah, some of it might make me a little faster here and there (and the rest are old myths and the like) but it’s important to be able to be able to decipher what works for you as a rider. What works for one person doesn’t always work for another. I can’t even count how many times people have told me that a line I want to take in a corner or through a rough patch will be slow or impossible until I hit it and they realized it was faster. Sometimes you try it though and it doesn’t work out, but if you never tried you wouldn’t know. That and stay in school, seriously, cycling won’t last your whole life. It never hurts to plan for the future.

We see you are studying Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Washington. How do you balance racing and studies?
I’m currently (possibly only temporarily) out of the Aero program and into the business program due to a handful of reasons. The school and cycling balance is a delicate one but a good one. They each can hurt each other at times but it keeps me balanced and it keeps me on track. If I did just one or the other I would have to fill the void left by the absence of the other with something anyway. Training is no problem as well, the only thing that can get in the way is travelling. In my ten week quarter this year I flew roughly 45000 miles and was on the road 30 of the 70 days and didn’t miss a single class. So far I’m happy with how I’ve balanced it, the only thing that gets me is that I can’t get myself to work on plane flights, I can’t retain anything I read on a plane. More or less any poor grades can be put on my shoulders since for me it’s more of a question right now of finding something to study that I’m motivated to learn about. I’ve pulled 4.0’s in race seasons and I’ve pulled 3.5’s for me it’s really just about being engaged in the subjects I’m learning about.

Here at the Bonebell we are dirtbags – a name we coined for those who prefer to ride off-road. Can you tell me a little about how you think a roadie approaches cyclocross differently than a dirtbag? Does that difference even matter?
A roadie is like a drag racer, tons of power but hard to turn where the mountain biker tends to be more like a rally car where it has the handling but might need a bit of engine work to keep up with the drag racer on the straights.

What is your favorite MTB trail?
I don’t get on the mountain bike too often anymore but I used to run this sequence of trails at Whistler all day when I had my season pass: Original Sin to Goats Gully to In Deep to D1 to Upper Whistler Downhill to Lower Joyride to Heart of Darkness.

What are 5 tracks that you have been listening to recently on your iPod?
5? I tried to narrow it down to 5 and got to around 15ish…it rotates quite a bit depending on how quickly I’m bringing in new stuff but here’s what it’s been recently in no particular order:
I.D.G.A.F.O.S. – Dillon Francis
Blood Theme – DatA
Off to the Races & Video Games (DSTRYD Moombahton Edit) & Blue Jeans (Club Clique ‘Nothing Is Real’ Remix) Lana Del Rey
Fire Hive – Knife Party
Lofticries – Purity Ring
Not So Funny (Indo Silver Club Remix) – Sawgood
Novacane/Nostalgia Ultra – Frank Ocean
Make it Nasty & Rack City – Tyga
Sonata Rabidus III – b.hantoot
Smile Back & Donald Trump – Mac Miller
Dance Yrself Clean – LCD Soundsystem
Mr. Me Too – Clipse
Last Man Standing – Asher Roth
Trouble On My Mind – Pusha T

Zach McDonald - U23 National Champion 2012!

It was apparent that Zach gets into a groove musically as much as he found the groove on the race course ruts of the CX Nationals course – he won the U23 category on Saturday, January 7th in a commanding lead. Zach brings the prowess of downhill mountain bike handler to the powerful speed of CX racing in his own physical mash-up of a pro athlete on a bike. Speaking of which, his team manager made it a point to tell us about his off-racing activity of doing exactly ‘that’ with the music he loves.

We look forward to publishing the next interview finishing up Zach’s input from the CX Nationals course along with his team compatriot and Men’s Elite National Champion Jeremy Powers – Coming Soon!

All Photo Credits: Amy Dykema

There’s a great deal of dedication to any activity that you want to do well at. We simply don’t believe in participating in off-road cycling without the notion of improving your cycling skills in every way that you can. People can say they’re just in it to have fun – but we profess that you can have even more fun when your more fit, and definitely more skilled. The Bonebell Crew is made up of seasoned race veterans who have been racing for well over a decade. We are not all seasoned pros though some of our crew like Dave Norton, Greg Heck, Brian Parker, and Julia Daher have given the best of the best a run for their money and placed well on good old homegrown effort in the local racing scene.

We love to race and we love our bikes even more. Racing to us is nothing more than our ability to see how far we can push ourselves to our limits and witness the outcome, not matter what it is. It is there for public viewing amongst the small crowds of friends and fans. We say small, because even at our largest races that we’ll attend, we number in the low thousands compared to the running sport which can command tens of thousands of participants. We would love to see the sport grow into these numbers, and it starts with a little nugget of motivation to get folks to ride their bikes. Not necessarily race – but ride their bikes in epic fashion. Racing isn’t for everyone, and is usually unnecessary if all you want to do is get better at riding your bike. In 2012, we want to help you do that and get motivated to meet the greater challenge of riding and exploring more with the benefit of getting stronger and faster by reaching new limits, with or without, racing goals. There is a trail system that everyone wishes they could rip through faster. There is a farm road that inspires you to pedal into bliss. There is an epic ride that demands your greatest fitness to enjoy. Will you rise to meet those challenges?

Starting in January 2012 – we will provide you with a distinct riding plan to get you motivated to ride more, get healthier, change your perspective in long distance riding, and all at a homegrown and low cost effort. If you are new to exploring off-road cycling, this will be key to you gaining an understanding of how to approach the summer months at some great trail systems. If you are a seasoned rider, it can provide a fresh perspective to base training and skills focus to get you in gear for a summer of racing. This plan will be available for everyone who reads this site – free of charge and cataloged for easy reference. The plan will include phases of riding from beginning of the year through the end of the year with focus on riding points, skills building, and even nutrition options. It will be intended to motivate you to consider a different riding approach while meeting your riding goals in the summer whether they be an epic gravel grinding effort, a weekend trip at a trail system to blow your buddies away, or to enter the cyclocross season in top form. The options provided in the plan will also include some group rides with The Bonebell crew at various locations throughout the midwest to explore the off-road journey. If you follow the plan – every group ride will have its reward as you find yourself more confident and fit and we’d love to see your success along your journey.

There is no mystique about getting faster and stronger on a bike – it’s about putting the time in and enjoying the time you do put on your bike.

Be stronger, be fit, be epic in 2012. We hope you rise to the challenge and join the program.

That is exactly why The Bonebell is tolling for John Gatto for winning the Illinois State Championship in the Masters 30+ field.

Photo: Rachael Gatto

The Masters fields are littered with incredibly strong riders of every level and the lead roles played in every field, are generally the Category 1 racers from various disciplines. There is no denying that the Masters fields are as tenacious as the Cat 1/2 fields. This entire year the podium has been a rotating shift of Verdigris, The Pony Shop, and one lone privateer from Twin Six, John Gatto. We, at The Bonebell, have been following John’s career closely as by the spring and summer months, he’s tearing up the trails at the WORS and Illinois Homegrown MTB Series. We admire what John has been doing for both MTB and CX racing under the Twin Six Metal moniker representing the dirtbag spirit, but also being independent and supporting small frame builders by way of Form Cycles. John, is not alone in his endeavor as a privateer as his wife is also a fierce top competitor in the MTB scene. Together they have quietly dominated the toughest challenges across the midwest MTB racing scene, while raising a family and keeping to their busy work schedules.

The Twin Six team has provided John friends throughout his racing career, and the national network reminds him that he’s not alone when toes the line against the juggernauts of teams who have established presence and tactics. He takes on his challengers with a quiet and humble attack that hides a steely attitude and incredible technical grace. He is keen on his competitors and fits a training regiment in his schedule that keeps him honed on the podium finish. He appreciates the world of dirt as much, if not more, than we do – knowing that on the dirt, in every race, it’s you or your competitors. Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

John isn’t just a fast privateer dirtbag – he’s also a huge advocate of getting younger riders on bikes, excelling their efforts through mentorships that aren’t published grandly, but silently succeeding – as he does – following through on conquering the dirt. He is a selfless individual who appreciates the laid back nature of the mountain biking scene as much as the tortuous 24 hour relay journey of a National Championship. We are proud to share a beer with our friend and are not surprised that our prediction was spot on.

I saw John spinning for his warm-up shortly before the Masters race – I told him that this was ‘his course’. He smiled coyly and agreed that it was a mountain bikers course indeed. I knew at the moment, this championship was his. I didn’t need to say it. All he had to do was come across 1st to fulfill the prophecy, and he did, exactly that.

Congratulations John Gatto – Twin Six METAL privateer – and Form Cycles rider.

Photo: Amy Dykema

Those are haunting words for any athlete who sets some targets months in advance in the hopes of achieving success, and fails to meet them at the final hour. Racing is a tough experience that mentally twists your brain and not just your physical self. When its done, you may desperately aim to dull the sensation with swigs of whiskey and beer help settle the reality that you had a swing and a major miss. It’s both saddening and maddening.

Unfortunately, I had a not so stellar day, and no matter what I can muster to write about the silver lining, I found myself leaning more towards the fun aspect of racing and the friendships, and the whiskey, oh the glorious whiskey. It doesn’t compare to achieving success in the objectives you set, both little and large. I had but two objectives – just simply race harder, and place better than the previous year. Little target with large expectations on my part. Montrose is my bitch – and that hubris was my demise as she not only rattled my cage but destroyed any mental strength I could conjure. That evening, I sat and sipped some hard IPA, while talking to my great friend Nevada Dave as he asked about how the race went. He took the time to call me and ask the simple question of “Did you leave it all out there?”. My response was “I just didn’t have the eye of the tiger.” He understood me, and he went on to give me the good friendship chat about goals and objectives and bad days and the like. In the end – it was disappointing but really, only to myself, and thankfully so – as the only winner or loser is the one we all devise in our heads.

I’ve not had a great year of racing – cross is my special place to work hard and accelerate the ambition to start the coming year with a good fitness level. I left 2010 on a great note, entered 2011 with stellar fitness , and then soon after Gravel Metric’s unsettling conclusion, I just drafted. I was on the bike, but not in the zone. Yes, work and family come first – but in the grand scheme of achieving ‘eye of the tiger’ status – I hadn’t felt it all year long. I went into the 2011 cross season with one race under my belt, and even then, it was barely a race for me as I struggled to maintain cycling fitness through a summer happily plagued with new endeavors. The previous race to Palos Meltdown was the Gravel Metric Century, and prior to that the only recorded USA Cycling race of the Leland Kermesse – three races in a four month span before cross season doesn’t bode well for entering the competition in top form. Oh, and that crappy accident I had exactly four weeks before the official start of the cross season. I’ve worked hard and I had high hopes to at least regain traction before going into the rest of the season that I’ve convinced myself in doing, if anything, for the experience for ‘next season’.

That’s where my individual pity party ends. I didn’t get the results I wanted – and sometimes, that is exactly what needs to happen. Bicycle racing can be an elusively gratifying experience in which the moments that you succeed are a result of a very little luck, good circumstances, and twenty tons of hard work prior to race day. The experience through this season has been worth it. I find myself already focused on some targets for next year, another year wiser, and starting the new year with the best fitness I can gain. Despite my gloomy results from the Illinois State Championships, there are still regionals next week in Madison, The Afterglow, New Years Eve racing, and then the almighty Nationals race. So there’s still a lot left to get the engine going and arrive in the nook of the new year with more form than ambition and equal quantity of desire to look down the road of 2012. The stage is set now, and the heart is being reset by hugs from my daughters, and my incredible wife who has done everything to support my season and my efforts. She reminds me that every effort made does count for something in the eyes of your friends and family who love you.

So yes, there’s always next year. Chin up, buck up, and forward ho. There’s still racing to be done, and there’s a new year with my name on it. Thank you Bonebell crew, thank you friends who have been yelling my name on the course, thank you all indeed.

Pull Me Under Indeed!

The fifth and final Chicago Women’s Dirt Day is Saturday, August 6 at the Palos Forest Preserve. This is a great way for women to get out and enjoy some trails in a non competitive, relaxed atmosphere. The meeting spot is the Wolf Road Woods Parking Lot. Bring your own lunch for a picnic after the ride. And get this, if you attended three or more of the events, you get a free entry into the Palos Meltdown.  That’s Awesome. 

Tour de France

I know, I know this is a dirtbag site. We don’t need no stinking road bike races… Wrong, the Tour is simply the greatest sporting event on the planet. All kinds of former pro mtn bike racers are now competing in the race, and as I write one is on the attack attempting a solo breakaway to the line. Kick back with a frosty beverage and enjoy the final 500 miles. This year’s edition is shaping up to be a spectacular show, with at least eight riders still vying for the yellow jersey. The Bonebell crew has been glued to the tube for the past 16 days, and we will for just a few more. After the race, we will hit the trails, during the race, we will also hit the trails. Don’t forget the trails are in great shape right now. Get out there and turn some pedals. Don’t forget some extra water for your friend that never brings enough.

The Chainlink

Oh yeah, and check out our hombre mas derka. El Maya was interviewed by thechainlink.org last week. You can see what he has to say about bikes, bonebells, and all things dirt.

Half Acre – Cambr Trail Day

This Saturday morning the Half Acre Crew and Cambr will be working on the trails. Their focus will be on some clean up and finishing of the route for this years Meltdown Race. Meeting time is 8:45. Join them for some dirt digging fun and a ride afterwards, and after the ride some beverages as well. Check up on Cambr for details on where the group will meet.

Saw Wee Kee

And farther out at Saw Wee Kee, on Sunday July 17th the Cambr West crew will be out doing some repairs. The trail took a little bit of a beating from the storm yesterday. Meet at the 2nd lot at 9am. They will be trimming the Vertical Velocity trail.

World Cup Racing

Aaron Gwin won the World Cup Downhill race this weekend in Windham, NY. This is the first World Cup victory on home soil for any American, in any discipline, in over a decade. The victory gives him a lead in the series that is almost untouchable. Check the rock garden, it’s just bonkers how much speed he carries through that section.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cross Nationals, Madison, WI January 4-8 2012

If you’ve seen some of the current info on USA Cycling, they have rigged up an “algorithm” for calculating the rankings for the U.S. Cross Nationals. While they were busy tweaking in the high altitude of Colorado Springs, crossresults.com has basically been doing the same thing for a few years now. They are not the go to site for official USACycling rankings. But they are the official site of hey check it out I beat that guy from another place this many times, and he beat this other guy that I met at the Map Room, so I could totally hurdle his drunk ass at the next race.

Cross Masters World’s, Louisville, KY January 12-15 2012

The elgibility requirements are posted all over the place for CX Masters Worlds next January. What we have come to understand is that guy you met at the Map Room is to young, so he doesn’t qualify, and he passed out hours ago. But he should probably go there just to heckle the old euros, and even better, the old eurowannabe statesiders. The Bonebell will toll in Louisville just the same, whether we qualify to race or just to heckle, there is a world championship on the line for both disciplines.

The Season Approaches

It’s almost upon us. The XXX Racing Tag Team Cross Race, an extravaganza of ill advised crushed can warm beer hand ups, and smilin’ sweaty high fives will be coming at you soon, August 28. Get your mask polished, and your high fives ready.

Jackson Park will again play host the season opener for the Chicago Cross Cup. We know a dude who knows a dude who’s running that thing. Yeah yeah all the way out on September 18, be there, there is no better place to heckle shaved legged barrier jumpers south of Madison. Bike reg will open soon and the race to the race will commence.

“Grandma called, she wants her legs back” – Uncle Mikey

This Friday is LADIES NIGHT!
Love bikes, race bikes, want to know about racing bikes and socialize with like minded fabulous racers – ladies, check out a great opportunity hosted by Becky Welbes who is hosting an evening for social goodness for just you! This Friday, July 8th – details found on the Facebook invitation here.

Just a reminder, the biggest race in the Chicagoland is just around the corner. Registration is up at the Cambr site. We are aiming to make this the biggest Meltdown yet. Every year this race gets bigger and better. And with the weather keeping the riding on the trails to a minimum so far this year, a lot of us are hitting the line on somewhat equal footing. And all of us will be hungry for a plateful of the “Three Ravines”. Sign up and get ready, this is the race of the summer.

If you didn’t book a flight to Stonehenge to celebrate the longest day of the year, have no fear, the dirt is near. Enjoy the sun it dries the mud.

The Lumberjack 100

Stiggity and the Carbo Rocket cruised to the LBJ100, we came back with two patches. El Maya had to bow out at the last minute, and Nevada was squarely on his way to Pennsylvania. The day could not have been any nicer for a 100 mile race. There were some good showings by Chicago area riders, most notably a 10^th place in the Women’s Open race for Molly Wolf of Crystal Lake.  I suffered from my usual syndrome of a chronic inability to pace myself appropriately in the first lap. My delusions of grandeur were met head first by the wall of reality and a hoped improvement of far beyond my level found myself almost a half hour behind my time from last year. All was good, as a three bottle serving of Carbo Rocket CR333 left me with 35% fewer dark moments*, and may very well be responsible for my staying under the 9 hour mark. Next year I may need a few more than three bottles of the good stuff. I love how 35 mph on a sliver of trail about the width of a single bike lane feels closer to 90mph. That trail is a freakin’ blast, it sells out in under 15 minutes because if you don’t get in, you will miss out on the most fun you can possibly have covering 100 miles in the dirt.

* – Dark moments have no real means of quantification, suffice to say my head was in the game instead of in the woods. All stats and figures used on thebonebell.com reserve the right to be altered, doctored, fudged, or made up on the spot at any given moment.

Except when they are true.

Which is always the case.

Subaru Cup,  WORS

The biggest race of the year for Midwest mountain bikers, other than the Meltdown. This year the event moved up to UCI – C1 status. So even more of the big name pros should be on hand looking for points for World Cup position improvements. With Short Track, Cross Country, and Super D, there is something for everyone up at Nordic Mtn. this weekend. A great preview of the weekends racing is here.

How did we get here from there?

Check minute 1:35, It appears that Nevada Dave’s Uncle Dan was a dirtbag too!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The UCI is intruducing a new style of mountain bike racing, with the possibility of it becoming a mainstream event. And no, they did not consult with Billy Gibbons, from ZZ Top. Dubbed the Eliminator, the format combines short track and four cross. Racing takes place through a tournament style bracket with heats of 4-6 racers blasting through a  short course. Basically a flat four cross course that has been stretched out in length and the jumps have mostly been ironed out. Or, think of it as a one lap cyclocross race minus the barriers. It’s a new format for the dirtbag crowd, but aside from the knobby tires and dirt, it’s a similar idea to some of the events at the velodrome. The races have been showcased at the first two UCI races of the year in Great Britain, and Austria. If you have cable on the Comcast, look for the Universal Sports Channel, the only channel on this side of the pond to air cyclocross, and mountain bike events. They aired a segment of the races from England. The footage was not great, but you start to get a picture of how cool this kind of racing could be. Local possibilities in the future?

The Lumberjack 100

This weekend is the Lumberjack 100, in Northern Michigan. A stop on the National Ultra Endurance Series for the second year in a row. It is 3 laps of a 33 mile single track course, so buttery smooth you’ll be seeing cow hallucinations on the trail by lap three when things get really dark in the back of the pain cave. Quite a few Chicago area racers are on their way to test themselves and the course. Good luck to all and let us know how you did, if you hear the bonebell out and about stop and say hi.

Brown County Womens MTB Clinic

A full review on the weekend is in the works.  The preliminary word is that the clinic, held June 11 and 12, was a great time for all. More than 50 women signed up to enjoy the some of the best trails in the country. Not mention some great tips and tricks for handling anything the singletrack can throw at them.