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

Paolo Urizar (El Maya)

Photo: Amy Dykema
Paolo has been dirtbaggin’ since he first learned to ride a BMX bike along Chicago’s lakefront in the early ’80s. When he met Brian Parker and Dave Norton, the three of them knew they had to spread the gospel and goodwill of dirtbaggin’ to Chicago lest anyone forgot that riding a mountain bike is one of the greatest escapes available providing more than just a sporty challenge, but renewing the sense of belonging to nature and the outdoors. Notable accomplishments have been creating the Mountain Bike Program for xXx Racing-AthletiCo in 2006 and as Director of the Juniors Development Program from 2008-2010.
Paolo will be racing as a privateer but also in representation of the famed dirtbaggin’ stylists better known as Twin Six for 2011. Paolo will be concentrating on his major love of endurance mountain biking throughout the year culminating into his other love of Cyclocross in the fall/winter season.

Brian Parker (Stiggity)

Photo: Michael Young
Brian raced mountain bikes competitively for his college team at Ferris State in Michigan. Already a fierce competitor with a wrestling background, Brian’s calm demeanor belies his intense racing focus. Brian has been the director of the Mountain Bike Program from 2007-2010 for xXx Racing-AthletiCo. He was a member of the Elite Development Program from 2009-2010, and his hard work has garnered him a spot on the team’s Elite Squad for 2011. In fact, he’s the only dirtbag on the Elite Squad who almost exclusively does off-road races. Brian is known as the ‘human GPS’ for his incredible ability to recollect trail systems and roads with an astuteness matched only by Garmin. Brian will be focusing on increasing his competitive edge to compete as a Category 1 Mountain Biker and as a Category 2 Cyclocross racer for 2011.

Dave Norton (Nevada Dave)

Photo: Mike Campbell
Dave Norton is a seasoned veteran, to say the least, in the world of competitive dirtbaggin’. An accomplished racer at all levels of XC mountain biking from short distance to 24 hour racing, and not a shabby racer at cyclocross in his off-season. His most notable accomplishment also highlights his youthful and adventurous soul, of trekking across the United States by bike on a solo journey. Dave is the fella everyone learns a thing or two about inner peace and hardcore competition in beautiful balance. Dave is taking a break from racing almost entirely in 2011, using his time to work towards preaching the dirtbag gospel at charity rides, group rides, and getting more people involved on dirt bikes by way of example. Look for new feature articles by Dave that will focus on his solo trek across the country in addition to his thoughts on the greatness of life by bike.

Greg Heck (DaDoubleG)

Photo: Nikki Cyp
Greg Heck has been ardent supporter and volunteer extraordinaire for the cyclocross racing community. He has led one of the most successful season starting races in the history of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup by way of thoughtful organization and extensive knowledge of course design. He was the founder of the Cyclocross Program on the xXx Racing-Athletico squad and led the team to continued recognition for involvement in the cyclocross community. Greg will be racing for the juggernaut cyclocross powerhouse Pony Shop team for 2011. In addition to his cyclocross love, he will be participating in some seriously long foot races and events throughout the spring and summer along with his dirtbaggin’ routine to prep him for his goal of CX National Championships this coming season. Greg has a great love of delicious plates and brews that he will be bringing to the site this year in a new feature to bring a different flavor to our readers.

Julia Daher (Julia Goolia)

Photo: Nikki Cyp
Julia Daher is one of the strongest up and coming racers in both mountain biking and cyclocross in the midwest. She took the womens field by storm in her rookie year taking wins and podiums spots handily in every event she entered, all the while focusing on her studies at medical school! Julia provides the interviews and articles for women racers to be noted and to incorporate a diverse viewpoint of female athleticism in Chicago. She is continuing her studies this year and will be looking forward to providing more guidance on the Women’s Trail Days this year, training and racing her MTB in the summer and of course, continuing the dirtbag theme through cyclocross. She will be racing proudly for Johnny Sprockets in 2011.

Amy Weik (A-Dub)

Photo: Luke Seeman
Amy’s roots in cycling are deep, not only through her family, of which founded the Apple Cider Century, but through her own dedication and participation in racing and promoting mountain bike racing in the midwest. She was involved with helping build trails and maintain the website for the DINO race series in the 90s. She has participated in just about every type of mountain bike race and cyclocross race available in the midwest, and now most recently, an indoor MTB bike park. Amy will be providing articles with her added perspective to the dirtbaggin’ scene overall. Amy will be racing ‘The Bonebell’ colors exclusively for 2011!

Amy Dykema (Velogrrl)

Photo: Christine Czarnecki
When Amy first saw a mountain bike, it was knobby love at first sight. She has been photographing cyclocross and MTB racing at the national, regional and local level. For the past few years she has been team leader for the Clif Bar Midwest MTB team. She has been racing the WORS series (several time WORShead), the WEMS series, and events such as Chequamegon, Fall Color Festival, Iceman, and the Chicago Cross Cup. For 2011 she will be racing MTB and cyclocross for Half Acre Cycling. We are proud to have Amy onboard as our photographer at large to contribute her awesome skills to show you great shots of the scene.

Laid back Wicknasty.

When did you have the specific ‘aha’ moment that you knew you wanted to be a professional bike racer?
Probably the first race I ever did, I dunno (laughing heartily)! I think when I was a kid, I had aspirations to become a professional athlete, soccer was my big sport, I actually played for 15 years and I was in Europe playing in this youth premier league team. While I was over there, I picked up Mountain Bike magazine and that was sort of the game changer for me. I had ridden my mountain bike a lot and then sort of just read this magazine cover to cover about ten times, reading up on all this stuff. While I was there (Europe) I saved up all this money, so I can buy things while I was there, and I ended up keeping it all because I wanted to buy a mountain bike! So, I got home and I bought a mountain bike and as soon as I did that I just got into mountain biking in general.

They have the state games in Oregon, which is a whole bunch of different types of sports – they always give you the booklet that had all the different things they were doing for state games, and one of them was a mountain bike race. That was my first ever kind of race. I ended up racing this dual slalom race and I won, but I was the only person in my category (13 year old category). That’s how I got into mountain biking. Once I started racing, the first races, I was terrible! I first started cross country racing, I’d get lost, and I’d get massive bicycle failures, all that kind of stuff ya know. There wasn’t ever any doubt in my mind that I was going to become a pro mountain bike racer. I don’t think there was ever any singular moment where I was like, “Oh I can do this!”, I just always thought I could.

For me the biggest influence and sort of the reason why I stuck with it and I went down the path I did with it, was this guy Erik Tonkin from Portland. Early on in my racing career, he sort of spotted me and singled me out, and mentored me along the way. For him, [he] basically showed me that I could be a pro cyclist. He kind of picked me up and was like – this is how you do it. Certainly, Corvallis (Oregon), was an environment that was conducive to this, especially mountain biking. I appreciate what I had back then, I could ride out my back door and be on the singletrack in five minutes!

At this point, Barry had elaborated about Erik Tonkin, and his eyes filled with pride as he described the masterful motivation provided by an elder dirtbag that took him under his wing to provide him the guidance to have the right attitude for competing at a professional level – his most notable statement summed it up incredibly well about Erik Tonkin “If you can’t go there and do it by yourself and be successful, than you can’t do it – you have to be able to do this by yourself on your own, and once you can do that, then you can get onto a pro team.” That was Barry’s summation of how Erik presented a pro career path.

Do you consider yourself a professional bicycle racer?
Yeah, it’s always weird, everytime I tell somebody what I do, it feels weird – it almost feels like not a legitimate profession, but that is my job, I get paid to race my bike, it’s my only source of income I have, so yeah, I’m a professional cyclist.
I think there is a lot of misperception of what a professional cyclist does with their life or how they act or what it takes to be a pro cyclist – because – there is all this information, and I think cycling lends itself to be this sort of geeky endeavor. People are really into training, and the bike tech, and all this stuff, and I’m into all this stuff too but also to me, I still have that same sense that I’m thirteen years old and I’m in the woods and shredding with my friends having an awesome time! For me it’s an important balance to strike, because if it was only the geeky technology and stuff, I would hate it. – Cycling is such an awesome way to interact with really cool people and see the world, experience new cultures, new people, and in different areas. To me there is a lot more layers of being a professional cyclist, than just “I live like a monk and I train and whatever”, to me the racing in of itself isn’t enough, I have to experience the lifestyle of cycling in general.

Wicknasty Raceface

Yeah, it’s great, I’m a pro cyclist, and it’s fucking awesome!

Stiggity gets served another brew and curiously asks how the ‘towers of power’ came to be in the Kona World
I think it was an easy thing for Kona, we have these super tall guys we have racing! Us being so compatible, our personalities, being good friends, and having sort of that physical stature! It’s good to have recognizable figures in cycling and so if we can create something to make people stoked, that’s good. Cycling benefits from having those rivalries.

Barry talked about having met Ryan Trebon for the first time as a competitor in the U23 field in California racing, specifically in Napa. He described Ryan as this anomaly who showed up out of nowhere from the southeast and first showed no real challenge in the first technical race they went head to head on – but in a second race at Napa, Ryan surprised him and the field with a vicious amount of power and attacking that caught the attention of all the top pros in the field as well. It was at this time that Ryan’s rise to the front pack had initiated. Barry was signed on to Kona first on the mountain bike squad and then to the cyclocross squad, Ryan Trebon was signed on one year later and together they solidified a great friendship sharing a tour of the CX circuit in the US and eventually a Worlds competition as well in Europe. Despite the two pros being different racing personalities to the public, Barry assures us that their bond is strong and deeply rooted in their respect for each other and the sport.

Sarah, Barry’s wife, made the decision to go to Northwestern University for her studies, and it opened up the possibility of the move from the west coast – Barry had good motivation to move to the Midwest thanks to friends already made on the race circuit and thankfully chose Evanston, just outside of Chicago.
I was excited to move out to the Midwest, and I had a met a lot of people in Portland from the Midwest. Even before I moved here, I put the word out I was moving here. First person that actually contacted me was Ben Popper. I’ve been really stoked, I met tons of cool people made tons of friends really quickly – I feel like it’s been a lot better than it could’ve been or what I thought it would’ve been.

Out here you really do cherish the rides you do, when the weather is good, it’s a cool ride. The first time I went out and explored the Des Plaines river trail, I was like, “oh my god, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen” because I was riding up and down Sheridan and I was so over it! I rode it [the DPR Trail] and I was on there for six hours! There was dirt, it had corners, it had trees, it was bitchin’!

People don’t really understand that you can go out and ride your road bike on the dirt and it’s not going to fuck anything up. It’s super fun, and it’s important to open up people’s eyes to that. It totally opens up the possibilities of what you can do, for riding.

What have you been impressed with about the local cross scene coming from Portland?
I heard a lot of the Chicago Cross Cup before I even came out here. I knew that going in, that there was a cross scene – I came from the Cross Crusade, when I started racing it was smaller than the ChiCross is now, so I’ve seen it grow to what it is now, I can definitely see the potential here to make that similar leap to being the phenomenon that the entire city embraces and recognizes. Obviously, Portland is not as big as Chicago, and there is sort of a cycling culture that is a bit more ingrained than it is here, but it’s definitely the potential to have that similar type of experience here – it’s maybe a few years behind the Portland scene, but I’m pretty impressed. Every area has to define their own experience racing cross, whether it’s the way the course is setup or the way the crowd interacts with the racers. Every scene has its own flavor, it’s sort of important to not copy what others are doing, it’s important to take cues from that but to embrace your own style. I think it’s cool that the last race of the day out here is the Cat 4s and people go crazy for it and do crazy shit. That’s awesome because in Portland the last race of the day are the pros and everyone is blown and go home – around here, everyone hangs out and just heckles people! That’s pretty killer and I’m stoked on the racing out here and I think it’s only going to improve and get bigger – It’s one of those things that there’s this balance that develops between people taking it seriously and people that are heckling doing beer hand ups, there’s always going to be this kind of conflict between the two groups but those things are not mutually exclusive, you can have it both ways and still have it be awesome.

I’ve seen that in Portland, it started really serious about the racing, then it became like “oh its not cool to be serious, it’s cool to ride singlespeed and drink beer”, and then now it swung back all the way back the other way, it’s cool to be fast again! It just has to make this transition, people have to mature about in their cycling knowledge and be experienced with it, at a certain point it’s still a race and you want to challenge yourself. It’s important to keep those things in balance. To have intrinsic value, something has to be difficult, because otherwise it’s not rewarding, there’s no return unless you do it– where you have to challenge yourself and make an effort and maybe do something your totally uncomfortable it makes it that much more valuable, because when you accomplish it, it’s a way more satisfying thing.

We chat about the promotion of such events and Barry makes note that the promotion efforts of these events have widely changed in the course of the last decade. Especially the comparison of European racing versus American racing. In Europe, the races are spectator driven, they pay for their entrance onto the race course and to be part of the spectacle, in the U.S., it’s the opposite, the events are racer driven.

“It’s less about the big show and more about the challenge of the event”

Mountain Biking is not the Jeep King of the Mountain anymore – you used to win a Jeep for the series, and then it came down to national race winnings in the low hundreds of dollars. [The US Cup is trying to change that] It is making a comeback though and cyclocross is setting the example for promotion. It’s really good for pros to have a sponsored title event, you have to make it attractive to the average joe mountain biker.

That’s where cross has its draws – it’s fucking hard, but it’s totally rewarding at the same time.

El Maya is now on a third brew quickly handed up to him by Barry’s kind wife, keeping the guests well served while she enjoys the conversation of Barry describing how high school programs are a great idea to get kids involved in the sport of mountain bike. This was a west coast initiative that has taken off in California where mountain biking is an actual sport supported by the high schools as a league. Barry doesn’t have a strong opinion on exactly how to attract young people to the sport but emphatically states that the tribe of friends approach is more nurturing to a young person’s interest than a parentally controlled environment – the monkey see monkey do principal but on a more cool level. We share some stories about over involved parents and how detrimental parents can be to the process of keeping their kids interest in the sport when they for better or for worse, living vicariously through the activities of their kids. The example we laughed at but at the same time took a somber pause, was remembering the Louisville USGP race where several spectators witnessed a father yelling quite profusely at his son to come down the green monster – it didn’t sound very encouraging in the least – and we knew that approach, wasn’t going to win interest from the kid. Barry may not have had the magic answer, but it shows that no one really has the perfect answer, but caring and wanting to make the change by continual involvement in the sport is a great first step for everyone.

Do you have flexibility to write your own plans as a pro racer?
That’s the cool thing about Kona, I’ve been with Kona a long time and I really like their attitude towards business and how they deal with me especially. At Kona it’s all about defining your own role. They don’t say “you’re a product manager or you’re a whatever’, you go there and they recognize you’re a cool person and you have these skillsets and it’s up to you to define your role. I’ve been fortunate enough to work in that environment and say ‘this is what I want to do with my racing’ and this is my idea of a bike racer and they allow me to do that – rather than saying you have to race world cups or you have to go do that series, basically I can do what I want as long as I’m out there getting people stoked on riding bikes and representing Kona they’re happy. I can do basically whatever I want within certain limitations, but basically it’s up to me to decide what’s important. Case In Point: The CX Meeting. How do you say no to that? Bringing the movie back for people to see was an awesome thing to see. It’s important to do things to get people excited about cycling, at the end of the day, it is my job to keep people interested in bikes and buying bikes.

We ask an inevitable question, which is the ‘what do you have planned for 2011′ for us dirtbags in Chicago?’ and we promised not to divulge the secret activity he is brewing up as fast as he was pouring up the Chicago brew we brought him (Goose Island Matilda to be specific in addition to Daisy Cutter for good measure, if in case you were wondering) We can tell you the following though:

I want to give something back to Chicago because I really feel like I’m welcome here and do something that is representative of my existence and how I feel about riding bikes. I want to share that with the people of Chicago because everyone has been super cool and totally embraced me.

With that last bit of conversation, we finished yet another brew as he shared a final hardcore story of living the dream at 20 years old – driving from the west coast to Alpine Valley for a NORBA race with a racing friend, where he and she camped out, unwittingly, next to the side of the highway in Wisconsin. Sometimes the conditions are never ideal for competing in a pro event, both at the event on the course, or just the travel getting there – and you just make do with what you have. This spirit that Barry Wicks has towards racing is a refreshing view for all those who suffer through the race preparations and nerves come race day. Everybody goes through it and dealing with it and making light of it, is a gracious attitude to go with, especially as you review your plans for 2011. Thank you Barry for the hospitality and your time – we look forward to heckling you and supporting you in your Chicago endeavors for the dirtbags!

I would like to see everyone WANT to be in a higher category both women and men. Racing should be fun but it should be challenging. It’s racing not riding.

How long have you been and how did you start mountain biking?  Racing mountain bikes?  Racing ‘cross?

My husband, Kevin, had been racing mountain for several years while I did marathons. I would go to the WORS races to be the water girl and do the trail runs. I was in awe of the ladies riding mountain bikes but it was something I was sure I would never do. Then Kevin bought me a pink Titus Racer X for Christmas of 2004. He knew I would feel guilty if I didn’t ride it so his plan worked. I started racing WORS 2005.  I was 35 and afraid of crashing. I raced citizen for 5 races and then sport for the remaining. After that year I moved to elite. Ive been very successful with my mountain bike racing. Always learning as I still have fears especially logs and skinny bridges. I am a great climber but float like a feather down hill. When it comes to braking I’m an expert!

I actually started cyclocross racing before mountain biking. I started in 2004. I did 2 races as a C. My first race was at Jackson Park and I learned how to dismount the night before, problem was I hadn’t learned how to remount yet. My 2nd race was in Wisconsin at Washington Park. That was the 1st cross race I won. The next year they switched it to categories. I was cat 3 but upgraded to a 2 after two races. I’m still a Cat 2.   There really is no need for me to be Cat 1 as it is the same race. Cat 1 for cross are the pros like Compton, Gould and Nash. I might be racing “with” them but I’m not a cat 1. I do have an UCI license so I can do the elite races and prefer those over the masters or 2/3 races that they offer.

Why did you decide to start racing?

I always did some type of racing running, triathlon & duathalons as I like the discipline in a training schedule. I am also very competitive. It’s also too hard to just watch now that I know how. The atmosphere at cross and mountain bike races simply are the best. I’ve met some of my good friends through racing. It also helps to have a husband that does it, too.

How many races will you do in a typical mountain biking season?  Cross races?  How much do you travel for races?

Usually I will do 4 or 5 mountain bike races and about 20 cross races. This year I did 3 mountain bike races but cross is looking like 22-23 races. I tried doing a full season of mountain (12 races) and a full cross season one year and it was just too much. Talk about burn out. My main focus is cross racing. Mountain biking is more for pleasure with a few of my favorite races thrown in. I do a mix of WI races and CCC races for cross, plus a few UCI/USGP races. I traveled to Bend last year for Nats with my husband Kevin, but we are skipping it this year because it is just really far.

What do you do for work? How you balance working and racing?

I am a Chicago Public School teacher and have been teaching for 14 years.  Work and racing/ training is pretty easy for me since I have set days and hours for work. My school is super close to my house so I have time to train after work.

What do you like most about racing?  Least?

My favorite part of racing is seeing 1 to go! Also after the race is over and hanging and talking about it with everyone. There is some sense of accomplishment and adrenaline that still pumps through you after. My least favorite is about 30 minutes before the start. I am always worried about if I got a warm up in, tire choice, pressure, going to the bathroom and nerves. I am always super nervous.

What is it like to race at an elite level in cyclocross?  How big is the gap between racing in a 1/2/3 race in a local series like the Chicago Cross Cup and a UCI level race like the USGP series?

Usually right after I register for an elite race I start to doubt myself as not worthy to race with the pros. Then I get over it because it is such a cool experience and opportunity. In UCI or USGP races there is usually “your” race within it. The pros are fast and super aggressive. Everything is fair when it comes to racing. It has taken me a while to figure that out. Starts are fast, blocking is key, and using your head is a must. The gap is pretty big comparing it to a CCC 1/2/3 race. I think it is the mix of having the 3s since they can be such a huge range of ability. The gap doesn’t seem as big in WI but maybe that’s because they have a seperate 3s race.  I wish the women CCC racers would race in Wisconsin and vice versa.

How do you feel about the current state of women’s mountain bike racing?  Women’s ‘cross racing?  What disparities do you see between the women’s and men’s fields?

We are lucky to have WORS so close. I think Don has done an excellent job in promoting racing for everyone. Even Palos Meltdown seemed to fully embrace the women except we didn’t have many expert ladies. Women are reaching out to other women and if seems to be much more welcoming. ‘Cross in Chicago seems to be growing huge for women but it seems like no one really cares to speak up for us like race times, payouts, seperating races from juniors, start times. Last year I sent a ton of emails in order to get us to start in front of the other groups. It really should not have been necessary if the promoter respected cat 1/2 women the way they do the men. We train and put in our all just like the men but we still get slighted.  Since I have been doing the series we have been a second thought which is sad bit we have so much turnover in the 1/2/3s that most women don’t know how bad it has been so they don’t say anything.

What about women’s racing would you like to see change?

I would love to see a separate series or separate race for the cat 3 women like in Wisconsin. I would love for CCC racers to race against WI racers. We need the competition to make us faster. I would love it if the premiere races were the 1/2s instead of promoting the cat 4 races. I would like to see everyone WANT to be in a higher category both women and men. Racing should be fun but it should be challenging. It’s racing not riding.  I’d also like to know what happens to the women because every year we have a bunch of cat 4 women but the 1/2/3s never get bigger. It’s a mystery I’d loved solved.

What is your favorite mountain bike that you have owned?  Cross bike?

My favorite and so dearly loved mountain bike is my ti Eriksen. I love it so much I had Kent Eriksen make me a ti cross bike which I also love.

What advice do you have for women who are just starting out in their racing careers?

Advice for newbies would be to have fun, ask questions and enjoy the ride. Find a friend that will be willing to teach you when riding. I got lucky with my friend Tom. Kevin would just take off on the trails and Tom would hang with me and show me how to ride things. Also always be willing to take advice and learn. Rachael gave me some great advice a fee weeks ago when riding logs that the guys just assumed I knew.

Anything else you would like to add?

Other quick note, I don’t know much about mechanics. I can change a flat, Stan’s a wheel, and lube a chain. I’m lucky my husband knows what to do. I clean the bikes he wrenches.

I have been super lucky to have a husband that cheers me on when racing. He never heckles me or tries to coach me from the sidelines. I need to learn to do that for him when he is racing.

Not only is Rachael Gatto a good friend, I aspire to ride singletrack like her. She’s my idol!

Special thanks to Holly for taking the time to talk with me.  Look out for her dragging me and the rest of the women’s 1/2/3 field around the course on Sunday at Montrose!

Photo: Luke Seeman

I want more people to see everything that is so great about Cyclocross – mainly the way the spectators treat the racers – Mike Davis

1. How long have you been racing cyclocross? What got you involved in the first place?
I moved to Chicago about 15 months ago. This is actually my first year in cyclocross. My entrance into cycling started when my Uncle and his friend were talking about some triathlon – Mountain Man in Flagstaff, Arizona. So I talked some trash to them about kicking their butts, and I did. So, I started with triathlons, and loved the feeling of cycling and started focusing on the bike. I’m a natural swimmer, and swam in high school, but nothing makes me happier than spending time on my bikes.

I wanted to get involved in cyclocross this year because a year ago, Ben Popper came to an Element Multisport club meeting to talk about cyclocross. I was fascinated by the concept, in my head it was cycling combined with the steeple chase, thinking “That sounds like the coolest thing ever!”
So I showed up to Jackson Park to watch and take pictures and thought “That ‘looks’ like the coolest thing ever.” I didn’t have a bike I could use at that time, but, this year I was able to get a bike and ride in the relay at Jackson Park. During the race I thought, “This ‘IS’ the coolest thing ever, but the hardest damn thing I’ve ever done.”

2. What keeps you coming back to torture yourself again?
Why would you say torture? That makes it sound unfun. I come back for the punishment because while it is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, it is also way too much fun. I love all the heckling (granted I don’t hear half of it, but the camera does) and cowbells, handups in my face, the falls, the laughs, the challenge of it all.
I think one of the coolest things is watching the guy in front of you mess up his line going into a series of turns, so you adjust your line, setting up to cut in on the next, swinging out on the third turn to cutting off his line after the pass. All the little challenges you make in your own mind. One guy made me angry in a heckling area, and I was able to pass him a bit later going over a double barrier and keep him behind me to the finish. Then I saw he was in the very next race, I never let him pass me in the second race. I guess part of the reason for my famous finish is because I was trying to keep a friend and another racer behind me. It’s all about the little victories.

3. Do you followed any structured training program or regiment – if so, how did you learn to do this and keep it up?
I’ve been doing computrainer classes for the last year, and the cross practices with Mox Multisport. Mox is great, many thanks to those guys for working with me, which is why I’m now wearing their kit. I think if I actually had a structured training program or regiment I’d neither puke at the end of a race or be finishing in the middle of my races.

4. Do you actively encourage your friends and family to witness CX events, or even give it a shot themselves?
YES! I want more people to see everything that is so great about Cyclocross – mainly the way the spectators treat the racers.
My family lives in Georgia, so seeing the races live doesn’t happen very often. My parents did come to visit for the weekend we were at Dan Ryan Woods. My brother is familiar with cyclocross because his brother-in-law races criteriums and tried cyclocross one season in Georgia. I do want my friends to come, but I don’t expect any of them to drive an hour outside of town to watch or want to spend all day at the race if they catch a ride with me. Maybe I can get them to come to Montrose Harbor. My coworkers and friends are well aware that I’m racing, and have a slight understanding about what cyclocross is. The only true way to understand is to see it or live it. My friends do call me crazy, I don’t know if I am. I guess to race cyclocross, you have to have something miss-wired in your brain, and to keep coming back for more… maybe we do need help.

5. You’ve been featured in your self made movie clip as ‘that’ guy that gave the race back something special. What do you tell friends and family that don’t get that aspect of racing – how well received is that?
You know, there is a bit of history to my finish. I raced Cross Country my sophomore, junior and senior years in high school. It happened at every race for the first half of the season. So, it’s not a surprise to me anymore, but apparently it is new to this community. I find that to be the funniest part. I loved all the comments I received during and after. I was afraid watching it from the camera would be gross, but after watching it once, my friends and I were laughing our asses off. We watched it a few more times, and I knew I just had to post it.
What do I tell my friends and family about the video? I laugh while I tell them I’m famous. The video is not gross at all, just hilarious. I’m quite sure my mom rolled her eyes, though you can’t tell over the phone. No one questions why I race, or why thirty minutes later I’m relieving my lunch from hours before. My fifteen minutes of fame has lasted a few weeks, while it’s not exactly the best representation of me to put on the internet, everyone loves it.
I’m thoroughly surprised as to who has seen my video. My coach texted me saying her friends out in Aurora and Batavia have seen it and that race officials have seen it, the owner of Element mentioned it the other day on the phone. I see the referrers on Youtube, it seems that anyone who races a bike in or around Chicago has seen it. I have to laugh about that.

6. If this was your first year of racing cyclocross, what other bicycle racing are you looking forward to trying or doing next year?
I’m not really sure at this point what I’ll be able to partake in next year. In March, I am off to Boot Camp for the Navy, and will have a couple years of school in Charleston, SC. If it is available, I might check out Criterium racing. It can’t hurt as much as cyclocross, right?

7. What is the greatest joy and benefit that Chicago cyclocross has given you?
I found something that I love. It gives me something to look forward to during the week, but sadly, weekends are short and events take all day, so then it is right back to work. I love seeing the sections that I fly through and can pass people, and comparing it to the sections that I’m slow.

8. What would you like to see improved about off-road bike racing in Chicago?
I don’t know how to answer that, I’m so new to bike racing that I don’t have any preconceived notions of how things used to work or should work. I have learned the rules as they currently are and am satisfied. I know some people were complaining about the 5G1 rule. I think that’s the only controversy I’ve seen.

9. Where would you like to see cyclocross head in the coming years?
South Carolina! I know I will be there for two years, and Georgia and North Carolina have a well established ‘Cross series – South Carolina is seriously lacking.
As far as Cyclocross in Chicago, maybe another race in the city? Where? I don’t know, but another race that is closer for most spectators could be cool.

10. What handup would you appreciate next?
A podium finish, but I think you have to earn those, can’t hand them out to everyone! There was one guy throw a marshmallow at me, which I almost caught – we need to get better at that. I will definitely pass on a hotdog, and that spaghetti at Sunrise Park did not look very appealing. I did appreciate the cash though, it bought me dinner after the race.

The Bonebell is proud of Mike and wishes him well in his incredibly patriotic endeavor in serving our country. Cyclocross no doubt, will get him prepped for the basics of our nation’s defense but also the great spirit in which duty may call him for. Here is the exiting video adieu!