Cyclocross Culture

You are seeing the future

2009-12-16T19:15:00.000-08:00

NOIR B Sample?

Yes, Sir.

With the help of James S., we introduce Hup United 2010 NOIR B sample. Borrowing from the Blanco kit, we threw it in R, and made it BLACK.

Check in with your Hup Supreme on ordering details.

Mike C with the podium.....how awesome is that?

ZD

Pix from the Michigan State Championships

2009-12-09T14:03:00.001-08:00

HUP on the podium, courtesy of Kaat Von Brassharrt.

Womens' C Race

Take a good look - you're not likely to see this again!

Men's 50+ C Race

Kaat hammerin' her Cross Check towards the podium.

Workin' my way up the "Orange Crush Flyover".

I kinda hate to see this season end - it's been a hoot! Thanks to all our HUP teammates here in the Mitten State and all over the country. Rock on - MC

Great End to a Season

2009-12-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Started the season with great racing at Starcrossed and Rad GP then raced through the Georgia series. Finished yesterday by racing the Cat1/2 race and placing 3rd. In all 12 races, a 4.3 placing average and in the 10 Georgia races, a 2.0 placing average. Most of all, in racing my 10th season, this was the most competitive and fun. Thats the point.

I was greared up to do Nationals but I don't think I am going. We now have 5 more races for fun here so maybe I can keep up the motivation. Next year I hope to get back to New England again and race one or two of those races as well as the Capital Cross Classic in Fairfax, VA.

Another great year to be HUP!

(photo by Trish Albert Southeasterncycling.com)

Michigan State Championships - HUP Strikes Again!

2009-12-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

For the 3rd year running HUP United can claim a State Champion after the CX State race in Daivsburg yesterday. A severally reduced HUP contingent made the trek over to the other side of the state after a l-o-n-g season and a shot of serious winter weather dampened spirits and encouraged most of the squad to call it a year and hang up the skinnys. Still - myself and 1st year HUP-ster Kaat Von Bravehaart saddled up and lined up in 22 degree weather for a fast-n-furious C race. Kaat hung tough to come home w/ a 5th place medal and some how in what will no doubt be declared a scoring mishap I was able to manage a 3rd overall in the 40+ catagory and an actual freaking gold medal in the Masters 50+.

The course was awesome - about 1.8 miles long on everything from frozen grass to gravel to pavement. It went through an open barn, wound all over this huge park / horse farm, featured 2 steep climbs, an off-camber that had 50+% of the field finishing w/ mud on their kits and the "Orange Crush Flyover" - a huge ramp w/ a steep flight of stairs on one side and an equally steep ramp on the other.

I rode the same fixed-gear rig that I've used for the last 2 seasons - 24 pounds of cheap steel and crap wheels! Seems like I've f-i-n-a-l-l-y gotten the gearing figured out though.

Pictures later - I'll find some 12 year old to show me how to post 'em.

It's been a full and fun season over here on the Third Coast and we're lookin' forward to next year already. HUP HUP!

MC

Kisscross #7 Holland

2009-11-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

The Kisscross season ended this weekend in Holland,once again we took over the Holland football stadium and once again we made a mess out of it!It rained hard all morning and turned the course into a nice muddy soft squishy mess.

The Michigan Hup guys had a big hand in setting up the course which was officially sponsored by the Macatawa Cycling Club(many of us are members)and Velo City Cycles.We had heard tales of the"Death Spiral"so we thought we would give it a try in the middle of the football field and I think we pulled it off nicely,it rode nice and fast the day we set it up but after the rain it became a slow muddy slog.Along with 2 stadium bleacher run ups,some twisty off camber stuff,a bridge crossing and even more mud it was a great messy day.

Results-
Jurrien Davison-15th A's
Me(Doez)20th B's
Chris Davison-35th B's
John Evans-5th B Masters
Mike Clark-28th B Masters

Kisscross Finale

2009-11-29T16:01:00.000-08:00

Heres a little video of what we were up to in Michigan this weekend,results and pictures soon!

2009-11-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

I was going to post a nifty write up with a head line about our race in the mud yesterday until I saw the post below. Now I feel a bit inadequate. Anyway, I went coast to coast for the win with only my front brake engaged after being smashed by another racer's front wheel. Does that count for anything? Here is a short video, but be advised the mud is paltry...

Kruger's Crossing CX Classic

2009-11-22T19:42:00.000-08:00

Only two Hupster's dared to take on the mud at Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island today. Rain all week, plus some pretty heavy rain last night and this morning made sure that there would be plenty of mud and pretty bad conditions. In the last couple of years, similar conditions to today have led to plenty of broken bikes. Farm foliage (like corn stalks, blackberry brambles, and pumpkin parts) mixed with mud tends to completely clog up drivetrains and leads to bent derailleur hangars and broken chains.

So it was probably the best decision that Max and AO raced Single Speeds today. No sense risking broken bikes this late in the season, especially with USGPs and Nats just around the corner. There were lots of deep puddles, slick corners, huge mud holes, deep sections of mud slowly turning to peanut butter. Every part of everyone's bikes and bodies was covered in a thick layer of brown mud by the end of the race. In the end, both finished with no broken bike parts. AO was 10th and Max was 13th.

Max and AO pre-race

AO heading through one of the deep puddles right after a barrier.

Max making his way through the same barrier/puddle combo.

AO and Max post race

Singlespeed bike covered in mud.

Belgian blue looks pretty good covered in mud.

Oh yeah, there was also a doggy dash that looked like a lot of fun. There are more pictures of the race and the doggy dash here.

A New Director Sportif is crowned in New Belgium

2009-11-22T05:53:00.000-08:00

I'm reprinting this from Chip "New Belgium DS supreme" Baker's blog. Chip, Hupcakes are pretty good, but you f'in RULE! Thanks buddy.

Hupcakes Rule

Those are some happy raffle winners! So much good raffle Karma flowing around all day long!
Why cross rules #167 Hupcakes kick ass! And cross racers are just the most generous band of fun loving bastards on the planet. The fundraiser for Harry Lam at the BRC cross race in Lowell was a huge success! Thanks to everyones support we raised $825 with the raffle and sale of Hupcakes! I donated the money to the online Bikereg fund last night. Alarms may be going off at my credit card company as we speak but come on its a black mastercard doesn't that mean I am a high roller or something? And I swear I am good for it I have all the ones crumpled up in a lock box I swear...
Mark and Mike road a brilliant race in the sold out 4 race! Mark won the race in a incredible display of power coming out of a 3 man group 2nd wheel when 3rd wheel was just about to engage the slingshot at the line. Mark felt it and attacked and made it look easy. But Mike deserves a ton of credit for working with his teammate. Frankly when I saw Mark come around after the first lap leading a train of 4 guys I saw berserker eyes..it was not going to end well. Mike got up to Mark talked some sense into the lad and they set to work ripping apart the rest of the field and bringing home big time Hup glory! Great job boys and congratulations Mark! Man he has worked sooo hard this season. Total inspiration and an incredible kid. Thank you to his wife Gina for all her help and keeping me from losing my mind as I juggled the raffle, the booth, bike racing and socializing...She is so great its not even funny. Thank you to all the Hupcake bakers! The Hupcake has become such a cool part of Hup in New England. I loved that there was so much creativity with this batch. Kerry even introduced us to the bacon muffin and Key Lime cupcakes. All cupcakes and muffins were gone before Adam Myerson could have one! That my friends is a crime...my bad as I should have had a stash for the Pro's that showed up in large numbers for the elite race. Very un-PRO of me but I am learning next time I have a PRO Hupcake stash...who knows I may send our Fidea bodyguard over to pit row next weekend as the Verge series gets back under way with a certain tribute...have I mentioned I can't wait for the last two double Verge weekends? Sterling and NBX coming up fast and furious. Its going to be incredible.
Yash is in the Haus!!!! Oh it was so good to see my brother in arms roll up looking tight! He rode over from Cambridge through some crazy ass urban riding. Deserves major props for doing so...ride to the ride...should be a motto we all adopt. He looked great, brought some great mojo to the Hup tent and intimidated many with his sheer awesomeness and good looks. The fundraiser never could have happened without the help of sooo many people. First of course would be the Boston Road Club and Joe Cady. Joe is the Race Director of Lowell and didn't even hesitate when I asked him if we could do the fundraiser. He was so supportive and Hup is forever in his and BRC's debt.
On to the shout outs. First off the raffle was a huge success. I was amazed at the level of support that our sponsors gave us. This came together in less than a week. It was so short notice but not one sponsor I contacted even hesitated in offering support. And the support they did offer was so generous. So thank you to my friends for that. And seriously we all have choices when we purchase bike stuff. When it comes time please show support for those who support us by stepping up and supporting them.
So a huge thanks go out to:
Pepsi-wow, granted my wife works for Pepsi and she made this happen but seriously they kicked in some serious product. 3 ipods and a ton of beverages. Plus Pam and her friend hand made all the raffle tickets, the poster, the box and the soon to be crafted Hup letterhead for the official thank you notes!
Pedro's-Again what can I say about Pedro's. I emailed my good friend Matt and he was back to me in a moments notice with some incredible stuff. A Super Pit Kit on Steroids! Not just any Pit Kit (which by itself is totally covetous by all cross racers) but one that had such great extras as a demi torque wrench and a carbon multi tool. He also gave us 2 other bike care kits. Incredible. What a cool company that is so 100% behind cycling and just does it right. Give them some serious love next time you are even considering buying lube or bike tools. Thanks Matt!
Mad Alchem y-One of my all time favorite companies. And one of my all time favorite bike racers. Pete Smith is amazing. Love love love his embrocation and his chamois creme. Pete was so cool and got us some great embrocation and chamois creme for the raffle. He even dropped off a bunch of extra goodies to add which were much appreciated. Thanks Pete!
We had some amazing support from some great local bike shops who donated gift certificates, a helmet, coffee, socks...the list is too long. Thank you to:
Belmont Wheelworks
JRA Cycles
Goodales
Landry's
Gearworks
Zanconato-Not only did Mike Z donate a ton of his new woolie logo'd socks to raffle off he had two incredible Swiss Cowbells in the swag bag! The socks are just amazing wool goodness and the cowbells...it was tough letting those go...the runnups are going to be a little louder in the next couple of weeks as those bells are the Thor's Hammer of cowbells. Thanks Mike!
Theo Paul-Who knew Paul could make such incredible wool hats. Do you see that amazing hat in the picture above Theo made that! It is gorgeous and he uses some amazing imagery and designs. Check his hats out when you get a chance they are works of art!
Richard Fries-I am sure most of you know him as the announcer of the Verge series. I have been friends with Richard for almost 10 years. We go way back as Editors of regional cycling publications. Basically we were separated at birth. Except he can multi-task me into the ground. Watching what he pulled off in Providence at his PVD Verge race was nothing less than impressive. But anyway I called him literally last minute to see if he had a PA system I could borrow for the announcer and to play some block rocking beats at the venue. He almost instantly sent me an email back with a how to and an invitation to go pick up all the stuff I needed. Such an amazing friend. Thank you Richard! Your friendship and generosity mean a lot
Thanks also go out to all my Hup teammate and their families for baking Hupcakes and for helping with the raffle and the booth. Thank you to the Cambridge Bike team for all their Support. And thank you to all you amazing cross racers who came by and bought raffle tickets and hung out and supported a great cause!

2009-11-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

Dallas, GA CX Race @ Paulding Meadows

My first foray into the 1/2 race was pretty good with a 4th place. Honestly, the masters races are harder than our 1/2 but I wanted the extra 15 minutes (why are masters races 45 min anyway?). Scott Staubach from Alabama came over and got 4th in the masters 35+.

Getting ready to freeze my ass off in Bend. Anyone have a medium thermal skinny I could rent from you for that weekend? I'll pay $50. Let me know (ucapugulator@bellsouth.net).

No pictures because everyone is selling them and they are not Milliman quality.

Fall Pastry ride...

2009-11-18T19:11:00.000-08:00

How times have changed.

It’s hard to believe that the first real report coming out of New England this fall is not a race report, re-living some super bitch ass mud fest in New Gloucester or avoiding the crashes on the fast leaf covered backside of Canton, but a pastry ride report.

Now, in my undies, exhausted after only 30 minutes on the trainer, I am finally getting around to writing about a pastry ride while watching Terminator 3 on AMC. How odd and pleasant is it that this ride, filled with pumpkin muffins and strong coffee, was the highlight of the fall season for many of us?

HUP New England is a pretty large and rather diverse group of riders. There are currently more than 35 members. Several of us are very much in the thick of the vibrant cross racing season and have dedicated everything in the never ending pursuit of maintaining fitness. Some of us have never raced, and may never race. In the past 3 years, people have floated into HUP NE and some have also floated on to new interests. There are some guys on the team who have been on the team since the very beginning, and there are guys who just joined last month. I am not sure what attracts people to certain teams. Sometimes you join and its not exactly what you thought it may be, and for some members, the team that it once was, is not what it is today. This is the fate of all teams and organizations I suppose.

For those uneducated in the luxurious and indulgent nature of a Pastry Ride, let me explain. A pastry ride usually occurs on the morning of the day before your big event, be it a race or a hard group ride. The pastry ride begins at a café, where the rider enjoys 1-2 pastries and a small coffee. Riders then ride at a nice pace, no more than 15-16 MPH, for about an hour and end the ride at another café where they can refuel from the arduous ride with another helping of pastries and coffee. There is a lot of “people gazing“, excited talk of the ride to come the next day, and at times talk of family and perhaps job stresses.

　
The Pastry Ride Report:

Prologo…
Sunday morning, 4 riders met at Peets in Lexington to roll up to Londonderry NH to join the rest of HUP NE for the very first HUP Fall Pastry ride. The Icelandic Danish there is absolutely the best. Maybe not as good as some of the tasty offerings at Sofra, but still incredibly good. The weather forecast for the day was cloudy and 55-ish. Unfortunately the weather-man was only 40% correct. There was a fierce wind coming in from the northeast, making the rain come down sideways. By the time of the first flat, 2.5 hours into the ride, everyone was completely soaked, yellow lenses were covered in shitty grit, and everyone wished that they had taken the extra ten minutes to install fenders. There was some concern that they would get up to the ride and it had been cancelled due to the horrific weather.

Main Course…
The fast pace up to Londonderry allowed ample time to undress in the garage and throw everything in the dryer while enjoying a hot coffee, playing with Lenny the dog, and starting early on round two of the pastries. There is nothing worse than having to put on wet cycling clothing. Conversely, there is nothing better than eating muffins and putting on dry warm clothing. Unfortunately throwing 4 pairs of wet socks in the dryer with the kits makes for an interesting smelling jersey.

Within the next half an hour, about 20 riders trickled in to the meeting point. By this time some had already helped themselves to 3 muffins. Miraculously, by the time the last cleat was clipped in, the rain had stopped and the sun was struggling to come through.

They rode for about 2 hours through the constant rolling terrain of New Hampshire’s car-less roads. The slow pace fostered some fun innocent conversation which would eventually, as it often does, turn to more vulgar, and interesting topics. After a long climb, which seemed to end, and then begin again, the 4 riders from Boston broke off to catch the train in Ayer MA. The others on the ride rode on to end their day with more stories, laughs, pastries and coffee. The obligatory final sprint was apparently won by someone on a singlespeed.

Finale.
Unfortunately for the 4 riders, the distance between the break off location and the train station was much farther than they had anticipated. There was a point in which they were TTTing for 35 minutes straight, hammering through the wet and leafy bike path filled with pissed off rollerblades and dog walkers. Unlike in the tour de france TTT, there is no “N-1” rule when catching the train. There was a sense of panic when one of the riders fell way off the pace and there was a very real possibility that they would not catch the 3pm train.

But somehow they did, with only 8 minutes to spare.

The train ride back to Boston was quite surreal. The riders were asked to shuffle to the very last train car called “The lower car”. They had the whole car, as well as an overfilled urinal, to themselves. The train effortlessly flowed through familiar towns, Acton, Concord, Belmont…and finally stopped in Porter Square in Cambridge.

The town always seems a bit different after a day like that, doesn’t it?

2009 Iceman Cometh

2009-11-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

There were something like 4000 racers registered for the Iceman on November 7 this year,so of course Hup was there.

It was the 20th annual edition of the"road race on dirt" and we had a beautiful day for it,sunny and mid 60's by the afternoon,no ice but I didnt hear any complaining.

Hup had a great day,many personal bests,results were-

Mike Koetsier-2:07:34-65th Expert 35-39
Jurrien Davison-2:09:56-51st Expert 30-34
Mike Doezema-2:14:22-30th Sport/Expert Clydsdale
Chris Davison-2:16:38-32nd Sport/Expert Clydsdale
Mike Clark-2:21:10-62nd Singlespeed 40+
Kathy Tahy-2:45-20th Sport Women 35-45

KissCross #6 Manhatten Park

2009-11-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

It was a tough day for Hup Michigan at Manhatten Park this year,flat tires and mechanicals seemed to be the story of the day,I cut a big hole in the sidewall of my tubie that ended my day and Chris and John both had bike issues,John rolled a tubie in the B race so figured he would race A's instead then had ghost shifting issues that knocked him out of that race too.
Nice day for a race,sunny and mid 50's,challenging course with a big sand pit,a couple of tough steep hills and a rough muddy descent.
Hup results-
Jurrien Davison-25th A's
Chris Davison-36th-B's
Mike Clark-17th-B masters and 20th C tandem
Kathy Tahy-33nd C's
Doez and John Evans-DNF's but tried hard!

Cross Crusade #8 - Attack of the Gravel Pit

2009-11-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

Sunday was the last race of the Cross Crusade series. Held at Barton Park (and the adjacent gravel pit), this venue tends to be one of those hate it or love it locations. AO loves this place, as his win here in 2007 earned him his upgrade from Bs to As. Slate is rather ambivalent about Barton. He's had good results, but has also experience big rocks and broken bikes. Max hates the gravel pit. He's left more skin, blood, and broken parts here than anyone should (or maybe that's Dan). So coming in to the final race of the Cross Crusade series, everyone has different expectations.

Race conditions were perfect. A week of rain leading up to race day softened up the ground that wasn't paved or covered in gravel. It was dry the day before, so some of the slick mud dried out and some of the deeper puddles went away. Clouds and sprinkles throughout the day kept everything just soft enough to remain challenging. The course avoided the most extreme parts of the gravel pit, but still had a steep off-camber downhill leading to a muddy wood plank bridge across a ditch. A couple of steep muddy run-ups with lots of loose rocks kept things interesting. The rest of the course was wide open and flat, allowing for power riders to put the hurt on anyone with poor conditioning.

All three of our racers had some mechanical issues, but all managed to finish. AO had some brake lever slipping issues that led him to finish the race with no back brake. Both Max and Slate took advantage of the neutral Shimano pit wheels after getting front flats. Like true teammates, they flatted together, pitted together, and finished together.

Final Results:
AO - 31 (A)
Max - 21 (Master 35+ A)
Slate - 22 (Master 35+ A)

Many more photos can be found here.

Bay Area Super Prestige #3 - Sierra Point

2009-11-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

The NorCal HUP contingent raced under the lights this past weekend in the third Super Prestige race of the year. Morning showers threatened to treat the racers with some mud but the dreams were short lived as the sun quickly reclaimed its turf for yet another weekend.

Sunset at Sierra Point. Let the games begin.

HUP NorCal strategists Mike and Chris look on.

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Andrew and Greg headed out on course just before sunset to contest the Masters B race. Both rode well to display the HUP kit at the front of the race.

Andrew works the step-through on the first set of barriers.
Greg over the first set of barriers.
Greg crests the last short steep ride up on the course.
Andrew just seconds behind.

Greg and Andrew managed to find each other well into the race and put the TTT plan into action.

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Next up under full lights was the Open B and Single Speed B race contested by Chip (B), Eric (SSB) and Andrew (SSB).
-

Chip had his strongest showing of the year under the lights.

Chip closing out the last laps of the race in good form.

Chip kindly displays his exhaustion to the camera.

Eric putting the hammer down in the SSB race.

Eric was unfazed by the relative darkness around the course. His well lit bicycle provided ample view of the terrain.

Andrew taking home the HUP Hardman Award for the night. Race twice on any given day/night and you quickly become a favorite to take home this coveted title.

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Last up on the night was Basil in the Masters A race. Second to last race of the night and the crowd was in good form atop the short hill in the middle of the course.

Basil prepares to drop down off the hill.

Basil keeping the pace high in what must be one of the fastest masters fields in the US.

Last time over the barriers for Basil.

2009-11-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Take the podium picture in the post below this one and have everyone move to the viewer's right and you have the podium for the state champs. After 10 years of trying it did not happen again. Great hard race though and at the end all 3 of use were separated by 3 seconds. With a flat, twisty course I could not accelereate enough in the last 100m to catch back on. The race was at a dirt track speedway in Savannah, GA and it was 80 degrees for the race.

The single-speed race would have been better had I not suggested to my friend and closest competitor that he should race it too. I even set up his bike. He won the state champ in that by about 10 seconds over me so basically I kicked my own ass, that and he rode a 50x17.

I got to meet a 75 year old Ken Laidlaw, Scottish cross champion who never lost a race and placed 16th in the 1962 tour de France, being the first Scot to do so. What a treat. When waiting for the single-speed podium he asked if we rode it on fixed gears and when we said no, he asked, what is really the point then? I thought that was really funny. Also met a Flandrian who offered me a trip to Belgium and to meet Eddie M.

Hey, at least they had a fly-over...\

2009-11-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

Maybe the worst podium pic ever. Been good so far, a couple wins and second places. This may be the podium for the state champs on Sunday, hopefully in this order. It will be a long drive to Savannah.

Finally some mud. (Photo Trish Albert southeasterncycling.com)

Kisscross #5 Richmond Park

2009-11-02T17:53:00.001-08:00

A beautiful day for cross in Michigan this past weekend,and Hup Michigan was the host for the 5th race of the Kisscross season,which means we designed and set up the course,supplied 9 crock pots of chilli and soup,and even my Mom made us 4 cheesecakes to use as primes.
We busted out all the kits for this race,Classic Blue,Noir,Blanco,Retro Hincappie Blues,Noir Woolie,I wore Blue bibs,Noir jersey and Retro Hincappie White armwarmers,and Mike Clark busted out the Original little seen Neon Green kit.
We had a blast,course turned out great,we got lots of compliments and even had good results,which were-
Me(Doez)-19th B's
Chris Davison-22nd B's
Mike Koetsier-28th B's
John Evans-6th Master B's
Mike Clark-20th Master B's
Kathy Tahy-34th-C's
Jurien Davison-Had a nice run going in the A race till a rolled tire ended his day.

Start section,looks a little like Belgium maybe?

Beacon Cross and HPCX

2009-11-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

A pair of us made our way into NJ for some back to back cross action. Keith Plunkett flew the HUP flag high braving the muddy conditions in the Blanco kit for both events, and I made it over to HPCX for the Sunday race. I had a strong finish in the top half of Masters B, while Keith battled some neck and shoulder issues. Showing his form as a true flahute, he never gave in and finished on the lead lap both days. That said, some races you cant help but take the handups when they come....

MFG - King County CX

2009-11-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

HUP NorCal sent two Ambassadeurs du Sport to the great PNW to experience all that is MFG Cyclocross. With the West Seattle debacle behind them, MFG moved on to produce King County CX and the resulting event was spectacular. After seeing what the MFG crew can put together in 3 days I can't wait to see what one of their regularly scheduled events is like.

The Godfather.Damian checking the view from the front of the single speed race. It's been a while and it didn't last but a more than a few heart beats but it was fun while it lasted.
Damian making his way to the second set of barriers on the course.
Chris also made the trip and added to the one-two HUP punch in the single speed field. Here he makes his way over the rather tall barriers.

Chris works the second run-up with beard face in tow.

Chris works his way down a short decent.

Surf City

2009-11-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

Surf City, one of America's oldest cyclocross race series, hosted the Halloween and Dia De Los Muetos race this past weekend. Andrew, Basil, Greg and Eric made it out to fly the HUP colors. I missed this years event but by the looks of the photos (courtesy of Andrew and Eric) it looks like they were treated to some fine Northern California Weather.

Andrew in the Masters A race.

Andrew.

Basil (Masters A race) enters the "spiral of death".

Basil.

Basil prepares to remount.

Eric going full speed in the Masters B race.

Greg going full on in the Masters B race.

Who needs embrocation when you can just wear a full Tanuki costume?

2009-10-30T08:31:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken by a surveillance camera in Back Bay Boston late last night.

Apparently The beast was later taken into custody for public drunkeness and recklessly peeing all over a brand new embrocation team issue bicycle.

Bay Area Super Prestige #2 - Coyote Point

2009-10-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

The second round of the Bay Area Superprestige was contested at Coyote Point this past Sunday. A mostly new course for the location plus brilliant sun and warm temperatures made for a great day. HUP DS for the day Mike P. made it out to help the team with strategy and give us the update on his recovery from recent knee surgery. He took the afternoon to soak it all in and stoke the fire for next year. Northern California you've been put on notice.

Andrew, Greg and Eric started the day off on the right note putting HUP straight to the front of the races for the day in the Masters 35+ B race. Two riders in the top ten with Andrew seen below on the podium in 5th and Greg just two spots behind in 7th.

Andrew over the barriers.

Greg through the start finish line.

Greg with the high speed remount.

Eric sets up for the remount.

Eric makes his way through the sand pit.

Basil had another good showing in the Masters 35+ A race.

Basil on the run-up.

Next up for the day was the A race. Below Chris and Damian attempt a proper warm-up at camp HUP.

Chris on the run-up.

Chris on his "bonus" lap following the A race adding some hardman points to his collection. He went out with the B single speeders to get in some extra suffering.

Damian on the run-up.

Finishing the day out on a neutral service wheel from Ritchey (thanks again) after rolling a tubular and then later on the same lap being unintentionally taken out by a fellow competitor.

Chip was last up for the day in the Men's B race. Note the front wheel is most likely the same neutral service wheel as the one pictured above as Chip suffered a similar fate.

Chip post race.

(photo credit: first photo of basil http://www.flickr.com/photos/swoo/;

all others http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclocross/)

Kisscross #3 Lakeside Park

2009-10-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Great race weekend again in Michigan,50 degrees and sunny,just perfect wheather.

Course was good,lots of off camber,a tough sandy run up,a huge seemingly never ending maze with 20 or so turns,a little of everything and free beer post race! Doesnt get much better.

Hup results
Mike Koetsier-18th B
Doez-21st B
Chris Davison-22nd B
John Evans-10th B Master
Jurrien Davison-24th A

Winning races and great fall rides...

2009-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

As I sat in front of the fire last saturday morning enjoying a vintage bottle of Courvoisier and lamenting the decay of society and 4 star hotels in France, many of the HUP riders were actually riding, and having the races of their lives...

Top three riders are from Hup United. These guys have been super inspired and have been quietly hitting every possible race, even though they are married and some have kids. That is bad ass and they have understanding wives.

Report from Rob, Mark, and Ben to follow.

On Saturday I went on a LONG and super fast ride with what turned out to be a slew of Embrocators. I tried to honor the Hup name by not cracking, but I completely cramped up in the last mile after bridging up to a small breakaway consisting of Art(Former Hup) and the Kyler. I got a bit of help from Hup climbing sensation Murat Tassan during the bridge up. It was amazing to see the raw and unadulterated power of PVB on this ride. One day PVB, when you least expect it, I shall put the hammer down and we will crack together.

It was an amazing fall ride, and it brought much needed tingly sensations to my legs.

Finally romance was in the air as well as MT made a girl swoon at Cafe Fixe with his lyrical ryhmes and deep penetrating turkish gaze.