AN ELEMENTAL EVENT THOUGH OFTEN MUCKY, CYCLOCROSS BIKE RACING HAS ITS ARDENT FOLLOWERS.Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News WOODLAND HILLS - Big kids like to play in the mud, too. That was obvious at the cyclocross race held last weekend at Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. , where dirt-splattered cyclists This is an incomplete list. Please add to this list if you are aware of an omission. This is a list of cyclists by decade. Cyclists by decade Cyclists before the 1880s
Cyclocross originated in Europe as an offseason event for bike racers before mountain bikes were invented. Brent Prenzlow, 34, of Carlsbad, the winner of the men's expert race, described cyclocross as mountain biking mountain biking Sports medicine A sport in which participants use specialized bicycles to navigate rough, steep trails covered with unforgiving rocks Injury risk Concussions, fractures, death. See Extreme sport, Novelty seeking behavior. on a road bike with a little bit of steeplechase steeplechase Either of two distinct sporting events: (1) a horse race over a closed course with obstacles, including hedges and walls; or (2) a footrace of 3,000 m over hurdles and a water jump. thrown in. Traditionally, cyclocross races are held in the winter, often in cold, rainy, muddy conditions, and include barrier sections where riders have to dismount and carry their bikes. Racers usually ride road-style bikes with wide, knobby tires. Participants say riding cyclocross is a great way to stay in shape over the winter because the races are intense. Much of the course is on dirt, so cyclocross builds bike-handling skills. Race organizer Gary Hanson puts on two cyclocross races a year at Pierce College. The course is 1.9 miles long, with several dismount sections where the racers have to carry their bikes. Racers do multiple laps. ``The races are shorter than road-bike races, but the contestants are 110 percent anaerobic anaerobic /an·aer·o·bic/ (an?ah-ro´bik) 1. lacking molecular oxygen. 2. growing, living, or occurring in the absence of molecular oxygen; pertaining to an anaerobe. - going as hard as they can - for the hour-long race,'' Hanson said. The Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, races attract about 75 participants. Hanson said Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern races attract 300 or more racers, but then there's more rain and mud there. Tom Farley, 30, of Chatsworth, who races for Team Rocketparts/Scary Fast finished second in the expert race. A teacher at Sutter Middle School in Winnetka, Farley also races mountain and road bikes. He likes cyclocross to keep in shape over the winter, when most people aren't doing all-out rides. ``You should be pretty beat by the finish,'' Farley said. ``If you don't want to go all-out, you might as well not start.'' AT A GLANCE The Pierce College races are in October and December, and include categories for men and women from beginner to expert. You can race a mountain bike with the bar ends removed. Most serious cyclocross riders use a special cyclocross bike built on a road bike frame with mountain- bike-style cantilever brakes to clear the bigger tires and the mud they accumulate. Go to www.rocketparts.com for more information about cyclocross races at Pierce College. The Napa Valley Napa Valley, Calif.: see under Napa. Napa Valley greatest wine-producing region of the United States. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 2990] See : Wine Velo Team Web site (members.aol.com/napavelo/cross.htm) has lots of information about training, equipment and techniques for cyclocross. Or you can visit www.cyclocrossworld.com for pictures of muddy racers along with news, race calendars, interviews and how-to sections about cyclocross. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) Tom Farley, right, negotiates his cyclocross bike through the Pierce College course Saturday. He finished second in the expert race. Daily News (2) ``You should be pretty beat by the finish. If you don't want to go all-out, you might as well not start.'' - Tom Farley, racer racer, name for several related swift, slender snakes, especially those of the genus Coluber. All of the racers are nonpoisonous, nonconstricting, day-active snakes. The black racer, C. Box: AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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