Speedway Cyclocrossapalooza Jan 2011 from Pirate Race Productions on Vimeo.

The course is staked and taped, the beer is chilled, and the chili is on the stove. We have a few exciting last minute announcements:

First, we’ve moved the pit out of pit row and to the service road inside the stadium at corner 3, so now you can hit it both as you are leaving the stadium and after the run-up.

Second, FREE BEER! That’s right, we’ve got a keg of Blowing Rock Ale on tap and we will be awarding six-packs of their new IPA three-deep to the Masters, 3s, and Single Speed categories.

Here is a video of a lap of the course on Thursday after we finished staking it (tape is going up Friday). Sun and highs in the 40s the next three days means that all the snow should be gone by race day.

We just got the word: on tap this weekend will be the new Blowing Rock IPA from Boone Brewing Company!

Great to see such strong turnout at this weekends’ North Carolina Cyclocross races – the weather forecast for this weekend looks great for racing and driving over the mountains from the Kingsport Cup. Sign up now and check out Wilkesboro’s great hotels for holiday weekend deals:

Holiday Inn Express (Official Hotel of NWS – Tell them you are racing at the Speedway for special pricing)
1700 Winkler Street
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-838-1800

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/hd/wkbwr

Addison Inn
US Hwy 421 North
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336.838.1000

http://www.addisoninn.com/

Graystone Manor of Wilkesboro
406 Woodland Blvd
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 888-317-2022

http://www.graystonemanorbandb.com/

Hampton Inn
1300 Collegiate Drive
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-838-5000

http://www.hamptoninnwilkesboro.com/

Red Carpet Inn
1206 River Street
Wilkesboro, NC 28697
Phone: 336-667-2176

http://www.boonelodging.com/redcarpetwilkes.html

It’s official: USAC has chosen this race to be part of the 2011-2012 Cyclocross National Calendar on December 10! Come race on January 16 and get a leg up on next season’s competition.

Get ready for the coolest cyclocross race of the year at the Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, January 16, 2011.

We will be racing on a fun course that will start on the banked oval track, tear across the infield, navigate the tractor pull, shoot out under the grandstands to a huge swoopy descent of the grassy field outside the stadium, before riding back into the stadium, hitting the run up, and dropping back onto the track. It will be challenging mix of power and finesse, with a good rhythm of technical, speed, and recovery sections.

You can catch all the racing action from Talia Espresso’s Belgian Party Tent on top of the Winner’s Circle in the center of the stadium, and if the course gets sloppy you can hose down in the wheel pits on Pit Row, and take a shower in the Racer’s Lounge adjacent to the finish line.

The race is the day after the UCI Kingsport Cup, and it’s the MLK Holiday Weekend, so bring the family or your riding buds, stay in one of Wilkesboro’s great hotels, inns, or B&Bs, and spend Monday on the pavement enjoying Wilkesboro’s network of bike routes, or in the woods on the trails at the W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, or just enjoying a casual day off amidst the splendor of the Carolina Foothills.

We are currently submitting our application to the UCI to be the last race before the World Championships in Louisville, so sign up now, and make sure you come out this year for what promises to be America’s next great cyclocross event.

Weather held out last night for a fast, dry night of racing. The Boone Cyclocross Superfan die-hards somehow recovered from the Hawksnest bacchanal on Sunday to come out in force to cheer on our racers. The results and updated Mini-Series standings are posted. Next Wednesday is your last chance for weeknight racing in the High Country until 2011. See you then.

Due to overwhelming demand, we will be extending the series by two more weeks. So clear your calendar for the evenings of Wednesdays November 3 and 10 because there will be cyclocross racing at the Boone Fairgrounds. Last night and the next two races will comprise a mini-series, with shwag and bragging rights for the top A and B men, women, and juniors. On that note, congrats to the following for winning the 2010 High Country Cyclocross Series:

B Race:
1) Bruce Stauffer (Cool Breeze/Trek Bicycle Store)
2) Robert Cool (Pirate Race Productions pb Alpha Facilities Solutions)
3) Sam Hutchins (Boone Velo)

Top Women Bs
11) Rip Nicholson (Pirate Race Productions pb Alpha Facilities Solutions)
13) Sirena Lundsford (Cycletherapy/City Loop Mafia)
31) Alison Forkner (Appalachian State Cycling Team)

Top Juniors:
37) Joe Wiswell (Pirate Race Productions pb Alpha Facilities Solutions)
46) Levi Marland (Boone Velo)

A Race:
1) Thatcher Hurt (Boone Velo)
2) Soni Dyer (Studio 7 Multisport)
3) Jeremiah Dyer (Cannondale-Champion Systems)

Top Women As
35) Rachel VanDenende (Boone Velo)
38) Ashley James (Kenda)
44) Alison Forkner (Appalachian State Cycling Team)

Full Standings and Week 8 results are posted

Second to last HCCX-Boone might have been the best yet. We had two solid fields despite most of the App State regulars skipping out to head home for vacation. The Lees-McRae posse filled in the gaps in the B field, with a bunch of guys fresh from Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals deciding to try out ‘cross and Ezra Mullen (Lees McRae Cycling) hefted some pretty large sandbags to the front of the B field, with trail advocate Paul Stahlschmidt (Boone Area Cyclists) and another ‘cross first-timer Paul Capua rounding out the podium. In the A’s, Jeremiah Dyer (Champion Systems-Cannondale) fought his way to the top of the podium ahead of teammate Alex Ryan, with Reid Beloni (Gary Fisher-Subaru) in third. Alison Forkner (Appalachian State Cycling) won the Women’s division in the Bs, and Joe Wiswell (Pirate Race Productions p/b Alpha Facilities Solutions) took the Junior win. In the contest for the overall title, Soni Dyer (Fiets Maan Racing) edged out Thatcher Hurt (Boone Velo Elite Squad) and is holding onto a precarious one point lead, with Jeremiah within striking distance 10 points back. Check out all the results and season standings here.

Next week is the last HCCX race this year, so clear your calendar. However, it’s not your last chance for cyclocross in the High Country: Hawksnest Crossfest is October 31, and the App State team is hosting a public race at the Fairgrounds as part of their Collegiate doubleheader on November 13. Our Main Event is on January 16, when the NCCX Series rolls into the Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for the coolest race of the year.