A Pint Glass, Brews . .. and a Live Band !?!

So while you're enjoying a recovery beverage from your cool "CX @ Brewery Ommegang" pint glass after your race, we want to let you know that you can groove to The Herbs. Rumor has it The Herbs and two Belgian style brews will help speed your recovery.
Live music to go along with the days stories of epic battles, mud, blood, and Belgian style brews (if you're over 21 of course!) -- all under the great big party tent. Friends, family, cousins, heck, even your spouse or significant other is invited even if they don't race. We just want folks to come on out, race or watch (or both), ring a cowbell or two, groove to The Herbs, and simply enjoy themselves in the beautiful Brewery Ommgeang setting. This isn't just your grandma's bike race kids, this is CX @ Brewery Ommegang.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=8558

Go to this link to preregister for CX @ Brewery Ommegang -- it's all going down on Oct 4 !!
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=8558
Be one of the first 90 to sign up and we'll give ya one of these soon to be a collector's item pint glasses shown in the pic. If you hang out after the races, we might even fill it with some Belgian style recovery beverage.

The shortest CX Season

Dan The Plan's first ride on his new CX rig .....

I'm pretty sure I set the worlds record
for the shortest cross season
ever... a whole 35 minutes.
But if you're going to crash out,
GS is the rght guy to do it with.
I also think he learned the proper
technique for popping an arm back into
its socket.  I'm at home now and I'm not sure what hurts
more, my shoulder or my hip.  Last week's stitches are a
distantthird.  Time for a new Plan.


Tour de Loop report from Sean B:  
5 Ommegangsters came out for the Tour de loop in Oswego,
myself King Karl & Eric the Bolt rode the 30 mile course.
Aaron braved the 50 mile hilly route. In the 30 mile race
a 4 man break got away, The break included Syracuse Bike
mechanic Craig Nichols and Eric Korolewski, who won the
cat 5 Owasco Stage race on a very hilly course. The break
stayed away and ended up finishing 17 seconds ahead of
the pack. About 45 of the 193 who entered made
it to the bunch sprint. I was lead out by two Owasco
Velo Club guys for 2nd in the sprint - 6th overall.
Karl came in 40th with the bunch. Eric was
riding off his wounds and riding with a friend.
Aaron came in 14th in his race.

Get Well Dan (keep healing Katina),
& nice showing by the T de Loopers.

Caz is the Place to be on Sept 19 !!

So what are the chances, two races in the same little upstate NY village on the same day? Well it happened. If you check out a regional cycling calendar (like Spokepost.com), you'll see the Cazenovia Hill Bender (a cycling benefit for the Two Smiles One Hope Foundation) and the Critz Farms Kermis both listed for Sept 19. After the race promoters of each event realized they were too far along to change dates, they did something unusual -- they decided to cross-promote one another's event. The Caz Hill Bender is a road race being held in conjunction with the Ski Caz Mountain Jam while the Critz Kermis is an off-road event held in conjunction with the kickoff of Critz's Fall Harvest Celebration. While some racers may be torn, we just want folks to show up and race. In fact, the Caz Hill Bender folks wanted to formally invite The Critz racers down to the Ski Caz Mountain Jam after they wrapped up their fun at Critz. As a bonus and to celebrate the goodwill between these two events, look for some of Ommegang's finest at either event. Lastly we want to note that the Critz Farms event will also donate proceeds to the Two Smiles One Hope Foundation.

More info on the Caz Hillbender may be found at: http://cazhillbender.com.
Info on the Critz Farms Kermis may be found at BikeReg.com.

Now choose a bike and get to Caz and get ready to ride!

Mud, Blood and Belgian Beer

Mud, Blood and Belgian Beer .... If you're a regular to the SCARR-Ommegang blog scene, you may see this entry title and chuckle. If not, please disregard, get an Ommegang in your hand and read on.

Mud: Drumroll (aka FOAIB) and Jeffina went to Windham. Drumroll got schooled in the Cat 2 XC race on proper gearing for a mucho-climbing type course. A so-so result with a 4th place in division and top half overall in the Cat 2's. It was so hot and plain hard climbing on the (overgeared) singlespeed with the bonus of being called a freak on an idiot bike (Foaib). Jeffina probably had Led Zep's Good Times, Bad Times playing on the car ride home. Bad times for Jeff as he was leading the Cat 1 singlespeed race until a stubborn flat did him in. Good times for Jeff's lovely wife Katina, she won her Cat 1 division, albeit with a little bad times when she went over the bars and got pretty banged up.

Blood: Dan the Plan's race report from the NYS RR Champs .... 12 stitches, lots of blood, two broken spokes on the Hed Wheels, bent derailleur hanger, lots of road rash, and a DNF at Capital RR. Red Rooster toiled at the champs as well finishing in the pack.

Belgian Beer: Well, it's been so freakin hot this past week I strongly recommend the Ommegang Witte. Also Belgie-wise there is definitely a bit more CX chat the past week as well. CX can't be too far away. OH, and a big Belgian style toast to our friends Diamond Dave of Caz and Amos the Kitty for their results at the NYS TT Champs.

Mt. Snow Power Couple & a Mean Queen

Jeffina Race Report from Mt. Snow:
Arrived at the race venue and Jeff had a flat tire which he very
quickly changed out. After warming up, he had another flat tire.
His adrenaline was racing as he frantically worked to get it changed
out and roll up for staging. I'borrowed' a tube from the Kenda tent
on the honor system for Jeff, and after these minor ups and downs,
we were both ready to go.

The single-speeders start in front of all the other
experts. The announcer gave Jeff some air time as he publicly
announced that Jeff was the only individual on a single speed
AND rigid fork and thought that he should have his IQ checked.
Jeff had a great race with  no major spills and finished 3rd!
The SS division is not split up into age groups and as you can
imagine, the #1 and #2 riders were quite a few
years younger than Jeff.

As for me, I had an unbelievable race. They started all the
cat. 1 women together with intentions to score us out by age group.
I had a top 10 overall and won the 40-49 age group. I beat women
who have beat me all season.

Meanwhile Eric the Bolt headed to the Queen City
Crit out Buffalo way ... 
I went to Buffalo and signed up for the 4/5 and the 3/4 races.
Races were on an 8 turn course with the usual inner city broken
roads, potholes, and manhole covers.

The 4/5 race was first and I felt really good and liked my chances.
I took the $25 prime and was counting down the remaining laps until
I would have to make my move for the finish.  Heading into a fast
90 degree corner with a little over 2 laps to go I got taken out
at over 20mph by a guy who got hit by another guy fighting for the
inside line with another guy.His bars hooked my bars as he slammed
into me and I actually did some sort of cartwheel and landed on my
back and back of my head.  I remember being surprised at how far I
was sliding down the road on my back.  Then as I was sliding I
started getting pissed as I knew my brand new Team SCARR-Ommegang
skinsuit was getting shredded along with the layers of skin on my
back.  My skinsuit was jacked, my helmet was jacked, my freakin'
Cervelo was jacked, and my back looked like hamburger.Race over.
I don't think my $25 prime will cover the damage!

After assessing the damage, and some medical attention, I decided
to do the 3/4 race with shredded kit and all.  I tried to work the
front for awhile to avoid the pack in the turns but realized I would
explode if I tried to maintain that pace for the whole hour.  About
half way through the 3/4 race we were strung out in a very long pace
line when somebody touched a wheel and went down.  A rider behind him
hit him square in the back and did a complete arse over head flip
over him with his bike launched as if from a catapult.  The last thing
I remember seeing from that carnage was the second riders Zipp 404
sliding across in front of me with only the fork attached.  The whole
scene reminded me of the movie Days of Thunder and drivers plowing
through the crash scene hoping not to become part of the carnage.
By the end of the second race I was just content to finish upright
and finished middle of the group sprint finish around 15th.

Pic worth 1000 words -- Highland Forest Recap

7 Ommegangsters at the Highland Forest Classic MTB race this past weekend. 5 of us with podium spots with 3 actually winning their respective division and a second and a third. No big write-up though other than it was rather muddy & the 'gansgsters had a great showing!

La Chouffe

La Chouffe you ask? That was one of the wonderful goodies discovered at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown (BCTC). It was also the logo on the bike jersey that Ommegang's very own brewmaster wore during our bike ride around Otsego Lake. Three Ommegangsters (Red Rooster Mike, Jeremy-Jesus and Drumroll) joined Phil the brewmaster and three other new friends for a loop around the lake and then headed back to the brewery where the BCTC tastings opened at 2:00. Once back at a scene you'd imagine a "Beerstock" to look like, we caught up with a fourth Ommegangster (King Karl) and began sampling wonderful things out of our complimentary Duvel tulip shaped glasses like Maredsous Blonde, Rochefort, Southampton Grand Cru, Duvel Green, Biere de Mars, Abbey 6 and the list goes on -- probably around 150 or so brews from over 40 importers and brewers. It was a pretty amazing sight and incredible event -- go if you get the chance -- I wanna camp next year and take it all in -- more sugary sweet Belgian waffles, pulled pork sandwiches and oh yeah, the pineapple delight.