5, July 2009
Greetings -
This is not my team, it is our team atmo.
Now that I have your attention, thanks so much for letting the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team
into your inbox and world as these routine emails resume for another season. It's true that I am
attached at the hips to this organization. The Cliffs Notes is that this group began life in the late
1960s as the Connecticut Yankee Bicycle Club. In the mid 1970s, as the boundaries between the
terms amateur and professional were being dismantled, many Olympic sports began to allow athletes
and teams to be sponsored. In the beginning, many cyclists were racing with commercial ties to
bicycle industry brands. By the time the games were held in Los Angeles, most of the peloton were
representing firms which made household products, or by car companies, or chain stores, or candy
makers, blah blah yada yada. When I started racing with CYBC in the 1970s, we were sponsored. I
learned from day one where the lines were, who was responsible for keeping the team well oiled, and
where my allegiances belonged, for without sponsorship, none of us could make it from one race weekend
to the next.
A period in the early 1980s saw our little group with a dwindling support system. It was during that
time that I decided to switch over from being one of the racers in the squad to taking the reigns and
sponsoring the riders with my frame making business. This year, 2009, is the 37th contiguous year
that there has been a Richard Sachs Cycles supported team. Over the generations we have had scores
of racers as well as dozens of industry and non-industry firms helping to keep the organization in place.
About 15 years ago when the focus switched from road to cyclocross, the team began its slow and
steady rise from being a regional club with very good racers to a nationally known group whose focus
is completely and inseparably tethered to the autumn schedule. 'Cross Fukcing Rules Atmo, and it
rules for us because of you, and you, and you. This team could as easily be called the Challenge Tires
Team, or the RGM Watches Team, or the Radix Team, or the Rex Chiu Team (I'll stop here since I
know you get the picture) because all of these entities, as well as a host of others, are what keeps the
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team alive, fueled, equipped, in the black, and inspired. We race for you
atmo. Thanks to all the sponsors and patrons, past and present. Without these firms and folks in the
background, we'd be nonexistent. Having said all this, I am proud to list the sponsors (and links where
appropriate) who are the backbone of the 'cross campaign for 2009. Note: I expect this list to be added
to in the next few weeks, and when it's complete, I'll revise it). But (drum roll...) for now -
RGM Watch Company
Radix Group
Rex Chiu
Rajanaka Yoga
Challenge Tech (tires)
Oval Concepts (stems, handlebars, and seatposts)
Cane Creek (brakes and headsets)
Cole Products (wheels)
Wippermann (chains)
Rudy Project (eyewear and helmets)
Crank Brothers (pedal systems)
Bailey Works (luggage)
Verge Sport (apparel)
Joe Bell Custom Paint (well, paint duh...)
Svelte Cycles
The Fat Men (no, that's NOT a misprint atmo)
Don't fall asleep yet I am almost done atmo. In keeping with the tradition of pointing readers of these
missives to links and stories that relate to our little community, I'm happy to supply two recent and
SUPERB interviews that regard RS 'Cross Team alumni, Justin Spinelli, and his not-so-new venture,
Svelte Cycles. In the past 2 weeks, Justin and Svelte have been covered by Pez Cycling news as well
as in The WashingMachine Post. Enjoy these two reads atmo:
Pez Cycling News
The WashingMachine Post
In the coming weeks I will continue to update the sponsor and support system list of names and I will
also be pasting in texts from the various firms and peeps so you can read, in their words, how these
liaisons come to pass and what it all means to them.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
http://www.richardsachs.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
27, June 2009
Greetings -
Like it or not, with July near and all the surrounding BS related to Lance, Alberto, and the TDF,
it can only mean one thing: it's officially the pre-season atmo. The routine updates, picture links,
and news about everything Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team will resume in a few short days.
For the 2009 campaign we have many returning sponsors and supporters as well as several new
ones.The team itself will have some familiar names and faces, though some cats and kittens will
be wearing our kit for the first time beginning in September. It's been a long time away from the
mud, the Fangos, and the cupcakes, but the great news is that the roster for the RS 'Cross Team
is better and stronger than ever. Film at eleven, or at least within the next 2-3 email updates. So do
NOT direct these missives to the spam folder or you'll never know who we are, or what the sponsors
who so graciously support us make, or who will be the familiar names on the 09 podium all season
long, or any other important fact along the way that speaks to racing at the best time of the year.
As we've done for more seasons that can be counted, we'll do our best from now through to the
Natz in December and hopefully passed that to the World Championships in mid-winter, to get
you to know what we know:
'Cross Fukicng Rules Atmo
The viral, subliminal, and gorilla machinery has been dusted off and the messages will start getting
sent out on a regular basis. Thanks so much in advance for your interest in our racing, in the sport
we love, and for following our travails (I love using that word, travails, in a sentence). In the meantime,
if anyone needs a refresher course, a CliffsNotes, or a RS 'Cross Team for Dummies primer, please
visit either of these links atmo:
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.
http://richardsachs.com/
Take Care
e-RICHIE©™®
http://www.richardsachs.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
29, January 2009
Greetings -
To dovetail off of these two threads:
1) http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4526
2) http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4843
I'm happy to paste in a note to ALL of you from Will. So many here were
uber generous when we asked for help. The big dance is this weekend,
and Will is ready. Thanks so much for the interest, support, and following
the season. 'Cross fucking rules atmo.
Here, from Will...
Dear friends,
My trip to Hoogerheide, Holland for the 2009 Cyclocross World Championships was made possible by you and I want you to know that without your help I would not have had this opportunity. Some of you I know and some I do not. It is truly remarkable to have this kind of support from people all around the country. This year marks a stride in my development as a rider and a person overall. I recognize the efforts and sacrifices that I have made to get to this level but many helped me along the way, and those people alone deserve much gratitude. If everyone could pass generosity and kindness around as you have, we'd live in a Utopian world where dreams become realities. You're unbelievable. I hope I can do the same for others in the future.
It is now the Thursday evening before the Saturday of Worlds. I visited the course for a short preview today. It's thawing as more racers ride it and a little greasy at the moment. The experience is not overwhelming, which is good for my nerves. The level will be similar to a World Cup, which I had the chance to race in Zolder, Belgium last month. If there is any interest, I believe there is a way to view the race Live at www.cycling.tv (it might cost something).
I once again thank you all very much for your support for the Richard Sachs Worlds Fund and hope everyone has an excellent new year, stays warm and healthy, and rides happily! I hope to write a new entry on Velocipede Salon soon, so please stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Will
A very personal and heartfelt thanks from me, as well as from all of us on the
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team. It's been a long and wonderful season.
We wish Will Dugan the best as he finishes his season this weekend at the
U23 Cyclocross World Championships in The Netherlands.
Sincerely,
Richard Sachs
28, January 2009
As we approach the weekend of the Cyclocross World Championships where the
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team's (did i just use the word, cyclocross, twice in
one sentence?) Will Dugan will be racing in the U23 event, I have only one thing to
say right now -
Brendan Quirk gets it atmo...
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=WHATS_NEW
Hey - thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE
11, January 2009
Greetings -
As you know, Will Dugan has spent the past several weeks in Belgium at the Eurocross Camp in Izegem.
I have compiled many of his update on a forum that I admin and the link to all of them is:
http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4526
The two week camp as well as the trip back to Europe for the World Championships costs alot of money.
By my estimates it totals out near $6000. The riders must pay all of their own expenses for this, a chance
to represent themselves, their respective teams, and - their country.
Many riders have friends and families who have partys and bake sales and the like. Others have online sites
where donations can be made. For Will, The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team has decided on the Paypal
route. Despite the service fees, I feel this is the best and quickest method to raise money.
To this end I am asking ALL folks who receive these emails to make a donation that will enable Will Dugan to
complete the second half of his 2008 season with as few unpaid bills as possible. Please may a payment with
the words "Cross Funds" in the memo and go to: www.paypal.com . You should use the following dedicated
email addy for this: therichardsachs@gmail.com I will take all of the donated funds and send them to Will.
Many thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
6, January 2009
Greetings -
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team's Will Dugan continues what can only be described
as his second season. As noted in recent emails, Will spent these past two weeks at the
Eurocross Camp in Izegem, Belgium. I have just pasted another update from Will online.
Follow this link -
http://www.velocipedesalon.
to read about the latest goings-on from young Will. It's almost as good as being there atmo.
To read all of his posts, click here -
http://www.velocipedesalon.
to see them all. Bookmark it. I expect more as January unfolds and we get closer to the
World Championships at month's end.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE
28. December 2008
Greetings -
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team rider and USA Cycling U23 Worlds Team member, Will Dugan, is
staying in touch while he's away at Euro 'Cross Camp in Izegem, Belgium. Here's his recent update -
http://www.velocipedesalon.
To read previous updates, click here -
http://www.velocipedesalon.
Many thanks for following!
e-RICHIE
26, December 2008
Greetings -
Will Dugan is in Belgium for several weeks leading up to February when he will race the World Cyclocross Championships
as part of USA Cycling''s U23 team. The link below was created for post updates, diary news, and general info so we can all
follow him as he begins the second half of his 2008 'cross season. I'll direct Will and our pals to the Velocipede Salon and try
to make this ground zero for All Will All The Time atmo.
read here -
http://www.velocipedesalon.
Many thanks
e-RICHIE
25, December 2008
Greetings and happy holidays -
As I wrote once (or twice) before, the racing may be over, but the season lasts all year atmo. For
the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team, 2008 is pretty much done. What began in January with a
mild case of me having Post 'Cross Traumatic Stress Disorder soon turned in to a full fledged effort
to ready the sponsors, industry suppliers, and my team mates for racing once September arrived. It
has been a good long run for all of us, and our last time together was the natz in Kansas City almost
two weeks ago.
I mentioned in late November that the 2009 season will be different for the RS 'Cross Team. We're
very pleased that all of the 2008 sponsors and suppliers have committed to return. What becomes of
the roster as we know it remains to be seen. After what has arguably been our most successful season
of racing, the scorecard will be decidedly revised come autumn. And so it goes.
I asked some of the racers to pen some thoughts that reflect their season and career in red (now black)
and I'm very pleased to paste in these texts. Note: Will is on the road in Izegen, Belgium, and I hope to get
his thoughts included as soon as possible. Read on -
From Rotundo -
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all Team Richard Sachs sponsors that have supported me over
the past five years. I consider Team Richard Sachs my re-introduction to bike racing post-europe and
the times I have shared with the team will always hold a special place in my heart. This past season I
was fortunate enough to have my own Svelte Cycles on the jersey with a foot in the sponsorship support
pool. It makes me very proud to align my own company with another great brand and I hope in years to
come Svelte Cycles can remain a technical sponsor as every team needs color co-ordinating SRAM
Hoods...Hyman Roth always makes money for his partners.
So as I delve into the depths of my own cyclocross program I would also like to wish my current and former
teammates the best of luck and thank them for their undying support and camaraderie. Last and certainly
not least a big standing ovation for the man himself, thank you Richard Sachs.
From Issimo -
The 2008 cross season was another went-by-too-fast one with the Richard Sachs team. I had my share of
ups and downs, but find myself walking away with yet another mental cache of priceless moments. Some of
my favorite memories include the enormous Sucker Brook cupcakes… climbing up on that huge rock at Stage
Fort Park in Gloucester at the end of the weekend for the first time ever (ever!!!)… the Granogue/Wissahickon
weekend with the whole squad in attendance… presenting Richie with his ATMO SUPPORTER pit jacket…
running out of gas on I-70 en route to Louisville via Nashville on the Amy-Alie October Adventure road trip
(thank god for bicycles)… frantically cleaning the muddiest bikes you've ever seen in the pits at the Mercer
County USGP in New Jersey and racing Spinelli on foot through the pit to return his clean bike half a lap later…
the record-time road trips home from Jersey to Massachusetts…the miniature servings of french fries and the
spilled drinks…racing near my hometown on Thanksgiving weekend and having half a dozen cyclocross-newbie
family members in attendance for the spectacle…and of course, watching my teammates suffer and triumph in
countless races – Will winning the U23 race at the Louisville UGSP and cheering him through a nail-biting and
emotional victory in the collegiate race at Nationals, Justin taking home a hard-earned second place at Warwick
and a validating top-ten at Nationals, Richie's numerous silver medals, and of course Matt's silver medal in the
master's race at Nationals. All the weekends together, from coffee to twizzlers, have been incredible.
I'm still not sure what the 2009 season will look like for me. I know I need to put racing on the back burner for a
while. I really can't say now, in December, where the next few months will take me as I try to focus more on my
professional career and explore new hobbies other than bike racing – I haven't left myself much time to do that
in recent years! I'm looking forward to it all and am excited to see where I find myself next. I know I will miss this,
and whether my 2009 race calendar involves zero races or a dozen races, I know bike racing will always be there
for me when I'm ready to come back to it down the road. So for now, thank you everyone – teammates and supporters
and fans – it's been unforgettable.
From Pookums -
In June I went through a lot of life changes. I moved in with my girlfriend (now fiance), graduated with a Masters
in Expressive Therapy and moved from Boston to Westchester County NY. Moving to a new region also meant
leaving the group rides, the training loops, where to find that certain hill, best road for 3 minute intervals, riding
buddies, best trails to run in, etc. Fast forward to the end of October and my racing was not where I wanted to be.
I kept comparing myself to the past. Spinelli helped me realize you can't compare current seasons to past ones,
even though its tempting to do. Mid-season race form does not boil down to one preseason training session hit or
missed, we are also not static like. Finding optimal race form is a fluid act in motion. Because you were something
at one point, does not guarantee you will be that same something the next season. Ok, lesson learned.
In early November I began to be encouraged by efforts I could do in races. I also started digging around my racing
head game which needed some work. One day pitside, speaking to pookie about this he turned to me and said,
"look...cross is a sport, and you have to fight for position." That hit me like a bolt of thunder. I have been an athlete
all my life. I know what its like to go up for a rebound, challenge an opponent for the ball in the open field. I created
a feeling about cross that it was above sport, a celebration of lifestyle because its so cool, which was messing with
my competitive juju. That race my head repeatedly this mantra "cyclocross is a sport, you have to fight for position"
...and it worked. My motor was running, my head was in a competitive space and the racing was satisfying. That vibe
stayed all the way to my silver ride in the natz. I came close to the stars and bars for the 5th time, but fell short on a
hill climbing course that was tough for me. My disappointment turned to acceptance after hearing positive reactions
from the team. ALL of them were psyched. THAT blew me away.
What also blew me away was how we killed it at natz. Watching Will tear himself to pieces to win the collegiate natz,
Issimo's near top 20 ride, being able to be with Justin in the van after he got his outrageous 9th in the big dance. I was
humbled by the teams efforts, and that made me proud to be a part of them. The five of us developed such a flow and
great routine that superceded the venue, race, hotel or roadtrip. Its a closeness that will be tough to replicate as things
change next season. Personally, I am seriously toying with the idea of racing masters in the Verge and USGP series while
still racing elites from time to time. I like the idea of being "able to throw punches" as Richard Fries suggested to me, it
sounds appealing. Regardless, I am beyond thunderdome happy to be wearing the RS kit next season. I could never leave
Pookies devotion to all things fckuing team cross, the stories we create, the laughing, the family we became, our sponsors
motivation to help us achieve our goals and our team's visceral kismet that hopefully makes it worthwhile for everyone.
Thanks for these kind words, Justin, Amy, and Matt. Indeed, it has been a good long run atmo.
I'll have more RS 'Cross Team news in the next several days, and I plan to use these emails and blog
entries to keep all of us up to speed on Will "Just Du It" Dugan's second half of the season.
Take care -
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
22, December, 2008
Greetings -
Here is some news that I am pleased to add to the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team blog...
RGM’s Newest Point of View
In the grand tradition of gold and rugged instrument watches, RGM Watch Company is excited to introduce the North Pointer GMT,
RGM Reference 254. Featuring the time, date, and a 24-hour index with a unique red pointer, this watch combines a large, eminently
readable dial with bold new hands and highly luminous indices. The style is purely RGM--hearkening back to some discontinued icons
of the line—and is designed to bring a new level of practicality to the label RGM Professional.
Within the classic RGM stainless steel case and beneath the expansive sapphire crystal resides a sensible black dial laid out in a most
logical manner: the unobtrusive outer minutes/seconds track encircles the large hours chapter ring which, in turn forms the boundary of
a subtle 24-hour ring. Each indicator is given no more prominent display than it deserves, and the resulting effect is one of balance and
ease of understanding. Likewise, the hands of this new watch are both visually appealing and utilitarian. The seconds hand is minimalist;
the hour hands are strong and well illuminated, featuring cut-outs to facilitate the reading of the GMT track. These are impressive features,
but it is the watch’s compass-like 24-hour indicator that catapults this design into the realm of special instruments; the North Pointer GMT’s
namesake hand injects a subtle dash of bold color and personality into an otherwise sedate and pragmatic palette.
The North Pointer GMT’s 24-hour indicator is more than merely a decorative way to distinguish the second time-zone indication of this watch.
By holding the watch horizontal and positioning oneself so that the main hour hand of the watch points to the sun, the wearer can use the North
Pointer GMT’s red hand to identify the direction of north.
Additionally, as one would expect from RGM, the pragmatism is retained within the watch. The movement is a modified high-grade Caliber 2893-2—
a tried and tested engine whose less complicated brethren have proven their worth in a variety of other top-quality RGM watches. Due to the quality
of its 38.5 mm x 11.8 mm brushed steel case, the watch is endowed with anti-magnetic protection as well as water resistance to a depth of 300 feet.
A variety of leather straps is available including a set made of rubber, fitted to the shape of the case and lugs. As with any RGM watch, the North Pointer
GMT can be customized to the wishes of the owner. Several styles of hands are available; the customer may select those which he or she feels best
compliment the watch.
A special limited edition of the North Pointer GMT is also being offered to celebrate the partnership between RGM and Richard Sachs, the
celebrated bicycle manufacturing and racing establishment with whom RGM has been associated for more than two years. Twenty RGM
North Pointer GMT watches will be issued with a special case back design, fitted red straps, and a dial featuring the intertwined RS logo.
For pricing, ordering, and customization options, please visit the RGM Watch company web site, or call 717.653.9799.
http://www.rgmwatches.com/254.html
21, December 2008
Greetings -
It's worth noting that I have waited all week for Elite racer Nathaniel Ward to compose his
thoughts about the fracas that occurred last Sunday at the National Championships. He was
was the first person to tap me after all that happened during the awards ceremony. I have
remained somewhat silent and tried to be impartial. I know Nathaniel from the northeast and
am glad he finally penned a first person account. Have a read here.
I have been back from Kansas City less than 7 days and the unpleasantness that defined
my very last hours at Tiffany Springs Park has consumed most of my time since arriving
home. To say that it has been a distraction, especially after the successful run that we had
at the Natz, would be an understatement.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team had its best season ever, and its most productive run
at a National Championship since Jon Page won in red at Napa in 2002. The racing may be
over but it's always 'cross season here. Over the next few days and weeks I will let you know
what the riders are doing, and how young Will Dugan is fairing over in Izegem, and what plans
are laid down for 2009, and - once I get a new Dell Vostro and resume mining images for the
team Flickr site I'll shamelessly link them with my Cc and Bcc fields as well as with all those
who follow us through the RS 'Cross Team blog.
Thanks for reading atmo.
e-RICHIE
20, December 2008
Greetings -
As the season winds down for the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team, I'll try to keep some
updates lively and informative as we transition into the new year. I am still without a laptop
(see the nats report from 2-3 entries back...) so my surfing, pic finding, and culling skills are
on hold while I bang away on a POS ibook. What is the big deal with these f*&>ing Apples?
In the meantime there are a few links worth adding.
Today, pal Gary B. wrote a nice story about the next chapter in Will Dugan's life. Read all about
it on Bike Radar dot com here. James Huang also wrote a nice piece on the RS 'Cross Team
bicycles that appeared last week on Cyclingnews dot com. Have a look. (It also appered on Bike
Radar dot com a few days later - here's that version).
And, as many internet vampires know full well by now, I have a distraction that was not planned
and certainly not needed at this busy time. Here are two links to articles that speak to this.
XXX
XXX
Wow, huh! One shrewd journalist suggested my clients in waiting now have yet one more
reason to be anxious about delivery dates. This incident has consumed me since I returned
home this past Tuesday atmo. As they say at the network, film at eleven.
Lots more news, rider info, 2009 stuff, and sponsor info to come in the next few days. 'Good
idea to bookmark this page. I love watching the hitcounter get spiked either way!
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE
18, December 2008
Congratulations to Will "Just Du It" Dugan atmo. Today, USA Cycling named Will to the U23 Team for the
World Cyclocross Championships this coming February. Will "Just Did It" atmo. Here he is after winning
Collegiate Natz's Division One Championships this past Sunday in KC -
-
17, December 2008
Greetings -
The end of the season should be a culmination of dreams and fulfilling goals. The National Championships
in Kansas City have come and gone. The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team did exceptionally well as was
both planned and expected. Young Will Dugan won us our 10th Stars and Stripes jersey since 1997 when
he aced the Division One Collegiate event on Sunday. The day before, in the U23 race, he was a strong
7th. Will is now off to Belgium to be part of Geoff Proctor's two-week 'cross camp in the hopes of being
named to the World's Team in February. If he is, he'd be the 4th RS 'Cross Team cat since 2000 to make
it all the way to the big dance atmo. Forza Will.
All of us had strong races at the Natz. Justin absolutely fukincg killed it in the Elite Men's race and came in
9th. "Pookums" Kraus with one S finished 37th. This was just one day after a stellar ride in the Masters 35+
race in which he took 2nd. It was a dream come true. Amy "Vote For" Wallace was just outside of the top 20
and finished strong in 27th place. In my 55+ event, I was hoping for a top ten but am pleased with the 12th
place I finished in.
This entry will be cut short here and I'll leave you this explnantion: Several moons didn't line up exactly right
for me this past week and it's now time to face a reality that I'd rather ignore. On the trip out, my laptop, all
10,000 pics, art files, docs, and all, was pilfered from my checked baggage. I have been banging away on
borrowed appliances for the past 6 days. I'm kinda' sorta' fucked until further notice, and my zeal (readers
here will know how much I love using that word in a sentence) for culling pics, articles, comments, and props
for and with the RS 'Cross Team is greatly affected. It's like wanting to fish, but without having a pole handy.
I promise that once a new Dell Vostro whatever shows up, I will resume this page and add to it as best as
I can. The 2008 'cross season wrap up may appear here in 2009, but I promise I will not end it all here. We
did great in KC and had a wonderful time all these past 5 months atmo.
And - in addition to the fact that there's hardly an e in e-RICHIE until further notice, I also have to deal with
the residual crap that's part of the last 30 minutes at our stay at lovely Tiffany Springs Park. WTF? Here's
a glimpse of what happens when trailer park behavior meets 14 RS 'Cross Team bicycles minding their
own business: http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery-show/G0000n6uvqM258gM I have my hands full
already with paperwork and police reports and US Air paperwork that deals with my old Dell and the pilferage
that occured en route. Now I have to add to this a date with my lawyer so that the cowboys whose 600 or
so pounds of St. Louis waste that landed on my bicycles can have their fair share of FRNs extracted from
their collectve pockets and pay for the damage they caused. Film at eleven.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
8, December 2008
Greetings -
This past weekend's races included back to back UCI C2 events in Warwick, Rhode Island at beautiful
Goddard Park on Narragansett Bay. The NBX G.P. of 'Cross was the last ever home stand for the 2008
version of the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team. For many. this was a last ditch effort to either 1) get
some valuable UCI points that would help with the call ups and final start positions at the Natz this coming
weekend, and 2) gain or lose momentum in this, the final two races of the season-long New England
Championship Cyclocross Series, sponsored by RS 'Cross Team apparel maker Vergesport. For us
it was another productive weekend of results along with some podium appearances atmo.Will, Justin.
Matt, Amy, and myself were present for the two days. I'll spare you some of the details regarding the
several crashes, mishaps, and mechanicals we suffered and get straight to the finishes. In the Elite Women's
race, Amy came in ninth, and in the Elite Men's race, Pookums was thirteenth and Rotundo was sixth.
Atmo these cats raced so much better than the results would suggest but sometimes, especially in 'cross,
a zig-turned-zag (or similar) can knock anyone down or over a place or three in the win/loss column. In
the Elitest Master's race, I finished second after spending most of the fourty minutes chasing for third
space. My eyes were so crossed at the line that I had no idea that I made up an extra body in the last
sand pit. While I was pleased to snag a third, I was even more surprised to find I was incorrect and into
second place did I go. I'll take what I can get. For my part, the finish put me in good stead for the points
series since I have had good, consistant results in all of the events. I started Saturday's race in third position
and my finish on day one put me into second overall. A win on Sunday, for me, was a long shot, though
possible, and if I did finish first, I'd wear the Leader's Jersey. Read on
So Sunday was a different day for all of us. No mishaps. But the weather had changed decidedly. Snow,
the winter season's first, was upon us. For most of the evening and dawn, a dusting had help at least two
to three inches of the slippery and soft white stuff on the ground, The temps were also lower on that day.
My race was the first to go off, and despite not doing a complete ride-through on the parcours, I felt at ease
and mildly confident that I could win. After getting second place at least six times in 2008 I was ready to take
no prisoners. A fast start on some kinda' sorta' icy macadam led about twenty two card carrying AARPers
into the beach sand area and to the course's first running section all within the first minute of racing. I was
okay with my start, but not fully at ease with the slippery stuff under my Fangos. It was the stuff, not the
Fangos atmo. I made it to the first run-up in fifth position but knew early that my desire to go for the win at
all costs was less than my ability to negotiate the ruts and the sliding I'd have to endure for slightly less than
an hour's time. My fitness and motivation were fine, but when it becomes a bike handling course, I get in my
own way more than anything else. From mid way into lap one, I was in fourth place and always no less than
fifteen seconds from my competitors. I spent the entire race looking for a section to make up one body at a
time, yet always found a tree or a root or a barrier that kept me from fulfilling my goal. I finished day two in
fourth place, still less than thirteen seconds from a win, but that's racing. The fourth kept me in second
overall for the Verge Series so I must be content for that, and tip my hat to Dusty Adams who wears the
Leader's Jersey at season's end. Dusty was a formidable adversary going back to the first event of 2008
in Amesbury and I thoroughly enjoyed chasing him as well as being chased lo these past four months.
In the afternoon races, the RS 'Cross Team did quite well again atmo. Amy came in seventh, and Justin
and Matt were second and eighth respectively. Will ended up as the third U23 racer in his event and
twentieth overall. So the great news is that we collected more UCI points heading into next week's National
Championships in Kansas City, and that all of the riders are carrying excellent fitness going into the end of
the season, especially Justin. His race on Sunday was his best in 2008, and that's a hard comment/choice
for me to make since he's had so many fine finishes this 'cross season. For those who'd like to read the
race reports on cyclingnews dot com, click here to start on day one and click here to read about day two.
I've culled out some of the better images and will list them below:
Justin
Spinmo
Rotundo
Svelte
Hans
The Living Legend
Issimo
Amy
Wallace
Spinelli
Willmo
Kraussss
Justmo
Nicemo
Memories
Pres
Kowallace
Thanks for reading if you've made it this far atmo. I'll mention here that the famed and heavily trafficked
team Flickr pages are expanding again thanks to all the fine images I have received (and also mined...)
from my pal photographers. Please keep these links handy because I will soon add another seventy or so
hi-res pics from the most recent four races.
Gallery One (at capacity)
Gallery Two (in progress)
Front Page (has all sets)
On Wednesday I will head to Missouri for the National Championships. I race on Thursday at 1PM and
Will, Matt, Amy, and Justin race on the weekend. It has been a long, but good season. We raced hard,
represented well, and made memories atmo. Everything we set out to do, we did. I love this team and I
love my team mates. 'Cross fukincg rules atmo. In a week or so another season will be history. Thanks
so much for following it.
e-RICHIE©®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
1, December 2008
Greetings -
Cyclocross Team. First off, I hope all who read here had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and
friends, ate and drank a lot, and managed to travel to and fro without much bother. We went south to
Jersey (crossing the Hudson River for what must be the 7th time since October) and had a very nice 36
hour visit with my family down at the shore. Upon return to the hell hole of a hamlet we call Chester, I
got the car unloaded from the holiday and then reloaded for the trip to Sterling, Massachusetts for the
Baystate Cyclocross. This event was a UCI C2 race and there were those wacky, valuable UCI points
going down to tenth place. The race also was part of the season long Verge New England Cyclocross
Championship Series. The RS 'Cross Team got points, just let me tell you atmo. In my Master's race,
I ended up in third place and am now in third place overall in my age group series ( I was second going
in to the day. Bwaaaaaaaaaa...). In the Elite Women's race at 1:30PM, Amy had one of her best results
of 2008. For most of the race it looked like the Issimo was in an uncontested battle for third, but with a
couple of laps to go, was sandwiched between two team mates from NEBC. Ultimately a gap opened and
Amy rode in to fourth place and captured a Birken bag full of UCI points going into the Natz in two weeks.
In the Elite Men's race, Justin, Matt, and Will were on the start line along with some of the best 'crossers
from the East Coast. While the trio didn't have the explosive first lap start that young Nick Keogh did, they
all but made up for it as the laps counted down. Spinmo had some great form and spent most of the 60
minutes in the front five, and ultimately was in a two-man duel with Matt White. Clearly, Justin was doing
100% of the work and was the stronger racer, but was outsprinted at the line and finished a very commendable
third. Pookums was not that far behind and when his race ended he was eighth. UCI points all around atmo!
And Will? Will's race was the U23 category which runs concurrently with the older Elites, and Will scored the
top podium once again/ Forza Will-issimo. Just Du it. Will's win Saturday puts him back in the Leader's Jersey
in the Verge Series in his category. Awesome atmo.
It was a great day race-wise and all the way around. The weather held. The Chocksett Middle School serves
as a wonderful venue for cyclocross. And my new best friend, Patty the baker (of Sucker Brook fame) was
there with her food concession and her now-famous Big Ass Cupcakes©™®. Have a look. This, my friends,
is what Autumn in New England is all about.
Sadly, I didn't bring my camera, so what follows is a small laundry list of links to pics that appear on the
cyclingnews
dotcom race report page. Have a look at us through the lens of pal Dave McElwaine:
Justin
Justin
Rotundo
Pookums
Spinmo
Du
Spencer a.k.a. The Love Dispencer
Willmo
Justin
Issimo
Amy
Kowallace
Hmmm...
and some others straight from Dave's site:
Spinmo
Mattmo
Amy
Matt Damon
There's also a great race report on velonews dotcom that has wonderful pic links. Please have a look here
to read about how the day's racing played out. The pics on that site are from pal Mark Suprenant. Nice work
atmo.
That's all I can do for now. When I paste all this in the team blog, this text may have more pics and news.
We'll see! As far as the racing goes, it's one more complete weekend in New England before we board the
RS 'Cross Team jet and head to Missouri for the Natz. This coming Saturday and Sunday we'll be in Warwick,
Rhode Island for the NBX G.P. of Cross. More UCI points and Verge series points are there for us to pick.
And we will be getting them.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
25, November 2008
Greetings -
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team spent last weekend in the Hamptons bro', oops I mean dahlings,
at the Whitmore's Landscaping SuperCross Cup. This is an event we've been to for the past 5 years,
at least. Myles Romanow and his staff really know how to throw down a race weekend atmo. Will, Justin,
Matt, Amy, and myself were treated to excellent host housing courtesy of Rick and Julie (thanks, Rick and
Julie), had our ferry tickets and a few other bits comped (thanks, ferry god person), and had a mahvelous
meal at Wild Thyme restaurant on Saturday evening. I'm not sure if our team had the power table, but we
did have a few seats that faced the door. What more could we ask for to make the weekend perfect? Well,
here's my list. For starters, warmer weather would have been nice. Yeah, it's 'cross and all that shet, but
it's only okay when you are racing. Standing around the other 4-5 hours is an event unto itself. No one ever
wants to talk about how hard it is to endure the spectating stuff, but let me tell you it's not a picnic. I love my
team and 'cross, and am 101% committed, but we were surely spoiled after the 2007 race in which Myles
arranged for some 80 odd degree temps for both days. It's the ^&%$ing Hamptons and I didn't have my
Bijan fur coat, and I was one cold mofo for a few hours each afternoon. The other gripe? How about 9 -
that's NINE - french fries over two identical prix fixe steak dinners that Spinmo and I ordered. I counted 5
on his plate and 4 on mine. And these weren't big, handcut gourmet-ish french fries. They were normal
sized cuts that one would see at any restaurant in any town. Rant over - not. I also went out to breakfast
on Sunday. In what could only be described as a normal looking Greek diner on Route 27, the same type
that dots New Jersey and all urban areas one can name, I had a pancake (3) and bacon meal with coffee
(Kraft packaged syrup product in lieu of maple syrup) and the bill came to $17 before the tip was added in.
Hey did I mention that the team had a great weekend of racing at Southampton? Read on.
Both of these races were UCI C1 status which, I believe. is the highest an event can be regarded unless it's
a World Cup, National Championship, or of similar importance. The lineup of cats and kittens that started
each day was as quality a field as we'll see anyplace. I'm so proud to say that we raced hard and came
away with great finishes. On day one, Will elected to do an under card race in his University of Vermont
colors so that he could fulfill an obligation that enables him to race the Collegiate Nationals in Kansas City
next month. Most likely he was running it at 3/4 speed and still finished well at 15th. In the 1:30 race, unfortunately
Amy slid into second base on lap one, not fully realizing that this was 'cross and not a baseball diamond.
Yuck atmo. The Issimo had to abandon with a sore neck and decided to save it for the second half of the
double header. Pookums and Rotundo both had fine races in the Elite Men's event and were 17th and
11th. In the Old Timer's race for which the prizes included early bird special dinner coupons at the Cracker
Barrel, I got a 3rd place. I'm on fire this season.
On the next day, the team repeated it's aggressive racing ways. Will, in his college race, was set to win
with a lap or so to go when, regrettably, his chain snapped while climbing. That's tantamount to a trip to the
locker room. Will was certainly putting his stamp on the field that Sunday, and we'll just have to wait for the
Natz to see him redeem this misfortune. In the Elite Women's race, Amy had a great start and a great and
complete race and came home in 13th place. Matt and Justin were 17th and 9th respectively. Data point: I
believe this was Justin Spinelli's BEST 2 days of racing all season, and maybe in several seasons atmo. I
mentioned to him that, based on the races, his preparation, call-ups, weather. tech issues, and lady luck,
he could nail a top ten at the Natz with the form he's carrying. Finger's remain crossed. Lastly, I came in
2nd on Sunday. This result was, I think, my sixth 2nd place this season so look out all you AARP-ers that
race with. I'm using my french fry angst and will get a win for the team before this season is over atmo. End
of story.
Before I continue and lose my train of thought, I'll paste in an email that I sent to the team late Sunday night
upon my return to wifey and wifi. Here:
thanks, all, for a great weekend in long island.
except for the french fry count, it was as good as it gets atmo.
'sad to see the season wind down, but an happy for all new
opportunities. our routines may change but the memories will
always be there. friends forever atmo.
have a happy thanksgiving.
Yes, the season is nearly over. By my count we have 5-6 more races before the sun sets on 2008. If we
didn't have so much fun, such great results, and so many fine memories, it'd all be such a shame. But the
RS 'Cross Team has had another fine year, so no one can really have regrets. I believe it was last year
when I realized that, though I wished it all (what we have) could last forever, often such emotions are the
kiss of death for the things (and people) we hold closest to our hearts. We're lucky for what we share(d),
and that should be reward enough atmo.
I recently loaded about 40 more really ^&%$ing great pictures onto the Flickr team gallery number two.
These shots are from pals Anthony Skorochod and Dave Chiu. Most are from the USGP at Trenton 2
weeks ago and also some are from this past weekend's races at Southampton. Have a look here.
Well that's about it for now. I hope you all have a very nice Thanksgiving. This coming Saturday, racing
resumes for the RS 'Cross Team as we travel to Sterling, Massachusetts for the Baystate Cyclocross,
a UCI C2 event. For those with a nose for trivia (though it's hardly trivial atmo...), you may recall that this
race is where I first came to know a Miss Amy Wallace some 3 years ago. Well, if you want the Cliffs Notes
they're all here. Time passes so quickly, doncha' know.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
19, November 2008
Greetings -
Words, and maybe one picture atmo. That's how it's rolling this evening. This is a very rare, midweek
RS 'Cross Team entry and it's mostly cut, paste, and mining. To begin with, last week, on the Classic
Rendezvous list, a.k.a. no lug left behind, I saw this post from a pal:
Announcing a Fatmen event. Sunday, November 16, 2008, Mercer County Park, Princeton, NJ
The Fatmen Drinking Club LLC is pleased to announce that we will be at the Cyclocross Gran
Prix cheering on RGM Watches/Richard Sachs and other local racers. The Fatmen, are a well
known drinking club that are into vintage bicycles and off-topic bicycles. Throughout the year
when our spouses are looking to get rid of us for a day, we sponsor an event which consists of
beer, whine, wine, stinky cheese, not so stinky cigars (at least to us), bar-b-que food, cow bells,
and the Fatmen flag. This is one of those events.
I'm happy to write that Mikey, Eric, Ray, Dave, Stevie, Mordecai, Mario, Gabriel, and several other
no so really fat men did, in fact, come to cheer us on. Some of these cats are clients, and all are pals.
And, as our luck has it, this social group will be putting some of their collective financial resources
behind our 'cross team in 2009. Make (more) room on the jerseys, jackets, and bibshorts atmo, the
Fatmen logo is about to be added! I asked them for a few words about what the connection was
all about, and these are two replies I received:
My attraction to Cyclocross is purely an extension of my desire to experience all of cycling. As
a collector / rider I had started many years ago with old balloon bikes, then went onto Muscle
bikes, from there I went into antiques. I went over to MTBs until trails by me began to close. My
LBS (The Bike Stand - owner - fantastic mechanic Steve Willis) got me into road bikes. This also
happen to be Fatman Central Headquarters.
I have collected and have ridden all types of bikes. I still hang onto to some and frequently ride
my 1878, 56 inch Rudge high wheel. I really liked MTBing and now like road. Cyclocross seems
to be an extension of both. I am to old and not fit enough to compete but can still enjoy the
challenge of the dirt, mud and obstacles and hope to experience this side of cycling someday.
It is also great to know a Pro level team and its leader. Not often you get to meet and chat with
someone at the top of the game.
Ray Homiski
and this one too:
"...Attending the Grand Prix of Cyclocross was a stroke of luck and now I'm totally hooked. Earlier this
summer I commissioned e-RICHIE to build a frameset. He sent his Richard Sachs 'Cross Reference to
accompany my receipt. I then received a subsequent email from him to visit the team at Mercer County
Park and SHAZAM 'cross is now my favorite form of racing. While I love all flavors, from criterium, to TT,
to road racing, NONE match the athleticism and laser-focus required to excel as in cyclocross. Autumn
weekends now have a whole new meaning..."
Eric Moberg
Thanks, Ray and Eric. And if you're interested in seeing how fat these cats really are(n't) here's
a link to the day's event as seen through Ray's Instamatic. Looks like they had s great day atmo.
In other news regarding sponsors, we recently received a nice, unsolicted check for the 2008
season, courtesy of a RS bicycle client requesting anonymity. Upon receiving it, I let the riders
know about the client and his generosity, and asked if one would kindly write a thank you note.
What follows is that note, and I am pasting it here because it so touched me that I wanted to share
it with the world. It really expresses the gratitude and humility that typify the fine folks I get to support,
hang with, and race with all season long. Read:
R__, as a member of the Richard Sachs team, I would like thank you for your generosity.
Before the warm fuzzy parts, I would like to make sure you know what type of madness you
are supporting. We are a close knit group of friends who race hard while having fun. While we
are all 1400% committed, we do not place results at the top of the list for life is too short for
that type of shallowness. While we have a well oiled marketing machine (e-Richie) that promotes
our weekly exploits, we are all constantly emailing each other making more fodder. While we
are not a squad of 6 national champions, though we may win some national championship
jerseys atmo, but for some reason industry people give us fantastic equipment to race with. I
say all this because I want you to know what we are and stand for. We are you, you help
make us a team. We race for ourselves, for Richard, our sponsors and for you R__. I dont say
this with fanfare or falsities, I say this with conviction. Thank you so much for helping us
continue to participate in the intense madness carnival traveling circus that is our beloved
cross season. We truly could not do it the way we do it without your help. It means a lot to
me, and my teamates, that someone like you would give us money to support us. I still don't
quite know how it happens, why it happens or what donors expect. But that is less important
than recognizing and appreciating that is DOES happen. Enjoy the rest of our season, for it
now partly belongs to you.
Thank you.
Matt 'pookums' Kraus and the rest of the RS CX team/club/family/movement.
What great emotion atmo. This team has real heart as well as a wonderful support system.
As far as pictures go, I am so glad to write that pal Irfan was in the house this past weekend and
sent me links to almost 200 killer shots of the RS 'Cross Team. He pasted most of them online
and they can be downloaded from this site. I also mined some of these pics and added them
to one of the team Flickr pages, so have a look! And speaking of race pics, Anthony Skorochod
from Pennsylvania bracketed a wonderful group of RS 'Cross Team images and left them at a
dedicated gallery on his Cycling Captured website. Have a look here. And finally,as far as pics
go, it's impossible to love one more than any other, but somehow, when the link to this gem of Dave
McElwaine's came across, I just had to mine it:
That's Amy "I Voted For" Wallace at speed atmo. Forza Issimo!!
UCI C1 racing known as the Whitmore's Landscaping SuperCross Cup. Our team is a co-sponsor
of this event so I hope you'll follow the hyperlink and come cheer for us.
Lastly, as the off season approaches and my thoughts turn just a bit less racing and more commercial,
I'll once again be at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. This year it's in Indianapolis,
Indiana. Here's a nice story that JUST went live as I was here blogging, so I think it's worth a link:
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/nahbs-honours-original-six-framebuilders-19246
Thanks for reading, huh!
e-RICHIE
17, November 2008
Greetings -
This past weekend the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team traveled across that Sinatra of all river
crossings, a.k.a the Tappan Zee Bridge, for its final time this season. In recent weeks we've gone
down to the Grenogue/Wissahickon races, the Beacon and HPCX events, and these last two days
had us in Mercer County Park in Trenton, New Jersey for round two of the Crank Brothers US Gran
Prix of Cyclocross. Crank Brothers is an RS 'Cross Team sponsor, and the event itself is underwritten
by a handful of other firms whose parts are an integral part of our racing life, Challenge tires and
Sram components to name just two.
Those who made the trip included Amy, Matt. Justin, Will, and myself. Racing went well for all of us,
especially on day one. Will managed to finish high enough in the Men's Elite event to score the
points needed in the concurrently run U23 race so that he'd get a podium call up and be awarded
the overall leader's jersey in the USGP. Amy and Justin also had strong races that day and finished
in the top twenty. In my 55+ event, I sneaked in a good effort and finished second. These results, as
well as links to weekend pictures and related topics, will be pasted in the RS 'Cross Team blog
by Tuesday latest. If you're keen to follow this, please visit http://rscyclocross.blogspot.
a day or so.
On a more business-ish note, after dinner on Saturday night, we had a team meeting so that I could
begin to discuss all things roster, 'cross, and sponsorship for the 2009 season. While we do have
wonderful and generous financial and industry support, there's always some purse pulling and social
juggling that occurs so that things run smoothly, and so that the team and the brand endure. This
season has been no different. We've welcomed new names onto the team kit, and new products
onto the team bicycles. I'm happy to say that all the new has meshed incredibly well with the old.
For 2009, all the sponsors asked thus far have committed to returning, and there are several new
names which will be added. From this vantage point, all of the racers will be wearing large or even
extra large skinsuits just so that all of the logos can get be fairly represented! News on all of this in
the months to come.
As far as news on the inside goes, we'll continue to maintain the racing presence and general
participation that all who follow this team have come to expect. Our primary goals remain to
represent the sponsors, suppliers, backers, and supporters, to race consistently for the course
of the season, and to make fine memories for all involved. I'm happy to announce that, in 2009, I
have decided to cast out the net to see how the roster and body count can be expanded and
improved upon so that all our obligations to the sponsors and to the 'cross culture can be fulfilled.
In closing, one point that came out of the meeting this past weekend was that Justin Spinelli has
made the decision to ride his own program for 2009. Pal Justin has been part of the team going
back to the late 1990s when he was a phenom on the national road and 'cross circuit as a U23.
His career exploded over the course of two seasons which saw him go from a podium at the 1998
'cross Natz to racing for Farm Frites at the Giro D'Italia in what seemed like a blink of an eye. After
several seasons abroad, Justin decided to walk away from the sport "...after disagreeing with the
European Pro cycling mentality" yet never really let go of his dream of racing for a living. By 2004,
the will had returned and, as Justin wrote in one of the RS 'Cross Team bios, "That fall, Richard
Sachs went out of his way to give me a shot on his cyclocross team." (Note: you may read Justin's
text here: CLICK).
Justin has spent a decade as part of our group, has ridden shotgun with me on many, many road
trips, and has, by virtue of his class, drive, talent, and humility, helped raise the bar around here.
His commitment to 'cross and this team never waned, and his friendship through the years has
been part of what makes our troupe so successful. All of us wish him well for 2009 and beyond.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
11, November 2008
Greetings -
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team has about one loooong month left to its 2008 season. It's
been an incredible ride all year going right back to the first time I wrote to this cc field way back in
mid January. If you recall, I was suffering from a mild to severe case of Post 'Cross Traumatic Stress
Disorder, also known as WIMW2IDN* syndrome. Anyway, I had a touch of personal funk these past
few weeks but there's still some high level racing to be done. We have the USGP this weekend in
Trenton, the two day road trip to Southampton for back-to-back UCI C1 races courtesy of Myles
"Just Say" RomaNOw and his pals, then on to Gearworks for a UCI C2, a couple more UCI C2s in
Rhode Island, and then we're off to the National Championships in Kansas City, Pennsylvania ooops
I meant Missouri.
I want to thank all those who make it possible for us to make this journey so enjoyable and effortlessly.
The RS 'Cross Team receives financial support from RGM Watches in Pennsylvania, from Boathouse
Inc. in Massachusetts, from Rex Chiu in Palo Alto, from Sam Chun at Radix LLC in Missouri, from
Ozell Stankus Associate Architects in Georgia, from Nelly's Deli in The Bahamas, and from The
Wheatmarket in Connecticut. In addition to these generous businesses and people, we also have
had anonymous support from a number of past and present Richard Sachs clients. Our industry
sponsorship also runs deep, and we owe a debt of gratitude to these suppliers who keep our bicycles
uniformly well-equipped and our spares bin stacked in case of emergency: Verge Sport in New York,
Rudy Project in Colorado, Crank Brothers in California, ChallengeTech in Italy, Selle San Marco
in Italy, Oval Concepts in Switzerland, Joe Bell Custom Paint in California, Svelte Cycles in
New Hampshire, Cane Creek in North Carolina, Wippermann in Germany, and Sram in Illinois.
Thank you all for making my job of organizing and running this team that much easier. More than
anything else, we race for you atmo**.
So I spent the past three weeks or so in a darker place than I like to be and it's all because of racing -
my racing. I took a not-so-bad fall in Wissahickon a few Sundays ago and once again, I put my ribs
in the wrong place at the wrong time. The discomfort and the hit my fitness took as a result of some
painful recovery days ended up playing havoc with my priorities. While they do include keeping the
team happy, organized, and on the road, I found myself spending a fair amount of time obsessing
about how my own racing would be affected by the recovery time. Some days were better than others,
and a few races were worse than I would like to admit. And all along I was aware that I wasn't
taking care of the important stuff in the manner that it deserved and was accustomed to. Well I had
a couple of personal Jesus moments this past weekend and chatted with some of my team mates
and also with my wife, a.k.a. The Lovely Deb, and layed it all on the table. I was duly upset with
myself for crashing, though it's unavoidable in 'cross, yet I was beside myself with the pain that
bruised ribs can cause my body, as well the havoc it can cause my racing plans in an already short
'cross season. All of this came to the surface on the way home from this weekend's venues in New
Jersey, and by the time I purged my thoughts and feelings late last night, I was ready to turn a page
let go of it all. A good night's rest, a few pleasant emails exchanged with my team pals, and best of
all. a GREAT ride this afternoon, and I am ready for the rest of the season and all that it brings for us.
So the racing this past weekend took us back to the Garden State once again. I'm a Jersey boy to
the core, though I left at age 18. I spent my best three years at the Peddie School in Hightstown and
haven't had a moment in a classroom or in a book since I left in 1971. I even recall when John Hammond
was touting Bruce as the next big thing. I love the Jersey Shore and all the diners from the top of the
Parkway to the bottom of the Turnpike, and the pizza and hot dog joints in between. Oh, and about
cyclocross in New Jersey - on Saturday morning I picked Pookums up from his (and Tali's) digs in
Pleasantville, New York and we drove down to Bridgeton for the Beacon 'Cross race. Normally this
event is a UCI C2 race but I reckon someone forgot to put enough postage on the return envelope
so it went on as "just" a local race but with a MAC designation attached. This year, the MAC Series
is a priority for Pookums so I decided it would be fun to road trip it down. The race course is one of
the more imaginative ones of the season as it's help in a lovely park that runs along a river (or is it a
lake?). Part of the course is a natural amphitheater that serves as a ride-down and then run-up for
all the contestants. It's known as the Amphitheater of Pain. Yeah - that should say it all. About 35
Elite Male cats lined up and Pookums had a call up based on a good ranking in the Mac Series
points to date. Matt got a decent start and then fell back in the field as a result of a few bad falls in
front of him. At one point early on he was as far back as 16th and I was worried that the body count
would be insurmountable. Yet Pook persevered, and with two laps remaining, he was vying for a
podium spot. Ultimately, a small group formed with a lap or so two go, and Matt ended up sprinting
for third, yet had to settle for fifth place. It was a result that really didn't tell the story since Matt left it
all on the course, fought hard, and rode through a number of different groups of racers to get oh so
close to the front. While a sixth in and of itself is a fine finish, Matt was just seconds away from a top
three place. It all comes under the heading of training for leadership, I guess.
After the race, we sped up the pike to meet at Jamesburg, host town of the HPCX, a UCI C2 event.
This race was superbly promoted by the bicycle racing team of Rutgers University, and those in
New Brunswick should be duly proud of these students. At the hotel that evening, we met Issimo
and Spinmo who had made the long drive down from northeastern Massachusetts. Amy, Matt, and
Justin were all entered in the Elite races on Sunday. I did the 35/45 Masters race. End of story. The
good news is that, like nearly every other f%^$ing weekend this year, the RS 'Cross Team rocked,
bay-bee. The Issimo, fresh from a long campaign and already thinking of ways to personalize the
decor in the Oval Office, had a good start and then spent most of the race see-sawing between 15th
and 8th place. By the bell lap it looked like yet another top ten was in the cards for The Amy, but
when the line came up she was about 25 seconds outside of tenth place. It was a strong effort for
Amy Wallace for President on a course that favored climbers over mudders.
On the Men's side, the field was perhaps forty strong. Justin and Matt both had rocket ship starts
and, by halfway through lap one, a group of six emerged, and both were there. That group yo-yo-ed
around for the rest of the rest, and one thing was certain, no matter what combination of cats would
come through, Justin was always there. While Matt ended up fighting back for sixth and then fifth
place, Justin never relented at the front. With one to go, I expected a win. Justin was on fire and had
a look on his face that told a story. Last year at HPCX we had three RS cats vying for first place and
ended up with second and third. Justin's eyes and body english said it was redemption time. But
yuck, one never knows, does one? At about four turns, two bumps, seven trees, and a set of barriers
to go, Spin was passed by young Adam McGrath who would show his nose for the first time in an
hour. That's all she wrote. Or as Betty Boop would say, "That's all she wote." Justin sprinted hard
and fast, and second place in a hard fought race was his. This was Justin's best 'cross result of 2008
and just a heartbeat away from a UCI C2 race win. The two - Spin and Matt - rode a great race and
each earned highly coveted UCI points as a result.
It was a great weekend that I spent with Amy, Matt, and Justin. Though it was a shorter than normal
road trip, and a lower body count owing to Will's week off and Jon and Alie staying home to race in
their respective regions, I thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie, the racing. the Saturday night dinner,
the lazy Sunday morning breakfast, and all the moments in between. Results are always icing on the
cupcake, but we, as a team, also win when we have these great race days together. Making memories
atmo. Many more to come.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
* whoa is me what will i do now
** according to my opinion
6 November 2008
Greetings -
Whoa am I behind on this or what atmo*. It's Wednesday evening and I'm just now getting around to
blogging about this past weekend. The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team spent two lovely days
in Northampton Massachusetts at the 195th Annual Cycle-Smart International Cyclocross at
Look Park. This race predates the actual conception of 'cross by at least a century and then some,
and I'll wager that this fact is lost on the great minds who follow the sport, and is as equally unknown
by the scribes who report on it every Monday morning. One thing is for sure, the race, the venue,
and the experiences we share each weekend never get old. Adam et al, you all put on a wonderful
weekend. We all look forward to the next forty iterations. The team had a very successful two days
of racing. Will "Just Du It" Dugan was once again on supreme fire as he won the U23 Men's
(doh...) contest and returned his own self to the lead in the season-long NEECS Verge Point
Series. On day two, we had an iota less of luck, as Will came home second and gave the Leader's
sweater back to Nick Keogh with whom he's dueled since September. No matter - Will has good
legs and an even better head. We all look forward to more lng weekends and seeing him at the top
of the podium again very soon. Amy and Pookums also had a good two days of racing. The pair
came in 16th and 19th on Saturday, and bettered these finishes to 9th and 15th on Sunday. Atmo I
would wager that Issimo and Pook had their best day of racing this year on that Sunday as they
were each extremely motivated and looking send a message about their fitness for the upcoming
USGP in two weeks, and for the National Championships coming up in mid-December. Racing-wise,
all is where it should be. Justin, a.k.a. Rotundo, also had a great result on Saturday finishing 10th,
but a mishap and then a mishap redux ended his chances halfway through Sunday's race, and he
went to the showers early. Better to save it for another day.
This coming weekend is a bit of a buffet for us. I think I'll drive down to Bridgeton, New Jersey with
Matt and race at the Beacon 'Cross, and then high tail it back to Mercer County and meet up with
Amy and Justin so we can all do the Highland Park Cyclocross Race in Jamesburg near my old
Peddie stomping grounds in Hightstown. Last year, both events were UCI C2 status but this year
only HPCX has it. Quelle dommage (french for "what cheese").
I also want to mention that I have been zealously ( I love that word - zeal - and all it's derivatives)
adding to the team Flickr galleries. Don't forget the two links which are dedicated to 2008 so far:
Gallery One (filled to its limit)
Gallery Two (in progress)
What with my new camera and so may pals taking great action pictures, I expect to fill at least three
galleries by Thanksgiving. As the images come to me and get pasted online, I'll remind you about
them here. In the meantime, here is one of my favorites of 2008:
I also received an email update from Alie Kenzer-For-The-People from the People's Republic of Boulder.
As most know, Alie moved west this past Spring but still represents for the RS 'Cross Team. This past
weekend was the Boulder Cup, and here is a first person account:
Home Away From Home:
This weekend, I decided to subject myself to some of the most excruciatingly fast Elite (with a
capital E) Women's racing at the Boulder Cup. Though I was aware that the races would be
tough, I don't think I fully comprehended the extent to which I would need to have my mental
game just as dialed (if not more) than my physical game (which is slowly but surely coming
along.) On Friday, I met up with a few Boulderites to do some "openers." Now - in most towns,
this would be a group consisting of a few racers who want to spin out their legs and maybe
add in a few hard efforts. Needless to say, we ended up riding with a few of those Elite (with
capital Es) cats and though I had a blast trying to hold on to any wheel I could, I should have
probably seen this as a sign of what was to come. It was great to meet some new faces though,
and be reminded that no matter how intimidating these folks look when they're racing, they're
actually very friendly and welcoming. Saturday's race venue was out at the Boulder Reservoir
and was filled with sandpits, loose gravel, off-camber turns, and more sand. My one briefly
redeeming moment on Saturday was during my warm-up when I rode behind Tim Johnson to
see what lines I should attempt to take. We entered the pit at full speed and made it about half
way down to the beach when he had to dismount. I thought I could keep going so I pulled around
his left side and gave him a little friendly goading. My glory lasted about 1 second though, and
as I was about to dismount, he ran up next to me and pushed me so I could keep going. I
proceeded to watch him gracefully mount his bike mid sandpit, and ride away from me just as
my front wheel got stuck and I did my own graceful endo. Sigh. One day I'll learn this game.
But for now, its nice to know I have so much support, even if my "e" in elite is still lowercase.
Which brings me to Sunday's race. This course had a lot of grass, some sand, and a LOT of
pedaling uphill. And even though it was no New England race scene, I was astounded at the
abundance of cheering on every corner. I was determined to stay in the race on Sunday, as a
few mistakes and lack of mental toughness caused me to not finish on Saturday. I had my best
start of the season, riding the entire first lap with the top ten women. It was incredibly fun and
exciting. I settled in to my own pace after a bit, but the cheers kept coming as if I were still up
front. The familiar faces and friendly cheers certainly brought up the racing morale. As the
race wore on and Georgia Gould - one of my racing idols - was about to lap me, I turned to
the crowd and said, ''Hey - I'm beating Georgia Gould!" Might have said it a little loud, as I
could hear her chuckle while riding past me. She then gave me some words of encouragement
and the crazy part was, she wasn't even out of breath! I told her "great job" as I pedaled a
little harder to try and keep her in view. We took a slick grassy corner a little hot, and as I slid
my rear wheel out, I watched her as solidly handle her bike and take off like a speeding bullet.
Congrats to her on a stellar weekend of racing! I'm looking forward to some low key local
races next weekend. Time for a little confidence boost!
Thanks, Alie. We miss you like you cannot believe.
Lastly, I want to remind all who read here about the sidebar to the Whitmore's Landscaping
Super Cross Cup that will be held in another three weeks or so. I have this pee are puff piece to
paste in courtesy of the promoters:
Entire Atmosphere up for Grabs at Whitmore's
Myles Romanow is giving the atmosphere to a lucky cyclocross racer. The promoter of the
Whitmore's Landscaping Super Cross Cup in The Hamptons has announced that he will be
giving away the atmosphere as part of the event's "Ready, Set, Race" raffle. Romanow had
previously announced that one of the raffle prizes will be a complete, custom-built Richard
Sachs Team Cyclocross bike, complete with wheels, SRAM components, shoes and helmet.
Now, Romanow has teamed up with Richard Sachs again to give away the "ATMO-sphere",
a baseball personally autographed by Sachs himself. "It's a really lame prize ATMO," said
Sachs airily, "not nearly as good as all the other s**t Myles is giving away." ("ATMO", short
for "according to my opinion", is Sachs' signature catchphrase.)
The raffle will also award a set of Dura Ace 7850 SL scandium tubeless clincher wheels and a
complete SRAM Rival group set as prizes. Non-UCI competitors at the Whitmore's Landscaping
Super Cross Cup will automatically receive one free raffle ticket for every race they enter.
Raffle Tickets can also be purchased through the event's registration page on BikeReg.com.
"People always knew I had balls," said Romanow, "now I'm giving one of them away."
That's all for now. Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
*according to my opinion
29, October 2006
WILL POWER!
JUST DU IT!
WILL DUGAN WINS A BIG ONE FOR THE RICHARD SACHS CYCLOCROSS TEAM.
This pic speaks volumes atmo. While Justin, Pookums, Jon, and myself all took a weekend
off, the A Team (a.k.a. Wallace and Kenzer) and Will traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for the
U.S Gran Prix of Cyclocross, presented by Crank Brothers - who are, in fact, a longtime RS
'Cross Team sponsor. Amy had two very fine results, and Alie, after coming up short on day
one, finished well on Sunday. On the men's side, Will was racing in the U23 category which
runs concurrently with the Elite event for men of the same gender. On Saturday, Will was 22nd
overall and 4th in his own group On Sunday he was racing for blood and the brand. I was not
there and still don't know the lap-by-lap blows, but according to heresay and race results online,
Will aced it by finishing 16th overall and FIRST in the U23 division. Here's a great pic of the Du
getting his just do. A big e-RICHIE congrats to all three racers because I know they were all there
all weekend for each other, and any success is a shared success and the result of a collaborative
effort atmo. This top podium appearance of Will's is his second this season in UCI races, the
first being on day one at the Vermont UCI 'Cross race in late September. Hugs all around.
Regarding this past weekend, here is some pasted text mined from The Amy's blog from Sunday:
Everyone is boxing up bikes and packing away dirty laundry here at Oli's house, ready to head
homeward early tomorrow morning. I can't exactly say that anyone is going home with extra hardware,
but someone is going home with this sweet plywood plaque!!
Yup, our buddy Will Dugan took the #1 spot on the podium in the U23 race today!! The women's
race for Alie and I went... well... it went! We had fun anyway. WILL on the other hand rocked it,
racing in a group for 10th spot for most of the hour-long event. Eventually finishing 16th, he was
the first U23 rider and was congratulated by his teammates after the real podium girl gave him
nothing but the bouquet and plaque. (SEE PIC ABOVE)
And here is a nice note from Alie which sums it all up, RS 'Cross Team style:
That was some very tough racing, IMHO. Those ladies are incredibly fast and I felt very humbled.
I'm sorry I couldn't do better but I am pretty happy to have finished yesterday....and I've gotta say,
I feel really lucky that our team is so awesome and inspiring on AND off the course. I loved how
the three of us RS cats really meshed well, par usual, but especially this weekend. We've got
something really special going here, and I think its clear to those around us as well. We gush
charisma and good spirits and as much as we appreciate the folks who support us, I think they
feel the same. Only major major factors missing this weekend were the rest of the crew....only a
few more races till we meet up again!
xoxoxoxoxozox
Alie
Thanks, all. It sounds like it was a wonderful weekend for making memories.
On other news, I received a nice note from Joel Ankeny this week. Some of you may recall that
way back in July I mentioned a BikeMS fundraiser than he was participating in, along with a link
to make donations. It sounds like the event was a success for Joel:
my BikeMS NYC fundraising link on your blog. I had a number of donors mention they found
out about the ride from your site. If you could pass along the thanks I would greatly appreciate it.
All together we raised $1,600.00 for a great cause! I will be riding again next year and hopefully it
won't be so wet and soggy. This link will take you to some pictures of me flying the red RS/RGM
jersey during the ride . Hopefully I will get a chance to see the team this year at one of your races!
Joel Ankeny
P.S. After reading your blog and Amy's you guys inspired me to start my own - so thank you! :-)
--
J aka Captain Crunch
http://adventuresofcaptcrunch.blogspot.com
Two more things to mention atmo. Matt "Pookums" Kraus with just one S is in the news. He has
what appears to be a 6,000 word interview in the current newsstand edition of Cyclocross Magazine.
It reads like a "Matt's life until now..." and I am proud to out it here. I hope you all can locate a copy
at the LBS or local Barnes and Nobles. I'm equally pleased to mention that Mo Bruno Roy and Matt
Roy have launched a new website kinda' sorta' devoted to the '08 season and all of Mo's new 'cross
plans and sponsors. I got on the email list and get their news that way, but the site has all the details,
is updated very often, and is very beautifully crafted. Check it out, huh.
Well, aside from my wanting all who read these tomes to know that the Flickr galleries* are being added to
almost daily (lotsa', LOTSA' great 2008 team pics are now up), the RS 'Cross Team will be in Northampton,
Massachusetts both days this weekend for the 18th Annual Cycle-Smart-Invitational UCI-C2 events which
are also races 5 and 6 in the NECCS Verge Series. I hope you can come out to Look Park and have a great
two days of fun and see why we always say, 'Cross Fucking Rules Atmo.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE
* gallery uno
* gallery duh
This pretty much sums it up for me whenever the question, "Cross Fuickng Rules Atmo" is asked,
even though it's not even a question! The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team had a very great
road trip weekend to the MAC states and competed at two of our very favorite venues, Grenogue and
Ludwig's Corner. It was the first time all season that the entire roster was in one place in one time.
All of us - Jon from the South, Alie from Boulder, and Justin, Willy, Pookums, Issimo, and myself
from the Northeast. To complete the treat, Alicia and young Fox made the trip with Jon and the
weekend felt equal parts family reunion and back to back UCI races rolled into one. I think 'cross
is about fun and making memories, and despite the fact that the RS 'Cross Team always races at
the front and gives good brand, the single best detail that defines us is the good times we have
when we are together, especially on the road. There's an intangible that comes from mixing 'cross
and the road, and then adding a MAC weekend to the stew. We've been going to these two races
for years now, and they keep growing and getting better. Promoters Tom McDaniels and Drew
Guldalian and all of those who work with them should get major league props for what is for many,
the single best race weekend of the 'cross season.
So what's with the image at the top of the page? Ya' see, long after Saturday's race ended and all
of us were back at the NoTelCo Lodge, dinner plans were vaguely being discussed. Contrary to
what I wanted (a group-ish meal) folks seemed to be leaving in ones and twos as if we were
students at some school and off to the cafeteria we'd traipse in pairs etcetera. I was the last to be
ready, and - alas, all were missing. It was a strange and unique feeling being left upstairs and it did
play tricks with my head just a wee bit. No matter. I stored it away and walked across the road to
the restaurant where the riders would be dining. There was a big table and all 8-9 were there waiting.
No one had ordered, so I felt okay that I didn't miss anything.
Orders were placed, 22 ounce Sam Adams were thrown back, meals were eaten, and there were
no awkward moments as a result of folks leaving me to be last to leave for the restaurant. Within a
minute or two of possible dessert decision making, a slight shift occurred. To my right, Pookums -
who seemed to be duly uncomfortable in his seat and who had been a tad fidgety that evening -
made a move to stand up as if to relieve a pair of cramping legs. But it wasn't the day's race effort
that was making him jumpy, it was a box that he and all of the team were hiding under the table
since before I arrived. You see, they arranged a gift for me and when Matt reached for the box and
presented it on behalf of all, I realized why the troops were so self-absorbed just 60-90 minutes
earlier as they all rushed to leave for TGIF's. The upshot of all this was I am the lucky recipient of a
fabulous gift courtesy of my very thoughtul, very caring, and most wonderful team. In true Erwin
Vervecken fashion, I now have my very own fan club jacket just like the Varsity 'cross cats in
Belgium do! Just check me out proudly strutting home after dinner:
pleased to share my emotions and thoughts with my mates. We have a very strong bond that is
shared all year, despite only really spending 4 or so months of it together. As I told them, we are
friends, family, team mates, and co-workers all rolled up in one, and I love each and every one of
them more than I can explain.
So what else about the weekend? For starters, we had a unique (very unique?) experience of
having photographer, RS client, and newest best friend, Irfan Khalil, spend the day following
the team and the race through his REALLY BIG and EXPENSIVE camera! The result? Irfan
singlehandedly captured the very essense of the RS 'Cross Team from the moment each of
us pinned on numbers to the day's end when we chilled out in the parking lot. Someday I will
paste all of his images onto my Flickr page, but until then I encourage you to click through
link and have a look at what we look like. Scroll to the page bottom and download the zipped file.
For those too timid to try, here is a small sampling that Irfan culled for his own site. Please note
that if you don't see the images in the zipped file you're missing the best pics atmo!
Speaking of pictures, no self respecting Atmo would do a MAC race weekend report without pointing
a few times to the work of the hardest working shooter in Delaware, a.k.a. Dennis Smith. I have
been following Dens' site for years now and always look forward to seeing what he comes up with.
Here's what I found:
Alie
Alicia
Issimo
Issimo
Pook and Jon
Pook and Justin
Pook and his own selfmo
Just Dugan It
Pookums (are you paying DS under the table?)
Guess who...
Willmo
Spinmo
Not Ben Johnson
Atmo
Atmo
Mo Atmo
Wallacemo
Kenzermatic for the People
Atmo voting for Wallace
Oval Office
Willmo
Spinmo
Justin
Jonmo
Cool stuff, huh! Thanks, Dennis. We love your pictures and we love the MAC road trips atmo.
But wait! There are other GREAT pictures that I loaded onto the Flickr site. Check these out.
This gallery is almost at its limit and it's only just October! I'll have to start a new one in a week or
so, and when I do I'll highlight some other pals/shooters whose work I, er - collect! A special thanks
to all of you - Dave, Geoff, the other Geoff, Matt, Robert - and names I can't even summon up I'm so
typed out right now, but we are grateful for all the team images we have on the Flickr page.
One last thing re pics: don't forget to check out the work of our own shutterbug, one half of the pair
that is known in Nashville as the Pretty Princesses, our own Issimo's Picasa page is also a trove
of mighty fine pixels. And while you're there, take a side trip to The Amy Blog as well! Nothing
says lovin' like driving up the Site Meter hitcounter atmo. Just do it.
One last mention of pics and then I am DONE. Here's a real gem from the Grenogue event.
Okay, enough said!
Well I have been typing for a while and need to post this, despite having race results to paste
in and news of next week's events. If you made it this far, perhaps check back in 2-3 days and
I'll hope to update.
15 October 2008
Greetings -
This past weekend the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team was in Gloucester, Massachusetts as well as
in Richmond, Virginia. It's all good, no GREAT, news atmo*. First things first. While I do not as yet have the
first person account from Hambo himself, the news is that, like - who was it, Lee? - Jon Hamblen, our lone
Mid-Atlantic States soldier, came and conquered. How do I know? I saw it here: http://www.bikereg.com/
race with Jon more than 3-4 weekends during the 'cross season (and I am desperately trying to get him to
move his hiney up here just so the numbers improve). However, that will change for the moment soon because
the next string of events has all of the RS 'Cross Team converging in Brandywine country in 4 short days.
More on that later. In the meanwhile, here is a race report JUST sent over from Jon:
Alicia and I took our boy Fox up to Richmond, VA, for the Cyclocross Festival races. Three
races put on by Dr Matt and the Altius cycling team. The first race on Saturday was a really
torque-y circuit in Chmborazo park. Chimborazo is on the side of a big hill downtown. We got
to up and down the hill plenty of times. To make it hurt extra super bad, they had us go over
a big set of stairs at the top. Alicia finished third in her race after losing her rear wheel at the
start (we forgot to tighten the quick release after a pre race wheel change). I won my race
after riding with my road teammate Mike Stoop (Altius) until the last time up the stairs. Stoop
let me win. Good thing too, even though this was Mike's second cyclocross race ever he was
riding strong and he has a good bit of sprintyness in him. Thanks Mikey!
The one lap time trail was held just after the Men's race Saturday, one lap of the course minus
a barrier. It hurt more than any lap in the race. Alicia took second and I won my race by just
two seconds over Stoop.
The last race of the omnium was held at Bryan Park, a place I know very well. I used to live
down the street when I was an amateur bike racer in the mid-nineties. We used to race at
Bryan Park on skinny tires every Tuesday night. The course was super fast with fun sections
in the woods and lots of barriers. After the grinding lower back workout the previous day,
Alicia's back was already in trouble before she had to run the two sets of fast barriers. About
halfway into the race her back finally quit and she had to limp in for third place after riding in
second for the first half. In my race we had a group of four together for the first half. Stoop
was there again but having trouble on the barriers, Craig Dodson (Richmond Pro Cycling) was
riding fairly well, and another Altius guy was not having trouble staying on either. I'm pretty
sure I was the only full time cross racer in the group but these guys were not letting me get
away without a fight. I had to light it up out of every turn for two laps to get a little gap. But
it was enough of a gap to hang on for the win and another big check. Which reminds me, the
prize money for this race was awesome, Thanks Dr Matt!
Up here in the Cupcake Belt, the rest of us had a mighty fine, no - make that a MIGHTY F^&*ING FINE,
time in Stage Fort Park for the New England World's, aka the Erdinger Gran Prix of Gloucester. Myself
and my wife, aka The Lovely Deb, along with Justin, Amy, Matt, Dave, and Will, all raced extremely well.
Especially on Saturday. I know, that was not a real sentence. For starters, Dave and I were in the Masters
55+ race (which was kinda' sorta' combined with the Masters 35+/45+ B race...). I was there in Glawsta' for
at least one podium appearance and I delivered. Came in second. I know, that was not a real sentence.
And the ca tthat beat me was a two-time National Champion, so I feel mighty effin' fine about the result.
Dave followed me in, not much further back, at sixth place. We rule. In the real racing events, where folks
half our age - folks who could be described as skinny white people with tan lines - the RS' Cross Team
contingent continued to represent. Amy had a killer start in the Women's Elite race and was with the front
group for the first 30 minutes or so, eventually coming in eighth. Wallace for President. Please vote early
and often. In the less fairer sex's Elite event, Justin, Matt, and Will all got off to fast starts in this hour long
race. Ultimately, Justin cracked the top ten and netted us an eighth. Will finished fifteenth, and Matt was
twenty third. Note to self: Why am I spelling out these numbers? For Will's part, his result was good enough
to allow him to continue to wear the coveted VergeSport New England Points Series Leader's jersey in the
U23 division for another day. And Sunday was indeed another day.
Day two at Gloucester saw all of us ready for more, and as hard as we wished and tried, only the Issimo
was able to deliver the goods. The Amy came in ninth on a course which, for all of us, was a slightly harder
version than what we encountered on Saturday. In my race, I dropped off the podium to fourth place and
was supremely bummed for that. I blew what can best be described as a road sprint finish for third place
and I vow mistakes like that will never happen again. I chased the entire race and caught my rabbit with
half a lap to go. I expected to deflate this cat major league style owing to the simple fact that a bad start
had me behind for the first forty one minutes of racing. When I made contact I felt as if this girl was mine.
And she would have... - Oh, screw it. No excuses, I'll learn from the tactical error I made. End of story. I
know, that was not a real sentence. In the Men's race, sad to say that we were either flat, or set with mechanical
issues or both. Justin rolled a tire mid race while he was comfortably in the top ten. Done. I know,
that was not a real sentence. Pookums rolled a rear tubie later in the race while he was still in the
front twenty. Done. I know, that was not a real sentence. And Will, the little engine who could,
couldn't. Matt finished in twenty first and Will was seven places behind him. In and of themselves,
these are pretty good results, all things considered. But I know that we have more horses and
better luck most of the time, and Saturday was clearly the better of the two days for us.
Before I let go of the weekend, one of its highlights for all of us was seeing pal Dave Genest again. For
those who don't know the team lineage, what we have here and what I blog about weekly and seem to
manage on a daily basis, is a team that was started by Dave almost twenty years ago. The best way to
describe this is to point to a web text from a year or so ago when we were doing bios of sorts on all of the
players. Read here: http://richardsachs.com/
this a.m. -
Raced at the first day of Gloucester after being away from the "circuit" for a bit. It was indeed like coming home.
Same ghetto parking spot, same warm hugs all around, same (older) faces, same feeling of belonging and purpose,
same rarefied feeling in the air of high test energy, bubbling beneath the surface, jonzing for release.
We're goin' bikin'!
Richard and I chatted, caught up, and generally worked our way through warm-ups towards the starting grid.
The difference is that Richard is an icon (as the young reported called him). Actually more of an iconoclast.
Not only for the bikes (someone yelled to me après race..."must be nice to ride on jewelry"...or did he say jewery?...
either way the answer was "yabetcha"), and the "Team" that is both well known, feared, and jealously copied, but
Richard is also one of the feared old men. A racer who takes the podium by storm. Someone who gets away,
doesn't make mistakes, and never comes back.
All-in-all...a great day of racing and beautiful weather. It remains nice to be on (and hang with) team red
(though hiding beneath black threads). It was great to see and chat with young Deb, meet younger Will
(who shares with me the royal birthplace of Pizzafield), shake the buzzingly beautiful Amy's hand, and
feel proud that we're the longest running (and stylish) cross team in America (maybe the world?!) and
(according to my opinion) bigger than General Motors (or Fidea).
See ya'll soon
Dave
If anyone EVER wonders why I love my team, Dave is a prime example. As I always say, as someone else
said,"To surpass the Master is to repay the debt." Dave is the Master atmo.
For those of you who receive as well as read these missives, you'll notice that this entry is free of the usual
ten thousand embedded hyperlinks. To redeem this, I'll give you one and one only killer link. To wit, this past
weekend was a treasure trove for excellent team photography, most supplied by others, and a very few
images taken by moi with my new Canon G10. Please scroll through these pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9866331@N08/sets/72157607215188172/
and spend time with the All Sizes icon to see some wonderful action shots and lifestyle ones too.
Next weekend we'll be in Wilmington, Delaware and Ludwig's Corner, Pennsylvania for more UCI races at
two of the RS 'Cross Team's favorite races. On Saturday it's the Grenogue 'Cross UCI 1 event, and on
Sunday we race the Wissahickon 'Cross UCI 2 event. And the best part of these two races is? Well, for
the first time in all of the 2008 season, the entire RS 'Cross Team will be in one place at one time. As
noted above, Jon will be coming up from North Carolina, and Alie (remember Alie?!) is flying in from
Boulder for a 10 day stint. The A-Team will reunited - The RS-Team will be too! For more information
on the A-Team, please visit these links:
Text: http://theamywallace.blogspot.com/2008/10/pending-road-trip-why-not.html
Visual: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1078/1430136749_0d3ea36c45_b.jpg
For more information on the races, please see these links:
Grenogue: http://www.bikereg.com/events/
Wissahickon: http://www.bikereg.com/events/
That's all I got! Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
*according to my opinion
6, October 2008
Greetings -
This past weekend was a bye for me and several of the folks on the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team.
There were a few local races in New England, and the closest event to the Chester White House was
three hours away. I made the decision to stay home and get some work done (i.e., having many nosh
moments, moping around aimlessly, and also spending 24/7 arguing on the Internet) and waiting just
one more week until a flurry of long, on-the-road weekends begin.
For this week's team bullshite, I'm going to be a cut and pasting fool. Firstly, I want all who read these
updates to be well versed in tires, specifically the high-end race tubulars from Challenge Tech. There
is a new model that we'll be racing (and winning) on in 2008 and it's called the Fango. I am pasting in
two links here so that you can read about the tires and what Donn Kellogg from Challenge had to say
about them. Read these:
Challenge in Mud and Cowbells
Challenge in VeloNews
For the rest of this email, I will add texts from Matt Kraus (with one "S") and from Alie Kenzer. These kittens
were the lone RS 'Cross Team racers who made it to a start line this past weekend. Here's some gossip:
From Pookums -
Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name….
This Saturday I hopped across the Tappan “Sinatra” Zee Bridge over to a local race put on
by Westwood Velo in Mahwah, NJ. Its odd for a NJ race to be local. I am used to local being
MA, NH, CT, etc. A little background to that…about four months ago I left the Boston area
after a 10 year run and moved in with my galfriend to Pleasantville, NY…which is upper
Westchester County. So hopping across Sinatra’s bridge reincarnate fifteen minutes from
my house is a new and novel concept. Well, so is showing up at a local race and knowing
(almost) nobody. After racing cx in New England for close to a decade, a fresh start, is, well,
fresh. But it also feels quite solo in comparison. Not only was I the only RS rider there, but I
felt an aura of anonymity – which is an oddthing to feel at a cx race lately.
Since I had a racing-lite but training-heavy end of summer, my fitness base was solid but a
little dull to begin the season. Each of thelast four weekends I have been feeling more and
more adept at speed changes and attacks. Since the New England Worlds are next weekend,
I decided to double up on the racing today. Masters 35+@ 11:45 and the “A” race @ 1:45.
The course was a lot of track packed into not so much space. A fun track with a million turns
and only a few places where one could even get up to speed.
I holeshotted to get myself away from the Masters field of thirty before the course got twisty. I
lead the race for the first two laps at a comfortable pace and recognized that I had brought a
group of five riders away from the rest. Soon that number was three, and then it was just me
and Roger Aspholm. For the last 3 laps or so we each tried to get away, but the course would
not allow the space for attacks. Attacks were often nullified by lapped riders, whom I found quite
fun like a video game asteroid field dodgefest. Roger got command before the last technical
section and took the sprint, leaving me in second.
The “A” race was a small field of about 15. Again five of us got away but this time I let Roger's
teammate drag us around for a few laps. About halfway through, badda bing, it was Roger and
I off the front. As we crossed the start/finish line for the bell lap Roger outsprinted me for pole
position. He was able to hold that all lap and again take me at the line. Winning is always nice,
but I don’t feel bad about loosing to Roger, he’s podium worthy with a V8 under his hood. I felt
better about my form, as the pencil is getting sharper.
In staging, one of the cats commented on my RS bike; he had only seen pictures of it in the
magazines. I had to wipe his drool off before we started. In the parking lot I was talking to this
bearded courier cat from NYC who was in second place in the “B” race on a fixie until he flatted.
He also dug on the bike/components. I let him ride it around the parking lot. I swear the kid was
walking on water after that, with about much emotion as a NYC courier would show. As I packed
up my stuff, I realized how grateful I am for all the solid equipment we got to use and how I love
the team time in the schtetle*. I used to do a lot of solo travel and don’t miss those days anymore.
Next week in Gstar the schtetle is ON!
* jewish ghetto
From Alie -
Hey folks,
Since I'm not out there on the east coast racing beside you, I figured I'd shoot ya'll an email to
let you know how racing at 9,097 ft went for this girl :). Honestly, it hurt, but its not like it hurt any
more than trying to catch up to the Wallace at ANY sea level 'cross race! On the way to Frisco,
CO on Saturday, I was informed that this was just a "little" local 'cross weekend and not to be
worried about the altitude, there probably wouldn't be many folks out there. It seemed like it would
be a great opportunity to get myself back in the 'cross groove, even with the slight margarita-
induced hangover. Anyway, we pulled into Frisco, and low and behold, it was as packed as any
major race I've ever been to. There was Katie Compton, racing on the course with the Cat 3 men
(her version of a warm up), showing them how it’s done (as always). Oh boy - I was in for a treat.
Needless to say, the women's race was actually really fun, and out of a rather large field of 37, I
was 14th! Comfortably mid-pack and I was psyched. (Saturday Results) We spent the rest of the
day walking around a very ghostly Vail village, ate Mexican food from a bus station (yeah, kind
of bizarre, but not half bad!), and then went to a hipster art show opening that included some of
our host's screen prints. Sunday's race was at the same Frisco, CO venue, but with a completely
different course. It was a bit less technical and no run-up like Saturday's course that had a brutal,
deep dirt run-up - similar to the Putney 'cross run-up but thankfully only 3/4 as long). Both day's
courses had a long grinding paved uphill section, but Sunday's was complimented by a lovely
long dirt downhill bit that gave us ample recovery time. Some fun twists and turns in sandy
gravel, some log barriers...you get the picture. Anyway, I felt even stronger on the second day
and was SOOO close to top ten, but unfortunately kinda bobbled in the end and had a neck-in-
neck sprint with a girl at the line for 11, and literally lost to her by about an inch. No worries
though - I'm pumped for next weekend and for the weekends to come. And for those of you who
don't already know, I will be seeing you in Delaware on the 17th!! I AM SO PSYCHED TO BE
REUNITED !!!!!! P.S. I had numerous folks come up to me and ask to touch the sacred Richie
frame...the red beast held up well this weekend, and got many compliments!!
Miss you all!!
xoxo
Alie
Our next big event is the Gran Prix of Gloucester in Manhattan, Kansas oops I mean in Gloucester,
Massachusetts. I hope to see you all there. I plan to make the podium in my event so bring your point
and shoot thingy.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
29, September 2008
Greetings -
This past weekend was the first of the 2008 season that saw 1) nearly all of us together for the
first time since 2007,and 2) the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team's first major races of the
year. Justin, Amy, Matt, Will, and myself spent two days in South Burlington, Vermont for the
Green Mountain Cyclocross Weekend. This event had UCI C2 status as well as being
Round One of the VergeSport NECCS season long race series. Alan Atwood and his crew did a
great job promoting this race. I have never been at the venue before, normally choosing to sit
this weekend out owing to the five plus hour drive to get to the race site, but I decided that the
group dynamic of the team's first weekend together was too precious to pass up atmo. I made
the right choice!
Both race days took us six miles south to the town of Williston where, at the Catamount Outdoor
Family Center, we were treated to what has to be one of the best 'cross sites on the east coast.
Most of the race was spectator friendly and from the center area one could see at least half of
the course's many climbs, descents, off-cambers, and obstacles. In a way, the place reminded
me of another of my favorite weekends that we spend at Grenogue and at the Ludwig's Corner
Fairgrounds during one of our favorite MAC weekends coming up in late October.
For the RS 'Cross Team, the Vermont races were a complete success. All of the riders finished
"in the money", and I was especially proud to have the pleasure of seeing Will Dugan race in our
kit for the first time. Will was on a bicycle that we delivered only a day or so earlier. Despite
university obligations and hustling to assemble the frames into rideable units, Will aced the U23
race that ran concurrently with the Elite Men's event. His victory put him in the VergeSport
Series Leader's Jersey from day one, and a second place in Sunday's race ensured that he'd keep
the garment through Gloucester in twoweeks time. As we say in Yiddish - what a punim! As
noted, all of us made it onto the scoreboard with Justin getting ninth both days in the Elite Men's
race, Pookums netting a 14th and 19th respectively, the Issimo getting back to back sixth places
in the Women's Elite competition, and I raced to a fifth (the place, not the bottle...) and a fourth
in the Master's 55+ Joy Division. Here are some of my favorite memories:
Justin
Pookums
Issimo
Will
Atmo
Okay, enough levity. For more celluloid heroics please visit the new-ish 2008 Flickr Gallery
where all this season's pics will live.
On other topics, I am so psyched for 'cross pals and all-around great people, Matt Roy and
Maureen Bruno Roy. Mo is one of the best (and nicest) women in the sport and has been a
fixture in East Coast as well as on the National circuit for many years. Odd it was when we
noticed Mo racing in plain clothing these past few weeks, and that will soon change. According
to the Roy's,
"There are big changes afoot for team Matt and Mo. Please come celebrate the kick off of
the cyclocross season with a team launch party at Wheelworks in Belmont on Friday October
3rd from 7-10 pm. We've got an incredible new sponsor to announce and raffle prizes from our
dedicated sponsors. There will be beer from Harpoon and prizes from Embrocation Magazine,
Chinook, Michelin, Mad Alchemy Embrocations, Pedros, Bowchies, the Atomic Cafe and
rapidly growing list."
Read more about this great news here atmo -----> http://www.mmracing.org/ Normally, cats
with two first names freak me the eff out, but Mo and Matt Roy get a hall pass from me.
I also need to mention a raffle of sorts to benefit a good cause. As many know, this past August I
took the virtual phone off the proverbial hook and will not be taking any new clients for my Signature
framesets. No worries, I am not retiring. Nonetheless, the folks at Wheels North may be able to help
you slip through a crack and score an order with me while simultaneously helping out with a very
important cause. Click here for that information. And, if you pull the trigger, THANKS for the donation.
Lastly, it's important to me as well as to my team mates to give a big atmo shout out to the folks at
Embrocation Magazine. Jeremy Dunn and the troupe that make up the staff at the 'zine have
recently printed Issue Two. It's beautiful, it's full of great information, and it's now available. I
received a copy a week ago and have completely digested it while not leaving a single thumbprint
or coffee stain on any page.Sorry if that sounds OCD-ish, but Embrocation Magazine is like a
piece of art that you can read, and I plan to keep my copy in good shape.
This coming weekend is kinda sorta a disjointed one for the RS 'Cross Team since there are no
series events on the agenda. I believe Matt and Issimo are heading to local events in New York
State both days and Justin is racing Sunday in Falmouth, Massachusetts. I'll make my choices in a
day or two. In another week's time, we all will converge in Gloucester for some world class racing.
To be continued...
Hey - thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
* according to my opinion
22, September 2008
On Sunday, the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team visited Auburn, New Hampshire for Jack
Chapman's (and others...) Sucker Brook Cupcake Classic. If one ever wonders why they pay
us the big bucks, this weekend speaks to that. While Justin and Will were taking time off from
a long road season, and Pookums and Jon were racing in Pennsylvania, and Alie was in Boulder
getting ready for Interbike, the Issimo and I were working the room and writing orders. It was splendid
atmo* Enjoy the scenery -
This coming weekend, ALL of us will converge for the first time since 2007. The plan is to
meet in Burlington, Vermont for the Green Mountain CycloCross Weekend which is a
Verge Series race as well as a UCI Class 2 event. Pysched we are! This is the RS 'Cross
Team's first huuuuuuuge race weekend of the 2008 season. Wish us luck.
Thanks for reading, following, and snacking with our team.
http://www.richardsachs.com/
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com/
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
*according to my opinion
Greetings -
Well it's nearly midnight on the 14th and I am one of the hundreds who will be up another two hours
or so to register online at 1:01AM CST for the 2008 National Championships in Kansas City three
months hence. I'm already logged in to sportsbaseonline dot com and as soon as I pull the trigger
on my registration I'll go back to view the pre-reg list to see what kind of losers (like me...) spend
so much energy trying to get to the front of the race without even a pedal stroke. The riders are all
lined up in order of registration (except a reigning National Champion who may get a front row start
as a courtesy). The rest of us need hi-speed internet atmo*.
Today was the beginning of the racing for the Richard Sachs 'Cross Team. As noted a few days ago,
Amy, Matt, and I were to descend on Amysbury, Massachusetts for the Amesbury Cross, a fine event
promoted by Noreast Cycling. As it was the first race of the season for many, it was especially important
to use the day as a guage to see where the Spring and Summer training has taken us. For our little
group, the day also served as a shakedown so we could all put our SRAM Rival equipped team bicycles
through the paces. Some decent weekend rain showers left the venue moderately muddy and slick, and
quality equipment as well as some luck would be good allies. As it happened, we had a GREAT day on
the new parts. I was second in my 55+ 1/2/3 race, Amy was fourth in the Elite Women's race, and Matt
had a banner start by getting second in the 35+ 1/2/3 race and then winning the Elite Men's event later
in the day. The parts held up wonderfully and my team mates did as well. I can't recall a better first day
to a 'cross season.
I did add a few images to the 2008 Flickr Site and I'll paste in a few here so that you can share in
our rites of passage into another four months of 'cross bliss. Start here -
Mmmmm cupcakes atmo. As we all know by now, Jack Chapman pioneered the cupcake culture
in this neck of the woods when he offered up the badboyz as race food at his famed Sucker Brook
'Cross last year. But our team decided too much of a good thing is just a start, and have spent the
last 12 months developing a new angle to the 'cross gig on this side of the Atlantic. For us and any
with the waistline to join us, Frites and Mayo have been pushed aside; the new feast of choice for
discerning cyclocrossers is the cupcake - and the taller and with the more icing, the better atmo.
Faith Popcorn missed this trend but we won't.
Well there ya' have it atmo. Next weekend we'll be in different places with Pookums heading south to
the MidAtlantic region for Nittany Lions Cross UCI-2 race on Saturday and the Charm City Cross in
Baltimore on Sunday. Meanwhile, Issimo and myself go for the calories and head back where it all began;
we'll be in Auburn, New Hampshire for the Sucker Brook Cross a.k.a. The Super Cupcake of Cross!
Hey - thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
*according to my opinion
11, September 2008
Greetings -
Well this is the weekend that many of us live for. On Sunday, the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team
starts its 2008 season with a local event called The Amesbury Cross in Amesbury, Massachusetts.
The Issimo, Pookums, and myself will descend on the venue, just as we did in 2007, and try to pick
up where we left off as we said our farewells in a cold but sunny parking lot last January after a 26
hour drive home from the National Championships in Kansas City. While the team does stay in touch
all the time, some of us have not seen some of the others since that fateful week in the Midwest. All
connections will formally be reconnected over the next four months as the long weekends, road trips,
and comraderie once again become part of the routine for all of us. Wish us luck!
This particular entry will be more heavily graphic than usual because I want to present some information
before it goes live. Firstly, I have a new team-ish ad that will run in the next issue of Cyclocross Magazine.
It's a beautiful picture taken by Jeff Weir (see previous blog entry) and turned into an art file courtesy of
'zine publisher, Andrew Yee. 
Secondly, it's my annual pleasure to thank the good folks at Vergesport who keep us warm,
dry, well dressed, and in high-style every year going back at least since the mid '90s. Here's an
advance look at the new kit, shown here as Entropa Jackets and longsleeve skinsuits. I don't think
there's a better dressed equipe on the parcours. These garments are the best. Thanks Mike, Kurt,
Mariola, Jacques, and to all of the folks at the New Windsor, New York office.
This season also marks the first-ever that the RS 'Cross Team has a bonafide drive-train sponsor.
All of us in black kits and on red bicycles have made the leap to the Sram Corporation of Chicago,
Illinois. For 2008, we are racing on the latest iteration of double-tap technology and are equipped
to the nines with the unrivaled Rival groups. Here's an image that shows how beautiful these parts
really are:
I have personally been riding and racing on Sram Red and Force since February, and three of my
team mates have been Sram devotees for at least two seasons. But alas, finally all of us are going
to be on matching parts groups as a result of this new liasion with Sram. Thanks Ed, Alex, Nick,
and Robert. We promise to race hard, get you good and useful beta testing info, and give good
RS 'Cross Team juju to your find brand.
For 2009 the team also has a new brake sponsor in the name of Ciamillo Components, best known
as the company that designed the Zero Gravity calipers that folks in the road market know so well.
We will be racing prototypes of a soon-to-be-produced cantilever brake set whose working title is
Gravity 'Cross. Have a look:
We're extremely psyched to be among the first in the 'cross world to be installing, using, testing,
and being seen on these high-tech stoppers. As the weekends pass I'll be sure to make note of
how these bad boyz work for us. Thanks Christian and Brian. We'll race as hard as we can for
you, and slow down only enough to help get some press and write some orders!
And before I sign off, I want to add another personal note here, this time from Will Dugan. Will
has been on my radar for a few seasons, and I'm pleased that in 2008 we are finally getting to
race together, Will has been a national class Junior racer and U23 competitor. Without question,
he is World's Team material and can podium at the Natz. Better yet, he's a sweet kid, a humble
person, a good student at UVM in Burlington, Vermont, and - if we have our way - will soon be
speaking in acronyms, drinking coffee through a straw, have a Twizzlers habit, and loving the
weekends with the rest of us. Will is still racing road for CCB International and did well at last
week's Tour of Quebec. (Please also see the prior blog entry for more on Will's recent racing
success). I asked Will to introduce himself in 25,000 words or less, and here is what he wrote:
After weeks of being berated by the man himself about this, I decided to use a classmate’s
internet connection to get this up faster than the Mach 5 can do a quarter mile. How has
everyone’s year been? I raced a few collegiate races after some very patchy training and
posted a handful of top 5’s, but then put the bike back down to solve real-life problems, you
know, those necessities like food and a roof we have to deal with from time to time. I was
starving after finals and desperately cleaning an apartment I shared with 3 other messy
UVM cyclists by myself as they had all parted ways (one for Alaska, one for Collegiate
Nationals, the other for, dare I say…home to Jersey…). I checked out of Redstone Apartments
after days of scrubbing black tire marks off the walls (how did they get on the ceiling?) and
vacuuming their rooms and cleaning out the fridge…well you get the gist. I stayed at a friend’s
still starving without money and without a job. I looked at 12 apartments in 4 days. I even
remember counting totals of sub-1,000 calorie days as I searched for a new apartment in
Burlingtron, City of the Future (Burlington, VT). After my stomach hurting more than the two
cavities I had filled without Anesthetics today and losing a few pounds (I still squeezed a smile
because of it), I took up a job at North Star Sports, sold some Trek 7100 hybrids and had a
meal. Growing up is delicious.
Pooch told me that if I didn’t start racing he would take back my frame. I rode for 6 days and
entered Housatonic Hills RR where I worked hard for a CCB/Volkswagen teammate and finished
11th. I was happy. The season has been very good. I figured out how to balance training with
work: it consisted of either Tuesday or Wednesday off completely from selling bikes and a hard,
4-7 hr ride was substituted. Whichever day was not off would be a half day at work and I would try
to also ride hard for another 2-3 hrs. I didn’t really ride any other days of the week. I think I was
honestly so tired after those two rides that I needed 2 days off before racing on the weekends.
This was new for me as I had been used to 17-20+hr weeks of training the past two years. So
be it.
Cyclocross is upon us. I have been excited to race with Richard for a few years and here I am.
I’m looking forward to a full season of UCI’s and 17 credits at school as a senior. I thought I
might not be able to imagine anything more fun than hanging out with teammate and bike
racer extraordinaire Amos Brumble at an Indian Restaurant after a stage in the Green Mtn.
Stage Race, but I just might be in for it. I have heard unbelievable stories about Hamblen at
a certain Cox Charities Criterium and Matt Kraus couldn’t be more genuine and I want to know
about his Pookie nickname and Alie Kenzer is a delight as is Amy Wallace both of whom I
know from previous seasons very well and Justin thinks he’s some sort of rockstar or something,
but maybe he’ll get over it…or maybe not because Tim Johnson doesn’t know what’s coming.
There is a saying for someone not knowing what’s coming, and I’ll tell it once. I hope something
magical happens this fall. The saying is “Sonic Boom.”
Thanks for this, Will. We'll see you in roughly two weeks at the UCI events in Williston, Vermont.
That's all I have for now. I suppose the next update will include race results! Finger's crossed for
a season of podium places, great memories, and giving good brand atmo*.
Take care.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
*according to my opinion
2, September 2008
Greetings -
Only two weeks to go before the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team starts its 2008 racing
season. Until then, it's still just me filling in blanks about who did what to whom atmo*. I think
I'll begin my showing off some of the new art, courtesy of pal and uber-shooter, Jeff Weir. Have
a look:
This is the first look at a recent (well, circa 2007 for you detail cats...) RS 'Cross Team bicycle
with all the 2008 sponsored parts atop. Let's see, we have Oval Concepts stems, 'bars, and
seat posts, Selle San Marco saddles, Challenge tubulars, Cane Creek wheels and headsets,
Sram drivetrains, Crank Brothers pedals, Wippermann chains, and Gravity 'Cross cantis. With
major league props to pal Joe Bell, these team issue units are the lightest and most flamboyant
to date. I can't wait to see all of them caked in mud, dented, with frayed cables and worn brake
pads, tire sidewalls dirty from sloppy glue-ers, and all the tell-tale signs that say "racing has
started." Just give us another few weeks huh.
In the meantime, some of the folks on the team are still tearing it up on the road circuit. Some of
the more notable results include Justin Spinelli's absolutely great ride in the USA Cycling Pro
Championships Time Trials, held this past weekend in Greenville, South Carolina. Spinmo had
a Show Me The Money ride if there ever was one, and netted a 10th place. There's no hiding,
faking it, or team tactics in the race of truth, and to get a top ten in an event like this shows that
Justin carries some huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge horsepower. Congratulations to Justin for a superb finish.
Here's a pic I mined online showing Spin before the start:
Does he look fit and focused, or what?!
Also topping the charts lately is Will Dugan, he of Pittsfield, Massachusetts and now a student at
University of Vermont. Soon, I'll let Will tell you all about himself. I'll say that it took two, maybe three
seasons for us to make Will a team mate. Ever since he was a 16 year old Junior, he's been on the
radar here, yet only now are we lucky enough to call him a team mate and indocrinate his hiney in
the ways of acronyms, drinking straws, Twizzlers, and making memories. From Will, I hope to learn
more about skirts, back to school excitement, and what it's like to have a powerhouse and all-around
nice guy around through to the Natz in Kansas City (and hopefully longer. Pucci - say it's okay...).
In the past few weeks, Will has also been on a tear, winning The Central New Hampshire Road
Race in Bow as well as the Legacy Banks Criterium in Pittsfield last week. There are many clips
showing that event on Henry Jurenka's most awesome site, cyclocrossvideos dot com (search
"Pittsfield") but my favorite is this gem in which Will, fresh from a solo victory, is interviewed by
two of New England's best, Dick Ring and Rich Fries. Hey - check Will out, will ya':
http://www.cyclocrossvideos.com/road/2008_road/2008_Pittsfield_Crit-Men_Pro-1-2-3_interviews.html
Forza to Justin and Will for great pre-season (kidding...) results. Now please rest up!!!
On personal notes, Des Horsfield's DVD Imperfection Is Perfection continues to receive props
and kudos and great reviews. Recently the British site, The Washing Machine Post, wrote a
nice story about the film (it's really a DVD) and you can click here to read it.
I'm also tres psyched to report that team mate and bro', Matt Kraus - that's one S please - will be
the center of a full length interview in the upcoming issue of Cyclocross Magazine. I suggest all
of you click through to the site and order up a subscription NOW so you don't miss a single word
that Matt utters. I know that he (Pookums) gives great email, so much so that I even save some of
them, and I predict the interview will be a keeper atmo.
And furthermooooooooooooore, since it's already September and my thoughts officially include
the legendary, almost beyond-horrible, too-cold-to-think-about weather in the Midwest, I'm getting
that itch to start earmarking frames for the North American Handmade Bicycle Show that will be
held in Indianapolis, Indiana this coming March. This will be the fifth annual event that Don Walker
has promoted, and it always showcases the best and the brightest from among the framebuilding
community. Save all links, ask me questions about it, Google the bad boy, but - by all means, save
the dates and make a long weekend of it. Rumour has it that it will be indoors after all, so all the
knuckleheads that gripe about the temperature can - well they can get stuffedmo.
My last entry today will be some words from palie Alie Kenzer. If you follow these blog entries,
you're aware that now and then I tap the team for some off-season comments. This team means
the world to me and I consider each member an intimate friend and as close as family. We spend
months together once the first race begins, and it's always a pleasure for me to share these pals
and team mates with the readers here. I asked Alie about the summer and her recent travails in
Boulder, and here was what she sent:
This has been one of the most transitional years for me in a while. Starting in January, as
many of you are well aware, Amy and I made a trek out west to spend the winter months riding
our bikes in the warm California weather (Atmo-licious ring a bell?). While Amy took a temporary
leave of absence from her work, I decided that a new beginning was in order. I gave notice to
both my job and to New England, in order to start a new adventure-filled chapter of my life.
While in California, I was able to make a connection with the professional cycling team,
Slipstream/Chipotle (now sponsored by Garmin), and was offered a position as a soigneur for
the 2009 season pending completion of massage school. I applied and was accepted to a
school in Colorado. At the end of March, accompanied by my dearest friends Amy and Oli, I
spent a weekend settling into my new Boulder home. After a not-so-teary goodbye (we may be
girls, but it takes a lot to make us cry), I began a "personal assistant-ship" for one of the Garmin
riders while I waited for the start of massage school. My previous Nannying skills certainly helped
get me an "in" with the guys on the team, since most require and appreciate much attention!
After a month and a half of this, I gradually realized that I would rather be friends with all of these
athletes and masterminds than work as their soigneur, and decided to pull the plug on massage
school. While "nannying" for the cyclists, I simultaneously got my usual allotment of "kid-time"
as a part- time nanny for one of the team doctor's children. Through him, I was introduced to my
next leap in the ol' life and career path. I secured a "real" job working as a personal assistant for
a partner at a Private Investment Company. Soon after beginning work, I realized that I had been
hired as a "trainee" to ultimately climb up the ranks at this office. With no background in finance,
I was at first intimidated but now have begun my studies and will hopefully be taking my 6 hour
licensing exam mid-fall. (YIKES!) Although it's an office job, we operate on NYSE hours, which
means I get to escape to the beautiful Colorado hills and trails at 2:30 daily. A few weeks ago, I
took my 'cross bike for our inaugural ride out here. Though the ride was bumpy and a bit foreign
at first, I eventually settled into a familiar rhythm and soon found myself effortlessly soaring
around corners, smoothly dismounting and gliding back onto my bike. As my time in Colorado
passes on, I find my 'ride' getting smoother too, and I'm very excited to see what new adventures
the future and this new cyclocross season bring. I can't wait to reconvene with all of the familiar
'cross family folks at some of the big races this year!
Too cool. Thanks, Alie. For those who believe it only happened if there are pictures, here's one
of Alie from the 2007 Gloucester Gran Prix World Championships:
Until next time, thanks for reading!
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
*according to my opinion...
I
12, August 2008
Greetings -
I think I am going through the opposite emotion from Post 'Cross Traumatic Stress Disorder, that
condition I suffered through once the energy from the trip back from the 2007 Natz in Kansas City
took hold, and my life without the long weekends, the racing, and of course, my pals-slash-family-
slash-teammates on the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team (this is a long ^%$# sentence atmo*)
returned to a dull routine of filling orders and surfing the Internet. Note: if you are a client reading this
and waiting for a frame from me, that last bit was levity. Well, these past few days have been very
busy, and, while 'cross is at the front of my mind, not alot has been going on - yet. It's like the calm
before the storm. I am very happy to report that all of the parts from our newest industry supplier,
SRAM, have arrived and we'll soon get them on the 2008 team bicycles. This year we'll be a well-
oiled squad and our team bicycles will be sporting the latest components from the Rival and Force
groups. This season marks the first time the RS 'Cross Team will have matching drive trains and all
that goes with them. We're psyched atmo.
On a personal note, some of you may know that I decided to kinda sorta take the proverbial phone
off the hook starting on August 15th. I made a small edit to a single page on my website (see:
http://richardsachs.com/rsachsfaq.html ) and,before I knew it, the "news" of my retirement had
a life of its own. I saw mention of it in many forms, mostly on the forums and message boards that
populate the Internet. It was hard to read the stuff, and equally hard to refrain from same. So much
misunderstanding (he's gonna start playing golf and have the frames made in Asia), and some
vitriol (what kind of idiot would wait that long for a bicycle?) was present that, for a week or two, it
was better than television. No matter. I have it all under control, and that's part of the not-so-grand
plan. Close a door, another opens. Of all the versions anditerations of what I am supposedly up to,
one of the better ones lives (click) here. Moveitfred gets it. Well okay then...
Team news-wise, I plan to visit our clothing sponsor, Verge Sport, late this week to do some last
minute revisions to the 2007 outfits and turn them into this year's edition. Among some of the
changes needed, new sponsors Boathouse, Inc.and Svelte Cycles have some very cool graphics
and they'll look great on our 'cross world versions of the LBD. On thefront end, I plan to get all the
skinsuits ordered, as well as a medium weight wind jacket, and then I'll follow up with an order for
the long and short sleeve jerseys, the bibshorts, and all the other much needed accessories so that
we remain the best looking squad out there.
Hey - fork in the road coming. Did you ever wanna hear me, e-RICHIE, curse? I'm involved with a
separate, but kinda sorta related project with pal Jeremy Dunn, he of Embrocation fame. Jeremy is
part of the Rapha Continental Breakfast team that does epic rides all around the country and then
waxes eloquently about same online. Here's a sample of their recent weekend together. Click around
that site for more information. For my part, I was interviewed about my liaison with Jeremy and the
part I play as the bicycle maker, and that text lives here. Prudes and church ladies beware: some of
my words start with the same letter than "fun" starts with, and they can be considered a fun thing to
do too, depending on your, er, bounderies. It is what it is atmo.
I'll leave you with some words from Pookums, a.k.a. Matt Kraus (that's with one S). Pookums starts
his second season with us, though, in our hearts, he's been with the team for many years. Matt
embodies 'cross, the 'cross season, and the proverbial poster-boy for all things RS 'Cross Team. In
a nutshell, he's the kind of guy who makes me wish that the season was 26 months long rather than
five. In Matt's own words, or maybe from one of his team bicycles, here are some thoughts:
It has been six months since my red shiny paint has seen the light of day. Each time I think we are
near that moment he comes in and reaches for my neighbor, that wiry kid with the skinny tires. Man I
am starting to dislike that graffiti artist. Thinks he is all that, just because he's got some saddle bag
on him. Oh no, wait, maybe it's those new shiny white SRAM hoods. Thinks he's too cool for this
school. I don't care how fast he goes on the smooth stuff, he can't hold a candle to the stuff I can do.
Damn, I thought we were all past that high school stuff. Each day when I get skipped over it reminds
me of some grade school kickball games when I would never be picked first. It was always the fatty
tire dudes that got chosen. Those dudes are chubby and bloated if you ask me. But those days are
old school.
Right now I am resting atmo. But I heard this rumor the other day from the fixie guy; he told me in
another month and a half it will be my turn again. Yo! That time of year is what I am here for man.
That means real soon my boy will be pulling me and my twin off the rack and putting some love into
getting us in shape. I feel bloated just hanging here. And check this, soon after I will be headed out
to the dirt to do what I do best. I wonder what new stuff I'll be getting for cross Chanukah? For
Crosschukkah I'll be gettin some SRAM action, some new tires, handlebar tape, oh snap, its gonna
be real. You know, I was hanging here the other day and just felt like it was too quiet. We could all
use some more cowbell around here. I got to tell ya, another thing I miss. I miss the action man. Not
only the laps around the track, but I miss all my brothers and sisters. When we showed up to races,
we all get to hang. I got a crush on denty, she's got this cool dimple like me but don't tell anybody.
And that dude, whats his name…well his boy is Justin, he's got some crazy cool routing going on,
looks real tight. Maybe this year I'll get some of that. Oh yeah, remember that ghetto superstar with
the beige tape? That mess looked so crazy. Oh dang, and my friend who belongs to the boss, he's
always dirty and stuff. Haaa. I can't wait to hang around the parking lot with my friends. It's been so
long. But the thing I miss most, okay I can admit it, I like being looked at. Man, all sorts of folks
check me out. They get this look in their eye, wide open and I can feel the respect. It's mad proper.
They look at me like they want a piece of this steel. Like they wanna touch me but aren't sure if they
can. If I were not into my boy, I'd be a major full time player. But then again, not many would take
such good care; I'm smart enough to know that. But I like them looks, oh yeah, they inflate me and
make me feel like I am the red carpet.
So here we are, waiting on all that to start. Yes ya'all, it's the eye of the storm and the eve before the
bell tolls. I know he's getting ready for me, he must be, I see him grabbing all sorts of bike instead of
me. You could think I'd be jealous, but I got something on them they don't quite get. All that stuff he
does with those tricksters and trackstars…its all preparation for me and my twin. All those days the
wiry kid gets taken out for four hours and comes back with sweat smeared over his stem and grime
on his tube, that's all about us man. He's saving it for us. We're the ones whose got what it takes to
bring it home, and we're the ones who makes glory, and we're the ones who make memories happen.
Without us, it just be a bunch of skinny kids in a parking lot. But in a few months, we'll be taking
laps all up and down this place and showing those believers what it means to be the cool kids.
Cool, huh! Thanks, Mattmo!
For the record, the season starts in less than a month. If you can bear with just a few more of these
missives, by September I will be filling you full of race results, news of podium spots, links to action
packed pictures, tales of woulda', coulda', shoulda'...
Until next time, thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
* according to my opinion
29, July 2008
Greetings -
Here's how I'm going to roll this week's Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team email-a-thon atmo*.
From top to bottom, I have 1) news about the RS DVD that went live this past Spring, 2) some
time-sensitive information from Roland Murphy of our title sponsor for the past three years, RGM
Watch Company, 3) a nice note from pal James Overall, his firm being a new addition to the
lineup of team sponsors, and 4) some pearls of wisdom from that well-loved lass with two first
names, our perennial choice for President, Amy Wallace.
__________________________________________
As many of you know, Des Horsfield spent many months in 2007 filming here at the shop, and
around Chester, and - best of all - at the 'cross race venues, and the fruits of his labor is a wonderful
(I'm biased) DVD entitled Imperfection Is Perfection. It has been available through my site since
late Spring, and recently I started a blog devoted to it. On the blog, I keep all the links to reviews as
well as allow viewers to chime in with comments about the DVD. There are recent reviews from
Cyclocross Magazine and Bicycle Quarterly. Click here for the site link and here to read the
blog. If you are one of the many who has viewed the film, please scroll down on the page and leave
a comment or two. There's a comment icon at the bottom of the blog. Thanks, huh!
__________________________________________
Here is an email I received from Mr. Murphy:
Richard,
Joel Ankeny works here at RGM and he is an avid rider often riding Centuries and other rides
here in Lancaster County. He will be riding this Fall in this charity ride, we are proud to sponsor
him and MS. He will also be wearing the RGM/Richard Sachs colors during the ride.
I would like to invite all who can to get involved and support Joel in helping fight MS.
Here is the link to donate http://msnyc.kintera.org/bikems/captaincrunch
Thank you
Best Regards,
Roland Murphy
__________________________________________
Mr, Overall, from the firm of Boathouse, Incorporated, is now a sponsor of the RS 'Cross Team.
I expect we'll here more from him in the season, but here are some nice words he sent over that
speak to this new liaison between his agency and our team.
Boathouse is an ad agency started by two rowers and a cyclist. A few years ago at the holidays,
we gave all 50 employees bikes. And this summer, everyone got a gym membership. We
believe in the goodness of sports and sweating. We believe that fair, open competition brings
out the best in us.
So sponsoring Richie's team just feels like a natural fit. We're a New England company and
cyclocross is a passion here. We dig the grassroots feel of Richie's team. They race hard, they're
good folks, the men and women compete equally, they laugh a lot, and they have a dog as a
mascot—what's not to like? Their team is of a size where a small sponsor like us can feel like we
make a difference.
Lastly, even though the racers usually finish each race covered in mud, they all ride clean. In our
tiny way, we want to help clean riders and a clean sport.
__________________________________________
And lastly, as part of my regular attempts to humanize these email and spam-a-thons by adding
texts and thoughts from the very people that make up the RS 'Cross Team, here is a gem that
Amy, a.k.a. Issimo, a.k.a The President, the very kitten who let me know that, "...women are the
Devil, e-RICHIE", sent to me just this past Sunday while sitting in O'Hare International on the return
trip from the Windy City.
The beginning of my third season with the Richard Sachs team is approaching fast. Training is
officially underway, bike tune-ups are officially not yet underway, and all the spongeworthy race
dates are marked out on every weekend of my calendar from now through mid-December. With
the transplant of Alie to Boulder and Pookums to New York, the only thing I'm not looking forward
to this season is a lack of Boston-based travel buddies!
It's quite safe to say that bike racing has been a big part of my life for the last eight years.
Fittingly, I spend a fair amount of time thinking about the role bike racing plays in my life… how
much time and energy am I willing and/or able to devote to training? What do non-bike racers do
with all their free time, and what wouldI do with it? Does bike racing still make me happy? I won't
keep you in suspense – the answer there is yes.The relationship I have with cyclocross can be
challenging, rewarding, difficult, and wonderful all at the same time, and (new train of thought
here) often makes me think of the movie Fever Pitch – I apologize for the obscurity of this
reference, but a particular scene in the movie seems particularly relevant to the way I think of my
relationship with cyclocross. In the movie, Jimmy Fallon is a big Red Sox fan, and a kid says to
him at a critical juncture, "you've always loved the Sox…but have the Sox ever loved you back?"
It's a good question,and one I seem to ask myself a lot with regards to 'cross… does it love me
back? I think that anything I give so much energy to rightly should love me back to some
degree. Here I am still writing, so at this point you know that I've decided it does! I've found a
unique sort of fulfillment in cyclocross that I haven't found with any other hobby. From the love of
competing and playing outdoors to the adrenaline and energy to the cheering fans at a race to
the fact that you're reading this text now… cyclocross does love me back. Most importantly, I've
got this pretty awesome thing called the Richard Sachs family to share it all with. I think it's a
special gift we've been given to have found ourselves brought together by this team, and I'm
really looking forward to the upcoming season.
__________________________________________
Well, now that a certain French race thingy is finally over, we can say so long to the road scene
and pronounce that 'cross season has finally begun. All of us on the RS 'Cross Team are counting
down the weeks until racing begins. In the mean-time, I'll keep you up to speed as often as I can.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
*according to my opinion
22, July 2008
Greetings -
I'm back from the Maritimes in Canada, all rested, tan, and thinking autumn. I didn't quite lose the
eight pounds I was hoping for but with all the sit-ups I did get mistaken for a lifeguard several times
at Murray's Harbour. Silly, huh! One of the neat things I did on vacation was to ride lots, and daily, on
what they call The Confederation Trail. Last week I mistakenly referred to it as The Heritage Trail.
Here's a link to what it's all about. For my part, I can say that my week on the trails was the best
'cross-esque riding I've ever done outside of a bonifide race course. The trails have no run-ups,
dismounts, or barriers, but the riding was beyond great atmo*. Bring on the season!
I don't have any major-league level Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team news, so I intend to just post
some random notes in this entry and press the 'send' icon. For starters, Justin Spinelli continues to
show serious fitness and the right level of angst as just this past weekend he raced to a solo victory
in one of the Northeast's most prestigious one-day events,The Yarmouth Clam Festival Road Race
in Yarmouth, Maine. Here's a link to the results. Spinmo is on fire, especially so since he's still
racing alone as his KBS-Medifast team continues its group efforts out in the Midwest. After his
stellar 2nd place at The Longsjo Stage Race over the fourth of July, I am thinking that Justin is
ramping up a notch in the late season and this bodes well for all of us when he transitions over to
cyclocross in September. A big shout out to Spinelli-issimo! If any of you want to follow Justin's
flights of fancy, here's a link that will wet your appetite.
Speaking of links, I have this other pal, Dave B., who also keeps a blog. I know Dave from several
Internet forums I wastetime on. No need to explain. Anyway, the two of us have become virtual pals
and waste further time e-discussing training, and bicycles, and cyclocross, and many related issues.
Dave and his club mates also follow the antics of the RS 'CrossTeam by way of our team blog, the
Richard Sachs 'Cross Reference, where many of these emails go to live after they are sent to
several CC fields. So Dave posted an entry dealing with a common interest - or maybe it's a
common trait - we share and often discuss: Relentlessness. It's a great text and it ties in well with
what we (me, the team, our sponsors and friends) do all Fall. Here's a link to that blog post. Read it.
I hope you enjoy it!
On a related note, sometimes I ask my fellow team mates to pen some thoughts about this sport
we love, cyclocross. This week Dave Genest sent back a gem that I'm excited to share. Before I
paste it in, I'll explain for those who haven't read these team emails before this season, that Dave
is singlehandedly responsible for creating all of this. Way back in the early '90s when I was racing
full time with another crew, Dave - who was already a pal - broached the idea to combine efforts
with a developmental team that he was managing. Long story short, within a year I had switched
my sponsorship efforts over to his camp, and from that point on I worked alongside Dave as he
brought together some of the best riders and other sponsors year after year. It was a treat to watch
him work the room, so to speak. For more than a generation, we'd hit the road on most weekends,
descend on race venues, represent, make memories, and win the occasional race or three, or
thirteen, or... By about the turn of the century (does that sound effed, or what?) Dave shifted gears
and decided to move over and I took the reigns. I have made most of the big decisions for the team
ever since. There's this pithy phrase I use often, and it comes from the Jose Ferrer voiceover in
National Geographic Presents The Living Treasures of Japan. That phrase is "To Surpass the
Master is to Repay the Debt". Here, on the imaginary RS 'Cross Team timeline, Dave was the
master atmo. And here is what he sent over for us to read:
cross is
or was what
got me out of
bed at 4 every
weekend day to
drive a couple of
hours and race in the
rain and snow and mud
but then i grew up and had
a family now two and my motivation
needs and desires changed
360 degrees I found that i
no longer needed to
race cross nor a
reason to get
up at 4 or
drive or race or even
think about cross
it had become a lifestyle
requiring little or no thought
an organic part of myself that
drove me my clock my calendar
my waking hours and dreams and for
those with souls i've heard it becomes a
part of it or for the lucky few of us it
was ours and now i get out of bed
at the same time and ride in the
same weather because it
has to be done and
nothing more like
breathing
dg
I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks, Dave!
Until next time, thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
*according to my opinion
11, July 2008
Greetings -
I am writing to you from what will be ground zero for the next week. We are holed up in a small
village near Murray's Harbor, PEI, Canada called Guernsey Cove. It's about 45 minutes east of
Charlottetown. If none of this resonates with what you remember from geography class, jfgi* okay!
We have rented a small house on 4.5 acres right on the water. There's enough property here so
that I can do all the 'cross bicycle riding I want to without leaving the driveway. But if I want adventure,
the island has 100s of miles (that's alotta KMs atmo**) of what is called The Heritage Trail. We
checked it out, and it's all old, no-longer-used rails from trains which have not run in decades. All
of the paths are basically small chip gravel, or grass, or sand - and it's made for bicycle riding. I
plan to use all of these resources, and also do at least 100 sit-ups a day, and lose at least 8 pounds,
oh, and still enjoy the vacation with my wife, a.k.a. The Lovely Deb, while I'm at it!
Since this is a semi-no-working week, this Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team email will be
more of a list of things I want to post. I'll start with some rider news. Pal Justin Spinelli spends
the off- season (that's road for some of you) racing professionally for the KBS-Medifast team.
This past week, Spinmo had a result to beat the band when he nailed a second place in the
Fitchburg- Longsjo Stage Race over the July 4th weekend. This event has NRC status. A podium
at Fitchburg is worth broadcasting no matter, but what's stellar about it even more is that Justin
was there alone. He rode the 4 stages without team mates, all of whom were on the west coast
readying for a separate event. Atmo Justin should get a contract renewal as well as a raise for
such a feat. I'm biased, but so what! For those with a few minutes to kill, here is a link to the front
page of coverage, and here is a nice pic of Spinmo doing his off-season thing. Forza Spinelli!!
Another news item I am proud to spam out, though I am not sure if this will be click-throughable,
is a killer story about SRAM, one our new suppliers starting in 2008. Later in the summer I will
type more about SRAM, how I personally "...made the leap", and also recruit someone from
the firm to pen a few words about their (SRAM's) decision to comeon board with us for the
cyclocross season. Meanwhile, try to click here and pull up the June 2008 issue. Starting on
page 30, there is an excellent story about the Chicago company's start up in the late 1980's iirc
and how now it's a major player in the OEM world as well as on the world stage of pro cycling. Aw
heck, I did have a direct link to thestory and the page, but it's not working for me now. That's why
I'm re-routing you with another URL. I betchoo it's the ISP up here in the Maritimes. Something with
the Internet connection at the cottage is kerflewy. If this soap operafails, I'll re-post it all in a week
or two.
Lastly (for now), many of the followers of the RS 'Cross Team know that I periodically ask the
sponsors, suppliers, and anyone else who may have a related thought, to send over a few words
about their liaison with us and what it all means.I n the closing weeks of the 2007 season, I miscued
on a few docs I received and never sent them out, and I apologize for this. To make an amend here,
I'll let you know what Donn Kellogg from our longtime tire sponsor, Challenge, had to say.
Read from here:
The World Championships are complete, the last Super Prestige race of the 2007/08 season
is into the books and the various International Cyclocross teams are cleaning, inventorying and
packing away the bikes and tools for next season. Time for a bit of reflection while also starting
the planning for the next season. With this reflection and looking forward, there is one team,
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team, that Challenge tires immediately says "2008/09 - we are on
board – 110%, no questions!" With all the cyclocross teams that Challenge is involved with in
the world there is one team that clearly shines in terms of persona, team spirit, infectious
camaraderie, results and a good supply of Twizzlers – the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team!
As equipment sponsor to be able to adorn such a finely crafted bicycle frame is truly an honor.
It is said that the bicycle frame is the soul of the bike and in the case of a Richard Sachs frame
the builder personifies this "soul". The soul and spirit of the team is evident while reading the
entertaining cross blogs and updates of the team or maybe personally witnessing Richard take
on the super, glazed over, ice rink that was this year's US National Cross Championship course.
But, I think witnessing first hand the spirit of the team as I did from the mud hole/pit area at the
Portland USGP event with Matt and Amy riding by in the howling wind and driving rain. It was
there I could clearly see the spirit of the entire team reflecting in their eyes. Forget the wins,
which the team has many, for us at Challenge, we sign on for that experience and feeling.
On a personal full circle note: 1975 - Toga Bikes, 14th Street and Avenue B. In 1975, Toga Bike
was located inthe East Village of NYC and in that period, the mid 70's – Ramones, New York
Dolls, CBGB, Studio 54 - NYC was a crazy place. The shop was located between a methadone
treatment center on one side and a division of the New York Police Academy on the other. It was
here working alongside of Lenny and Artie and in the convergence of drug addicts and police
recruits that I was first introduced to Richard's incredible art. Now, after 33 years in the industry,
owning a quiver of custom frames that are a reflection my first exposure of Richard Sachs
frames, I have finally met Richard. I see again that the bicycle industry is comprised of so many
quality people who understand the simple joys of a bicycle ride, who have a deep love of the
sport and who have built an energy around their brand that transcends the brand.
Hey, Richard…sign us up for 2008/09 and beyond! We're in!
Thanks, Donn, for these wonderful thoughts. And thanks to Alex and Challenge in Italy for the
best tires in the world.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading!
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
* just fukicng google it
** according to my opinion
3, July 2008
Greetings -
No more excuses. I really had none though. By this time last year, the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team
missives were already being spewed out on a regular basis. It's been a long Spring for me personally, what
with a heavy backlog of orders and also getting semi-interested once again in summer racing. It all takes time.
But as of this past weekend's race in Providence, R.I., I believe it's officially 'cross season, or pre-season, at
the very least. I am done procrastinating and will be banging on the Dell Inspiron 9400 as much as possible
in an effort to let you all know what we are, who we are, and make some serious plans to leave a mark on the
upcoming 2008 cyclocross season atmo*. For the moment, here is what I want you to know. We have a tight
knit group of pals-cum-racers who will spend all of their energy in a 4-5 month period with these goals in mind:
1) represent the sponsors and suppliers superbly well
2) have fun and make memories
3) leave each race venue completely spent
In 2008 we have a returning cast of cats and kittens, namely Justin Spinelli, Amy Wallace, Matt Kraus
(with one S), Jon Hamblen, Alie Kenzer, Dave Genest, and myself. New to us on the roster, but known
to us in our hearts, is young Will Dugan. Will is a pal whom we have raced alongside for several years,
yet only now are we able to make a spot in the dugout. Forza Will and all. It's going to be a wonderful
season. As the weeks pass, I'll make sure I link texts, stories, and images of all the team so that all
of you know them as well as I do. On the support side of things, I am pleased to welcome back RGM
Watches, Rex Chiu, Radix, Ozell, Stankus, Associates, and Nelly's Deli as our sponsors. I am also
happy to add that Boathouse, Inc. from Waltham, Massachusetts joins this long list as one more of our
title sponsors. News on all of this to come. We also have returning industry support from VergeSport,
Challenge, Joe Bell, Oval Concepts, Selle San Marco, Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, and Rudy
Project. New to this industry line up will be SRAM as well as Svelte Cycles and Wippermann. As time
allows, I'll pen notes and shite about all of the wonderful companies and what their generousity means
in keeping our team well oiled and excuses-free! Well I kinda' sorta' have to be the Greek god Dudycious
now (do dishes...) and will cut it off here. Feet don't fail me now. I am 101% committed to getting in your
collective faces on a regular basis once again so that you all know what we know best:
'Cross Fukicng Rules Atmo.
Take care, and have a great Fourth of July weekend.
e-RICHIE©™®
www.richardsachs.com
http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
* according to my opinion
4, April 2008
Get the popcorn atmo...
Here's an eff-why-eye for whoever reads here:
http://www.richardsachs.com/dvd.html
and/or here:
http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2008/04/imperfection-is-perfection.html
3, February 2008
Most of you know that this coming week is NAHBS 4.0 - the 4th Annual North
American Handmade Bicycle Show. Once again I'll have a couple of booths there,
and I'm looking forward to seeing all of my peers in the trade. For anyone interested
in handmade, one-of-a-kind, high-end bicycles, this is a must attend weekend.
I am excited to let you know that, in addition to displaying my bicycles, frame-
building parts, and softgoods, NAHBS will also be showing the premier of a
film on me and my business. The working title is Imperfection is Perfection -
A Film about Richard Sachs and his Bicycles. For a brief description, please
see this link from the NAHBS site: http://www.handmadebicycleshow.com/2008/
I shouldn't give away the farm, but I gots to tell ya', Des captured it all on celluloid,
or Hi-Def whatever it's called. This film covers about everything I wanted to show
and say, and it's professional from one end to the other atmo. I hope all who read
this can attend NAHBS and take advantage of the time there to catch the film.
e-RICHIE©™®
30, January 2008
Hey look - the season continues atmo (go mental) -
Now Playing:
Richard Sachs Cross Nationals 2007
25, January 2008
Greetings -
Yuck. This might be my last missive for a while atmo*. Well yeah I might send off an email or
three or four in the next couple of months regarding the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team, but
this here one might be the final curtain call of the travails from the 2007 season. Right - I just
wanted to use travails in a sentence one last time. It's been well over a month since our last race
in Kansas City where, as a team-slash-family-slash-troupe, the RS 'Cross Team had its last road
trip of the season. I told you all about on mebbe the last weekend of December so I'm not going to
go all teary-eyed again now. All of these emails eventually live on the team blog, that is, once I find
and correct all the typeauxs. For the record, if you missed anything,or if you just want to re-live the
drama, here is the entire link-ee-poo: http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com/ (Note: you are there).
Since KC and that wonderful natz weekend, I have pasted in many thoughts sent to me, for you,
from the very folks who make this place a place. If you didn't save the emails and would like to read
it all again on the blog, you'll see (read?) comments by Justin, Jon, Pookums, Issimo, Alie, Dave,
and Moocher from the team side. And you can hear what folks from RGM Watches, Oval Concepts,
Crank Brothers, have to say, along with somenice comments from Rex Chiu and Sam Chun. It's
all here: http://rscyclocross.blogspot.com/ (Note: you are still there). Before I paste in tonight's last
entry (bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa), I am making these public notices:
1) The A-Team is on the loose on the west coast for a few months and will be documenting
all the training rides and broken hearts at this newblog: http://atmolicious.blogspot.com/
Bookmark it, and spam the link around so we can get that page counter vaporizing by next Monday.
2) I will be spending a week in Portland, Oregon beginning February 6th.The occasion is the
4th Annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show.I hope to see all of my pals, clients, fellow
'crossers, peer bloggers, and remaining alumni from The Peddie School class of 1971. I will be
packing my school blazer. Here's that show link: http://handmadebicycleshow.com/2008/
3) I guess I only had two announcements. Dang.
As I have mentioned all along, this organization would not exist without its support system, friends,
and especially the many sponsors who keep us in parts, accessories, and apparel. The two companies
that have been with us the longest are Vergesport and Cane Creek. As you know, I have asked the
sponsors to write a few words about what the liaison with our little group means to them.
From Tom Buttner of Vergesport -
While your bikes from Nationals sit in the bike room of our office, I find myself ogling them,
drooling over the paint. Running my fingers over the engraved RS logo. A sane person might
think it a bit excessive to fancy a bike so much. Alas, it’s not just a bike. It’s a two wheeled
instrument of the gods. It symbolizes everything that is great about cycling, and individuality.
There are very few teams in New England, nay, the World, that are as cohesive as the Richard
Sachs/RGM Watches Cyclocross Team. They are the nucleus of the regional cross scene.
They’re the“cool kids”. They’re the riders that people look forward to warming up with, the people
that you know are riding home together, eating every meal together, and emailing funny photos
of themselves racing to one another. They’re all the things that we all imagine for ourselves,
come cross season. Being a part of that, no matter how indirectly, is a joy, and a pleasure.
Seeing the professionalism in Richard’s team, lets me know that he knows how to pick riders that
represent his brand appropriately. We feel that sponsoring the Richard Sachs team represents
OUR brand appropriately. Why is it such a good fit? If you were a bike racer, how much would it
mean to you to have the man who actually welded your frame, to your specifications, working in
the pit for you, waiting to hand you a clean bike. Is there a better way to support your own
brand/identity? Surely there is not. It’s the “put your money where your mouth is” mentality that
strikes a chord with me, and that is why you will find us, the Verge Test Pilots, out at the races,
talking to racers, getting the feedback, showing your our products, and supporting bike races. It's
what we do. It's who we are. As we now buckle down for spring racing, we will be quietly dreaming
of our few short months between Labor Day and Christmas, counting down the days, and fondly
remembering the searing pain, the shortness ofbreath, and the unadulterated beauty of our sport.
Tom Buttner
Verge Sport Custom Cyclewear
From Josh Reddoch of Cane Creek -
Richard,
First I would like to say "Thank You" for all you do for cycling and also for the opportunity to
be a part of your program. Many times in cycling success is measured by podium spots.
There's an old adage "You are only as good as your last result". If you really think about it,
the definition of success is much simpler than that. Cycling is about passion, striving to do
your best, and achieving your goals whatever they may be. At Cane Creek this passion for
cycling is what drives us to pursue innovative designs and provide products we truly believe
in. This is the same reason we are proud to be a part of the Richard Sachs family. Your
dedication to building the best frames and and having a team to test those designs as well
as get more and more people into cycling is tremendous. It has been a pleasure to help the
team achieve their goals for the past 6 years and we are looking forward to many more. It's not
just about the podium but doing what you love.Keep up the great work!
Josh Reddoch
Marketing Director
Thanks to Mike, Kurt, Tom, Don, Mariola, Ron, Mr. Mazur, Lorraine, and all of the folks at
Vergesport who keep us warm and so nattily attired all fall, and to Peter, Josh, and the crew
at Cane Creek for looking after our wheel, brake, and headset needs going back these past
six years.
To everyone I send these emails to, that's it for now. The RS 'Cross Team made some good
memories this past autumn, and I hope you've enjoyed reading about them. I'll leave all of you
with this wacky link to a song which mebbe best describes how I have felt since that last race
weekend in Kansas City. Sing along:
Take care, and thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches, Rex Chiu,
Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as well as by Cane Creek,
Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts, Challenge, VergeSport, Wippermann,
Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli, and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
18, January 2008
Greetings -
Okay - I gave you roughly three days off from my emails and musings about the Richard Sachs
Cyclocross Team and that ends now atmo*. One could wonder why I carry on so when the Natz
were almost a month ago and many 'crossers have long since put away their bicycles, started
selling old clothes on ebay, gained at least 5-10 pounds, and are now just thinking about the road
season which begins in early March. I carry on because although the racing stops, the season
never ends. (You try coming out with clever segues week in and week out, huh). While all of my
teammates are back doing their off season stuff, be it school, overtime at work, or training in
warmer climates for road schedule, we still keep in touch, and I sense a letting go from all sides
so that the 2007 season closure can finally be complete. We each know that Summer will soon
arrive and we'll be shmoozing full time again as we ready for the 2008 'cross gig. I know I can't
wait atmo!
Today I am going to add texts forwarded to be by two of the RS 'Cross Team's financial sponsors.
Unlike our long list of industry suppliers, the sponsors who give us money do so for a myriad of
reasons, most of which would be marketing-related. The two names I am representing this evening
are cut from a different bolt of cloth atmo. Neither Rex Chiu and Sam Chun of Radix are with us to
market a product or sell a service. Their involvement is more along the lines of a magnanimous
nature. That is, they know us, are impressed with the team's ways, and choose to help us simply
because they can. For the record, they are two separate and unrelated-in-any-way individuals who
found our team's story compelling enough to want to be part of it. This coming season marks the
third for both men.
From Rex Chiu -
“The three Chinese characters on the Richard Sachs black, white, and red team kit is my father's
name. These three characters embody not only the generous support my father has given to his
family and the success that we have achieved in life, but these characters have also come to
symbolize what Richard Sachs has done for the racers, the team, and the sport of cyclocross.
Over the past two years of my involvement with the team, I have seen Richard Sachs demonstrates
his love for the team, his passion for the sport, and his true concern for cycling. He measures
success not only by the amazing number of victories, but also by the great experience and the
development of all those involved in the process.
Similarly, Richard Sachs dedicates to his life work with passion. His vision for his work and his
attention to his clients are legendary. As Richard has pointed out in many of his discussions
and blogs, he is inspired to improve on his work each and every day. My father taught me the
same philosophy as I was growing up, and I believe strongly in this, especially in my work as
physician in the field of medicine. After all, this is why they call it “Practice of Medicine.” Richard
Sachs has strived for excellence and continual improvement each and every day for the past
35 years of frame building; I aspire to be a Richard Sachs in my own career.
It has been a great privilege to be a part of this Richard Sachs family. Iam glad to see the success
of the Richard Sachs Race Team, and I look forward to continue my support for the team.”
(Ed. note - read more about Rex Chiu at this link).
From Sam Chun -
Why do I sponsor the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team? I've never raced cross but I have good
friends who do. These gals and guys display some incredible characteristics worthy of note, not
least of which is their taste for punishment on various courses through all kinds of foul conditions.
So some of it has to do with admiration.
I've enjoyed bikes for as long as my memory goes back. In fact, I'm waiting for a bike from Richard...
one of these years (and no, there is no preferential "bump-up" for sponsors-in-waiting -- which is
as it should be). I get a kick out of supporting a sport I've enjoyed pretty much al lof my life. So
some of this has to do with being associated with an activity I love.
And there's also the superficial reason of wanting to be in cross races without having to do the
actual work of racing. It's fun seeing the company logo on mud-splattered apparel.
But, judging by how hard it's been for me to pen this note (Richard's idea,not mine), I think the
honest and most basic answer is that I like very much what Richard has put together, and loved
the idea of being a part of it. The team simply kicks ass, atmo.
Oh, and we're both Jersey boys, btw. Geographical loyalty runs deep.
Cool, huh?!! Our team has been in place since the 1970s and I kinda sorta became its steward
by the time Reagan started his first term. What we have in place now (team-wise) is the direct
descendant of a '90s iteration nurtured by pal Dave Genest. For a good long time, he ran it all.
Then by Y2K Ibegan to help him more. About five years ago I began to take a more active role in
shaping the team and its destiny. Through it all we have had many excellent racers, made many
great friendships, have amassed more fine memories that anyone should be allowed to have,
and - most importantly, we've been able to have all of this and endure because the RS 'Cross
Team has had a long history of well-intentioned sponsors, suppliers, and friends like Rex Chiu
and Sam Chun to help us along the way.
In my next missive I'll forward more thoughts sent to me from some of theother sponsors whose
involvement with us keeps rolling along and looking so good atmo.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches, Rex Chiu,
Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as well as by Cane Creek,
Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts, Challenge, VergeSport, Wippermann,
Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli, and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
15, January 2008
Greetings -
Thanks for bearing with me as I attempt to draw the curtain on the 2007season for the
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team. In my last several emails I let the voice(s) of others be
heard. I want all of our friends, supporters, and sponsors to know us intimately atmo*. We
represent not only ourselves, but you too. The team is a family and a troupe and then some.
While we spend nearly 5 months on the road and at race venues together, it would hardly be
possible without the sponsors and folks who cheer us on. We've heard from Dave, Justin,
Pookums, Alie, and Mooch from the team, and from Roland Murphy of RGM Watches, Jason
First from Crank Brothers, and Morgan Nicol from Oval Concepts. Today I'll let you know what
Amy Wallace and Jon Hamblen have to say.
From the Issimo -
I guess you could say I'm easily distractable. For example, just a week into cross season this
year, I'm out on this training ride with Alie. We're cruising home from Concord and go by this
big empty swamp area. empty, except for.... wha?! there's a bike in that swamp, who puts a
*CRASHHH*pavement oooops - this is what you get for forgetting to pay attention while riding
alongside a buddy.
Unfortunately, I also fell victim to forgettingtopayattentionitis during a race or two this season.
This would happen for one of two reasons, the first being those awful sections of a course that
send you way out into the far reaches of a grassy venue where all you can hear are the crickets
chirping... chirping... chirping... are they crickets? or maybe cicadas? is that how you spell cicada?
The mind wanders, if you get me.The other cause of my frequent distraction in a race would be
the times where I see a friend cheering on the sidelines and I somehow try to acknowledge them,
which most often set me off track or into some course tape. Perhaps you can see my conflict
here... both trouble with focusing when I'm racing in nowhere land, and trouble focusing when I
see somebody watching.
Stay with me while I digress for a minute... let's go to the New Jersey stop of the USGP race
series in November. In the fashion of my recent races, I was having a nothing spectacular but
still a good time sort of race. After a second-lap crash and quick mechanical set me back 10
places further than I had been sitting, I would say my okay race had turned into a crummy race.
Keep in mind that when you're riding in the back of the pack, you only get we-love-you-anyway
sort of cheers from your teammates (thanks guys), you-can-stop-now-and-save-energy-for-
tomorrow's-race from the pit crew (thanks Richard), and of course the ever-encouraging pity
cheers from strangers. At the Verge of taking Richard's advice and calling it a day, wondering
what sort of food I had in the car, and thinking about how funny Richard's shrunken wool hat
looked, I stumbled upon the cure for forgettingtopayattentionitis. I can't call it a simple cure,
because it was hard earned on this particular day - but I found what I needed to get my head in
the game and keep wanting more. The solution is to race to the intoxicating sound of a steady
roar... In perhaps the longest section of sand pit you've ever seen in a cross race, a huge crowd
had gathered at this New Jersey sand pit to see if anyone could ride the whole length of it.
Nobody had done it. Keep in mind that by lap 4 they weren't there to watch me, but the crowd
was paying attention because they were perhaps waiting for the leader to follow up soon after me!
I made a quick decision just before diving into the sandpit for the last time that I was going to
give this sandpit everything I had. I sprinted in, coasted to the corner, and started mashing...
people were cheering, and I eked out a few more pedal strokes... more people started cheering,
and the end of sand pit was still so far away... the cheering got louder, and the screaming turned
to a roar in my ears and don't stop now as I realized I was going to make it through this sand pit.
I made it to the other end. I rode the whole sandpit, and rode out still hearing people cheering
behind me. Had I had thoughts of quitting this race?... did I say that?... screw that, I wanna go
back around and ride this sand pit again atmo.
Long story short, I guess I love to race because of those miraculous occasions where you prove
to yourself that you're capable of more than you thought possible, and you get a little public
acknowledgment for it along with your personal satisfaction. Isn't that part of the reason we all
race? We just wanna look good. Of course riding for this team helps each of us out a lot, because
believe me, We Look Good.
I forget if I digressed, or if I came back from that, or if I'm still talking about being distractable.
Forget all that. All you need to take away from this is that We on this Team love this sh*t - we
friggin love it atmo - and maybe we need a dull roar from the crowd to help us through the crummy
races sometimes, but everyone on this Team has got the passion and the drive and the crazy
love for cyclocross that can earn that wonderful memorable roar of the crowd.
(Ed. note 1: distractable??)
(Ed. note 2: see that famous issimo high style and grace here.)
From MC Jonny (to the tune of NUTHIN BUT A G THANG) -
NUTHIN BUT A CX THANG
One, two, three and to the fo'
E-Richie Rich and Dave are at the do'
Ready to make an entrance, so back on up
(cause you know we 'bout to rip the course up)
Gimme the bike first, so I can bust like a bubble
New England and the Carolinas together, now you know you in trouble
Ain't nothin but a cross thang, baaaaabay!
Eight loced out crossers so they're craaaaazay!
RGM Watches is the label that paaaaays me!
Indefatigable, so please don't try to fatigue this (hell yeah)
But, uh, back to the lecture at hand
Perfection is imperfect, so I'm a let em understand
1/8th the number one affiliation
And before me number up my skinsuit i have to find registration
You never know it could be rainin there man,
And freezin there man, and at the same time breezin there man
Now you know we love that crap, chap
Aint no course can stop us when we snap
(yeah) now thats realer than real-deal holyfield
And now all you bro's and betty's know how I feel
Well if its good enough to break that carbon chunk
We'll take a small piece of some of that steel funk
Its like this and like that and like this and uh
Its like that and like this and like that and uh
Its like this and like that and like this and uh
Richie, creep to the bike like a phantom
At this point there should be no wonder as to why I love these cats so much, and why autumn
matters most around here. As we've been heard to say: 'Cross Fukignc Rules Atmo!
See you with more of the same in a day or three.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches, Rex Chiu,
Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as well as by Cane Creek,
Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts, Challenge, VergeSport, Wippermann,
Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli, and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
10, January 2008
Greetings once again -
Tired of this? Of me? Well I have alot of 'cross left in me and more emails and updates are
forthcoming. If you can't deal, go to WalMart or HomeDepot and get some Richie B Gone©.
It's your only hope. Meanwhile, I want to share more stories about the folks who are an integral
part of the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team. We wouldn't get to the finish line, or maybe even
to the race, without our industry suppliers. Ours are the best. I have one rule when it comes to
parts and sponsors: Would I pay retail for it? Deals be damned, we are fortunate to have liaisons
with the best parts makers in the industry, and if they all ended tonight, I would still willingly buy
them over the counter. We're a lucky team atmo*. Note to sponsors reading this: We love you -
now don't get any ideas!!
Today I will pass on the words from two of the RS 'Cross Team's longest continuous sponsors:
Oval Concepts and Crank Brothers. I believe we are all going into our fifth year together.
Regarding Oval Concepts, one of my favorite anecdotes-turned-press releases still lives here.
Yeah - I had a major league Howard Beale moment and Morgan was at the window right there
with me.
From Morgan at Oval Concepts -
Hi Richard,
For the past three years I have not had time to write the smallest note to you because I am
just too busy trying to tame this young wild horse of a company of mine - Oval Concepts. Ever
since you wrote me that note begging me to make a classic, round bend road bar, a design
every other company has dropped as "old fashioned" and a bar that I knew deep in my heart
I could not afford to make - and yet I had to make, I have regretted ever knowing you. Your
passion for what is right and what works, your passion for cross, a niche for the craziest of
cyclists and their even more crazy families and fans, makes me want to run away but instead
keeps me coming back for more - just because I need that passion. I don't want to stay, but
I must.
Now we make those stupid classic bend road bars in 38 to 46cm widths, 26.0 and 31.8mm bar
clamps, and 135 and 144mm drops - wayyyyyyytoo many SKUs - and it is all your fault. We make
them because other customers are demanding and selling each of those items all over the
U.S. and Europe because they are in demand by their customers. They go to Team SlipStream
and Silence-Lotto riders who demand to place their hands exactly where they want them, not
where the bar design tells them - four to six hours per day, every day. They go to cross riders
for who knows what reason - with the gloves, cold, wet, and mud who knows if they can even feel
the bars, much less appreciate the "comfort".
Oval Concepts means "get Fit to Fly" and your passion and your push to add these classic,
round bend road bars have helped reinforce our position with the cyclists who ride, the cyclist
who care, who sweat the details. I don't have time to write about this, I am sorry. I don't have time
to tell you how much your passion and focus mean to me, again I am sorry. I do have time to
listen and read what you write - usually late a night in bed - because what you say speaks volumes.
Sorry I met you. Sorry I can't run away. Thanks for being there and again, sorry I have no time
to write.
Kind regards,
Morgan Nicol
From Jason at Crank Brothers -
Cyclocross is not only a unique sport, but also a unique culture – and Crank Brothers is
very proud to be synonymous with its beauty, simplicity, and passion. It’s a reflection of who
we are and what wemake; and even more so with Richard Sachs handcrafted frames. Our
relationship with the Richard Sachs team goes beyond simple product representation and
results, it’s a deep association with the cross culture and values we share towards individuality
and artistic design. From a sponsorship perspective – the team has been an important part
in creating a special place for our candy pedals and to this we are forever grateful. These are
inspired athletes and people that welcomed a newcomer to their sport and continually share
their enthusiasm with everyone. Of course we plan to stick with the Richard Sachs team as
long as possible and grow with the wonderful world of ‘cross. In conclusion of this recent ‘cross
season, we wanted to express our appreciation for what this inspirational sport and people have
done forus. When you have a moment, please visit our slide show shot by Sven Martin at
www.crankbrothers.com It’s a reminder for us what makes cyclocross so special as we
move on to another year, cheers and thank you Richard Sachs!
And a big RS 'Cross Team atmo hug and thanks to Morgan from Oval Concepts and Jason,
Andrew, and Christina from Crank Brothers.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches,
Rex Chiu, Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as
well as by Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts,
Challenge, VergeSport, Wippermann, Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint,
Nelly's Deli, and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
9, January 2008
Greetings -
I'll say right up front: thanks for bearing with me and the volume of emails I am sending out
these day, especially since there are no more 'cross races. The season never ends, huh.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team newz 'n notz continues this evening with more closing
thoughts from the riders. This evening I'll paste in some words from Alie and Moocher. This
was Alie's first full year of 'cross and it was my pleasure that it was with us. Rebecca wasn't
formally a card carrying member of the team, but we spent most of the season on the road
together. Alie and Mooch formed an even tighter bond at the Natz in Kansas City, as you'll
read here. WhenI re-read some of the stuff that I'm passing on to you, I cringe that there's
still another 8 months before the racing resumes. Thankfully, one of the RS 'Cross Team's
specialties is making memories, and they'll certainly make the waiting easier atmo*.
From Alie -
It’s hard to believe that my first season racing for RGM Watches/RichardSachs has already
come to an end. This was my first time racing ‘cross with teammates and representing an
entity far greater than just myself. Cyclocross racing is much different than racing on the road.
The venues are smaller and more spectator friendly than long distance road races.They are
more conducive to friendly conversations and opportunities to answer questions or explain
certain details of the sport. Although I’m no expert, it was always fun to know that the kit I wore
and the bike I rode made me more apt to be approached. I have lost track of the number of
times I was told that my bike was the most beautiful bike out there. I was also struck by the
number of times a stranger gave me a “good luck,” “good effort,” “nice bike” or loud cheers
from the sidelines. Riding for this team is both an honor and a privilege. There are many people,
young and old, who look to us for inspiration and support. As a team, we represent the attributes
that make it possible to succeed at this type of external encouragement. We learn from our
teammates, and we extend these valuable qualities to our cycling community. We are by far the
loudest cheerers, the best huggers, the friendliest competitors (most of the time)and the highest
skilled sponsor promoters out there, imho.
So, as sad as it is to say good-bye to this season of racing, I feel comforted by the fact that the
familial nature of the team doesn’t have aseason’s end. Though the racing is over for 2007, we
are all still a close-knit unit, supporting each other in the many ways a family will. I can’t wait to
see what 2008 has in store for us!
From Rebecca (With apologies to Mr. Schmittgens) -
I'm not a Richard Sachs racer but I was lucky enough to tag along with the crew for the National
Championships weekend and pretend to be apart of the notorious Richard Sachs family. Its
really a family, ya know.Before the trip I got a stellar care package with all sorts of tight RS gear
so I could look the part of the pit crew of the black and red. After the epic drive from the east
coast to Kansas City, KS which actually on theway there wasn't really all that epic we arrived
and the festivities began.The day before the first day of racing (the Thursday before the Friday
that RS and Matty-K raced in blizzard conditions) I toured the Kansas City area via Alie's bike
and got a nice taste in my mouth for the sweetness of a beautiful steel hand crafted bike as well
as the riding that KS had to offer. I checked out Kansas City from both the Kansas and Missouri
points of view and also found the home town of Melisa Ethridge some where along the way. I
can't tell you a single song Melisa sings, let alone what kind of music she sings, but I know I've
heard the name - probably from my mom - so I took note.
Friday: I got prepped to be the race crew by dawning my pit crew outfit which included a fleece
body suit to be sure I would be warm in the 14degree weather that Weather.com told me I was
waking up to. At the race I attempted to be the Team Mechanic and cleaned bikes and tried to
build a bike stand out of some old pallets I found near our parking spot but in the end I was really
glad when I didn't have to be Mechanic for the Sunday races because honestly if anything would
have actually gone wrong with the bikes the only help I would have been was to confirm the fact
that the bike was indeed not working.
Anyways, the races are whats really important and each respective RS rider will share their race
in detail but here are my notes on the National Championship weekend...
1. Richard and Matt literally raced in the shistiest weather of all time on Friday
and it was freezing cold. I don't think it stopped snowing all day. Kudos.
2. Alie and Amy rode to the course on that very same shistiy Friday and I was
amazed that they made it and in awe that they would even try to make it.
3. Side note: I had red rain boots and I got a pair of RayBan Wayfarers
(courtesy of the box of Wayfarers that Richard keeps in this shop) out of
the weekend. (Ed note: here they are).
4. Even though the actual weather was the worst on Friday, the course
conditions on Sunday for Amy, Alie, Matt, Hamblen, and Spin-doggy
were the worst.
5. Alie crashed hard because of some retard and instead of her racing
and me helping out we got to hang out in the Medic area and get to know
each other better. I don't mind because I can now say the Alie Kenzer and
I are legitament friends due to the experience although I thing the experience
was a bit more pleasant for me as I did not have a hole in my elbow or road
rash down the side of my hip and leg.
6. Amy killed it during her race.
7. The boys didn't kill it quite as much but I think if Jonny wouldn't have been
busy taking out camera men and everyone else would have been able to actually
pedal their bike instead of sliding around in the mud and laughing about the
comical situation that they were in a bike race and nota mud fight, then they
would have killed it just as much as Amy.
8. The drive home to the east was a bit more epic.
9. I am bored of writing, this always happens at number nine.
10. The Richard Sachs crew rules...ATMO?
I have only one thing to say about this team: 'Cross Fukignc Rules Atmo. In a day or so
I'll be back with some nice news from the various sponsors and suppliers who help make
the RS 'Cross Team the funhouse that it is.
By the way - if anyone of the 30,000 folks receiving these emails knows why the texts are
highlighted in yellow, you can have your next frame order filled in three weeks. Cripes - it's
driving me nuts!
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches,
Rex Chiu, Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as
well as by Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts,
Challenge, VergeSport, Wippermann, Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint,
Nelly's Deli, and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
8, January 2008
Greetings -
The other day I emailed some end-of-season musings from myself and several members
of the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team. While I wait for the other racers to chime in, I
thought it would be a good thing for some of the team sponsors to also add their thoughts.
I wrote to them and asked, essentially, "...so what is this liaison all about for you, and maybe
tell my distribution list why the sponsorship works for your firm and its products." Today I'll
introduce you to Roland Murphy, founder of the eponymous firm, RGM Watch Company
of Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania. I also must admit a fondness for the word eponymous, and use it
as much as I can - so there. RGM Watch Company will join us again in 2008 as the title
sponsor (that's referred to as above the fold in newspaper speak) for the fourth straight year.
All of us on the RS 'Cross Team, as well as the entire east coast racing community, thank
Roland Murphy and RGM for their support of cyclocross.
Here are Roland's words:
RGM Watch Company of Lancaster County Pennsylvania is proud of their association with
Richard Sachs cyclocross team. Many people have asked about what attracted these two very
different companies to form a partnership. The easy answer is that Roland Murphy has long
been a fan of cycling, but a sneak peek at each company's web site offers more insight. The
headline "Why buy a frame from a one-man shop still using traditional hand-building methods?"
found at www.richardsachs.com could just as easily be worded to ask about buying a fine, hand-
made timepiece from a small work shop in a country that is not often counted among the top
watch producers. Clearly Richard Sachs and Roland Murphy are traditionalists who believe in
providing customer service and building the right product for each individual. And each has
become an American leader in an industry long dominated by European companies and
afforded far more coverage by foreign press rather than domestic.
But publicity aside, each company is notable for having focused on creating some of the best
bicycles or timepieces available. And their success in all endeavors is assured by both their
dedication and their experience. Having witnessed each of their industries" move away from
hand-made products," Sachs and Murphy have carved their niche by providing hand-built
products, often customized for the individual. At RGM it is a source of pride that the company
is small enough to offer exclusivity yet experienced and knowledgeable enough to offer a wide
array of options to the discerning watch buyer. Richard Sachs' more than thirty-five years of
custom frame building, his respected position within the industry, and the independent nature
of his business suggest a natural partnership between the two firms.
In the recently-completed season of the Cyclocross series in which RGM/Richard Sachs
competed, the benefits of the partners' synergy were clearly demonstrated. Team riders scored
top honors at events throughout New England and in the Middle Atlantic states and earned
many other top-five finishes among their strong showings. RGM is proud to contribute to the
success of the team and its riders.
As Roland was once heard to say, "You're not likely to see the person next to you on an airplane
wearing an RGM." And you're not likely to see the fellow riding next to you on a Richard Sachs
bicycle frame but you know that they who prefer these products, in addition to their makers, are
able to appreciate fine detail and craftsmanship. RGM is proud to have forged a partnership with
Richard Sachs and his successful cyclocross team, but the relationship represents much more
than that. There is a confluence of philosophy and of dedication. Though Richard Sachs said it,
the following sentiment is appreciated also by Roland Murphy and the customers and aficionados
of the work of each man, who know that he "I can still enjoy working some magic with my hands."
And seeing the fruit of their labors form integral parts of a winning effort such as the RGM/Richard Sachs
racing team must be enjoyable on a completely different level.
Very cool, huh?!! All of us on the team look forward to 2008 and another enjoyable, productive
'cross season atmo*. Thanks, RGM!
In a few days I will be back with more end-of-season thoughts from the team, and will also have
other texts from the many sponsors who keep us well lubed all year long.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches,
Rex Chiu, Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as
well as by Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts,
Challenge, VergeSport, Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli,
and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
7, January 2008
Greetings -
"The racing may end but the season never does."
Wtf!! Did I really say that? Okay, I am reconciling the fact that I haven't
cleaned my 'cross bicycle since the Natz, and the routine emails I trade with
my pals on the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team are down to a few per
week (and even all of those don't get answered in real time), and I am back
on my road bicycle daily - on pavement, and doing loops that I haven't done
since late last winter. I guess the closure thing is setting in. Data point: the
season never ends. Repeat: the season never ends. Keeping it all in perspective
is the only way I will be able to deal with er - the off season. Yeah I miss my
pals, and I suppose that all the team 'cross bicycles are prolly packed away
in garages all over New England and in Winston Salem. So watcha' gonna do?
While I am sitting here banging on the old Dell, I'll add a note or three before
I start writing about the team. Perhaps the most newsworthy of all news is
that the team blog has been picked as one of VeloNews' online site's Blog of
the Day. For me, the team, and the sponsors this is a huge vote of confidence
and it legitimizes our efforts and says that the world outside our window has
taken notice. That last part was a blatant effort by me to tie in some 90s trivia
from one of my fav 90s singers, Tanita Tikaram. Click here and groove to
the song. Tanita rocked my world until the Y2K thing atmo*. What a cool song
huh, but she's now relegated to the Where Are They Now bin. Meanwhile,
in plain site, I'll paste the link-ee-poo (in large, bold text) to the VN article:
http://velonews.com/news/fea/11805.0.html
I could just plotz! But rather than plotz, I'm also pleased to make note that we
have a new industry supplier coming on board for 2009. Wippermann can
now lay claim to being the official chain of the RS 'Cross Team. Life is good
atmo. It's also good because pal and pic shooter Michael Kirk added the missing
images from the USGP in Trenton to his already voluminous site dedicated
to all things Team Red (or is that Noir?). Click here for nearly 200 killer pics
of us from the past season or so. Mr. DeMille I am ready for my close-up...
The main reason I am posting this evening is to paste in texts written by
several of my team mates. I would like to think that it's a tradition - and a
form of closure - that I ask each rider to say a few words about their
season. There is no list of necessary points I ask them to cover. I just want
to know what they think and feel, and it's important for me to share the
words with our family, other friends, team sponsors, and the legions of folks
who follow cyclocross and the travails of the RS 'Cross Team (that was yet
another excuse to use travails in a sentence...). The following entries are
from Dave Genest, Justin Spinelli, and Matt Pookums Kraus.
From Dave -
Well, where should I start? I didn't race much this season...but I was fit and
had fun training. I did, however, get to race with the team at the Gloucester
venue. It was a fine day and the team gave the large contingent of fans a
bit of a peak at their future with some solid results. I read with proud
amazement throughout the rest of the season as Richard led the team to
some of our best results since we formed thes quad some 15 years past.
Richard runs the team based on maintaining a high level of style and
having fun. No one is stressed to get results. No one is forced to do more
than they desire. And miraculously...in the final judgment...this unique
management style consistently produces a good return for his sponsors'
investments and lots of podium appearances.Righteous.I'm proud to be part
of the group. More to the point...I'm proud to be associated with the single
most recognized, and revered brand in cyclo-cross...Richard Sachs.
Best
Dave Genest
From Justin -
I don't know why I race cross. Every year I do a long road season filled with
dull car rides, flights, airport trips, strange accommodations, unusual
surroundings... all that on top of racing as hard as I can and then
some.There have been several occassions even this past year when I told
myself, "That's it. No more cross. This is getting to be too much. I am too
tired". Then every year come October, I find myself flying around some
field with dirt flinging off my studded tires and being like... "this is so cool."
So yeah. It's a love hate relationship. I've been a Pro on the road since
2000. I've raced the Giro D"Italia, World Road Championships,
GiroLombardia, Classica San Sebastian and countless other European
races that have been in existence since World War II. Since returning home
to America I have raced all the big Domestic races save Tour of
California and Tour de Georgia (which I will do this year). So having said
that why do I get goosebumps when I line up for the North Carolina GP of
Cyclocross (with all due respect to the NCGP... cool race)? Maybe it's
because it's the whole experience of doing these cross races. It doesn't' get
much better that hanging out and racing with the Hamblen's and coming in
1-2 both days... that was rad. Fetty was there too so, Bonus.
Then there was Nats. Bit by bit, I clawed to some semblance of form by
November and finally started racking up CI points. Come December
following a few good weekends I landed myself enough of these nuisance
technicality points to find myself on the second row start grid at National
Championships in Kansas ( P.S. KANSAS! WT is that!). The gun goes off, I
am in the top ten, some over-anxious idiot crashes into me, I go off the
course, my race is over before it really begins. Oh yeah, we drove a van to
Kansas from Connecticut... that was a total of 48 hours of van time folks for
effectively 3 minutes of racing. I must be nuts.
I'm never racing cross again. Oh wait. Yeah I am.
See you next year and Thank You for your support.
Justin
From Pookums -
If I picked one thing to represent this team, it would be a something I heard a
gazillion times this season; the sound of a hotel room door bouncing off the
deadbolt latch.
The team would always stay in hotel suites with our doors propped open by
a deadbolt latch until sleep time. We always dropped into each others rooms
for this or that, and each time the door closed on the latch it would make four
progressively softer thuds. Doors were always making thuds. By the end of the
season I laughed each time this happened, “DUT Dut Dut dut.” Yeah you might
say, that’s awfully nice Matt, a friggin deadbolt?… and you would have a good
point. But that sound brought home the family aspect of this team, the familiar
chaos of how we collectively worked as a group.
It was only near the end of the season, after many weekends of road tripping did
I realize the essence of this team IMHO. Humor me, take a step back and consider
all the people you know who get a twinkle in their eye when cross is mentioned. Now
take a moment and imagine why you love cross. It’s a wonderfully abstract thought.
Without trying to, this family - team - club finds a way to concretes that thought. We
embody something positive about cross and are the twinkle atmo. I hope all the sponsors
and supporters of our team feel this like we do, that’s important to all of us.
Expectations play a funny part of being an athlete, too much is never enough.
This season I had more than a few good moments, a couple of exceptional efforts,
a lot of decent results, but no personal racing magic. What made this season magical
was the type of unconditional support, outright freak in enthusiasm for the sport and
the feeling of kismet. I was filled with laughs, love and smiles. We build memories,
moments of time where the inner smile outshines the outer one. That alongside the
racing, best looking kits on the circuit, hot glasses, dependable components, tires,
wheels and the frames…and its hard not to feel good to be a part of the RS Team
movement. Saying I cant wait for the 08 season goes without question, it’s what we do.
Till the deadbolts do their thing, and we do ours...
DUT Dut Dut dut.
Pookums.
Here's the deal: Dave is a longtime pal and team mate whose idea it initially
was to start the RS 'Cross Team. We are all personally indebted to him in
many ways for making these past 15 years such a great ride. Justin has
ridden 'cross with us since 1997, has raced around the world since, and still
graces us with his presence and friendship each fall. And Pookums and I
have known each other for 3 short years, but we joke that we had each
other at hello. It's not a joke though. While I teased him with team lore and
what-ifs for 2 seasons, 2007 was the year that we finally were able to make
it happen. And when it happens here, it's for life atmo. All in all, each of us
on the team is part of a perfect circle.
Thanks to Dave, Justin, and Matt for sharing some words. In a week or so I
will follow up with musings from Alie, Amy, Jon, and Brian.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches,
Rex Chiu, Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as
well as by Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts,
Challenge, VergeSport, Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli,
and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
27, December 2007 (finally...)
Where do I even start? This past week has been filled with emotion swings, listlessness, chats
between me and myself, and there's also been this cloud thing following me around. I suppose all
of it has been self-induced, even though it's very real. The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team left
for Kansas two weeks ago, raced, had great results, made awesome memories, and then came
home. That seems like so long ago now atmo*. So as each day passed and I became increasingly
aware that I haven't posted about the National Championships, it seemed harder and harder to
jump-start my enthusiasm. I mean - all my pals knew that I was in a funkatation situation, and I
believe some of the Post 'Cross Traumatic Stress Disorder was also affecting them, but it really
is up to me to take care of all the team email spam-a-thons and send out the weekly communiques,
and I was letting it all lapse. And then, finally, I got a much needed one of these. I said to myself,
"Self. What kind of mamby-pamby excuse parcel are you tapping into so that all the stuff that
needs to be put out in cyberspace is delayed because of this emotion stuff? Snap the eff out of
it". And I did. Of all the catalysts that came to me in the form of motivation, few were as strong as
this one. I figure that if Brooke O can run the team meeting while lactating, there should be no
reason that I can't type and reminisce for the folks that follow our travails all through the 'cross
season. (That was an excuse to use travails in a sentence atmo). So here I am and the following
collection of 1s and 0s will be all about what's happened these past few weeks of the season.
For starters...
I was remiss a few weeks ago when I neglected to add some links to two films that pal Jacob Fetty
and Jon Hamblen made when they took the trip north to race with us at the Grenogue/Wissihikon
UCI weekend. Click here and then here to see how we all comport ourselves on a routine road trip
to the MAC states. These two won't be mistaken for the Coen Brothers any time soon, but that
doesn't mean you shouldn't spam the links around once you've watched the clips 5-10 times each.
Blatant commercial message section starts here:
1) Pal Dennis Smith has a new 'cross-centric calendar available and you cansee it at this link. I
am proud to report that it contains not one, but three images of Atmoistas at play. Hover over the
pages to enlarge the pics and you'll see me and the Issimo making memories at the expense of
our MAC rivals. Cool, huh?!! Please order many calendars.
2) Pal Michael Kirk maintains an RScentric page of all the pics he's shot while we are on the road
in the MAC states. Click here to view. Please bookmark this link and return to it often, especially if
you're a team sponsor looking to buy images for the 2008 product catalog that's being planned. The
RS 'Cross Team shakes its moneymaker for over 18 straight weeks, and much of it is captured by
Michael. Let one of us be your next poster child. Here's but one suggested serving.
3) Pal Richard Sachs (sic) has once again printed hooded sweatshirts with the official team
graphics. Click here to see one in action. I have these in stock now, so contact me directly if you
are interested. I'll reply with prices, etcetera asap.
4) Pals Alie and Amy got caught on celluloid whilst at the Natz. There's a great article at the Pedal
Pushers online site. Scroll down here to view the image. I have combed the internet and found that
the shooter is a Larry Rosa from Norcal.He pasted a few extra images here. Contact Larry through
his website if you're interested in using these pictures.
Blatant commercial shet officially done.
One of the many, many cool things about the National Championships is that we get to congregate
and race against many of the same people whose names regularly appear in VeloNews and who
help keep the 'cross game in the public's radar. For example, on one evening we ran into multiple
National Champion Steve Tilford, currently crowned National Champion Tim Johnson, famed
announcer Dave Towles, former National Collegiate Champion Jed Schneider, all-world UCI official
Phil Miller, and East Coast 'cross terror Rebecca Wellons and pal Ward Solar. Who needs Access
Hollywood when you can beinches away from these stars?!
I guess I should mention the racing, huh. Our team had a spectacular weekend. The conditions
were kinda' sorta' brutal, but all racers had to endure, so the playing field was incredibly even atmo.
While we neverhad the mudfest that characterized a Portland or a Napa, the snow and cold
weather made the frozen ruts the story of the weekend. Atmo whoever crashed the least had the
best chance of a good finish. For us, the racing began on the Saturday with Pookums in the 35+
race and me in the 55+race (Data point: Hey I am not 55 yet). I believe that this day's conditions
were a bit harsher than Sunday's, and Matt and I made the best of it. My feeling was that Pook was
there for the win, not just a good result. He began two hours before me, so I had the chance to see
the start and first several laps. Matt got the hole shot and led the race for at least the first lap, and
remained at the front throughout. A split occurred late in the race, and when I saw the results, Matt
was 7th. Considering the competition and the course conditions, and that any corner or rut can
affect the race, a 7th on that course and on that day was a victory for us. For the Pookums
Supporters Club, click here and see a video showing Pook nail the start on the far outside line. In
my race it was a bit of a clusterfkuc with three fields on the course simultaneously. I had a decent
start and miraculously passed many leftovers from the 50+ race who were in my way, and I never
fell off until the end of lap two. I think they gave my field the true 45 minute race that was planned,
and by the 40 minute mark, I was near fatigued and making too many steering errors. I had the
feeling that all the credits I earned up until lap 4 were beginning to get cashed in as one rider after
another, but as you can see here, the officials gave me a 13th. I have no idea how this happened;
so many bodies were all over the course by the race's end. But since my goal was a top ten, I'll
take whatever I can get. I didn't have the same good fortune to get caught on film as Matt, but if I
did it would look like this.
The following day, it was the main event. The Women's and Men's Elite races would go off starting
at noon. Alie and Amy were first, and then Jon, Justin, and Matt (again) were at 1:30. There must
have been 120 females on the line at something-or-other to twelve, and while it speaks to the
growing popularity of 'cross, it all can wreak havoc at the start of any race. So while Amy (who had
a call-up as a result of many late season UCI points) had the start of her life, Alie found herself in
some major league traffic and found strangers and other people's wheels tangled in hers in just the
first fifty feet. (Editor's note: Bwaaaaaaaaaa. It's simply not fair, and this is the perfect time to paste
in a link that regards just this kind of confusion when the stakes are high and the body count even
higher. On behalf of pals Eric and Brooke, please click here and read the petition). [Rant] [/Rant].
So, as I was saying, the Issimo killed the start and never was less than top 12 as the women raced
the course. At times Amy was as high as sixth place and I was confident that she'd get a great
result from all this. With the bell lap behind her and barely a km to go, she was still in a mix of
competitors fighting for seventh. I lost track of what was where with whom when they went through
a wooded area, and coming out of it onto the pavement, the Issimo sprinted to ninth place, improving
on her 2005 result by one place. Forza Amy, and forza Alie too, because I know you would have
taken your late season form to a top twenty. But such is life, and bumpin' is bikin' as they say. For
all you A Team fans,click here to see Amy at the first turn, and click here to see Alie once she met
me at the pits later in the day. Okay - I admit it. I'm being silly.
In the Men's race, it was once again a clusterfkuc of bodies from all overthe lower 48. Luckily for
us, Justin and Jon had enough UCI points to get call-ups to the front two rows, making their starts
more to the safe side. If i recall, Matt was near to them in row 3. The funny thing is, when you put
150+ adrenaline charged males on a start grid with only a small stripof pavement before the first
turn, anything can happen. Take a look here at 3-5 seconds and see Jon play tonsil hockey with a
local photographer's long upper body. Sick, huh. And have a look here and see Justin meet the
ground at the 25 second mark. We can't use any excuses because everyone had the same muck
to ride through, but luck was not on our side in this race, with both fellows understandably dropping
out late in the event.To his credit, Matt persevered and finished in the mid 30s. All in all, the RS
'Cross Team showed extremely well at the venue and I was proud to be part of all this.
Long awaited for picture section starts here:
Amy did the mother lode of work during the KC trip and here gallery lives here. For my part, I have
been a mining fool and have added about three dozen (or more) images to my Flickr site. Click here
to view. For images that I could not mine, I have these links:
Amy -
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/4012326#233622493-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/4012326#233622183-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/4012326#233634539-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/4012326#233634358-L-LB
Justin -
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/4012370#233561825-L-LB
Matt -
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/4000066#232684510-L-LB
http://www.actionimages.cc/viewImage.php?pid=CYX-KCN2542&gid=CYX-KCN5
http://www.actionimages.cc/viewImage.php?pid=CYX-KCN2596&gid=CYX-KCN5
http://www.actionimages.cc/viewImage.php?pid=CYX-KCN2597&gid=CYX-KCN5
http://www.actionimages.cc/viewImage.php?pid=CYX-KCN2598&gid=CYX-KCN5
Atmo -
http://www.actionimages.cc/viewImage.php?pid=CYX-KCN3019&gid=CYX-KCN5
http://www.actionimages.cc/viewImage.php?pid=CYX-KCN2890&gid=CYX-KCN5
So here's the deal - I don't know who reads these missives but I hope that most have made it until
here. Normally I email these to several open CC fields, and then about six BCC fields, and then
ultimately all typos are found, and corrected, and the text moves over to the team blog located
here. When I realized it was time to post, I had no mindset to be typing this much or pasting in all
sorts of wacky links. I hope you've enjoyed the news. The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team had
an extremely successful 2007 season and it's been a pleasure making memories with them and
sharing it with all of you.
In a week or so I will post again and let the riders speak for themselves about what the season has
meant for them, and I'll also have news about sponsorship changes and opportunities for 2008.
I'll leave off with one anecdote. The sadness that some of us felt as the last few weeks descended
upon us was driven home a few Sundays ago when Alie and I were talking about how fast it all
goes. To console ourselves, I told Alie that the racing may end but the season never does. All of
us, Alie, Amy, Alicia, Brian, Dave, Justin, Jon, Matt, Moocher, and myself live for the racing
and the seasons, but most of all for the chance to play, travel, text, drink, race, and make memories
with each other week in and week out all autumn long.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches,
Rex Chiu, Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as
well as by Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts,
Challenge, VergeSport, Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli,
and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
natz report coming soon atmo...
i'm suffering from a combination of writer's block,
ADD, and post 'cross traumatic stress disorder.
10, December 2007
Greetings -
Well another weekend of racing has passed and I am once again late to the
results and news spam-a-thon party. I'm not sure what it is, but I suspect the
procrastination is partly due to the fact that we have only one more event to
do and then the 2007 season is history. I often refer to the condition as Post
'Cross Traumatic Stress Disorder, yet I feel it coming on before we even get
in the Hummer and drive to Kansas City for the National Championships. The
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team has had a wonderful, productive, and
diverse season and I am proud to be part of it all. The entire group - Alie,
Amy, Alicia, Jon, Dave, Justin, Matt, and Brian deserves a world of thanks
for the smiles, the friendships, the memories, the racing, the road trips, the
text messaging, the twizzlers, the race results, and for the representing. I
know that many folks read these missives once they are pasted in the team
blog, and everyone is aware of the high regard that this team is held in by
the fans and peeps in the industry. A mighty large thanks to all the sponsors,
suppliers, and behind the scenes supporters who make all this possible.
This weekend we were in Rhode Island both days for another pair of UCI
C2 races combined with the Verge New England Cyclo-Cross Series. On
Saturday it was the 6th Annual W.E. Stedman GP of Cross, and on
Sunday it was the NBX Grand Prix of Cross. With Pookums being under
the weather since the Portland trip, what we had in Little Rhody was an
abbreviated roster situation. I took care of my end of the biz and did the
Masters event at 9AM both days, while the A-Team and Justin did battle in
the Elite ranks in the afternoon. For us it was one of the better weekends of
results all season. On Saturday, Justin finished 6th in his race, while Alie
was 21st and Amy 3rd in their event. Here is a link to the online report at
cyclingnews dot com. On Sunday, Justin finished 9th, and Alie and Amy both
improved overnight with Alie in 17th and Amy in 2nd. Here is what was said
about day two. A big atmo* shout-out to the Issimo for podiuming twice in two
days of UCI racing. If I recall correctly, this marks Amy's best weekend of
racing - almost ever! Here is a killer quote of Issimo's:
"Today I was feeling good when I got up. I told my team-mates, 'I can win today.' Then I saw
Lyne was here and I said, ' I can definitely get second,'" she said with a smile. "The mental
attitude helps so much."
And that's a fact Jack! All of these results bode well for next weekend's National Championships.
Well anyway, here is a long list of killer pics I found after the weekend:
J-Spin:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/dec07/verge7_07/DSC_0262
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/dec07/verge6_07/DSC_0283
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X050034&po=34
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X050049&po=49
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X050050&po=50
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X050087&po=87
Issimo:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/dec07/verge6_07/DSC_0084
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/dec07/verge7_07/DSC_0046
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/dec07/verge7_07/DSC0425
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/dec07/verge7_07/DSC0559
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020013&po=13
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020027&po=27
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020057&po=57
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020104&po=104
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020133&po=133
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020134&po=134
Bicycle Alie:
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020016&po=16
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020086&po=86
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020087&po=87
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020088&po=88
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X020119&po=119
Atmo:
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X040067&po=67
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X040163&po=163
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001X040164&po=164
Cool, huh?!!
It's time to pack for the Natz. Wish us luck!
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches,
Rex Chiu, Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as
well as by Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts,
Challenge, VergeSport, Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli,
and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
4, December 2007
Greetings -
Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I am so f&*^ing busy that the updates are now officially behind
schedule atmo*. The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team had a week off (of sorts) as a team. Me?
I am house and pet sitting as my wife, a.k.a. the lovely Deb, is in Paris for 2 weeks. Pal Justin is
in New Hampshire getting in extra training for the excursion to Kansas City in 2 weeks (for the
National Championships). The A-Team, Alie and Amy, stayed home and raced locally both days.
Jon stayed in his region and did back to back UCI events in the MAC states. And Pookums flew
west to do the last weekend of the USGP in Portland, Oregon. Sorry to disappoint, but this update
will have few(er) of the wacky hyperlinks that most of you are used to. So, in no particular order,
I'll paste in the salient information (big word. needed to get good line break).
In the Northeast on Saturday, the A-Team raced in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and on Sunday,
in Wrenthem (sounds like an act of violence: let's wrenthem, take the money, and run fast), also
in the Commonwealth State. Amy won and Alie was fourth on day one, and Amy was third and
Alie was sixth on day two. Effing ecstatic about these results, I am. Here are some of the images
I mined online:
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001W020002&po=2
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001W020049&po=49
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001W020119&po=119
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001W020124&po=124
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001W020125&po=125
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=0AI4001W020197&po=197
Down in Pennsylvania and the Virginia, Jon was racing to win the MAC conference series
overall. After our little team showed all there who's boss in our last foray intothat district, it
was clear that the RS 'Cross Team could walk away with the series.But if we did that, we'd
have to return in late January to collect the spoils, and the MAC cats really know how to throw
them back. No matter. As it all turned out, Jon was third on Saturday and eighth on Sunday, and
missed winning it all by a narrow one point. (Jon - next time trip Pendry in the gallop). Here is a
report from cyclingnews dot com that describes day one:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2007/dec07/carlisle07/carlisle072
And here is a report about day two:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2007/dec07/capitalcross07/capitalcross072
And the part that kills me is this:
With Frattini unable to attend the Capital 'Cross Classic, the door was wide open for John
Hamblen with the prestigious Verge MAC title for his RGM Watches Richard Sachs team. But
his early race mechanical dropped him far enough out of the chase group that he was never
able to rejoin. Hamblen, who has raced every edition of the Capital 'Cross Classic, finished a
disappointing eighth and just one point shy of Frattini in the final standings.
My editorial comment: Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa atmo.
Next topic - Matt a.k.a. Pookums had a road trip to beat the band. He took the company jet
out of Tweed New Haven and arrived in Portland with enough time spare (i guess). Before I
paste in his account, here is what Matt looked like for 48 hours atmo:
http://www.dmroth.com/xcross_07/usgp/mens_elite/photos/photo_11.html
http://www.dmroth.com/xcross_07/usgp/mens_elite/photos/photo_12.html
http://www.dmroth.com/xcross_07/usgp/mens_elite/photos/photo_14.html
http://www.dmroth.com/xcross_07/usgp/mens_elite/photos/photo_15.html
http://www.dmroth.com/xcross_07/usgp/mens_elite/photos/photo_16.html
http://www.dmroth.com/xcross_07/usgp/mens_elite/photos/photo_17.html
Matt is the one with the ick all over him. No matter. Here is what he wrote about it:
I love racing in Portland. I have raced there the past four seasons, twice for natz. The energy
is something to dig on. Crowds, enthusiasts, clowns and supahfans all totally bugging out on
the big dance. Its a little less serious than New England, a little more zany fun and a joy to line
up to. I cant thank my friend Zac Daab and the PDX HUP crew enoughf or all their support
during the weekend: trainers, tents and cheering oh my!
Saturdays course was like the 05 natz course where I placed well. For the third and fourth
time this year I was number 18, a number loaded with kismet atmo. Certainly a good enough
start position to do something. Good mud was happening so I had the Grifo's dialed down to
about 25 lbs to get traction and the cockpit/saddle were secure. I got a great start and entered
the mud in the top 13. Mentally I showed up but my body did not, or was it visa versa, and I
raced backwards all day to a disappointing 40 something. Ugh, that smarts. Not to be discouraged,
I let it go.
Sunday brought temps in the low thirties and sideways rain. We woke up to this and it was
still happening at 3pm for the start of our race. The course was lengthened and the mud
turned to soup, which meant less sticking to the bikes. Same start position but today the holes
did not open up in the first twenty seconds and I ended up hitting the mud outside of the top 25.
I know on a day like today, with the cold, mud and rain that it becomes an individual sufferfest
time trial soon after lap 1. Unfortunately it took me 3 laps to get my stuff together and start
racing well. That is also a tad too late and I ended the day in a mediocre 32nd.
To place well in a USGP you need a good race start to finish. If I could have combined my
start from day 1 and middle to end of day 2 I would have been in the top 20...but thats a pipe
dream now. Cant say I am pleased but I am not carrying this around with me. After 22 races
this season, and doing this cross game for 6 seasons now, I can let weekends like this roll off
my shoulders. It just happens. There are two weekends left of cx racing and I am ready to
tackle them straight up. When I got back feeling guilty for draining team funds for a no results
weekend, I gave pookie the lowdown and he let me know immediately why this family rules!
Happy Chanukkah,
atmo,
pookums
Public declaration: I love Matt Kraus and I love each and every RS 'Cross team mate I have.
The seasons simply do not last long enough atmo.
For those of you image starved readers, I loaded many pics on to the 2007 Flickr site. Click
here to view them. And for those that hold out for the best of the best, I've noticed that Michael Kirk,
a picshooter from the MAC states, has culled his RS 'Cross Team images and deposited them
into a separate gallery. Now here is a blatant commercial pitch: I know that many sponsors and
suppliers are on the many cc and bcc fields that receive these updates. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease,
please look through his catalog and consider a pic or five for your next web page, brochure, or
billboard on the New Jersey Turnpike. Here is the entire link to view Michael's work:
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/keyword/richard%20sachs#P-1-15
Here is a great pic of Alie that made it into Michael's separate online gallery:
http://www.mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/1991458#220277351-L-LB
Next weekend we stay north and do the last 2 races on home turf before we point the Hummer
west for Kansas. We're in Rhode Island both days. On Saturday we race the W.E. Stedman
GP of Cross, and Sunday it's the NBX Grand Prix of Cross.
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches,
Rex Chiu, Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as
well as by Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts,
Challenge, VergeSport, Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli,
and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
26, November 2007
Greetings -
I hope all of you had a nice week, what with the Thanksgiving holiday and all that. The
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team picked up where we left off and met yesterday in Sterling,
Massachusetts for the Baystate Cyclocross. This race is a UCI C2 event and is also part of
the Verge New England Cyclocross Series sponsored by none other than Verge Sport, the
official apparel supplier to the RS 'Cross Team. It was a chilly 27 degree morning at the
Chockset Middle School when I ran into pals Amy, Matt, and Justin. This was the first taste
of seriously cold weather for racing that our region has faced this season.
The race itself is a bit odd atmo* because it falls on the first day of the weekend, and it's one
weekend in the season that does not have a second day of racing with similar import. So what
do we do? We race our asses off, maximize the fun, make some decent memories to carry us
through the off-season which occurs between January and late August, and then we leave! This
race also carries an underlying interest for me because it's where Issimo first landed on my
radar. I wrote about that last season when Amy was first introduced as a team member. Click
here for that text. As fate would have it, Amy had a kick-ass race yesterday, getting the hole
shot off the cider track start, and helpingto break the race apart almost before the first run up.
Her tenacity earned her a 3rd placeand a step on the podium. That is was a UCI C2 event
makes this her best result in 2007,and the UCI points for a third will definitely pay dividends
when the call-ups at the Natz are made in just three weeks time. In the Elite Men's race, Justin
and Matt faced some deep competition in the form of most of the best racers in the country, less
Wicks, Wells,and Trebon, when a field of nearly 40 frozen North-easterners got the gun at
2:45PM. From the start, it was clear that Jeremy Powers, Tim Johnson, and Jesse Anthony
were going to break some legs. For our part, the RS-ers were never far off that pace, and
finished 8th (Justin) and 10th (Matt). These are very good results atmo.
Since I had a free Sunday, I culled a mega-list of links showing various RS cats these past few
weeks. There is no real order to the images, though some are obviously the property of folks
who don't allow the right-click shet. Have fun...
Some Amy from Cyclingnews -
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/nov07/baystate07/baystate071/08-EJC
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/nov07/baystate07/baystate071/16-EJC
Some Justin from Cyclingnews -
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/nov07/baystate07/baystate072/23-EJC
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/nov07/baystate07/baystate072/41-EJC
Here are some from Eric Carlson -
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060531291&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060548887&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060545581&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060544989&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060537811&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060544229&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060550805&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2061334860&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2061334702&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060547671&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060544031&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060539563&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060539103&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2060531687&size=o
Pics of Amy -
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=918439&image_id=33
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=918439&image_id=34
Atmo on a tear -
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=918431&image_id=98
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=918431&image_id=82
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=918431&image_id=83
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=918431&image_id=84
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=918431&image_id=85
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=abbiorca&gallery_id=918431&image_id=86
More Justin -
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223368570-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223368912-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223350827-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223359370-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223376960-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223376709-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223391807-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223352410-L-LB
Jon -
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223377866-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223377636-L-LB
Real Awesomeness -
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223395694-L-LB
http://sadlebred.smugmug.com/gallery/3852122#223395252-L-LB
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2053910233&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2053793753&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2054577054&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2053909663&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2053902653&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2054677980&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2053867053&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2053866197&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2054613214&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2054612414&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2053827963&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2054649104&size=o
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=523510396&size=o
Serious Issimoness -
http://www.trailwatch.net/cross07/trenton/satwomen/imgpages/image002.html
http://www.trailwatch.net/cross07/trenton/satwomen/imgpages/image066.html
http://www.trailwatch.net/cross07/trenton/sunwomen/imgpages/image006.html
http://www.kagl.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1139
http://www.kagl.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1149
http://www.kagl.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1218
http://www.kagl.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1221
http://www.kagl.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1215
More Atmoness -
http://www.kagl.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1317
http://www.kagl.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1313
Note: I know it's a freaking link-a-thon, but I did have the time and it only took up the last
22 hours. I'm glad there was no race to distract me today atmo.
A great interview of our own Pookums went live this week and it appears on Jacob Fetty's seminal
site, the bike game dot come. Click here for a direct link to the Q's and A's. And a neat story penned
by the inimitable MoveItFred appears on Stu Thorne's seminal site, cyclocrossworld dot com. Click
here for a direct link. Seminal is the word of the week.
That's all I have for ya'. I sure hope I haven't forgotten anything!
Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches,
Rex Chiu, Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as
well as by Cane Creek, Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts,
Challenge, VergeSport, Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli,
and The Wheatmarket
TEAM WEBSITE
RESULTS/UPDATES
TEAM YOUTUBE
NATZ PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2006)
TEAM PICS (2005)
BLATANT TEAM BIKE PICS
AWESOME 'CROSS PORN
RICHARD SACHS 'CROSS BLOG
19, November 2007
Greetings -
When I last reported the race results of the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team, I wrote, "I am
unable to recall any race, much less a weekend of UCI events, where the RS 'Cross Team made
such an impact, but we certainly did so in New Jersey atmo*. On Saturday, after Justin, Matt, and
Jon finished 2nd, 3rd, and 6th respectively, I made some comment like, "...well if we sold all the bikes
right now I'd consider it a perfectly successful season." So what happens on the following day? The
names change a bit, and Jon gets 2nd and Matt is 3rd again with Justin seconds behind at 5th."
Fast forward to this weekend. The team riders split duties with Justin flying to meet up with Jon
to do the UCI races in North Carolina, while Issimo and Pookums stayed north and were in
New Jersey for the second event in the USGP.
So we're standing around the venue on Saturday, and Amy gets this call from Jon, and excitement
breaks out. Justin gets the win and Jon is second. Two RS 'Cross Team cats make the top two
rungs on the podium. Absolutely effin too cool atmo. And like last week's races, the two switched
finishes on Sunday with Jon on top and Justin second. When I hear stuff like this, the first thing
I do is comb the internet for info and pics. I found this wonderful report on cyclingnews dot com
in which Justin says the following: "I dedicate this win to Richard Sachs who has supported me
in Cyclo-cross for the last four years and initiated my return to professional racing," said Spinelli.
"I came here to win and today it could have been either Jon or myself."
And in the Sunday race coverage, this appeared:
Although the seven riders were constantly attacking one another, no single rider was able to
break out of the group and gain a big enough lead to stay away. Hamblen and Spinelli had
planned to wear down the leaders by one towing their rivals, but the group was so strong that
they were still all together when they entered the final lap. Hamblen was clearly frustrated as
no one seemed to want to race but he was unable to break free from the group on his own. In
the final lap, Pendry was the first to fall off the pace, and the six remaining entered the sandpit
in single file. It was Spinelli and Hamblen that were the quickest back on their bikes and onto
the track with a small gap. With Carrington closing in on them they had no time to discuss who
would take the win, and so Spinelli gifted the race to his team-mate, Hamblen, since he had
won the previous day.
What a weekend of racing and camaraderie it was for the J-Boyz. I asked Justin for some
thoughts about it all, and he sent over this:
I love North Carolina. This past weekend was without a doubt the most fun I've had racing my
cyclocross bikes. Thanks to Hotwire and the Hamblen's I could not have had better travel and
lodging. When Jonny picked me up at the airport I felt like I was getting ready to go to some
sort of party or festivity not a bike race. The Hamblen's and I go way back and not for an
instance did I ever feel uncomfortable or out of my element... never missed a beat the entire
weekend thanks to Jonny and Alicia.
Like the report in cyclingnews.com said, I went down south to win, be it Jonny or myself or
best case scenario a split weekend with one of us winning each day. Well you just can't beat
selfless teamwork as we channeled the Frank and Mark McCormack of old and went 1,2 both
days. Lots of UCI points, quite a bit of cash but most importantly taking that top step onto the
podium.
The complete race reports from both days can be read here and here. Some pics of Justin
and Jon in action are included at no charge! My favorite? Here atmo.
Here in the Northeast, Trenton, New Jersey played host to the second round in the USGP, the
National class event sponsored by Crank Brothers. The race start lists looked like a who's who
of North American cyclocross. Perhaps only the Natz has a bigger field ofracers. On Saturday,
Pookie had a great race and finished mechanic's 18th (right ahead of Chris Horner), while Amy
came in 33rd (right ahead of Megan Elliot, Horner's squeeze). Was this planned? Insert laughter.
It must be noted that Amy elicited the largest roar of the crowd all weekend when she became
the first (mebbe the only...) woman on Saturday to ride through the entire sand pit. I was in the
mechanic's area while this was occurring, and the decibel level over in the sand pit carried through
the entire venue. I was about 100 yards away, and it was as if Havlicek stole the ball all over
again. Amy turned over some major wattage, and won the crowd's collective hearts as a result!
On Sunday, Matt once again finished 18th and Amy was 24th. There's decent race coverage
from both days here and here. And for the record, and in the "You don't see this very often"
department, here is what I looked like at mid-day on Saturday. Once I recovered, I looked a
tad better here. Spinelli and Hamblen were in North Carolina channeling the McCormacks, and
I was in Jersey channeling Sinatra.
For those of you who are image conscious, I loaded about 3 dozen pics onto the Flickr site I
keep for the 2007 team shots. Click here to view them. I also found some killer pics from this
weekend's events in New Jersey. These are the work of shooters-extraordinaire, Dennis Smith
and Michael Kirk. Have a look:
Atmo -
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844933#223167702-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844933#223167950-L-LB
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/89189641
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/89189656
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/89194908
Issimo -
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844906#223019599-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844902#222539389-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844902#222547577-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844902#222547744-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844902#222562594-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844902#222562982-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844902#222562792-L-LB
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/89194672
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/89194650
Pookums -
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844888#222648662-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844888#222657532-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844888#222663472-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844892#223040123-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844892#223052925-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844892#223063194-L-LB
http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/3844892#223062893-L-LB
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/89199868
http://www.pbase.com/dens/image/89199888
Remember: these images are the property of the two photgraphers. If you want
to mine them for commercial use, please go through the proper channels. Thanks.
Two more things -
I received a nice email from pal Martin Bruhn after the USGP weekend. The header was
"Congratulations On Many Fronts", and the text was:
your smile
marriage
the team kit
the style that your riders have embraced: focused success with heart!!
the team: justin and jon down below nc way
and matt: #18 finishes two days in a row 18th. uncanny.
happy thanksgiving to you and deb.
hugs,
the bruhns
Martin is one of my oldest friends in the sport, and we raced together back in the 1970s. He and
his brother Michael were stalwarts on the Canadian National Road team, and also had pioneer
status in CYBC. For the record, and for history's sake, it was Martin's idea way back in the early
80s to take our little club and have me become a title sponsor. At first it sounded like a stretch and
a pipe dream rolled into one, but after some discussions in the off season coupled with Martin's
zeal and organizational skills, I came on board to help keep the club-slash-team as well oiled as I
could. Here is a very early picture of one of the first-ever Richard Sachs Team at a stage race in
New Hampshire. Click here. That's Martin 3rd from left, and the skinny kid in front of him is, er the
'Cross Sorcerer himself, Tom Stevens. There are many people who deserve credit and recognition
for keeping the team alive and fueled over the years, but Martin Bruhn was the first guy through the
door. Without his idea(s) back in the early 80s, who knows where any of us would be. Insert
classical music soundtrack now atmo.
Lastly, a word about Jonathan Page. Jon spent 3 seasons racing in Red and all of that seems
like so long ago. His last season on the team resulted in his first (of three) Elite level Stars and
Stripes jerseys. He's been a pro in Europe since 2003, and nailed a great result in the 2007
Worlds with a 2nd place, and that helped to get him his best-ever pro contract. Now the n