AES Athlete Mark Miller rode to a 3rd place finish at the Cascade Locks round of the 2017 Cyclocross Crusade.  The solid result is Mark's first CX podium and marks a great transition to cyclocross from his summer peak at BC Bike Race in Canada.

AES Athlete Ann Kennedy of the BicycleAttorney.com Cycling Team had a nice pair of races in Oregon last weekend.

The annual Gorge Roubaix brings out Oregon, Washington, and California's gravel road enthusiasts for a day of old-school road racing near Hood River.   The next day, the die-hard stick around for the Gorge Grinder 65 in the hills east of The Dalles.

Kennedy, who specializes in cyclocross, did both and placed 5th at the Gorge Roubaix before winning the Master's Women class the next day at the Grinder.  Here's a photo of Ann with the spoils of her work:

And on the start:

This past Saturday, AES athlete Ann Kennedy consolidated a strong start to her season by winning Zaaldercross (part of the GPBR Series) in nearby Vancouver, Washington.  The win puts her 3rd in her class with two events yet to run.  Here's a photo of Ann in action:

https://goo.gl/XAhlmg

Endurance mountain biker Ed Serrat has had a great season, with notable results across the country.  An 11th place finish at Oregon's High Cascades 100 was followed up this past weekend with 13th at Fool's Gold.  The latter result was achieved after delays caused by a rear tire puncture in the early miles.

Here's a photo of Ed in action:

https://goo.gl/cptuWi

I recently wrote a little article for Quarq detailing Elle Anderson's successful 2015/2016 cyclocross season.  Check it out on the Quarq website:

http://blog.quarq.com/post/138937762976/elle-anderson-season-review-and-power-analysis

AES mountain bike racer Ed Serrat finished his season on a high at The Iceman Cometh in his home state of Michigan.  Ed had been targeting Iceman and had an excellent race against a stellar field.  Ed's season has been fantastic and we're looking forward to 2016!

That's Ed on the left!

Also today, AES Pro CX rider Elle Anderson rode to a podium finish in the Derby City Cup ProCX race against a stacked field.   Elle has been preparing for her 2015/2016 European campaign and she's off to an excellent start. 

Elle on the right!  Photo by SRAM.

AES athlete Ed Serrat rode to an excellent 14th place finish in his first High Cascades 100.  It was his first time riding in Bend and the trails seemed well-suited to his talents.  His Vets Men time of 9.27 would have placed him in the top-20 of the Open Men.  He plans to return next year as well.

Ed and his grandson(!) post-race at the High Cascades 100.

AES athlete Ed Serrat had a great race at Michigan's Iceman Cometh.  Ed had spent the autumn preparing for his season finale here, and he finished it well in 3rd place.  Here are the nasty conditions the race saw this year:

Meanwhile, at the OBRA Cyclocross Championships, AES athlete Ann Kennedy scored a 3rd place finish in the Masters A class.

AES athlete Maria Santiago won the Iron Horse Classic this weekend.  Maria took two stage wins en route to a convincing victory.  Read more about it here:

http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20140526/SPORTS01/140529643/Santiago-survives-%E2%80%98suffer-fest%E2%80%99

One of my favorite bike-related radio shows, Chicks on Bikes Radio, has gone off the air.  I was one of many guests on the final show.  Have a listen right here:

Last Sunday, Aeolus Endurance Sport/Cable Huston rider and editor of RaceCenterNW Magazine, Brook Gardner won the OBRA Road Championships in his category.  Held as part of the High Desert Omnium, the race took place near Bend, OR.

Brook suffered from cramp in the latter stages of the race, but recovered in time and had this to say:

"Before I knew it we were passing the 1k to go sign and the attacks started.  One rider jumped the field and the eventual second place finisher tried (hard) to bridge, but seemed to be having problems making the junction.  I decided that this was the move I wanted to follow.  I bridged to the second rider on the road (about 10 meters ahead of the field), sat in his draft for about 5 seconds, then went wide left around him to try and get onto the lead rider's wheel.  I made it as planned, but then I could see the lead rider's speed falling so I went around him and found myself at the front just before we passed the 250m to go sign.  I decided that this was my opportunity.  I shifted to a big gear and started my acceleration.  I was moving and the field was shattering behind me.  I grabbed a bigger gear and kept accelerating."

That plan proved to be the right one, with the win not only netting him the title of OBRA Champion, but also the overall title in the High Desert Omnium.

Brook on the top step of the podium

This month I had the pleasure of co-hosting another great edition of Chicks On Bikes Radio.  We talked about fit issues related to women and interviewed five great guests:

• John Cobb of Cobb Cycling – fitment and aerodynamics legend
• Annie B. of SheVolution Fitness – women's fitness advocate and consultant
• Joe Holcomb of WestEnd Bikes – master bike fitter
• Jennifer Reither of Team Vanderkitten – professional cyclist
• Jill Gass of Revolution Coaching – coach and women's cycling advocate

It is a great show and well worth a listen: