Montana Cyclocross Schedule

The 2008 Montana Cyclocross Schedule is out. I'm excited the schedule has come together so early. Thanks to Geoff Proctor and John Coulthard for their hard work getting folks organized. For me there's a couple things that stand out about this year's schedule:

1. Race's every weekend. For folks like me, I like having the opportunity of racing every weekend. The schedule is jammed packed with racing action.

2. Montana Velo's Cyclocross Omnium looks to be a can't miss event. I've never heard of anything like this, but how can you go wrong with a dirt crit?

3. Five Valley Cross getting it's own weekend. There are lots of good promoters on FVV and now that Rolling Thunder has it's own weekend, I expect FVV to put on a great race.

4. Classic weekends; Flathead, Bozeman still on the schedule, great promoters, great racing.

5. NRO is putting on the State Championship, and I want it to be top notch!

Bearmouth Race on Sunday

Race info: http://www.montanacycling.net/calendar.aspx

One of the last road events on the Montana calendar is this Sunday. The Bearmouth Road Race is a rolling course that provides an a aggressive style of racing. With the big gap in road events, we really have to look at mountain results to see who's on form. Frank G and John Curry are both on form and have looked great in the Montana mountain bike races. Josh Tack won the state title but hasn't really raced since. He won this race last year, but could be taking it easy for the rest of the summer (in preparation for cross :)). Last year the selection was made by Greenburg, Frank, Seeley, Josh, and a couple others?? If Seeley races, I'd expect to see him pushing the tempo and being super aggressive. I think it will be a good race with a competitive field.

On the ladies side, Tamara comes fresh off her killer masters nationals performances. She had a nasty crash in the crit but should be recovered enough for this weekend. Lisa Curry has been riding the mtb well, so look for a good result from her.

Missoula Marathon - From the mouth of the winner - Elliot Bassett

Elliot has been a force in the Missoula athletic community for the last 6 years. He runs is own personal training firm, Mountain endurance (www.mountainendurance.com) and coaches the UM Triathlon Team. He has dedicated countless hours to promoting events, and mentoring new athletes into the sport. It was a well deserved victory on Sunday and one that was long overdue. Here's what Elliot had to say about his day in the spotlight.

How long have you been thinking/training for the Missoula marathon?
I started thinking about it in August of last year. I had a major shoulder injury and didn't know how well I could run. In November I started to run 9 miles a week just to test the waters out. During March-May I ran 3 hours a week in an attempt to build a base. From June 13th till the week before the marathon I ran 65-75 miles a week.

Are you a biker or a runner?
I'm and endurance athlete. I've always wanted to do both, and will never stop doing one or the other.

What'd you eat for dinner the night before and what did you eat during the race?
I ate pasta, rigatoni with red sauce and a glass of water. During the race I had 4 Powerbar Latte Gels, one bottle of Hammer Nutrition Heed, and a half bottle of water.

Who's your favorite MT athlete?
My favorite Montana athlete is Matt Seeley. He's taught me everything I know about endurance sports. I learned the hard way. Countless rides and runs staring at the back of him barely keeping up. I've bonked more times in front of him then anyone.

Cross bike for 2008? Favorite cross course?
I'll be riding the 2008 Jamis SuperNova for this year's cross season. My favorite cross course last year was Wednesday Night Series #3. I like courses with lots of barriers, but not a lot of twisty technical stuff.

Who would have won between you and Kiefer (last year's champ)?
There's no way to tell. He won last year and I won this year.