Zero Waste results from Louisville USGP

This year the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross Series has committed to a Zero Waste initiative, in an effort to minimize the amount of trash produced at all 6 races in the Series. This initiative is being funded by the USGP and Crank Brothers, and organized by the CLIF BAR Development Team and Eco-Cycle.

The goal of a Zero Waste event is to plan out as much of the potential waste stream as possible ahead of time, and then make sure that as much waste produced on race day as possible can be reused, recycled and composted. To learn more about Zero Waste, please visit Eco-Cycle's website.

ZERO WASTE RESULTS FROM LOUISVILLE USGP WEEKEND:

Diversion Rate: 75.6% (meaning less than 25% of the total materials collected went to the landfill).

Resources Saved: 2 trees, 918 kilowatt hours of energy, 846 gallons of water, and diverted 3900 pounds of compostable materials from the landfill.

Summerhill's report from Louisville

As i wrapped up my first grand prix weekend as a u-23 i have to say that as hard as it was i still had a lot of fun, and definitely learned a lot.

My trip started out at 6:00 Thursday morning when i had to still pack my bag - the night before i had actually fallen asleep on top of all the clothes I was supposed to be packing. Thankfully my mom came to wake me up early which gave me just enough time to
finish packing and get all the last minute things taken care of.

The next thing I know i am sitting on the runway finally on Kentucky soil. As our bags were unloaded every other persons’ bag managed to make it off of the flight except for mine. So, without any riding clothes, toothbrush or fresh pair of boxers, we met up with Jim Hale, one of our friends at Pedro’s. Jim picked us up in one of the coolest Sprinter vans i have ever seen, the Pedro’s Love Tour Van. From there we drove to the course where i got to see one of the coolest features i have ever seen in an American cyclo-cross race…the giant hulking beast called the Green Monster was a genuine European fly over!

The next day i woke up around 9, ate breakfast and went back down to the course where i got to be a part of my first USGP Media Day, where i got to do a photo shoot and was interviewed with people like Tim, Lyne, Jeremy, Jessie, and Katie. Later in the afternoon I coached the CLIF BAR kids clinic, along with Ben and Troy Wells from TEAM CLIF BAR and US National Team coach Geoff Proctor. We had 25 kids from the local junior team Red Zone practice their mounts and dismounts and carrying their little bikes over the barriers, and practiced riding the sand pits.

24 hours later i found myself on the start line shoulder to shoulder with people I’ve grown up watching race, like Mark McCormack and Ryan Trebon. The gun goes off and i switch in to gear. As the laps count down i am now sitting in second U23 position, about 10 seconds off of Jamie Driscoll’s wheel when the next thing i know Chris Horner is coming up on my left hand side going really fast. Thankfully Chris doesn't have nearly the bike handling skills as he does power on the straightaways so i was able to stay with him as he pulled me back up to Jamie's wheel.

As the last lap bell rang i new that no other U23 was going to catch us and either Jamie or myself would wear the USGP leaders’ jersey at the end of the day. As we entered the finishing stretch, i attacked to try to distance myself from Jamie, and thankfully i managed to hold that small gap all the way to the finish line.

The next day’s race went just about the same except with Jamie crashing out early it gave Chance N and Nick W the open door to take the lead with me. It was fun and really hard racing in the group with those two, with lots of attacking. i basically jumped the same place i had the day before and thankfully it worked again and i ended up taking the win with a sprint both days and the USGP leaders’ jersey.

I know that without the help of a whole crew of people this solid weekend for both the team and myself wouldn't be possible. A ton of thanks goes out to Nick, Alex, John, Josh, Jim, Ben and our amazing host families in Louisville.

I’m already looking forward to the next USGP weekend in New Jersey!

Tour of NREL Wind Energy Test Site

Last Friday before the Boulder UCI race weekend, several CLIF BAR team members took a fascinating tour of the National Renewable Energy Lab's Wind Energy Test Site, located up on a windy mesa between Golden and Boulder.

Team member Andrew Simms' dad works at the site, and gave us an extensive tour of some test wind turbines, and showed us how they test new blade designs and motors. Highlights were getting to go up on top of an older turbine (fortunately only half as tall as the latest models), and seeing the incredible size of the blades and motors up close. The scale of the testing equipment and the procedures used to test are pretty incredible.

Boulder weekend results

Nov. 3 - Redline Cup, Boulder Reservoir

- Zack Gould, 2nd in Jr. 10-12
- Danny Hiller, 2nd in Jr. 15-16

- Andrew Barker, 2nd in Cat. 3!!!!
- Kevin Mullervy, 6th in Cat. 3
- Robin Eckmann, 8th in Cat. 3
- Conor Mullervy, 9th in Cat. 3
- Yannick Eckmann, 13th in Cat. 3
- Cody Cox, 19th in Cat. 3

- Danny Summerhill, 10th in UCI Elite
- Brady Kappius, 24th in UCI Elite
----
Nov. 4, Boulder Cup, Harlow Platts Park

- Zack Gould, 2nd in Jr. 10-12
- Danny Hiller, 3rd in Jr. 15-16

- Conor Mullervy, 1st in Cat. 3!!!!!
- Robin Eckmann, 3rd in Cat. 3!!!!
- Cody Cox, 12th in Cat. 3
- Andrew Barker, 15th in Cat. 3
- Yannick Eckmann, 16th in Cat. 3
- Kevin Mullervy, 20th in Cat. 3

- Danny Summerhill, 16th in UCI Elite
- Taylor Lane, 37th in UCI Elite

Sierra Elementary School Visit

The day before heading out to Kentucky for the first stop of the USGP series, teammate Andrew Barker and myself visited Ms. McCarthy's 1st grade class at Sierra Elementary in Arvada, CO. I brought in my Salsa bike and Andrew brought in some of our team clothing.  We first explained what kind of racing we did and how we race in all types of weather on half dirt and half road.  The kids had some good questions about how long we had been racing, how long the races are, how many races we have won and where we race.  After explaining our racing we explained the sustainability mission of the team.  Ironically the the class was learning about recycling at the same time!  In addition to cycling we talked to the class about eating food that was grown locally and is organic.  We talked about trying to minimize CO2 production by riding bikes to school which a lot of the kids did.  We emphasized the importance of wearing helmets while doing it.  At the end, we took the kids outside and I showed them some dismounting and carrying skills.  I also popped a wheelie and the kids all started cheering.  They kept on telling me to do it more. It was hilarious.  I just hope that they don't go home and try it!

USGP Report - round 1+2, Louisville, KY

Summerhill sprints to USGP sweep
CLIF BAR kids clinic, USGP Zero Waste initiative, and team bus
highlight weekend

October 27-28, 2007 – Louisville, KY – The CLIF BAR Development Cyclo-
Cross Team kicked off the US Gran Prix of Cyclo-Cross Series this past
weekend at the Papa John’s Derby City Cup in Louisville, KY.
The CLIF BAR team’s development and sustainability mission was
prominently on display in the burgeoning Kentucky ‘cross scene, and it was a
real treat to receive such a wonderful welcome and see all the enthusiasm
and potential there in Louisville.

Here’s a quick summary of the weekend’s highlights:

- Friday’s CLIF BAR kids ‘cross clinic was a great success, with 25 young
riders joining CLIF BAR Development Team’s Danny Summerhill and Team
CLIF BAR’s Troy Wells for an hour of instruction.



- Summerhill won two exciting sprint finishes over strong Under-23
competitors to take possession of the USGP Series leader’s jersey (he
finished 14th and 15th overall in the Elites – pretty good for an 18-yr old!)



- Robin Eckmann rode to a strong win in Sunday’s Junior 15-16 race.



- We ran our first-ever Zero Waste event outside of Boulder, and Louisville
really embraced the idea and helped us achieve a 75% diversion rate
(meaning only 25% of the total waste generated ended up in the landfill).
Thanks to the US Gran Prix organizers, Crank Brothers and Eco-Cycle for
making the entire USGP Series Zero Waste.



- Thanks to Stonyfield Farm, the team rolled out its new team bus, a green
biodiesel/waste vegetable oil-powered school bus. The full scoop on the bus
will be coming soon!

October 27-28 Race Results

Saturday Oct. 27

USGP #1, Papa John's Derby City Cup, Louisville, KY

- Robin Eckmann, 4th (Jr 15-16)
- Cody Cox, 12th (Jr 17-18)
- Andrew Barker, 14th (Jr 17-18)
- Danny Summerhill, 1st (U23)
- Brady Kappius, 14th (U23)


Sunday Oct. 28:

Boulder CX Series #3

- Conor Mullervy, 4th (Cat 3)
- Kevin Mullervy, 7th (Cat 3)
- Yannick Eckmann, 8th (Cat 3!)
- Zack Gould, 2nd (Jr 10-12) and 61st (Cat 4)
- Danny Hiller, 1st (Jr 15-16)

USGP #2, Papa John's Derby City Cup

- Robin Eckmann, 1st (Jr 15-16)
- Andrew Barker, 11th (Jr 17-18)
- Cody Cox, 15th (Jr 17-18)
- Danny Summerhill, 1st (U23)
- Brady Kappius, 8th (U23)
- Taylor Lane, 19th (U23)

Interlocken

Let's just say it was about 8:45 in the morning and it was a good 60 degrees out. Perfect race weather. The course was mostly all grass, had a mud bog section and a sand pit surrounded with two barriers. The perfect 'cross course. I was all bundled up in my under shirt and my long-sleeve skinsuit. I had already pre-ridden the course various amounts of times and was ready to race.

"READY, SET, GO!", the official starting man said. I shot off the line and was in first position. Then a pretty fast 15 year old came by me. I clung on to his wheel like a magnet. It was us two for a while when another kid joined our group, but not for long. We got to the mud bog on the second lap and me and the other younger kid crashed. During the crash an amazing creature found its way on to my seatpost, a worm! Although, I didn't realize this until after the race. Anyway, the 15 year old got away so I was in second overall. It stayed that way throughout the rest of the race. I finished 2nd overall and first in my age group. And I managed to find a worm along the way! HA HA HA!

The rest of the day went really well. A lot of people were composting and recycling.

Yannick Eckmann took 2nd in Cat 4 to another German!
Andrew Barker won Cat 3!
And Robin and Cody did really well too along with Brady who is a bunny hopping beast.

High fives all around!

The pictures of the worm is Coming Soon!

Classroom Visit

I did my first school visit today. I talked to the kindergartners about the team, did a cross demonstration and talked to them about sustainable cycling/local food. Where I live there are several small local farms. We eat seasonal foods from these farms for school lunch. The kids were responsive to biking as a means of transportation instead of driving.


They were enthusiastic about cross when they saw me jump over the barriers and remount the bike. The teacher said, “Kids, you shouldn’t try this at home, he’s a trained athlete.”

From Bjorn Fox

Summer vs. Winter

Well let’s just say that the Western Slope Cyclocross series was very interesting and fun. They put on a lot of cool venues which included; Aspen, Gunnison, and Eagle. In Eagle just last weekend it went from summer to winter over night. Saturday’s race almost felt as if it was summer out. It was a good course with some single track and some good natural barriers such as logs, ditches and some mud pits. Kevin and I started off strong but let Tom Hopper (who built our bikes) make a big gap on us. About half way through the race he had a good 30second lead on us. We worked together to pull him back which didn’t seem to be working until the end. Last lap to go Kevin and I pulled him back to only a 3second gap which was just enough for him to get the win. Kevin took 2nd and I took 3rd. Though Sunday’s race was a whole different story.

vs

We woke up and outside was about 6inches of snow on the ground. At the start of our race it was only 28degrees out and snowing. The field took off strong all trying to get down to the S-turns first so that you dint have a chance of getting behind someone who fell because of the slick snow. I was the first one to them but just a couple turns later I was the first one to slide out along with Kevin. The field past us and had a good enough gap to keep it off the rest of the race. It was very interesting racing with no brakes, no shifting and no grip due to the freezing conditions. All together it was a great race and an awesome series. Kevin won the overall series and I took 2nd right behind him. Western Slope Series
Kevin and I stayed in BeaverCreek over night and when we were roaming around we found this sign which we found really cool. (BeaverCreek 100% powered by wind)