CX IS NEXT

Sorry if you were misled by the title but NEXT (tm) bicycles (available at fine bicycle shops like Wal-Mart) have not introduced a cyclocross bike. No, actually cyclocross season is upon us. I noticed results from the first pro race of the season: Steenbergcross. (Not to be mistaken by Hollywood-types as the cyclocross race hosted by actress Mary Steenburgen. That's next month.)

If you read this blog and you don't know what cyclocross is, it's basically like this:



And of course I mean that Richard Groenendael represents a cyclocross race and the dude getting punched is you. Is much fun, no?

Other riders, like today's Vuelta stage winner and Euro-mullet proponent Lars Boom have a less traditional style. However, watch for Bart Wellens' spectator kick--he barely interrupts his cadence:



Perhaps it's a good thing that few people ever come out to watch bike races. More spectators would mean that a bunch of jerks would start showing up and we'd just keep having to beat-down more and more fans.

If you want to get a little practice in before the season starts, some folks have started doing some training Thursday evenings at about 6:30 (6:00 set-up time) at Durham's Forest Hills Park. Near the playground, I think. I haven't been this year yet, but I should be there this week. It's a good way to practice some dismounts and low-speed crashes before you have to do them in a race. If you show up rocking a NEXT full suspension bike, I will give you one of these Trader Joe's Red Oval Classic Lagers I just purcahsed. It's no Three-Buck Chuck (which I strongly endorse). They fill the micro-niche between Milwaukee's Best and Old Milwaukee, making Red Oval roughly the NEXT bicycle of beer. I haven't checked Urban Dictionary to learn if "red oval" is also something dirty (it probably is), but in these tough economic times, $2.99 a six-pack is nothing to scoff at.