WEEK 9

Week 9 of SCCX deals a crippling blow to Deeters. With six to go, he's out, done, finished! He went out with some hot legs and showed everyone good final charge on the leadout laps. Deathblow and Biscuit were willing to let him go and react if a situation developed later in the race. The attack really strung out the 7 rider field, with Deathblow and Biscuit marking each others wheel for stage victory. The mud pit forming at the bottom of the Comly Curve is becoming the Achilles heel. Pick a good line, keep your speed. Go into it with doubt, die in the mud, grind it all the way to the barriers. This is where Deathblow would make his first pivotal move on lap 12. Biscuit was able to respond, but didn't have anything for the second small charge. Those vegan legs carry Deathblow to another stage victory.

Rounding out the SCCX Week 9 recap. The beers, just like the barriers and rebar, went missing, so no extra points for the racers rolling the dice with their digestive system. Jflats gets awarded with the jump of the week, now tied with Ivy Meister for fifth! The battle for the last SCCX podium spot could get hot. Legal Tender also crawling his way up there with solid race participation and on course attack points. 50 points for putting in a surge and getting back on the front after the leaders lapped him. Love it. All of the racers are starting to fatigue, especially with the lack of dry racing conditions that really haven't made their return from the earlier weeks. This is the point in the season where true grit will have a role in the final stamp on the standings. Keep in mind, it only takes 4 people to have the race, the SCCX golden rule. 6 more races to go, let's see it through to the end!

WEEK 9 Preview

Week 9. Who knew we would make it this far. Good news, the barriers have been resurrected, the flyover is bigger, and there is a special treat out there tonight for the truly bold. While cutting in the short punch climb before the flyover drop in, the SCCX grounds crew uncovered a hidden stash of unopened Blue Moon fizzy bubs. While we are unsure of their origins or quality, what we are sure of is that they are marked with 500 point bonus cyan dots. Drink one during the race, present empty bottle at finish, points are all yours. Jury will rule on extra style point for throwing up, crashing, and the usual clumsiness that accompanies alcohol and racer depletion. Deeter's is gonna hammer it!!!!!

WEEK 8

I'll make this recap as short as the list of riders in attendance. Deathblow 1st, Biscuit 2nd, Ivy Meister 3rd, Celery Stalks, 4th. Holy shit jump of the week goes to Ivy Meister, moving all the way up to 4th from 12th with a solid ride in the post monsoon sludge. Way to grind it out!

Mixed emotions in the SCCX camp. The course is the most dialed it has ever been, using every feature of the hillside of Smuggler's Run, but attendance is low. The Screamin' Flyover is a great new edition, but somebody stole our barriers. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!

WEEK 8 Preview

Energy not spent racing has to be dumped into something worthwhile. SCCX racers, Deathblow and I present the screaming flyover. Making it's debut tonight!! This guy will be there, shredding it with style, will you? Word has it that the worker bees are not quite satisfied with their work. Bring out the SUPER PALETTE!!!

WEEK 7

Week 7. Deathblow continues to tighten his stranglehold on the Cyan Jawn. Another stage victory for our vunderboy (German accent). Closing in the half lap lead Deeter's and Biscuit had on him for 11 laps. After his hot sprint warm ups, Deeter's was feeling spicy and ready to rip some legs off. He kept it running hot for about 8 laps with Biscuit on his heels and Deathblow nowhere to be found. Was he caught up in the new course feature The Birdnest / The Crunchies / The Mosh Pit? It did gain a bit of a chameleon reputation with the tall reeds re-orienting themselves on every lap as riders came to terms with riding it at race pace. While this obstacle was shaking everyone up, an old friend was back in town and was staying around the pit area just outside the Green Tunnel. That's right, the Pallets of Pain were back, helping Biscuit in his quest for Deeter separation and Deathblow hold-off. It somewhat worked, but 2 to go did what he does best, putting in the hard work and making his presence know around lap 11. After an attempt Deeters and Biscuit made to box him in after the Comly Curve, he broke though right after the barriers. It seemed he would ride clear from there on out until the familiar crackle of rider distress in the Birdnest rang throughout the SCCX realm. Seems like there was a little tangle up with the reeds and Celery Stalks, who caught a bar end and got pitched sideways. Biscuit, fast approaching, only saw two sideways bikes and hoped the boys would right the situation in time. Deathblow managed to break free at the last minute, maintain his lead, and work to open the gap on the switchbacks. Biscuit had no response to the attack on the Comly Curve and Deeters was dead in the ditch. Wrap him up in Cyan, Deathblow is the man to beat right now.

Word from the grass arena news wire reports that Legal Tender and Fashion Sweater traded dukes for 4th position. Fashion Sweater rode free and gets awarded with jump of the week in the standings, 12th up to 8th! More shake up in the standings with the mid-packers taking the week off. Hopefully you'll get charged up and make your presence felt next week. Be sure to vote on the racer poll over there in the sidebar, our new baby needs a name. Bleed Cyan!!! Bitches.

WEEK 7 Preview

Apologies for the SCCX postponement, but we made it worth the wait. We are running the OG course but with a slight twist. We like to call it the Mosh Pit. It should really spice things up on what would normally be an Excitebike power stripe. Just look for the Four Loco can on a stick and keep it loose in there. Word through the perennial vine is that the Pallets of Pain could make a showing too. Going hard might not be the answer, tenacity might escort somebody to stage victory!

WEEK 6

SCCX No. 6 in the books, the muddy, sloppy, rear wheel driftin' books. Two days of rain warranted a last minute course change away from over saturated areas. No worries though, The Overlords always keep it zesty like ranch, and after a few moments that challenged our base knowledge of geometry, we had a sprial in place. The course was shaping up to favor the flat trackers and the feather weights. Deeters fell off the lead group early with "his fat ass sinking into the mud." Direct, post race, quote. After that it was up to Deathblow and Biscuit to hammer out the question of stage victory. Deathblow, realizing that the Cyan Jawn has to spend some time out front, took the early lead, and drove a good pace for 7 laps. Biscuit finally showing some patience, started to make moves around lap 8, until a stuck pedal approaching the barrier caused a break in the rhythm, allowing Deathblow to ride clear into the sprial. A foot-down coming out of the Green Tunnel would seal Biscuit's fate on lap 13. Deathblow continues his Cyan streak with the win, Biscuit edges out Deeter's in the standings and moves into second. Sufinbee and JFlats still throwin' elbows for the top of the B's. Surfinbee takes the win on week 6, but JFats still maintains his 25 point buffer for the race within the race. Jump of the week goes to Legal Tender, moving all the way from 12th to 7th, with his strategy of consistent riding. The chase is hot and the mud burns Cyan!!

WEEK 6 Preview

Apparently last week was just a warm up for the real slopfest to go down. A scouting party deployed for a luch time recon of our 2 day downpour. Report from the field yielded a course change. The standing water and the ecto-plasm slick mud will be true contenders. Will equipment mods or just good 'ol raw power escort a racer to stage victory? Who's down to get dizzy, cause we got a sprial! Blue tarp slip and slide to finish the last lap? Deathblow in a turkey day tribute costume? 40 minutes in the grass arena will answer all of these questions. Countdown to the crappiest conditions we have had all season for SCCX!!

WEEK 5

Week 5, this is what cross is all about. Steady rain all day, snot slick turns, and the battle for points showing on the faces of all the galdiators in the grass arena. Biscuit Risker went out hard on the first lap, reimplementing his strategy from previous weeks, hoping to hold off the 13th lap implosion. At one point, a commanding lead was established, but the lights were starting to dim in the wheelhouse. Sure enough, 13th lap fade set in and Two to go Deathblow would make it known how he got his name, riding clear on the Comly Curve with.....guess what?.........two to go! Deathblow maintains Cyan Jawn while "always a bridesmaid, never the bride" Biscuit catches the bouquet for second. Deeter's did not have it in the tank this week and fell off the group around lap 3, but managed to have some distance on fourth position to round out the SCCX podium.

Killer B's starting to show some rider separation, with the jump of the week going to JFlats!! 425 points!!! He was whipping it up in the group which also featured the likes of Fashion Sweater and Surfnbee. The pace was mean with Surfnbee trying to hold the wheel of Sweater unitl pace slowed a bit coming into the 2nd barrier. Surfnbee took advantage of JFlats war injury and ran to the front of the midpack. He opened up about a half lap lead over the next 4 laps, but JFlats began reeling him in on lap 6. Swapping blows with Surfinbee, he was able to capitalize on his rival's unlucky lap 7 prophecy. Lights out, tank on E, Jflats rides clear and solid into 4th. While the battle for the top of the B's is just getting started, it seems that Surfinbee only has 1 more race in him until his departure to pursue the next phase of his ASI career. We'll all miss our star cheerleader, but he is cookin' up one hell of a finale to make up for future lost race time! SCCX racers, prepare to hit the road and carry the torch a little farther south. Until then, lets get out there and put his heart in his mouth!!

Legal Tender, Celery Stalks, No Bueno, and Fashion Sweater all putting up solid rides in the slopfest. Some surges and attacks were seen on course. Cross is always a battle no matter what place you're in, so keep the fight alive!

Next week, Thanksgiving Eve, underground cross still rolls on. Can't stop!! Won't stop!!!! Steel Donkey, where u at?

WEEK 5 Preview

Clouds of doom forming and moving in from the southwest. Could shape up to be a real shitfest for the SCCX crew. After Deathblow's ride into cyan and his week of rabble-rousing, does he have the sand to back it up? Better use the rolldown door in Bay 2 because that head ain't fittin' through a standard door frame. Does all of this make Deeter's blood pressure rise? Secret weapon? Heard it before. Who will make the jump to the front of the Killer B's? Will basement Sufferfest help Surfinbee surge? Will JFlats just continue to post up solid rides and slowly stamp his authority on the standings? Will a new light be the only thing that No Bueno needs for bueno ride? Will Sprints McCantwin throw his hat into the ring, or is he truly a "one and dun"? Will Fashion Sweater ride clear to the SCCX women's podium, or is there a dark horse challenger in the shadows? Get those rigs dialed in everyone, because Mother Nature might have a thing or two to say before those celebratory, shit-talkin, cold ones. Howl at the moon!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 4

Despite low turnout, SCCX still managed to pulled a slugfest out of the hat. With a full moon in the sky, finish line not defined, and a new course layout, the fangs were sure to show themselves. This time the split barriers (one of them occurring on a right hand turn) and the grinder climb up the Comly Curve would induce racer separation. This new territory on our pirated land led to a couple of conservative opening laps, but that would all change on the third go-around. Biscuit's impatience showed through with his first attack and pull on the front. Deeter's and Deathblow kept it contained, until it was Deeter's turn to jump on or around lap 7. Meanwhile, textbook, 2 to go Deathblow was just waiting in the wings, but making his presence felt with a couple of jabs and elbows with his fellow competitors. Smells like some negative points are being cooked up in the SCCX cafe as we speak. Everything aside, as far as winning a cyclocross race, Deathblow pulled that technique straight out of user manual. Deeter's and Biscuit were left to duke it out for second. It was all coming down to a sprint finish, but the lack of a clearly defined finish line would lead to the decision to call it a draw. Combine points from second and third, split it in half, Overlord has spoken. Mid-pack, get out there, lots of you guys are tied up. Let's see some fireworks! No Bueno, RDiaz, and Farichild making their SCCX debut. Nice work out there. Keep fightin'! Rumor has it that there will be a spectator contingency next week complete with the time-honored tradition of the dollar bill hand-up. Get it!!

WEEK 4 Course Change

Gettin' too comfortable around here. Week 4 course change.

WEEK 3

Week 3. Pressure cooker. Unexpected slick course led some to rise to the occasion while others fell. Random barrier pick up points were on course, but race win would be the real prize. Deeter's, grabbing the holeshot into Smuggler's Run got right to work ripping legs off. Things appeared to be playing out as expected until the strapper's were told to work for it. Biscuit seized the opportunity and went out on a fury flyer, gaining almost a half lap on the field. The fire would not burn bright for the duration, Deathblow's headlight was closing in. The catch happened at lap 13, but Biscuit had no response. Deeter's maintains Cyan Jawn, Deathblow, Biscuit and Sprints McAntwin fill out the podium.

Mid packer news coming in as well. With the Steel Donkey taking the night off, it was only Surfnbee and Jflats to battle for mid pack bragging rights. Surfnbee decided to pace himself, instead of taking a massive holeshot and exploding gloriously after the first lap like last week. Jflats jumped right out of his truck and toed the starting line with no warm up because of a late meeting. I can only imagine what his coworkers were thinking when he was sitting in that meeting, with his kit on, looking at his watch every 30 seconds, impatiently waiting to leave. Surfnbee and Jflats shared the pace making duties for the first 6 laps, then on lap 7, Surfnbee ran into a problem. Double lung failure forced him to ease off the gas and go into the pits. Good thing there were oxygen masks next to the neutral support wheels. In the end, Jflats opened up too big of a gap and that is the way they would finish for the night.

Sid Vicious’ night was almost over before it began. A massive endo on the pallets sent him to the infirmary 5 minutes before the start. After a blood transfusion and non invasive surgery he was able to make it back for the start.

Celery Stalks was coming around on his second race of the season. Although he almost didn’t finish because the last lap over the barrier he came down and experienced the dreaded double calf failure. This forced him to crawl through the green tunnel. This just proves the length people will go through for Cyan Glory.

Random bits to tie things up. I am nominating Fashion Sweater for 25 bonus points for riding sans light and Jedi’ing the course on her first race. The Little Monster proved its worth as a suck factor. Pit bikes?? What happened here? Fog machine failure. Mastadon motivation!!! Grizzle, thanks for being our only and most motivational spectator. Always be pedalin'!!!!!!! What does the quest for cyan taste like? Apparently a roll of pennies.

WEEK 3 Preview UPDATE!

The little monster is in place. Turn up the suck knob one more notch. What's this is see while out there? Lunch practice laps?? Oh, it's on!!

WEEK 3 Preview

Looks like good racing conditions for the third SCCX. The chase is gettin' hot for the Cyan Jawn. Will Deeters defend? Will Deathblow's bike hold together? Will Hal just rip it all to shreds after his double podium weekend? Will there be new players in the game after the return of our racers abroad? Special additions to the course this week to keep you maggots on your toes!!!

WEEK 2

The fury whip was cracked for this round, lots of shake-up in the stadings. Batwing missed the race, opening the window for the Cyan Jawn to be passed on to a new race leader. Some racers arrived with goals of stage victory, while other kept their sights narrowly focused. Nobody demonstrated this best other than the Surfinbee with his hole-shot off the gun and the feverish first lap lead-out. Nice work, 100 pts just for putting our hearts in our throats. Jerk. The race got down to brass tacks almost immediately. Lap 3 saw the lead group of Deeters, Biscuit and Deathblow come together, all with cyan in their hearts, 1,000 points on the brain, and the smell of stage victory in their noses. Deeters and Biscuit found themselves in an unspoken alliance to ditch Deathblow, trading off the duty of keeping the pace high. This all came to a halt around lap 10, when the lapped brick wall known as Sid Vicious blocked the entrance to the Green Tunnel, but allowing Deeters to slip in first. Biscuit and Deathblow, not allowing the gap to form, blazed an unconventional line, resulting in what can only be described as a bird's nest accumulating in the cassette of Biscuit. The dismount and removal allowed Deeters and Deathblow to go on a flyer. Breaking out the pic axe, Biscuit had no choice but to bury himself to catch back on. 3 laps later, the fruits of the effort were being savored, but it was Deathblow's turn to deal with a bad hand. Turn number one in Smuggler's Run, shotgun blast, blown tire. The events to follow demonstrate pure will to not DNF. Steel Donkey closing in from 4th, saw the opportunity and stood up to sprint, leaving Deathblow no choice but to run the lap. Emerging from the Green Tunnel, Deathblow saw his lifeboat. Surfinbee took to the duty of paparazzi, trading his bike for a camera. The unexpected bike in the pits gave Deathblow the fighting chance, but he wasn't out of the woods. Incompatible pedals would be the second card to turn which would lead to a complete wheel swap with his disabled rig on the following lap. By then the damage was done. Deeters takes the win, Biscuit and Steel Donkey round out the podium. New point standings on the sidebar thing-a-majig. Baron van Cliss gettin' on the board with her response to race whining, "could have, should have, would have." Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 50 pts, but for cyan glory, you'll have to get back on that bike and race! Fashion Sweater, I'm sorry, but the group has spoken. Next week, wildcard equalizer round, call it our sprint points, but without the sprint.

WEEK 2 Preview

The competition gauge has moved up to the simmer position with several members of the SCCX crew. Rumors are circulating around the camp that some are turning focus to their equipment for that special "something". Has Deathblow found his SS limitations? Does his future hold a geared rig? Will Surfinbee be sporting a brand new alloy setup? Has he turned his back on steel in disgust? Is Batwing motor-doping? Could Biscuit's 'stache be any crappier? Will Steel Donkey keep his clothing on this time? Is it true the barriers are 6 inches higher? Will Sid Vicious' new sponsor Team Source Code give him wings? Will any of these measures be advantageous with the auditory and visual upgrades (or downgrades depending on your perspective) slated for the Green Tunnel? Same course, same time. Matt Pike will be our special guest this week. Frost Hammer!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 1

Rain all day and high temps greeted the racer's for the first running of SCCX. Here is the recap. Mud, mud, mud and tall grass was the name of the game. The Green Tunnel proved to be a very decisive feature with its gnar root and peanut butter riding surface. Batwing, Deeters, Deathblow Q Fishmonger, and Biscuit Risker formed an early lead group that held together until Batwing's jump on lap 12, leaving the rest to duke it out for the other podium spots. Deeters and Deathblow dropped the Biscuit on the bell lap. Conclusion was drawn for a shadow SCCX website, slowhaldown.com. A hub for scheming and hopefully allowing for a better upper tier points distribution. The Steel Donkey treated us all to the first ever cyclocross strip tease. Superman flew in for a guest appearance during lap one, showing Batwing the skill of barrier crashing. Like a deer next time! Last but not least, JEDI award for Sid Vicious, demonstrating that 'cross is not all carbon and spandex. No light, Breezer Jet Stream Comp 29, canvas boat shoes, t-shirt, and athletic shorts. You rocked it bro! Check the sidebar thingy for the current standings and we'll see you next week.

A Little Sculpey & an IKEA Cheese Grater

It's gettin' legit, we have a series winner trophy in the works by racer Deathblow Q Fishmonger. An excellent addition to anyone's mantle if you ask me.

All systems go!

Everything is coming together for our first running of Screamin' Cowbell Cyclocross. The stakes are purchased, caution tape "borrowed", number plates done, barriers stashed, rain in the forecast, freshly mowed field, lets's ride!!!!!!!