October 27, 2009 (Nanaimo, BC) – If you only get out of bed on one day in one year to go race a bike, this Saturday the 31st of October should be it. Don’t miss the NISSCCOTU – Nutcase Intercontinental Single Speed Cross Championships of the Universe. Bring your mountain bike, bring your cross bike, hell someone even rode this course on a cruiser last year and a BMX the year before that. Just get your butt to Fletchers Farm. This will be a race like no other one we have held before. People will talk about if for months. Parents will tell their children and their parents about it – it will be legendary!

One race. One gear. One Champion – Okay, 2 Champions: one male and one female!

BBQ. Goodies. Well we don’t want to give away too much, but we have heard the CX Golden Speedo Drew MacKenzie himself will be there. We have sent e-mails to Mr. MTB Single Speed himself – King Grasby – will he show?

Who will be crowned the Nutcase Champion??

There is ALSO an all comers all gears event with STRICT registration restrictions earlier in the day.

PLUS kids races at noon on a shortened course.

MAKE SURE YOU PRINT OFF AND READ THE GUIDE FOR THIS EVENT AS IT IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL OF OUR OTHER EVENTS.
View the race guide here

If you can help us out setting up and grooming the course on Friday please let us know by e-mailing me. Thanks!

Before we get to the “Other Stuff,” a message from Wendy Simms: VOTE for NORM

Apparently Norm was Nominated for Cycling BCs – “Road” Volunteer of the year. He really should be in the “Cyclocross” ORGANIZER of the year, but they don’t have any cyclocross categories (????) and it looks like they are only acknowledging organizers that do provincial level races. Considering he puts on 6-7 cyclocross races a year for the Cross on the Rock series and has helped grow the sport from scratch for more than 5 years now, it would be awesome if we could all vote for him as volunteer of the year to acknowledge all his hard work here.

But I also think we should still nominate him for Race ORGANIZER of the year as that is the category he should really be in – there is a place to vote “OTHER” where you can put in someone’s name here.

Maybe that will send a message that we really need to acknowledge the grassroots race organizers that help build the sport up provincially as well.

Thanks to Alison & Jason for letting me know about it.

OTHER STUFF:

1) Converting your bike to Single Speed on a Budget

Two Lighthouse Brewery 6 Pack winners of the best suggestions for how to convert your bike to a Single Speed without too much trouble:

From the head of the Vegan Racing Society:

FOR CAMPY & SRAM
A small zip tie on both brake levers (thus attaching the shift lever to the brake lever) will prevent all shifting on SRAM, and up-shifting on Campy.

For Campy, one more zip tie on the top/downtube (over both cables) will prevent any down-shifting.

Three zip-ties: single-speed. Just bring the ties, ride the course a few laps to figure out the gear you want, then apply…how do you like them apples? =)

SHIMANO
A relatively simple solution would be a small nut and bolt on the cables at both ends (by the derraileurs and up near the head tube.) Alternately, zip ties on the shifter/brakes and i believe a nut on the cables by the head tube ought to do it as well. SS effect, light weight, and easily reversible. =)

From Robin Dutton and our Favorite Method so far as there are no cables left and it is easy to adjust. Single speed your machine:

Take your rear derailleur cable out of your shifter and thread it through your rear derailleur (rd) with the nub at the end of the cable resting the barrel adjuster. Put your in the gear you want, you may have to hold it there with your hand, and pull the cable tight so it will hold the rd in that position. Then use the barrel adjuster to fine tune it and so the chain does not rub. No cable attached to the shifter means no ability to shift. For the front, take out the front derailleur cable and adjust the limit screw to use the fd and the big chain ring as chain guides. Done

– ROBIN DUTTON

2. Series Schedule

HISTORY: September 13th. Series Race #1 FSA Cup at Beban Park
HISTORY: October 4th. Series Race #2: Kona Kup at Bowen Park in Nanaimo
DONE and HISTORY!!: October 18th. Series Race #3. Crosstoberfest at Providence Farm in Duncan.

October 31st. Nutcase Intercontinental Single Speed Championships of the Universe! At Fletchers Farm. Not a series event and NOT one to be missed. This will be quite a bit different from some of our other races. Full details to follow, but needless to say we will have some different course options set up than past Fletcher’s Farm Races. One GEAR only SS will be the most fun at a cross race this year.

November 7th and 8th. Series Races #4 and #5 will be in Victoria. #4 at a new venue at Slugget Farms in Central Saanich and #5 a new course at JDF a totally different course than last year as the BMX track is gone, so stay tuned on this one.

November 22nd. Series Race #6 and Series FINAL. Ian Craib has organized a new venue and thus a new course at beautiful Hogwarts Castle. OK it is not Hogwarts but it is Shawnigan Lake school, which should be awesome!