'Cross in the CO news

In article ,
(BW) wrote:

We can b & m about "who brung the racing" but Chris definitely made the
call to the Denver Post to draw a reporter out to the race, Pr is
something race organizers seem to have difficulty doing

His love enthusiasm cannot be disputed.

Brook


Roger that,

When I moved back to Colorado Springs from New Mexico back in 1991, I
immediately started doing Chris Grealish's races. He had a lively
imagination when it came to course design. I recall LeMans starts,
creek-hops and bike toss-ups at Chatfield, the much-maligned gravel pit
(which I found wildly amusing) and plenty of other one-off entertainments.
Hardest workin' man in show bidness, Chris was, and no doubt still is.

While we're on the topic, congrats to Bret, Lee Waldman and the rest of
our newly minted state champs. I'da been there myself, but Saturday is the
day I always polish my steel plate.

Cheers,

Patrick O'Grady
Mad Dog Media
http://www.maddogmedia.com

Bret wrote:

What it said was:"who first brought the *hybrid racers* to Boulder
nearly 20 years ago."

Nah, they were already here.

When I started racing cross back in the late 80's, Chris was the only
one promoting cross races in Boulder. Other folks like Hammer Racing
Team (my team back then) were doing the Chatfield races in SW Denver
even though it was a Boulder team. I'm not really sure whether
anything happened in Boulder before that. In any case, it didn't get
big until Chris came along. He did a lot of races.

Greality deserves a lot of credit for promoting cross and other types
of racing and cycling for transportation as well. But it is a bit
insulting to think that he brought cyclocross to the area when
he moved here from Boston. I remember Roy Knickman doing
table-tops off a little jump at the CO state cross championships
c. 1983.

Robert

fair enough...

The question is, insulting to who? The promoter you don't remember?

A paper like the Denver Post isn't going to do a ton of research on the
history of cyclo-cross in CO. They are trying to create a general vibe,
and that they did.

What's the big deal here?

DT


--
davetowle

Patrick O'Grady wrote:

When I moved back to Colorado Springs from New Mexico back in 1991, I
immediately started doing Chris Grealish's races. He had a lively
imagination when it came to course design. I recall LeMans starts,
creek-hops and bike toss-ups at Chatfield, the much-maligned gravel pit
(which I found wildly amusing) and plenty of other one-off entertainments.
Hardest workin' man in show bidness, Chris was, and no doubt still is.

Chris has lots of ideas for next year, road and cross. He's bringing
the Boulder-Roubaix back to life for one thing. It should all be fun.

Patrick, were you the first cross promoter in C-Springs or were there
others?

Bret

davetowle wrote:
A paper like the Denver Post isn't going to do a ton of research on the
history of cyclo-cross in CO. They are trying to create a general vibe,
and that they did.

What's the big deal here?

Hey, no big deal. Forget I said anything. Nobody
had heard of cyclocross before the arrival of
Chris Grealish of the East. In fact, few if any
people rode bikes in Boulder before 1985.

Robert

davetowle wrote:
fair enough...

The question is, insulting to who? The promoter you don't remember?

A paper like the Denver Post isn't going to do a ton of research on the
history of cyclo-cross in CO. They are trying to create a general vibe,
and that they did.

What's the big deal here?

DT


--
davetowle

Dave,

I don't understand what the deal is, either, but obviously some folks
think there is (as evidenced by Robert's response). I've been racing
in CO for the last 11 years, but haven't really been privy to all the
political goings-on in the promotion side of things.

So, I don't have a clue as to what the deal is, but I can say that the
only thing I've ever heard that caught my attention was an undercurrent
of Grealish-bashing. I'm guessing that there must be something to it,
but damned if I can figure it out.

Maybe someone can explain it to us all??? Robert?

S.

Robert

Right on man, thanks for that post.

Your opinions matter, and I didn't mean to be a jerk. You should know
that Chris probably never said "I made cyclo-cross what it is, 20 years
ago". He most likely mentioned he put on races in the late 80's, and the
reporter came up with that.

Chris is a good man, and I bet you don't have any problem with him, nor
he with you. For that matter, me with you either, I bet we're probably
friends, when not on the web!

It's just bike racing, eh?

Take care,

DT


--
davetowle

In article .com, "Bret"
wrote:


Patrick, were you the first cross promoter in C-Springs or were there
others?

Bret

Hey, Bret,

Jeez, I have no idea. I first started putting on 'cross races here in the
early 1990s, but there must've been someone before me, don't you think? I
came to the Springs in 1967 and was so dim as regards bicycle racing that
I'd never even heard of the Tour de France. Bicycles were for
transportation, as far as I knew. I didn't get involved in road racing
until the 1980s, and didn't take up 'cross until 1989 or '90, in New
Mexico, where the niche looked a lot like mountain-bike racing until
Laurence Malone showed up.

However, a suburban legend has it that Eddie B used to train the national
team in Monument Valley Park, where I put on my first 'cross races (and
still ride today). I have a little circuit that takes about six-and-a-half
minutes at fat-******* pace, with four run-ups, a couple of button-hook
descents, lots of windy flats and way too many oblivious poodle-walkers
wearing iPods.

Cheers,

Patrick O'Grady
Mad Dog Media
http://www.maddogmedia.com

I did one in 94 I think at that Western Mobile site. I was a 4 and got
lapped by Dave Wiens in like 15 minutes--I think there was just one
"Open." When he went by I slipped off the causeway and ended up
inverted in a barbed wire fence by my ankles, like a trussed goat.
Good times.

Chris is a huge asset to the racing community.

It's way better now, yes.

Patrick O'Grady wrote:
However, a suburban legend has it that Eddie B used to train the national
team in Monument Valley Park, where I put on my first 'cross races (and
still ride today). I have a little circuit that takes about six-and-a-half
minutes at fat-******* pace, with four run-ups, a couple of button-hook
descents, lots of windy flats and way too many oblivious poodle-walkers
wearing iPods.

I figured there must have been some cross training going on at the OTC
but not necessarily races. It's good to hear that you're training for
next cross season. :-)

Bret