The Radavist

Three years ago, at the start of the 2016 ‘cross season, Santa Cruz and MASH SF teamed up to create what is, in my opinion, the most recognizable Stigmata frameset of all time. There have been other team builds, other rad bikes, but this is the one everyone remembers. And yet, there were only 12 of these frames available to the public and less than 20 including the team frames!

Tracklocross. Yeah, you heard it, Tracklocross. It’s exactly what it sounds like and it’s spreading faster than you could ever imagine. With contingencies popping up all over the globe, things are really beginning to culminate this year as we lead up to Nationals in June (Bay Area) and the World Championships in August (Japan). With Los Angeles’ second race of the season in the bag, the vibes are only growing stronger out here as things continue to build momentum. Safa Brian came out and completely crushed the course. He took a commanding lead out the gate and put a significant gap between him and the rest of the pack. The spectator crowd camped out in the middle of the grass and more or less turned their heads as everyone ran laps around them.

Veld Notes: Faces in the Flemish Cyclocross Crowd
Words by Andrew Juiliano  and photos by Ethan Glading

Beneath the coniferous canopy of an Antwerpian pine forest, somewhere close the Dutch-Belgian border, I’m standing and waiting to hear my name. It’s the final of the DVV Verzekeringen Trofee, one of the two major cyclocross series in Belgium. The announcer rattles off the names of the cycling superstars who will line up in front of me. World Champion Mathieu Van Der Poel, Belgian National Champion Toon Aerts, Czech National Champion Michael Boroš…there’s about 30 more. I’ve been champion of a few group rides in California, but I’m not sure that news has made it onto the announcer’s list of fun facts.

Veld Notes: Rubber Side Up Hoogstraten Belgium
Words by Andrew Juiliano  and photos by Tomás Montes

Start Graf

The wind gusts. Rain blows straight through my skinsuit. I shudder. It’s Forty American degrees and pissing Belgian rain.  The grey buildings of Hoogstraten’s fruit-packing district try to blend into the angry sky.

“Dertig seconden…Thirty seconds to start!”

Neither rain nor wind nor biting chill will stop the penultimate stop of the Telenet Superprestige today, and this is the weather the sport lives for. The fans lick their chops at the shivering, skinny bike racers. The clock ticks toward start time, 3:03 p.m. on a wintery Belgian Sunday, and muddy entertainment awaits the Flemish masses.

Dutch Veld Dispatch: My Roller Romance (AKA Euro Bike Racing)
Words by Andrew Juiliano  and photos by Tomás Montes

Tien…negen…acht…zeven…

I hear the pitter patter of tiny feet and look out the window.

Zes…vijf…vier…

A little girl runs around the corner and crouches behind the car.

Drie…twee…één!

She locks eyes with me, and holds a finger to her lips. I don’t need to speak Dutch to understand the universal sign for “Don’t blow up my hide-and-go-seek spot, bro!”

Dispatches from the Veld: On the Road to the Pontchâteau World Cup
Words by Andrew Juiliano  and photos by Ethan Glading

It was just after midday in Western France when Max dragged two bike bags off the train in Pontchâteau. The 31-year old Californian had reached the end of his four-hour journey from Paris. For the past month, he’d paused his career as an upright bass player to race cyclocross across Europe. The tour had taken him to World Cups in Belgium and as far as the burgeoning Swiss EKZ scene. In two days, he’d be on the start line for the penultimate stop of the UCI World Cup circuit, right there in the small Bretton city.

I’d Do Reno: An Unsolicited Photo Essay About This Year’s Cyclocross Nationals in Reno, Nevada
Words by Laura Winberry, photos by Ian Stowe, Michael Jasinski and Patrick Means

Reno is a shit hole. This is the unsolicited and resounding opinion given to me by friends and strangers alike in the months leading up to this year’s Cyclocross Nationals in Reno, Nevada. More or less, the transaction would play out like this. Other People: Are you going to race through to Nats? Me: Yes. Other People: Cool. Reno is a shit hole. See you there. Me: Vague staring, plus some blinking.