Sin City Recap

Vegas baby!

Took a trip out to Vegas for Interbike and got to hang with our buds at NoTubes and Foundry Cycles for little bit. Also took a spin at the SRAM ride experience where our old pal and IC neutral maestro Mike was chilling and putting people out on Foundry Augers equipped with the new SRAM Hydro discs and Red.  Jones and I were quite impressed with the smooth ride of those Augers and I can't wait to get my personal Harrow finished off with some Iron Cross wheels for a little comparison.

Alright, enough jibber jabber, here are some pics:

Richie won something and is very proud. In truth he was supporting Ride 2 Recovery on the early AM spin to Dirt Demo Tuesday morning and should be proud of that, it is a hell of an organization.

Sweet smooth riding Foundry Augers all decked out in SRAM Red shifty bits, Zipp wheels and pieces and some awfully swell feeling hydro brakes. You can find some to test at the SRAM Ride Experience near you.

The new levers are big but they do offer a grip that seems it could be nice descending Lippencote.

As I took it from the SRAM mech I was told, "Don't take this on the mountain bike trails!" Apparently our reputation precedes us.

The Iron Cross wheel. Every time we see it we smile.

Fat Rim on IC? Well someone did it last year so why not. Plus we get to plug NoTubes again with what is maybe the only fat bike rim you can do up with a floor pump.

Just released, the new 27.5er from Foundry. If you're into the tweener size this thing is hot.

Iron Cross - the Latest Map

Latest bits for you to get all excited about:

These bits have been noted elsewhere, but at the risk of repeating ourselves (and you'll see this again):

1. Start is also Checkpoint 2 and is your primary point of support. No drop bags to remote checkpoints this year because you can put everything you want right at the Start/Finish line and see it at the halfway point. You can pit from your car if you want to. That's right, bring all the beverages you need to make it through.

2. World Cup Ski and Cycle is bringing you a whole new level of support this year with wheels-in/wheels-out option and all day support at the start/finish line! World Cup will be set up before hand at the start and have a full on mech support station at CP 2 for you. They're also going to fill up a truck with your wheels and take 'em to Lippencote (the bottom...duh) and probably to the end of Cold Spring too. If you don't know what this means this is how it works:
- You bring an extra wheelset
- You get to the race and put your numbers on the wheels - bring a marker and a piece of paper. put paper in spokes after you write your number on it.
- You take your wheels to the World Cup support vehicle
- Your wheels go out on course so you have 'em if you need 'em on two of the rougher descents on course.
- Don't forget to pick up your wheels from the World Cup truck after the race!
SRAM will be back to, but now we've really got you covered!

World Cup Bringing Wheels In/Wheels Out to Iron Cross!

World Cup Ski and Cycle from Mechanicsburg, PA has been the long time mechanical support of Iron Cross. They've supplied our checkpoints with mechanical support for years and are set up for last minute repairs at the start line year after year.

This year they're working with us to step it up another notch.

Introducing full on support for everyone in the field from World Cup!!

Wheels In - Wheels Out!

Here's how it works. While SRAM's NRS car will be back again and headed to Lippencote, Wigwam and the rest they'll be keeping up with the front 30-50 riders for most of the race. 

World Cup is bringing a big truck and trailer. You bring extra wheels. You label those wheels with your race # and they get put in the World Cup neutral support vehicle. You put wheels in, you can take wheels out. World Cup will definitely be at the bottom of Lippencote for everyone with your wheels (if you put 'em in) and mech support available.  

You may see those boys again somewhere else on course too. They'll definitely have full mech support set up at CP#2 (the start/finish zone) if you require a mid-race tune and likely will head out to other spots on course to help.

Keep checking back for more information and stop by or give a visit to their site or facebook to say thanks!

Foundry and IC

That's pretty similar to how we feel about Iron Cross and ultracross. IC, since the beginning, has been about doing something a little different because of the experience and adventure of it. Rather than focusing on the finish, it is the stories of doing some crazy shit on a 'cross bike that IC is about. 

Foundry operates under the philosophy, "We believe the toughest people don't have anything to prove." 

Welcome Foundry, this should work out well.

The new IC killer in build. 

IC 2013 Gear. Coming to a BikeReg site near you.

This is the gear that you can buy on BikeReg - the link oughta be over to your right somewhere.  Get a good look and then go over and order up a batch. Prices coming on the kits soon. Thanks Diamond Dick Dave for the hot new look!

Damn Sweet Kit

The badass new Hoodie

Sweet new Men's T

Dead Sexy Women's T

You'll need this at every other cross race this winter.

Holy Crap, An Update

Here is a heck of a lot of cutting and pasting from BikeReg to make it look like I actually did something, but nope.  Lots of questions coming in about the course and I'm sure more to come. You're going to see some tweaks to what we showed in May. You'll see that map in a day or two. Need to clear the plate with the Rattling Off Road next weekend out of Lykens, PA. Perhaps the best singletrack in the mid-Atlantic. www.highspeecycling.com. You should come out to that too.

Join us for the
11th Edition of Iron Cross

Sunday September 29, 2013



Welcome to the on-line registration page for
Iron Cross XI presented by NoTubes! 

www.IronCrossRace.com

Be sure you check out the site and find out about the new course for 2013!

100K and 50K Iron Cross Versions Available for your riding pleasure.
Bumpy for your pleasure too...  

400 Race Reg Limit.  Get in while you can.

NEW for 2013 The 'CROSS BIKE BONUS!
The first rider across the finish in each category on a real cross bike gets a $$$$ bonus!!  Drops.  Rigid fork.  Tires 40cc or narrower.  At the discretion of me.  That's right, me.First 'Crosser Overall:  $150
 First Open Men, Open Women, Master and SS 'Crossers: $50

Sweet Iron Cross gear for sale.  All orders must be placed by 9/15/2013

Camping opportunities at Pine Grove Furnace State Park for the weekend!  Reserve your camping spot via the PA DCNR State Park site.  Also available are spots at the Iron Masters Mansion

Start Location is the Big Flat Parking Lot, approximately 20 minutes from the park and mansion.




All finishers are going home with the classic Iron Cross finisher socks!

Can't wait to see you on Sunday September 29, 2013 
for the 11th Edition of North America's 
Original Ultracross Race

and find us on Facebook @ 
Iron Cross Race

While your FBing hit up the 
American Ultracross Championship Series

and follow High Speed Cycling on facebook for the most recent updates on all events


The Best Wheels for IC or Anywhere Else


Go Faster.


Mechanical Assistance and Kick Ass Shop:


Stoked to welcome:

Official Race Photographer and All Round Badass:AELandes Photography

REGISTRATION FEES
First come: 65.00 through Aug 1, 2013 
Regular: 75.00 through Sept 25, 2013 for 100K, 55 for 50K
Day of Registration: 90 for 100K, 70 for 50K at the table

Join us at the inaugural Great Gravel Gathering near Millheim, PA on Oct 4-5-6!
Find out more about this event on www.HighSpeedCycling.com
And if you like this sort of thing we're pretty sure you'll like some of the other stuff we're up to like:
Trans-Sylvania Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race - May/June- www.TransSylvaniaEpic.com
Rattling Off Road Weekend - August 24-25, 2013

Change

Change.  Sometimes it is by necessity, sometimes it is from whimsy.  Sometimes change is forced upon you.  Sometimes it is by choice.  Change brings apprehension, stress, concern, excitement, intrigue - a raft of thoughts and feelings.  Some will hate.  Some will love.  Some will wine on incessantly on the internet.  I'll probably be one of those.  Change.  It is inevitable and it is coming to the eleventh year of Iron Cross as it never has before.

A new start location for the original ultra-cross is in the works and following on is a new course layout.  Riders who have taken on the challenge in the past will see many of the same features that have made IC the race it is but in a slightly different arrangement.  Some of those who have been with us the longest may recall a course feature or two long lost as they circumnavigate the northern reaches of the Michaux State Forest at this year's event.

Purple = loop 1, Yellow = loop 2.  Maybe.

The new start location may open interesting options for the future of the race as the centralized start point and a new figure eight layout may offer a variety of course choices going forward.  We don't know what changes may come.

The new start will simplify the course checkpoints and your fueling needs as you will pass back through the start/finish at about the midpoint of the race.  This will allow you to stock everything you need at this central location and offer the opportunity to drop unneeded gear or switch out hydration packs easily in the midst of the event.  And there is a safety component to the new start location for you and us as communication and transportation between the checkpoints at the far reaches of the course and the center will be more reliable, easier and faster.  That is the sort of change you probably won't even see or note during your ride around the Michaux forest, but it the sort of the change that makes the event better.

The new course will likely also mean new tactics.  That we can look to change the routing of the course in the future to make use different variations on our new figure-8 loop will also mean new tactics and strategery each year.  We love strategery.

We're excited by the changes and we like where this is going.  We hope you do as well.  September 29, 2013.  Michaux State Forests.  Iron Cross XI.  The original in its 11th year.

One last change of note, our co-promoter from the last few years, Zach Adams, has moved on in order to launch more great events and he'll be missed - though we hope we'll only miss him "behind the scenes" and that he'll be making a run at Iron Cross himself this year and be part of it once again from a new position.

Ready or not, here it comes.

Look for general registration to open soon.  Those of you who've pre-reg'd with us before keep an eye out for something in your email in the next few days.