Roll The Credits....

More Pictures:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/27394111@N04/sets/72157625224430623/

Also, the news article written by the Billings Gazette about the races (they took some good pictures too, check them out on the webpage):  http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_6f945801-8f5b-5791-873a-9a8413a55ed2.html

Wow, I can't believe it's all over.  The whole experience was pretty bad-to-the-bone.  I learned a lot - mostly all on race day - but people seemed to enjoy it none the less.  All the awesome volunteers seemed to summon enough superhuman strength to hide all the insufficiencies that I could see being exposed due to my lack of experience. 

Now for a word to the sponsors:

Spoke Shop of Billings, MT:  Jim, thank you so much for your support.  The raffle was a huge success thanks to you.  Being able to give away such great prizes was really fun and I know the racers enjoyed it.  Thank you also for the tent.  It provided a great home base for registration and a haven for the volunteers to relax for a bit.  Also, be happy knowing that about 50 Spoke Shop water bottles have been distributed to racers throughout Montana... not to mention a couple t-shirts.

Coach Jay Inc - Jay!  My friend and sponsor.  You are the only sponsor that came out and raced!  And you brought the whole family.  Thanks for your help, encouragement, support, and "constructive advice" all along the way.... Check out Coach Jay for a great cycling / multi-sport coach.  His palmares is really quite impressive.

American Title & Escrow - Ted, Thank you so much for your 'late entry' as a sponsor.  You are the only sponsor that stepped up to volunteer as well!  Thank you so much for helping to make the raffle happen.  Thanks for the enthusiasm you showed.  Thanks for being my "Race Day Hospitality Expert".  And thanks for picking up the coffee on Sunday morning!

Harvest Church / Rock Creek Coffee Roasters - George and Peggy - Thank you so much! Our cups were over flowing... with great tasting and fresh coffee.  Despite the weather being substancially warmer than anyone could have predicted, the warm drinks were well received and appreciate by racers and volunteers alike.

Hammer Nutrition - Wow, you guys up in Whitefish rock.  Kendra, was so helpful and great at working with a newbie promotoer like me.  Thanks for the nutrition supplements that were comp'd and thanks for the great deals on the other stuff.  It was very appreciated during our raffle.  Thanks for supporting Montana racing!

Billings Area Cycling Network - Ok, well, this wasn't really a sponsor, unless you count the fact that two-thirds of the managment of BACN were involved in donating their time to the success of the race on race day.

Volunteers, Contributors, and Helpers - OK, I'll try to name everybody.  Fingers crossed I get everybody.  Mike Ritter, Reece Masters, Randy Hammerquist, Ted Lovec, Sheila Martus, Becca Fischer, Ari Greenberg, Tina Whitfield, Dave Chakos, Ed Whitfield, Aimee, Steve Mysse, Don Cole, Carissa Klarich, Mark Soueidie, Pat Duey, Shaun Radley, Jim Nallick, Alex Lussier, Jon Tompson & the Billings Parks Department, and the folks at USA Cycling.

And lastly, I absolutely have to thank my savior, Jesus Christ.  May I continually strive to serve others in the manner that You have taught me.  To You be the glory forever!

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10

Signing Off,
Rob Newsom

Race Photos Of Day 1: Riverfront Cross Race

Here's some great pictures of the race today at Riverfront park - http://www.flickr.com/photos/32496532@N06/

About 40 people turned out to race today.  It was a great time and seeing everybody make the trip to Billings to partake in some good old fashioned Montana bicycle racing was encouraging.  Hopefully this can be the beginning to getting Billings back on the race map!

Results will be coming soon! But they'll also be on the Montana Cycling (www.montanacycling.net) website.

If you have any more pictures, please let me know (rob.newsom@gmail.com) so I can show the sponsors how great the day went.  Pictures go a long way in bringing back sponsors and encouraging new ones for future races.

Ok, it's an early start tomorrow.  Time to go to bed.  Don't forget to set your clocks back!

10 seconds..3, 2..*deep breath*, 1, GO!

That pretty much describes my feelings for most races, and today is no different. Tomorrow's the (first) race! So glad it's finally here and with any luck, tomorrow and Sunday will go smooth enough that I can partake in the races. I've somehow managed to get all my paperwork, sponsorship, prizes, and volunteers ready to go.

Thanks to all the sponsors (see below) that helped make this successful. And also thanks for all enthusiasm, support, and encouragement that was provided along the way, regardless of whether or not you can make it on race day... you are appreciated!

So enjoy your Friday, finish off the work week (or school week), and start making plans to be in Billings tomorrow morning. We'll have coffee and a fire going... bring some marshmallows.

And also, just in case you didn't know (because I've talked to a surprising number of people that didn't know...), there is a race on Sunday too (and a raffle)! And some would argue that the course is the better of the two days and it will finish with plenty of time for you to make the drive back home. See ya soon!

This Is Big Time Now Folks

Yep, I must admit that this race is now at a whole new level. We are going to have a raffle! They say that immitation is the highest form of flattery, and if that's correct then the folks that put together Mossecross and Rolling Thunder should be swooning. We may not be giving away complete bikes, but at free-ninety-nine, the price is right! Thanks to the all of our sponsors (Spoke Shop of Billings, MT; Hammer Nutrition; Ted Lovec of American Title & Escrow; Jay Marshall of Coach Jay Inc.; and Harvest Church) and their awesome support we are going to be giving away goodies like water bottles, bar wrap, snickers, cables, a 10-spd chain, brake pads, lubes, tubes & tires, lots of hammer gel, HEED, a bike repair stand, and a trainer. The only catch is that the raffle is being held after the races on Sunday, and you must be present to win.

Also, speaking of flattery, I took (stole?) another page out of the Moosecross book by making two of the barriers only 8 inches tall. Just tall enough to be problematic, but temptingly short enough to want to hop it. Don't worry, the other two are a towering 15", and if you can hop those, well then I salute you sir/ma'am.

3 Weeks Away!

Only 3 weeks till the Billings Cyclocross Weekend! Cross season is well underway, and these races have their work cut out for them if they want to measure up to all the other great races I've been to over the last 3 weeks. This weekend it is off to one of the best races of the year, Rolling Thunder, in Missoula, MT. Great race, huge turnout, and great city. And it looks like the temperature is finally starting to drop a bit, although this weekend is still going to be a far cry from some of the extreme weather we had for the early season of racing last year.

After Rolling Thunder, there are two races up in Kalispell, then a fun Halloween weekend race in Bozeman, and then it's Billings' turn to host the races.

I've had a few friends come out to the courses and got a lot of positive feedback. The days are going to be very different from one another. And if it snows/rains all bets are off. Make sure you save November 6th and 7th to come check it out!

Sponsorships Are Done!

OK folks, this afternoon I officially locked in our final sponsorship for the race. I'd say it was a huge success because of the 6 sponsorship requests I made, I got 6 affirmatives. I'd like to thank all of the sponsors for being so willing to support the races and local cycling: The Spoke Shop, The Clocktower Inn, Coach Jay Inc., Harvest Church, Hammer Nutrition, and The Billings Area Cycling Network. This event wouldn't be a success without the support of local businesses. If you are local to Billings, or while you are here for the races, try to visit the sponsors and let them know that you appreciate their support of local cycling races. Let's begin paving the way for a successful event next year too!

Calling All Sponsors!

Well, we're officially trying to wrangle up sponsorships now! So far, we've gotten two sponsors to sign on: The Spoke Shop and The Billings Area Cycling Network! The latter of the two were pretty easy since I am one of the managers of the list, but the former was is a great step and achievement for the success of the Billings Cyclocross Weekend! Big thanks to Jim Downs of the Spoke Shop for stepping up and offering to be a part of this weekend! Final details of the agreement are still being hammered out, but it's going to be great for both parties involved!

We're definitely still looking for more sponsors, and there's really no limit to how local businesses can get involved. I'm interested in a place to offer discount lodging to traveling cyclists, maybe a restaurant to offer some good healthy cyclist food, maybe a coffee shop to provide some warm drinks on those sure-to-be cold mornings... you get the idea. So pass the word on if you know anybody that might be interested in helping contribute to the success of this weekend!

Thanks again to the Spoke Shop!