Interviews
Andrew Watson - Leading the Way
CXO: For the 2 years that CXO has been around, you've been at the top a lot of that time, How's it been?
AW: It feels pretty good to be a strong contender in the series, there's a lot of competition, so it's not an easy series to race in. There are a lot of races to do throughout the season and there is stiff competition, so you've got to be on your A game for two and a half months.
Last year, not to sound arrogant, I was fairly dominant, consistently in the top three at least, but the year before I was mixing it up a bit more, usually fifth or sixth. It took me a few years to get the strength to ride away from guys like Nathan and Peter, because they're super strong.
Erik Box - Stepping Up
Moving from the back of the pack, Erik Box has progressed to the podium and has a shown a passion for Cross. Riding for Hub/Devinci, Erik is headed for Nationals in October and has big goals for the future. CXO Sat down with Erik on a Tuesday night in Etobicoke and brought you along.
4th Southern CX Series 2007
2nd Valley Park Cross
2nd Willow Beach Cross
CXO: So, with two strong results at Hamilton and St. Catharines. How are things?
EB: Great. Feeling good, just coming off a long road season and building for Nationals. St. Catharines was tough - I wound up riding stronger the next day at Time Trial Provincials. If someone pulled the long flat sections and the little run-up, I would've had less trouble.
Kyle Douglas - Living the Dream
CXO chased down Kyle Douglas in France and followed him around Belgium and over to the Netherlands. Since moving to 'cross, Kyle has won last year's Nationals, and centered his season around racing Worlds in Treviso.
'06/07 Espoir Canadian National Cyclo-cross Champion
2nd '07/08 Canadian National Cyclo-cross Championships
U23 Provincial Champion Cyclo-cross Champion
2nd year on National Cyclo-cross team for World Championships
7th at Centennial Park UCI, Day 2
Natasha Elliott's take on CX and racing in Europe
While between races in Belgium, CXO caught up with Stevens Racing's Natasha Elliott to discuss her flourishing cross career.
3rd at Gloucester GP
2nd and 3rd at Centennial Park
9th at Canadian Nationals
26th at the Hofstade World Cup
Mike Garrigan, Canadian Elite Men's Champ.
CXO: Last we talked, you were finishing off last year by heading to Europe
to attend Worlds and some other World Cup races. Apparently the experience
has paid off. Congrats on the win - so tell us what you've been up to over
the summer to get you here? Did you get lots of that endurance training you
told us you were going to do, or what?
MG:Hey! Yeah the summer went really well, for sure I managed to fit in more riding this spring. As the MTB season was just getting rolling, I would clump long endurance rides around the early O-cups to build some base, minor injuries where keeping me off of the bike in March so I was playing catch up, it worked out in the end.
Ed Campbell - Mastering Cross
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Before he headed out West, CXO sat down to talk with Ed Campbell. At this point he had won 2 Masters Nationals CX races, at the time you're reading this, he is celebrating his 3rd win. |
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Photo: Jon Safka cycling.photos.us.com |
Chatting with Mike Garrigan before Worlds
A few days before Mike packed his things and went to Europe to race in the Cyclocross World Championships, CXO visited Mike for Mom's homemade pizza and a chat about his experiences and plans for his racing career.
Double winner at Kelso Halloween weekend.
5th at '06 CX Nationals
3rd in '06 MTB Ocup series
'06/07 CX World championship team member
2001 Ontario Espoir CX Champion
CXO outside of Ontario - Mathieu Toulouse
After a full season of mountain biking, Mat ended '06 off by racing a season of 'cross on the American circuit and a successful one, with several top 10 finishes, and landing 8th in the USGP series.
CXO caught up with Mat at his hotel in Rhode Island during the finale of the Verge New England Cross Series last December and discussed his racing in the US, as well as touching on his previous cross experience in Ottawa.
Up Close and Personal With Tara Ross
If you claim to know cyclocross in Ontario and Tara Ross' name doesn't sound familiar, you must have been living under a rock for the past 3 years. Arguably, the best Ontario female crosser this season, Tara had a strong showing at the nationals that assured her a spot on Canada's worlds team for the 2007 Championships. She is also the third top ranked Canadian woman on the UCI list. We interrupted her fitness grooming and focus on training when we met with her in Toronto to learn a little bit about hers early days in cross.
Ripping It Up With Toronto's Favorite Cross'r
An Interview with David Dermont
A fixture in Ontario's cyclo-cross scene, David Dermont has been racing cross for over a decade. Highlights include national titles in 98, 99 and 2001. This season has seen him win four races and is in a tight battle with Paul Greene for the series win, with the winner to be determined at the Provincials race at Centennial Park. Outside of cross, Dave is very strong on the mountain bike scene and often present at various cycling events around town.
