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Yes, our Crosshairs Cycling store is live

We got tired of not having a way to sell all the cool CXHairs stuff Bill creates. So, we wrangled the other Bill (totally different Bill) to build us this fancy Crosshairs Cycling webstore.

So now we get to celebrate that our Crosshairs Cycling store is live

If you are out at CrossVegas tweet us your favorite CrossVegas photo and tag it this way

The @CrosshairsTeam webstore is live http://www.crosshairscycling.com/?page_id=145  #crossvegas @Spyoptic #cyclocross

Do that and we’ll pick our top five to get something out of the new Crosshairs Cycling store

Now, get tweetin’

 Sunday also marked Crosshairs Cycling p/b Spy Optic debut race. With over 20+ competitors spanning every field Crosshairs had an excellent showing. In true recapus fashion –  here’s the top ten things you might have seen while dodging stray cowbells and the storming of the gates by masses to purchase CXhairs t-shirts.

10. The Defensive Line
Never before has one cycling team held so many individuals less suited for running barriers and more suited for pass rushing. But, big guys love cross the same as little guys. On the flip side,  we lead the Super 8 in XL jerseys per team member and hand-ups per yard. We’d put up a picture but nobody showed up for the photoshoot as it was scrimmage day.

9. New T-shirts –  Rosie the Riveter
Rolling up the sleeves and putting cross to work. Rosie the Riveter’s “we can do it” vibe brings a solid four-color print to a shirt that is the gotta have this cross season. Rosie is pretty awesome but we no longer are letting Bill watch history channel after the Hatfields and McCross shirt proposal.

Rosie!

8. The Red Beards
So many dudes. So many red beards. It’s like a scene from Braveheart in the trainer tent!

Red Beards Rulin’

7. Keri flies in from CO (and podiums)
Name me one other team that had female racer fly in from Colorado to race the women’s 3/4 and get on the podium. huh? Whatcha got? No one. That’s why she’s the Dozer! Keri M’ F’n DOZER!

6. Larry vs. Jay
It was to be the Rumble at Rosaryville, the Middleweight Battle for Maryland. The Tacchino Tango was on between longtime friends and rivals Larry and his training buddy (and lethal racer)  Jay Dove.  After a brutal battle in the first laps of their killer B’s race Larry pulled away and took the grudge match. A reminder was served to us all: “When we clash in cross as long as you lose, I win.” But, this was only round one and don’t count Jay out. The season has just begun.

The Tacchino Tango: Larry Vs. Jay

5. The Voice of Cyclocross in the Mid Atlantic – Bill Schieken is back on the mic
Death. Taxes. Water being Wet. Sky being Blue… The only other certainty I can think of is Bill Schieken on the mic at cross races. Not wanting to disrupt that fine cosmic balance, Bill Shieken kicked off another season as the voice of cross.

4. Sean wins SSCX doubles up for a top 20
Sean won the SSCX by 2 1/2 minutes. Sean then took 15th in the 1-2-3. I rode with Sean once. We did 88 miles avg 20+mph the whole way. Sean was running a 42×18 SS gear. Be afraid of Sean. Be very afraid.

3. We have national champions pin on our numbers
Bill:  ”Jeremy, Pin me up”
Jeremy:  ”You got it Bill. Can I get you anything else?”
Bill:  ”I could really go for a veggie empanada”
Jeremy: “Coming right up”

Pin Me Up JPow

2. Rabadi goes 1st & Russell goes 3rd in the killer B’s
Shake and bake! Some races are just fun to watch as the guys on your team pour themselves into a hard fought battle. Our very own Russell took 3rd and Rabadi took 1st in the Killer B’s category. Their race was nothing but a 50 minute session of checking into a suite at the pain cave. For those of us watching it reminded us all why cross is so wonderfully humbling.

Rabadi and Russell Podium The Killer B’s

1. Crosshairs Cycling p/b Spy Optic Debuts

In true show-up-and-blow-it-up fashion, Crosshairs Cycling p/b Spy Optic lit the fuse on cross season and came out with bang. The numbers don’t lie.

25 – racers entered, and presence in almost every division
6 – Podiums
1 – SSCX Super 8 Leaders Jersey
1 –  Mens 3/4 Super 8 Leaders Jersey

There may have been countless pics with Jeremy Powers also but hey, he’s pretty rad.

Rabadi & JPow – Leaders Jersey

Congrats to all the racers and a huge thank you to Squadra Coppi for putting on a another great Tacchino with extra thanks to Jim McNeeley, Brad Evans, Scott Thompson, David Pederson and all the volunteers for their effort pulling off this race in 2012.

Finally, a big thank you to all our sponsors! Spy Optic has us rocking the new Rivet in every race. Vans footwear made sure we were good to go pre-race and on the podium. Fulcrum Coaching and JBV Coaching made sure the prep for Tacchino was on point! A thank you also goes out to supporting sponsor Tanglewood Development.

See you at Nittany CX!

So as folks congregated in DC to begin the messenger stage race  we saw them off one day early to take a lap through Rock Creek park and some brutal hills. We’d showcase footage but since the go pro got puked on … we are sort of out of luck. But, we can tell you this much, those who rode fast like left a little bit of themselves in D.C. and the streets ain’t giving the pound of flesh back. In the end those on the podium walked away with a little cash from Crosshairs Cycling P/B Spy Optic or new eye wear from the good folks at Spy Optic. A good time and a fast start to a long week for the ECMSR racers. Needless to say it was just the right amount of chaos to come out of the gate and into ‘cross season.

The Crosshairs Team powered by Spy Optic had an impressive presence at this past weekend’s Hilly Billy Roubaix, fielding eleven entries (Men’s Singlespeed:  Sean Campbell, Chris Merriam, Sean O’Donnell; Men’s Under 40: Kevin Hays, Chris McGill, Chris Rabadi, Chris Wynnyk; Men’s Over 40: Sol Schott, Bill Thornton, Mike Wynnyk).  We brought a variety of equipment, from SS MTBs to SSCX to MTB to CX.  We had tubes and patches and lots of water and a ton of enthusiasm.

The “Roubaix” part of the event name implies some sort of genteel outing on a bike.  Sure you’re going to have a rough time of it, but it says “Roubaix” in it.  How bad could it be?  Bad. It would be bad.  72-miles, on-and-off-road ultracross event, winding through West Virginia and Pennsylvania backroads, climbing over 7,000 soul-crushing feet over terrain on gravel roads, logging and ATV trails, and some pavement. Some.

The race organizer, J.R. Petsko, set us up early with warnings of huge gravel and that some finishers would take over eight hours to finish.  We rolled quietly down the hill, with a little bravado and swagger, and lined up at the park entrance for the start — handled with a 25-yard dirt-bike wheelie.  The stories for the team vary from that point on.  Some had early and many flats, others left their penance in vomit, but many Crosshairs powered along up those hills.

We put in some impressive performances, but best finish goes to Sean O’Donnell with a 6th place finish in the Singlespeed Division (45 overall of 197 finishers).

JR and the ABRA folks put on a great race and a great event, special thanks to the “Un-o-fish-al Aid Stay-shun”. We’ll be back next year, for sure.

Gallery

Quote of the day, however goes to Sol Schott, aka (“Dead or Dying Crosshairs Guy“).

Interviewer: “How easy was that ride?”

Sol: “Piece of cake.”

Interviewer: “What kind of cake?”

Sol: “PAINcake.”

 Results

In addition to great performance on and off-road, the glasses have also proven useful for looking casual in the midst of grueling climbs and drawing complements from spectators when they realize the colors match the team kit.  It’s the little touches.

The Rivet features…

• Semi-rimless hybrid design that combines fashion and technology
• Patented Scoop® venting system
• 8-base ARC® lenses with anti-fog, hydrophobic, oliophobic coatings
• Available in Trident polarized lenses
• Flexible Grilamid™ frame
• Hytrel™ rubber temple tips
• Integrated hinge system
• 100% UV protection
• Available ARC® replacement lenses
• Frame measures: 68-17-120

For more information on the Rivet and other glasses from Spy Optic’s performance line, go to http://www.spyoptic.com/performance

Washington, DC – In Fall 2012, the new Crosshairs presented by Spy Optic cycling team will make its official debut at the start of the Super 8 Cyclocross Series, the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association’s premier cyclocross series. The brainchild of announcer, race promoter, and creator of www.cxhairs.com, Bill Schieken, the team brings together new and experienced racers from a variety of disciplines to pursue their shared love of cycling’s great melting pot, cyclocross.

“People tell me that I’ve done a good job turning Crosshairs into a strong brand and that having a team is a natural extension of that brand,” said team founder Schieken. “I didn’t go to business school and really don’t know what that means, but I like compliments so I ran with it.”

This fall, over 40 riders will fly the team’s black, grey and blue colors over the barriers and onto the podium. But if not onto the podium, then into the beer tent. Maybe both on a good day. Crosshairs p/b Spy Optic jerseys will be visible in the 4s, the Killer 3s, the Masters categories and beyond, including the single speeds and the occasional tandem race, if Larry can find a cheap one on Craigslist.

The team’s diversity, both on and off the bike, is testament to the wide appeal of cyclocross: police officers, firemen, government lackeys, bike messengers, some kind of attorney, carpet cleaners, vaguely defined “communications professionals” and others all unite under the Crosshairs p/b Spy Optic banner. It’s a mix that, without cyclocross, might only ever come together in some sort of courtroom environment, but somehow, it works. Apparently, it works for Spy Optic, too.

“SPY is aggressively embracing ‘cross. To us, it’s BMX for adults and it’s the closest thing to action sports that we’ve got in cycling. With a passion for cycling and action sports as our raison d’être, ‘cross works for us,” said Spy Optic President Michael Marckx. “Plus, chicks dig ‘cross racers, we drink lots of beer after and between races, and we enjoy keeping the sport funky.”

Though fall will mark the team’s debut in its core discipline, team members have already flown the Crosshairs p/b Spy Optic colors at events across the mid-Atlantic. Team denizens have already logged road races, cross-country and endurance mountain bike events, and messenger races across the mid-Atlantic. And while they’ve netted a few wins and podium appearances already, all ears remained peeled for the first dulcet tones of cowbell in September.

In addition to support and custom eyewear from presenting sponsor Spy Optics, the team is proud to be supported by Vans footwear, JBV Coaching, Tanglewood Development, Fulcrum Coaching and Mad Alchemy Embrocation.