Life in the trenches – part 1

I felt it was time to take a peek behind the scenes, as our races wouldn’t be possible without their support, so I caught up with Nikki Cyp and Loch Miwa – two of the regions most prominent race officials, to get their perspective on the local cross scene and cycling in general. Here goes:

Q: When did you first get your start in the sport – and in what capacity?

N: Years ago I worked with several members of the Vande Velde family and knew Christian’s name thru having been a casual watcher and follower of the Tour de France each summer. Through that, I became good friends with John (C’s dad) who pulled me into loving the sport with his passion for it. I was just a serious fangirl for a long time enjoying the connection to Christian and the pretty awesome Vande Velde family. {It’s been awesome watching C go from Postal, to Liberty Seguros, to CSC, and to where he is now at Garmin. His transition from serious domestique to legitimate contender over those years, and his friendliness has been cherished.}

L: I rode a LOT when I was a kid, but never heard anything about racing. I got back into riding when my kids were old enough to want to ride – easiest way to keep them safe was to ride with them! That rekindled my love of riding and I started doing group rides, which led to training, which led to me doing my first race as a 40+ master at Downers Grove in 2001.

Q: How did you first learn of cyclocross, and the Chicrosscup?

N: I got to meet and got to know the Jelly Belly team on the road via some meet and greets with the Vande Velde guys. One of my favorites to see at races was this guy, Jeremy Powers, who’s season apparently kept going after road was done. He told me I had to come to a “‘Cross” race and that I would love it. So I checked it out on youtube and decided that I had to see a race in person. I was pretty new to knowing anything about the local cycling scene having only really followed C and his teammates for years but there was a cross race up in DeKalb, so I convinced some friends that we should go check it out. I was suffering from a serious vertigo issue at the time so we didn’t stay super long but I knew from road that if you don’t have someone to cheer for it’s kind of boring and my friends were looking to do some cheering. They saw the Cuttin’ Cruiser bus up on the hill and it was realized quickly I needed to connect them to someone to cheer on. I saw an xXx rider by a car getting ready, I had talked to a few of the team at Downer’s that year, and he looked pretty friendly, so I went up and introduced myself and my friends. Turns out it was none other than Seegs and he was super awesome. His race was coming up so we stayed and cheered him on and I think he came in 2nd that day. He stopped by to thank us for cheering and that was the start of my CCC race experiences. Over that season, I became friends with Seegs and got to know several others on xXx Racing and by the end of the season Seegs and John were both encouraging me to become an official. Since then, I’ve worked almost every race at least once, enjoyed working at the track up in Northbrook, and totally fell in love with cross and all those involved in it.

L: While I had been racing for a number of years, I had never heard of cyclocross. I became an official and worked only a couple crits my first season, until someone said that they needed an official for a cyclocross race. I had never seen one, knew nothing more that what was written in the rulebook, but I said “Sure!” Best decision ever! I worked almost every race that season and every season since.

Q: What aspect of officiating do you like the most, and what discipline is your favorite?

N: I love helping out and being a part of it all. As an official and active member of the ICA, I get to help be a part of races not only on race day but also through a lot of behind the scenes work. It’s so gratifying when things come together and we have great events that even though we are exhausted from the efforts, we walk away looking forward to the next one. As far as which discipline is my favorite, it’s totally Cross. I enjoy the tactics of road racing and the speeds I get to watch at the track but cross offers a community of people that I don’t see anywhere nearly as deep in other disciplines.

L: I’ve now raced all the different disciplines and officiated all of them as well. They each have their unique appeal and challenges. I love working as a motoref – there’s no better seat to watch a race unfold. But the most fun is definitely cyclocross. It’s a much closer community of riders, promoters, and officials. While the competition is certainly fierce, everybody’s there to have fun.

Q: What aspect of cyclocross intrigues you the most?

N: Hands down it’s the people. From riders to fans to promoters, it’s an amazing community. Cycling in general extends beyond our local scene which opens up friendships worldwide. I’ve become friends with riders and fans from all over the US, Europe, Australia, and places in between. It’s amazing that interest in the sport sort of puts a note on our doors that says we like you and open our doors for you and then it’s on you to change the mindset from there. {Where in most cases, judgment comes first and you have to alter that first impression.} It’s a unique family of friends, riders, fans, promoters, and officials with racing that includes a little of everything from sprints, to run ups, to barriers. What is not to love about it?

L: The opportunity for each rider to race his/her own race. While time trials may be the ultimate extension of that, it’s a little impersonal. In cyclocross, certainly there are those at the front racing for the win, but everybody else is racing with the other riders immediately in front and behind them. Often even the last two riders on course are fighting it out and sprinting for the line.