The Red Barn Cyclocross Classic is one of Minnesota's premier cyclocross events and a rider favorite. The course twists and turns through the tree fields of Erickson Brothers Tree Farm and includes a run-up you won't forget.

Red Barn #5 - October 31st 2009

While the forecast for Saturday is clear, the wet weather and Red Barn's challenging course will make this year's event epic!

This is a Red Barn you don't want to miss.

Red Barn #1 - 2005

The first year was a great success for Red Barn and the 95 riders that showed up got the first glimpse of what Red Barn has become famous for - a twisting and turning course through the tree fields and our signature run-up. The riders loved it and our event has grown ever since!

Doug Swanson (Trek/VW) and Aric Hareland (Salsa) battled it out for top honors with Swanson pulling away for the win. Linda Sone (Hollywood Cycles) rode away with the victory for the women.

Red Barn #2 - 2006

In 2006, 104 competitors took part in the 2nd annual Red Barn CX Classic. The course added a new dynamic with the addition of a fast section through the neighboring Wildwoods Campground.

Bjorn Selandar (Alan Factory) took the victory in the Men’s event with Linda Sone (Hollywood Cycles) repeating in the Women’s event. Linda was the first competitor to win back to back Red Barn titles.

Red Barn #3 - 2007

The 3rd annual Red Barn CX smashed its participant record with 163 riders taking part. The costume contest started to take off and we introduced our now annual bike giveaway.

Doug Swanson (Grand Stay) was able to ride away from the field for a convincing win. This win makes Doug the only male to win twice at Red Barn. On the women’s side, Linda Sone (Ridley Factory) continued her string of dominance and won her 3rd consecutive Red Barn title.

Red Barn #4 - 2008

Red Barn #4 proved to be another record setting year with 190 participants and over 200 race entries. In four short years Red Barn doubled the number of participants – we must be doing something right!

This year's course added some length, winding through the vineyard at Erickson Brothers Tree Farm. Dewey Dickey (Iowa City) broke away from the field and rode away with the men’s race. Linda Sone’s dominance was broken by Jenna Zander (u/a) who took top honors in the women's event.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

CRY 07 Kicks off!

The 2007 MN Cyclocross Rider of the Year series kicked off this weekend with two great events, the Red River CX Challenge in Moorhead, MN and the Porkchop Challenge in St. Cloud, MN.

In Moorhead: Aric Hareland held off Dan Swanson and Pat Lemieux for 1st place honors in the A race with Steve Wenzel and Greg Rohde taking the Men's B and C races respectively. In the women's fields, Linda Cooper beat out Margot Herman and Casey Cessna in the B race and Marilyn Laliberte took honors in the C race. For complete results and photos coming soon, check out: Great Plains Cycling

SkinnySki was in St. Cloud and as always they have some great photos on their site. I've copied their race report here:
"Minnesota's cyclocross season fired up this weekend with events in Moorhead and St. Cloud. The Porkchop Challenge at Riverside Park Sunday experienced conditions more like mid-July than September as afternoon temperatures climbed into the 80s. All three events had strong numbers, emphasizing the growing popularity of cyclocross in the Midwest. Pre-race favorites Aric Hareland and Doug Swanson put on an early showcase, easily leading the field for the first few laps before mechanicals opened the door for veteran Dewey Dickey to take the A race victory. Linda Cooper won the top womens race, pulling away from Linda Sone and the tired legs of Chequamegon champ Jenna Zander."
Be sure to check out Skinnyski.com for more event photos and great coverage of events in the Minnesota!

The final work on the Red Barn course addition was completed this weekend and awaits test riding. We'll post some photos if possible before the race. In either case, we're geared up and ready to go!

Leia Mais…

Aric Hareland Interview on SkinnySki

Corey Coogan interviewed the 2006 Cyclocross Rider of the Year, Aric Hareland a few days ago. Aric had some nice words to say about our venue in Taylors Falls. Okay, so he just mentioned it, but we're glad to know he liked the race! I've include the full interview here. You can also view it here: http://skinnyski.com/racing/display.asp?Id=9381

Interview: Aric Hareland

by Corey Coogan
September 18, 2007


Aric Hareland was Minnesota Cycling Federation's Cyclocross Rider of the Year in 2006. Equally well-versed on the road, Hareland was the 2006 Masters 30+ Champion at Superweek and finished third there in 2007.

A North Dakota native, Hareland began his endurance sports career competing in running at the high school and collegiate levels.

Hareland, who has a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology, is an instructor at both The Firm-Minneapolis and The Fix. He is well-known for his yoga instruction from a cyclist's perspective.

  1. Where are you originally from? What sports did you do as a junior?
    Fargo, ND.
    As a junior, I didn’t race bikes at all. I was into bikes, rode a bit, but wasn’t very aware of races. I ran cross country, track and was a swimmer in high school then got an athletic scholarship to run in college.
  2. When did you begin riding?
    I did a little bit of BMX when I was a little kid until I got my first road bike when I was 12. It was a red Trek 330. Right after I got this bike, I did a bicentennial bike ride across North Dakota with a group of about 100. 5 days and 365 miles and I rode everyday and the complete distance. When I was 13, I did my first crit: The Fargo Downtown Crit—I was lapped once on a 10-lap race.
  3. It appears that you once ran track for Valley City State and then rode for North Dakota State. How did your collegiate racing affect your athletic development?
    Running in High school and college really helped me develop as an athlete. Running gave me that mental edge that taught me how to suffer. In college I ran mostly the steeplechase along with some other middle distance races. This makes cyclocross actually quite simple because the barriers are only 16 inches compared to 36 inches in the steeplechase.
  4. Rumor has it, you once did a long-distance ride across much or all of the country. Tell us about this experience.
    I could go on and on about this. In 1999 between my Junior and Senior year in college, I took my Bianchi touring bike and hopped on an Amtrak out to Seattle, WA. Leaving from Seattle at 9:30am, I rode up the coast and then started across the country. I rode through Washington, Idaho, Northern Montana and took a pit stop for 2 days in my hometown of Fargo. This first part of the trek only took me 3 weeks. From Fargo, I zigzagged through Minnesota, then I took one day to ride across Wisconsin (Somerset to Ironwood), crossed the UP of Michigan and up into Canada north of the Great Lakes, came back down to Niagara Falls across Northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and I ended up in a hostel in Bar Harbor, ME.
    Total Trip: 4500 miles and it took me two months.
    I never paid for a campsite. Instead I slept in my bivy tent in small city parks, under bridges and a few times in bars (don’t ask)—oh and also at the Stillwater Fire Department (They make great pancakes there).
  5. I'm told that you work for TheFix and teach yoga. What classes do you teach there? How is yoga valuable for cyclists?
    I teach one class a week on Sundays at The Fix during the winter months. I also teach Spin and Yoga at The Firm over on Glenwood Avenue.
    Yoga is incredibly valuable for cyclist. In cycling, the core of your movement comes from the hips. If your hips are weak, then your upper body has to work harder and this can eventually cause back strain.
    Also think about one of the main muscles at work during biking: a cyclist’s quads tend to become overdeveloped. To compensate for this, your hamstrings shorten and can become incredibly weak.
    I often hear from cyclists that they do not do yoga because they are not flexible. The best way to improve in any sport is to increase your flexibility and your concentration.
  6. Your name can be found in results sheets across all disciplines: road, track, CX, and even occasionally MTB. What is your favorite and why?
    That’s a pretty tough question.
    In road racing, there is nothing better than a fast technical crit. There is always action and it seems like your heart rate never falls below 170. I’ve raced at Superweek the last two years in a row and I can never get enough of the crits, especially when you throw in some 180 degree turns.
    Cyclocross is the same way—they start out extremely fast and they seem like they never slow down. In the last few years, I have always looked forward to riding my bike in September mostly because of the weather, but also because I am able to jump on my cyclocross bike.
  7. You are the defending champion of the Minnesota Cycling Federation Cyclocross Rider of the Year. What are your CX plans for the fall? What are some of your favorite CX races?
    My plan for the 2007 CX season is to be the 2007 cyclocross rider of the year (ha, ha). It would be nice to repeat, but there are a lot of races and some good young cross racers out there. I will mostly be racing once a weekend but I may double up on both Saturday and Sunday a few times. I also plan on racing Jingle Cross in Iowa and I will also be heading down to Cross Nationals this year.
    Favorite cross races: Without a doubt, I would have to say Basset Creek (state cross) is top notch. Also Hudson, Taylors Falls and Boom Island have great venues. There is no bad race out there, every course I’ve done I have walked away with a smile on my face whether I have won or lost.
  8. What advice would you give to someone with either a road or mountain bike background who is eager to try CX for the first time?
    Don’t be too serious about it at first, otherwise you are going to set yourself up for disaster. Burn out is an easy thing, especially when there are 14 races on the cyclocross calendar. I would start out and do a few of the closer to metro races as you can (Boom island, Powderhorn, Blaine, Ham Lake and Basset Creek). The Wednesday night series as Boom Island is also pretty fun and I know that The Hub does a training ride on Tuesday nights if you can make that.

Leia Mais…
Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Hammer Nutrition on board for 07!


We're pleased to announce Hammer Nutrition as a 2007 Red Barn CX Classic sponsor. This is the second year in a row we've partnered with Hammer Nutrition to help bring you the best event we can. As always, Hammer Nutrition has a great line of products and you can find more information at their website: http://www.hammernutrition.com

Leia Mais…
Monday, September 10, 2007

New Cross Concept From Bianchi

We just got a first look at Bianchi’s 2008 range and saw a very nice addition to the lineup. The Cross Concept has been a popular cross bike for years because it’s one of very few that is ready to race as is. Bianchi has now added a higher level, called the Cross Concept Race, based on the same Scandium/Carbon frame of years past.

In addition to new paint, the bike’s group was refined nicely. Notable improvements: SRAM Force/Rival group (no cables hanging out front), FSA compact carbon crank, and a lighter handlebar/stem combination (Deda 100 stem, Newton bars).


Leia Mais…
Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Improvements all around

Course Addition
The new section on the course is shaping up nicely. We finished clearing stumps and now just need to do a little rock clearing, cut the grass and do a little fine tuning. The new loop takes advantage of a greater part of the ravine near our run-up and crosses a stream bed. The stream is dry most of the year, running only in the spring and during heavy heavy rains. We thought crossing a stream would be cool, but there will probably never be water in this one in October. In any case, it adds some fun and exciting terrain.


pre stump clearing

post

More Prize $$
In addition, we've upped the A race prize money. Red Barn has always felt that people race because they love it, not because they might pocket a few bucks - although that never hurts. Thus we've upped the ante - The A race prize money now goes 5 deep at $50/40/30/20/10. As always, we still have a number of great give-a-ways and arguably the best medals around - not to mention the free hot dogs!

Leia Mais…