A2W presents: Cyclocross clinic in South Austin THIS SUNDAY!

Elliott of Austin on Two Wheels is hosting a Cyclocross training/clinic/fun event this Sunday evening at 6:30pm in south Austin. Here are the full details, as well as the Facebook event for you socially networked types:

Are you ready for cyclocross yet? We maybe going on 70 plus days of over 100 degrees, but in a little over a month cyclocross season will start September 27 with the weekly Tuesday night Dirt Derby out at the Del Valle Motorcross Park. Cool weather will return and with it, cyclocross racing. IT TIME TO START TRAINING!

Austin on Two Wheels is hosting a free cyclocross skills session and practice race this Sunday, August 28 at Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park in South Austin (on Slaughter just west of South 1st St- http://g.co/maps/x2zh.) All are welcome, even the newbie and 'cross curious. If you have not been to the park, it is a great course for cyclocross training: a good mix of grass, pavement, gravel, and dirt. Depending on how this week goes, we may make this a weekly affair.

We'll meet at 6:15 PM at the baseball/soccer fields in the middle of the park hike and bike trail. At 6:30, we'll do a skills session focusing on dismount/remount, running barriers and navigating tight turns. At 7:00, we'll do a 30 minute practice race on a course we've laid out which will include barriers and at least one run up. This will be an open course so while the park is fairly quiet on Sunday evenings, you will need to watch out for other trail users. For those so inclined, we'll head over to Little Woodrow's at South Park Meadows (http://g.co/maps/e2ff) for some post racing food and libations.

For those who want to ride down as a group, we'll meet up at 5:30 at the parking lot at St. Elmo Elementary (South 1st and W. St. Elmo Road- http://g.co/maps/v7pq). If you ride there, bring a light as it will be dusk when we finish.

PRIZES! Austin on Two Wheels is a sponsor of the 2011 Dirt Derby (http://dirtderby.com/), and at the end of Sunday's practice race, we'll be raffling off a free men's and women's registration for the season opener on September 27. We'll also be handing out cards with the full Texas cyclocross calendar and other cx resources.

WHEN: Meet up at 6:15, Skill Session at 6:30, Practice Race at 7:00

WHERE: Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park in South Austin (on Slaughter just west of South 1st St- http://g.co/maps/x2zh), Baseball/soccer fields in middle of the hike and bike trail. If you are entering the park from Slaughter, follow the road until it dead ends. There is a path to the right that goes down into a dry creek bed. Follow this path as it splits to the left. You will eventually hit the paved hike and bike trail. Follow it around until you get to the fields.

WHAT YOU NEED: All types of bikes are welcome, but we recommend you have tires up for the task. Basically this means tires designed for off-road or cyclocross that are at least 32 mm wide for 700c size or at least 1.5 wide on 26"/29er. We also recommend you remove water bottle cages and other equipment mounts in the front triangle of your frame as this will help with shouldering the bike going over barriers and run ups. At the same time, bring at least one bottle of water as the closest water fountain is on the other side of the park. Helmets are highly recommended for the skills session and will be required on the practice race. LIGHTS... if you ride to the practice, bring some lights as we'll be finishing up at dusk.

FOR THE NEWBIE: Everyone is welcome to this practice including those who have never raced cyclocross. If you have not tried cyclocross, it is a blast! The races are short (30-60 minutes), spectator friendly, and accessible to cyclists with either road or mountain bike background. You do not need a special bike to participate (though having at least the minimum recommended tires mentioned above will make the experience much more enjoyable.) Check out this great video on 'cross to get stoked: http://vimeo.com/23275671

ABOUT THE DIRT DERBY: The Dirt Derby (http://dirtderby.com/) is a weekly short course mountain bike and cyclocross race series that takes place at the Del Valle Motorcross Park (http://g.co/maps/g33n). It is held every Tuesday night on a lighted course from September 27- December 16 and again January 10- February 14, 2012. There are three racing levels, Beginner, Intermediate, and Open, and you do not need a USA Cycling license to race. In addition to weekly prizes, there will be 3 six week series racers will be scored on for more prizes.

On Slaughter? Damn, just riding to this will be a good bit of training unless you dwell down there to begin with. Shit, 5 days to fix my 'cross bike. Time to get cracking.