Meet our winner from the
CX Magazine.com Cyclocross Nationals coverage, Aaron Robnette, of Iowa City, Iowa.
Aaron, congrats on winning the wheels. The contest was for cyclocross wheels, but you're a mountain biker, in Iowa. Tell us a little bit about the Iowa mtb scene and how you got involved with it.
I have been riding mountain bikes since 1998. I was a freshman in high school and needed an athletic outlet. I lived outside of Baltimore, MD, near a state park. Two years later, I reluctantly moved to Iowa. Little did I know that I would have the opportunity to ride some great trail systems. Within about 2 hours of Iowa City there are 35-40 miles of singletrack, with more a little further away, plus all the miles of trails in Minnesota and Wisconson.
Luckily I live about 5 minutes from Sugar Bottom which features about 11-12 miles of swoopy, blistering fast Midwest singletrack.
The Iowa City/Des Moines area has some killer fast mountain bikers that are very competitive. The local series features decent turnout and awesome organization. Luckily for us, there are race series in Illinois, Minnesota and the biggest being in Wisconson, featuring the WORS and WEMS series. Those races get insane turnouts for the Midwest.
You work at a bike shop in Iowa City. Tell us a bit about that, and how you became familiar with Edge Composites.
I work at Geoff's Bike and Ski in downtown Iowa City. The shop heavily supports the majority of the race teams in and around the area. Despite that, the shop has a smaller family feel. The owner, Geoff Perrill is the proud father of a wonderful daughter, and rapidly growing son.
With the campus of the University of Iowa three blocks north, we also cater to commuters, students and recreational riders. Iowa City features a strong commuting base that we support.
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I first started hearing of Edge Composites due to their support of a west coast cyclocross team. I was on Cycling News and they showed an amazing pic of some turquoise Chris King hubs laced to Edge rims: one of the hottest CX wheels I have seen to date. Then later on, the release of the XC Carbon rims piqued my attention. I have been drooling ever since.
Do you consider yourself a mountain biker, cyclocrosser, or road rider? When presented with your choice of free Edge Composites wheelsets, how does one pick which to go with?
I am definitely a mountain biker first and foremost. Before moving back to Iowa, I never owned a bike other than a mountain bike. I bought my first road bike about 3-4 seasons ago. Now I have a newer road bike as well as a cross bike. I train to race mountain bikes, and use road riding as well as gravel to stay in shape, without getting fatigued through the season.
When the decision time came on which Edge wheels to get it was a no-brainer! To be able to own the best possible combination of weight, durability, and stiffness in a 29er wheel possible, I jumped at the chance. Being an aggressive rider, I have had to compromise weight for extra stiffness and durability in my 29er wheels. With the Edge's, I can have all three.
Tell us about your bike that you're putting these wheels on, what wheel configuration did you decide on, and how did you decide?
They will be on a 2010 Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper 29 hardtail. I picked the XC rim laced to Chris King hubs, 28 hole. The width of the XC rim is perfect for a hardtail, and I will always take a King hub for the engagement and durability over any other option. I am also going to spec an Edge Sweep handlebar, stem, and seatpost to round out the cockpit.
Riding a carbon frame last season made me never want to compromise that performance advantage. Now I will just have more of it to make my race bike even better. This bike is going to be my first attempt at racing or even riding on a geared race mountain bike in the past 4 years
What events are you looking forward to in 2010?
I am really concentrating on upping my level of effort for 2010 like I did in 2009. I am going to travel to Wisconson to compete in 3-4 WORS races.
I am also looking forward to the WEMS race at Levis Trow Mounds. It is a 100 mile race on some amazing trails. I did my first 80 mile race, the Ouachita Challenge last year. I was looking forward to it again, but they got rid of the 80 mile edition this year. The finishing rate last year was around 40%. I will also take part in about 5-6 of the IMBCS races as well as a road race or crit here or there.
Have you done Ragbrai? I've heard its so much fun, and the food so good, you end up gaining weight despite riding all day.
I have ridden a single day. I have been a bike mechanic in Iowa for the past 8 years. That in mind, you are either in the shop, or out on the road providing support. It is a crazy event. It can be anything from a family oriented good time, to a full on party. If you are looking for the summer break of cycling, check out RAGBRAI. The food is good, and the drink is even better.
Either way, being on the road with 15,000+ cyclists is a wild sight.
Tell us about the Iowa cycling scene. I've seen race listings for the area, blogs featuring riders out in the fields during winter battling the elements, its clearly a passionate group of guys, which I imagine many in the more "traditional" cycling regions wouldn't expect. Tell us about the scene, your rides, what motivates you, and how you balance riding with the rest of life.
The Iowa scene is very focused.
With RAGBRAI dominating the focus of a lot of riding intentions for the year of the average cyclist. There are miles and miles of open road and trails to ride on, as well as gravel roads for even more miles. In any of the larger cities, there are always super competitive race clubs and teams to be found. The road and cross country mountain bike race schedule in Iowa is pretty comprehensive.
The riding around here isn't board flat as one would imagine. We don't have long climbs, but what we lack in length, we make up for in frequency and grade.
My main goal for riding and training is to stay active year-round. With work and now school, I end up commuting by bike as much as possible. From my house to school and work is around 12 miles one way. It isn't an insane distance, but it seems to work for me.
The local group rides on Tuesday and Thursday are always a killer as well. In the winter, I cross country ski, but I will also try and keep riding. With all the snow on the sidewalks and roads, it takes a 100% paved ride, and turns it into a technical singletrack experience at times. You battle the cold, and especially the wind from November until Mid-April. It really strengthens the mind as long as you keep at it year-in and year-out.
Did you go to bend's cx nats, or simply follow it on the web?
I was not fortunate enough to be able to go. With school and the distance it was from Iowa, I had to stay. Luckily CX Magazinehad live text based coverage. I found the coverage the weekend before, during the Portland USGP. I knew they were having a contest, but I had no idea until that day it was for a pair of Edge Composites wheels. CX Magazine really goes all out to provide awesome coverage of U.S. based racing, as well as worldwide coverage. They just did a live feed of the Belgian National Championships the other day!
Tell me about Jingle Cross. You have a 2x mtb olympian racing around the fields in Iowa on Thanksgiving weekend. Who's brainchild is that and are you a part of that event?
Jingle Cross is a good time being Christmas/Grinch themed and all. This year you had three days of racing, including a night race Friday with awesome lighting. The crazy thing about Iowa in November is you never know what you are going to get. Wait 5 minutes and it will change.
The night race turned out to be insane. We had rain and snow earlier in the week. With the temps staying low, the ground was slowly freezing and the water didn't soak in. Friday night was a mess of ripped off derailleurs, hangers etc. We stripped every Specialized, Ridley and Redline derailleur hangers we had off of floor model bikes to keep people racing. It made for a challenging night of racing. Having a pit bike was a must.
Dr. John Meehan is the original godfather behind the event. John has been racing bikes for years, and absolutely loved cyclocross before I even had a clue what it was. He now lives in Seattle, but still manages to keep the logistics of the event in line. There are a great group of volunteers that help out every year.
Todd Gillihan of Team Skin (and all of their members) absolutely turns himself inside out as the local coordinator. It is really a local effort overall. Without the support of all of the local shops, riders, and local business', it couldn't happen. That and everyone that keeps coming back, the Iowa City racing scene thanks you greatly (oh and three days of UCI points really help to bring those 2x Olympians and former CX National champions coming back for more.)
If, we, the guys at Edge Composites, came to Iowa for an event, which one would you suggest and why?
It would have to be Jingle Cross. It is the largest event in the state as far as volume of riders for sure. The location is great (look up Mt. Krumpit on youtube to see a great highlight video from 2008) and the weather will break even the strongest of riders, while the three days make for tough selections for the racers as far as how hard to go each day. With all the traditional cyclocross amenities abounding (specifically beer) the spectating is awesome with the view from Mt. Krumpit.
Oh, and the racing is pretty darn good too. It is just a great time all around.
Thanks to CX Magazine and Edge Composites for having the contest!