Did you know you could create your own Chris King headset color combinations? The DreadSet and Patriot designs are popular choices but they can do more. Much more. Try 6,561 variations. Country flags, team colors, school colors, you name it and we’ll build it. Visit your favorite Chris King retailer to create your very own special-build King headset.

Not only are Chris King’s products amazingly durable, but they have some of the most beautiful aesthetics in the industry.  They make headsets, hubs, bottom brackets, wheels, cogs, and various other precision parts.  These days, the company is based in Portland, Ore. where they work hard to minimize their environmental impact.  According to the website, “We’re constantly evaluating the way we do things in order to seek more environmentally conscious means towards making our world a better, more enjoyable place to live and ride.”

This is one cool company, and if you haven’t checked out their parts yet, give em’ some consideration.  While they are pricey, they might be the last components you ever buy.

Redline Bicycles has supported our series from the beginning in 2004, and Redline has a long history in the bicycle industry and traces its roots back to 1970 and BMX racing. However, in recent years, the company has been making waves with their line of cyclocross bikes and support of grassroots cycling.

At the awards ceremony following the 6th and final race. Jason Carrico took home a 2008 Redline Conquest Pro frameset. This is a great bike for a person looking to get into cyclocross without breaking the bank. The frameset retails for $550 and features shaped tubing and a race-ready geometry. Congratulations to Jason and all the past winners of Redline frames and bikes!

Pure and simple, our series would not exist without our great sponsors. If you enjoy the MSG Series, please take a moment to email them with your appreciation of their support. Please be sure to mention our Mud, Sweat, and Gears CX Series! Contact info can generally be found on the various company websites linked down the right side of this page. Thanks for taking a few minutes to take this simple and free action that will help Dwayne and I as we plan for 2009 (and yes, we’ve already started….).

If you participated in MSG 2008, we would appreciate it if you would send emails of thanks to Steele Creek Park and Winged Deer Park. Here are the respective email addresses:

Winged Deer Park, Brad Jones: cbjwdp2@johnsoncitytn.org

Steele Creek Park, Tommy Creamer: tcreamer@bristoltn.org

It will only take you 5 minutes, and your help can go a long way to ensuring our continued use of these beautiful venues.  Thanks!

MSG #6 Results - 12/13/2008

Another Cyclocross season has come and gone. This one ended with a really fun course featuring the crowd favorite Redline Runup. Winged Deer park always provides a great venue for spectating, and the day was perfect since it was clear and cold.

Eric Marland (Boone Velo) ended up snatching the win in the Pro/1/2 race from Eric Wondergem (Hup United) who suffered a late race mechanical that forced a bike change to a singlespeed. Speaking of Singlespeeds, Jeremy Chandler (Bike Zoo) won the SS race and clinched the overall title as well. The last 2 races of the day were easily the rowdiest from the standpoint of the fans who enjoyed “tipping” the racers with carefully placed $$ on the runup. As racers neared the hill, the fans frenzied roar could be heard around the course as they goaded the participants to attempt to ride the steep slope. Rob Morely took a fantastic solo win in the CX3 race, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Michael Walters (TCRC) in the overall. Other noteworthy results on the day included Jason Morgan’s stomping win in the Master’s 35+ and Gretchen Carlsen’s win in the Women’s CX4 race.

The post-race cookout was well attended, and the awards ceremony and raffle featured some killer homemade trophies and great prizes. We gave away a ton of stuff from our terrific sponsors, and Robin Roark walked away with an Alpha Q CX20 fork, Jason Carrico scored a Redline Conquest Pro frameset, and Mike Mefford capped his season by winning a custom set of Chris King Wheels. Great people, great schwag, and great racing: does it get any better than that? See you in 2009!

2008 MSG Overall Points Standings

Put on your runnin’ shoes!

Course #6 is up!!

MSG #5 Results - 12/6/2008

  The 5th race of the MSG Series began as any other race in our series usually does. As the day progressed, the temperatures dropped, and suddenly, as the Pro/1/2 men were toeing the line for the start of their race, snow began to fall from the sky. It made for some truly awesome cross conditions for the last few races of the day! All of the racers had smiles on their faces, and the course was really fun in the wet snow.

Andy Applegate (Team Inferno Pro Cycling) used his many years of experience to keep it upright and beat out Christopher Dale (Raleigh Allstars) and the rest of the slip slidin’ Pro/1/2/ field. In the Women’s Pro/1/2/3 race, Cara Applegate(BMW/Bianchi) is discovering some late season form and battled closely with Robin Farina (Cheerwine) and Deb Sweeney Whitmore (BMW/Bianchi) for the win. David Worth (NashvilleCyclist.com) stormed to the men’s CX3 win while Dirk Pohlmann (Texas Roadhouse) took the Master’s 35+ win. Among the rest of the day’s winners, Todd Braswell (Sledgehammer Charlies) took the win in the SSnowiest race of the day and is closing in on Jeremy Chandler for the overall victory in the SS category.

The final race in the 2008 MSG Series is next weekend at Winged Deer Park. The course will feature the infamous Hammer Nutrition runup by the Meredith Pavilion, and should feature all sorts of other fun twists and turns. Keep an eye on the website later in the week for the final version! If you aren’t making the 14 hour drive to go to nationals, we hope to see you there. It’s worth double points, we’ll have a big cookout, and the series awards ceremony will follow.

Speaking of the cookout, if you are a GrillMaster, we could use your help and will even pay you to cook the burgers and dogs.  If nobody volunteers, we can’t have a cookout!  Email eric at msgcross dot com if you are willing to help out.  The GrillMaster position pays $50.00, and we have a grill there for you to use.  All you have to do is just show up and start grillin’. Let me know if you can do this. We will need you there by 2:00 pm for about two hours of grilling.

This year’s trophies are handmade by Shelton Pittman and are similar to those we gave away in 2005.  These are sweet, unique, and made locally out of old bike parts.  How cool!  Finally, the season-ending raffle will feature Tifosi Glasses, an Alpha Q CX fork, a Chris King wheelset, and a Redline Conquest Pro frameset.  You won’t want to miss it!

2008 MSG Overall Points Standings