Up to this point we’ve seen a lot of cycling criteriums and bike chases in and out of urban neighborhoods, but until now we have not seen any cyclocross (also known as Cross or CX) events. What’s a cyclocross event? Well, that’s a good question. I called Pete Canfield over at Campus Wheelworks (organizers of the event/s), to find out what people could expect from the upcoming November 7th race.
It turns out that this is the first year that this particular event is taking place, though there have been other cyclocross events in Delaware Park before… who knew? “Anybody is more than welcome to participate,” Pete told me. “The race is going to cost $25 to enter and riders will need a one day license if they don’t already have one from USA Cycling, the sanctioning body. A license can be purchased at registration on the day of the race. Although you can ride any bike that you want (no bar ends), though conversions and cyclocross specific bikes are recommended – the bikes need knobby tires because it’s gong to be pretty grueling conditions. 95% of the racers use cyclocross specific bikes. The race itself takes place on the south side of Hoyt Lake. It starts at the Ivy Bridge near Rumsey Road – the course is fully enclosed and there will be race marshals.
“It’s very spectator friendly… this is a lap race where you have an hour to do as many laps as you can. The spectators get to see a lot of action – the course is almost 2-miles long… enough to keep the riders and the spectators on their toes. We’re hoping to have between 50 and 90 participants. We’ve been doing training rides near the bridge for a while and naturally we talked about hosting a race. I stuck with the dream finally got it permitted. It’s so fun… it’s painful! You’re on your bike sprinting for an hour. You will see a lot of road racers show up too… they use cyclocross as part of their post season training… the sport has been blowing up all over the country. If all goes well, we hope that this will turn out to be an annual event. We’re also promoting group rides on the racecourse for people who want to give cyclocross a try – we meet Sunday mornings at 9am (occasionally Sundays are race days) until noon. We also practice on Wednesdays at 6:30pm until dark.
“Cyclocross is currently the fasting growing bicycling discipline. It originated as a way for riders to stay in shape after the road racing season in Europe. Cross races typically run from early fall to early winter all though the pro circuit lasts into late December, relatively short season. CX races usually last an hour where riders will race over various terrains. Man made barriers and natural barriers are used to force riders to dismount their bikes. Since races only last an hour, they are fast paced and pretty brutal on riders! Races are very spectator friendly and have a laid back fun atmosphere. Come, bring your cowbells, and ring ’em at the racers. They are the best motivators for the riders.”
Register at 10am, races will start at 11 am and the main event will be at 1 pm. To register for our race, go to www.bikereg.com.
For further info on the sport, the practice times and the race, send an email to Pete here. Or contact any of the Campus Wheelworks team.
Campus Wheelworks
744 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222-1639
(716) 881-3613