The racing action, large crowds, and good times could not be stopped despite a barrage of wild weather that included snow flurries, strong winds, and cold rain.

Check out the photo gallery below for a look at the scenes both on and off the race course...

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Racing continues all day today with the pro races starting at 1:45.

So much of what makes the Cross Crusade a success has little to do with racing bikes. Take for example the Quest for The Grail.

The Quest is a contest dreamed up by Crusade director Brad Ross, and event founder Rick Potestio. The stakes? Prizes, bragging rights, and one lucky winner will get a round-trip ticket to the Cyclocross World Championships in Treviso, Italy.

The rules are simple: follow the trail on the map (below), when you see the orange "X" you begin searching nearby for "a fragment of an ancient bike or even The Grail itself." Each participant can only collect one fragment and then they must bring it to the Cross Crusade Awards Party (this Sunday) to find out if their fragment is in fact The Grail.

Detail of the map (click to enlarge)

For one local racer, the search for The Grail led to the bottom of the Willamette River.

A few weeks ago Steven Hunter noticed the orange "X" while riding on the Esplanade near downtown Portland. Then he saw an orange helmet floating in the river. Without a second thought he rode home, put on his swim trunks and headed back to retrieve it.

Hunter in the Willamette.

After cutting the rope and grabbing the helmet, he assumed he had found a fragment of The Grail. But he and his friends soon wondered...what was at the end of the rope?

The next day Hunter returned to the river with a wetsuit and diving goggles.

His friend Brian Ellin came along. "Seriously, it was gross, and I wasn't even in the water," he said.

Ellin reported that after various techniques, "including diving to the bottom with a headlamp and hand flashlight and looking around, we decided on a mark and sweep grid technique," they finally settled on one: Ellin and another friend stood on the beach, directing Hunter to comb the river-bottom foot by foot.

After several tries, Hunter eventually stumbled upon a big blue bag filled with rocks. Inside was his treasure.

Now Hunter just has to bring his fragment to the Party on Sunday night. For his sake, I hope his efforts result in much more than a fun story to tell his grandkids.

This weekend, cyclocross racing will put Portland in the national cycling spotlight when the finale of U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross comes to town.

Along with the nation's best amateur and professional 'cross racers, the two full days of racing at Portland International Raceway (PIR) just minutes from downtown Portland is sure to attract national media and industry attention.

Chris Distefano, marketing director for local bike parts manufacturer Chris King Components and former PR guy for Shimano America, says Portland's reputation will draw a large contingent of bike industry insiders, companies, and racers,

"People will come to this because it's Portland. You may not do the GP [Gran Prix] in other cities, but you'll come here for 'cross because Portland's like Pebble Beach or Augusta [for golf]...we're known for our 'cross scene."

He also says Portland's infamously wet and cold winter weather is a draw for those seeking the "true cyclocross experience".

The action from the 2004
'Cross Championships held at PIR.
(Photo © Jonathan Maus)

Race director Brad Ross, who's also in charge of the Cross Crusade says the event will be, "like the Cross Crusade times ten." Ross adds that there will be "a gargantuan expo area" with companies like Shimano, SRAM, Cannondale, Mavic, Selle Italia, and a host of others planning to attend.

It all starts on Friday afternoon with a kids clinic out at the race venue (from 3-4:00) taught by World Championship silver medalist Danny Summerhill and Team Clif Bar's Ben Turner.

Then, beginning at 6:00 on Friday the public is invited to a "Meet the pros" open house/media event/kickoff party at River City Bicycles (706 SE MLK Blvd.). Hosted by the USGP folks, this will be a great chance to meet top pros like recent World Cup race winner Katie Compton (she won the National Championships at PIR back in 2004) and perennial favorites Tim Johnson, Todd Well, Ryan Trebon, and others.

Also on Friday is opening night of Washed in the Mud, a photo exhibition being hosted by Sacha White and his crew at The Vanilla Workshop (717 SE 35th Ave.).

The 'cross love continues into the weekend with two full days of racing on Saturday and Sunday (action starts at 8:30 with elite races later in the day) followed by the Cross Crusade's annual season-ending awards party from 6:30 to 11:00 at Audio Cinema (226 SE Madison -- break out your cheesy suit and prom dress!).

Following another wildly successful Cross Crusade series and the Single Speed World Championships earlier this month, this weekend's 'cross events leave little doubt that Portland has become the epicenter of American cyclocross.

For more details check out the official USGP event website and stay tuned for more coverage.

A photo essay that documents the American cyclocross scene is coming to Portland.

Washed in the Mud: US Cyclcross Portraits is the work of Santa Cruz, California-based filmmaker and photographer Brian Vernor. Vernor, who's best known for his work on "Pure, Sweet Hell", traveled with the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross last season documenting racers, fans, and insiders for a distinctive, off-the-course look at the sport.

Here's more about the show from Vernor:

"Washed in the Mud documents the Cyclocross Community; pros, racers, mechanics, fans, innocent bystanders, anyone on the scene willing to have their photo taken. The project was shot using black and white film, a black backdrop to create an uncomplicated environment and a medium format Rolleiflex camera."

[For more about Vernor and this project, read this interview from VeloNews.com.]

The exhibit will be hosted by The Vanilla Workshop, the new home of Vanilla Bicycles (717 SE 35th Ave.). An opening night reception will be held on Friday, November 30 from 6:00 - 11:30 pm. Sacha White, the man behind Vanilla, says he'll have Stumptown Coffee on hand and good music spinning all night.

The show will run through December 31st.

On the weekend following opening night (December 1-2) Portland will host the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross. The Toyota Portland Cup will bring the nation's top cyclocross racers, national media and many bike industry insiders to Portland International Raceway for an entire weekend of 'cross racing action.

Just before I left Sunday's Cross Crusade event out at Hillsboro Stadium, race director Brad Ross emerged from his RV and said, "Now this is a real 'cross race!".

All season long, cyclocross purists have grumbled at our unseasonably dry and warm race-day weather. Real 'cross, they would say, happens in the cold and mud.

Yesterday, they got their race.

It was a slog of epic proportions. The mud came in every diabolical variety: soupy, sticky, grassy, slippery, deep, unpredictable. Oh, and there were puddles -- some more like swimming pools, others smaller, but no less tricky to navigate.

And on top of all that, it was cold.

At the start line, racers jumped up-and-down to stay warm, peeling off their jackets at the last possible moment.

Even as a spectator, it was clear the mud took its toll on the racers. Just minutes into their first lap, they looked shell-shocked, crestfallen, and of course, covered in mud.

With those images in my head, I begrudgingly prepared for my race. It's been a long time (over ten years?!) since Id' competed in such adverse conditions. I kept expectations low and just focused on staying upright.

But to my surprise, I actually loved it (despite how I looked). The mud was a fantastic challenge, and each time I rode through a section of it my morale improved.

With extreme focus, I tried to ignore the bits of mud in my eyes, my slimy gloves, and my slowly numbing extremities. In the deep mud sections I tried to be as light in the saddle as possible -- to float through the thick soup while maintaining as much speed and cadence as possible.

It was hard, but it was a good hard, and in the end I couldn't stop smiling.

I can't think of a more fitting end to the 2007 Cross Crusade.

View my Battle at Hillsboro Photo Gallery or sit back and watch the slideshow below:

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

See all my cyclocross coverage here.

Tomorrow is the final stop in the 2007 River City Bicycles Cross Crusade.

The event will be held at Hillsboro Stadium and with the rain we've had the past few days, the race is sure to be muddy and challenging.

The event will also be the official Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) State Championships. Race winners from each category will be crowned with the distinction of being the fastest 'cross racers in Oregon.

Last year, the Hillsboro course was one of the muddiest all year, and tomorrow should be no different. Check out my photo gallery and report from that event as a preview to what might be in store for tomorrow.

Also, watch this space for a live webcast courtesy of CrankMyChain! Cycle TV.

To whet (or should I say wet) your appetite, below is my slideshow from last year's race at Hillsboro...

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Hope to see you there!

Regrettably, I wasn't able to attend last weekend's cyclocross debauchery out at Estacada Timber Park (30 miles southeast of downtown Portland).

Not only was it the sixth stop in the Cross Crusade series, but the event also crowned the King and Queen of single speed cyclocross.

Yes, it was the first annual Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships.

If you're curious what you missed, the photo at right should give you a clue. Then there's this snip from the official press release put out by the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA):

"What happens when you combine a World Championship event, 6 kegs of PBR, a limitless supply of Oregon made microbrews, 110 men and 30 women, a heckling contest, a Tequila shortcut and a golden Speedo? You get the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships (SSCXWC) in Portland, Oregon. What else?

As for the racing action, the Championship was fittingly decided by a beer. According to OBRA, with a lead going into the final hundred meters, Team Giant rider Adam Craig stopped to chug a beer, only to let Oregon native Barry Wicks sneak by.

In true Portland fashion, the racing clearly took a back seat to having fun. Bikini-clad spectators, massive crowds, costumes. Awesome. Next year I won't miss it.

For a full report of the event and official results, download OBRA's press release (PDF).

Organizer Dani Dance has some advice for would-be competitors and spectators. Below, she shares a few easy steps to convert your bike to a single speed, issues a call to all the ladies, and offers some encouragement for spectators and hecklers.

A few easy ways to convert your geared bike into a Short-term Single Speed

The absolute best way to convert your geared bike to a single speed is to drop into one of the many fine bicycle stores in the area and pick up a dedicated Single Speed Cross bike for the weekend. Chances are good it will be the bike you end up using the most for other reasons besides racing. Single speed cross bikes start at $550 and go up from there. Think about it…

The easiest way to quickly convert a geared bike to a single speed is to buy or borrow a 15t-19t cog available and freehub spacers. With this, you can put spacers behind the cog so the chain will line up nicely with the front chain ring.

The quickest way to convert geared bikes is to pick which gear you prefer, most likely small ring up front, 34-39t and 15-19t cog in the cassette. Once chosen, mechanics will be on hand to either zip tie or tape your shifting cables in place so that no shifting can occur. Check the cross crusade chat for good advice for gearing. Brake cables will NOT be affected, of course.

The final easy option involves cable cutting. Cut your shift cables, or simply remove them from the derailleurs and adjust the rear derailleur limit screws to the appropriate gear. Mechanics will be on hand to perform this operation. ALLOW YOURSELF LOTS OF TIME BEFORE HAND FOR THE SWITCH! Assume there will be several riders with the same idea.

A Call To All Women
It seems strange that this cross season boasts the largest attendance of woman in Cross Crusade history, and perhaps in the nation, but so far only 5 have signed up for the World Championship title. This is a truly unique event that will be talked about and remembered for many moons. If the opportunity to participate in history and potentially become a World Champion (WORLD Champion) doesn't prompt you to run out and sign up, here’s some different motivation: do you really want Wendy Williams to feed her ‘cross ego even more? The insider hint is that she is so dependant on gears that this single speed venture will probably break her. Now, we all love Wendy. (The writer considers her a very good friend but has run out of ideas to inspire registration…) She is a great racer and a wonderful person but she needs challenge and this is the opportunity.

Spectators and Hecklers

For those of you still on the fence as to whether you will be attending the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships, think no more. There is NO acceptable reason not to go. What is more important or more entertaining than a FREE PBR beer garden (other beer also available for the microbrew palettes among us), insane single speed bike acrobatics just to qualify for the actual race, mud, free beer, Portland’s favorite past time (cyclocross and beer) and a World level event? Nothing. Already confirmed at the race are Cyclocross and Mountain bike national champ Ryan Trebon, Mountain bike national champion Kona Pro Barry Wicks, 9 time National Champion Giant Bicycle pro Adam Craig, National Road Champion and Pro Mountain biker, Giant's, Carl Decker, local hero, and with a fan club all the way in Belgium, Kona pro Eric Tonkin and of course the single speed masters and belt holders of Molly Cameron, Matthew Slaven, and Solomon Woras. Women’s Master’s National Cross champ and local heroine Wendy Williams, and rumor has it, Snoop Dogg! (Snoop’s ‘Cross skills are highly under rated…) An after party will occur Saturday night at 7pm. The location will be disclosed at the event, if not sooner. At 9pm, a pub-crawl ensues throughout inner Portland from the party location.

A bit later today, I'll post video action (from CrankMyChain!) and a short report from yesterday's cyclocross race.

For now, sit back and enjoy my photo gallery from Barton Park (or you can view the gallery here). It was the fifth stop on the River City Bicycles Cross Crusade:

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Don't miss photo galleries and reports from all the Cross Crusade races in my '07 Cyclocross Season section.

Dan Kaufman of CrankMyChain! Cycle TV has posted his video from last weekend's Cross Crusade Halloween fest.

It's an awesome video that captures the fun-loving spirit of Portland's signature cyclocross series, the River City Bicycles Cross Crusade.

Not only does the video capture the zany costumes, racing action, and characters of the Crusade, but (as usual) Dan created and performed an original song to go with it (accompanied by PDOT's Greg Raisman on harmonica!).

Watch the video via YouTube below, or go to CrankMyChain.com for a higher quality version.

Happy Halloween!