Yesterday I ventured out to Hillsboro Stadium for the 2nd race of the Cross Crusade series. It was my first cross event of the season, and although I didn’t race, I still managed to have fun, get muddy, and after shooting over 600 photos, I was even a bit tired.
It was a perfect day for cyclocross racing. When I first showed up it was rainy, windy and cold. Eventually things warmed up a bit and the rain stopped, which made the mud thick and pasty for the rest of the day.
Racing cross on nice, sunny days is all fine and good, but the true essence of the sport can only shine when the sun doesn’t.
On Sunday racers battled the competition, themselves.
The diabolical Cross Crusade crew put a series of small but challenging barricades right before the finish. This was the site of much struggle throughout the day. Sometimes, bike and racer would become separated.
But no matter what was thrown at them, they marched on. As a photographer and racer, I could sincerely appreciate their gladiator-esque efforts.
And despite the slick mud and treacherous barricades (who put those logs out there!), most racers persisted with a smile.
I also noticed that the tough, muddy conditions brought out another special part of the cyclocross scene; sportsmanship and camaraderie. At the end of each race, all the racers would stand around—nearly unrecognizable due to the mud—and re-hash experiences from the battlefield.
fought battle]
There were plenty of smiles amid the exhaustion and relief that comes with completing a tough race:
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A big storyline of the Cross Crusade this year is amount of ladies who are mixing it up. From serious speedsters to newbies, it was great to see so many women gladly sacrificing cleanliness and skin in the name of cross:
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And no report of yesterday’s race would be complete without mentioning the two crazy racers who braved the course in nothing more than underwear and a good attitude. Big props go to Ben Leonard and David Roth:
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I’ve got a bunch of other fun photos that you can browse through in my Cross Crusade at Hillsboro photo gallery.
**I have uploaded select photos for purchase at my e-commerce-enabled gallery. If you don’t see the photo you want in the gallery, feel free to contact me directly.
Thanks for reading.
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Where’s the crowd?
Everybody that races ‘cross loves it, but where are the spectators? This kind of fun should bring out all of bike Portland. Any thoughts about why there’s not thousands of rabid fans with cowbells? Any ideas to increase fan support? ‘Cross makes as much sense as Friday night football.
There were lots of fans out there, but yeah not as many as a football game. That is fine though. You can actaully hear distinct voices(sometimes)and it’s real nice to hear the cheers.Of course your teammates cheer you on but what is really great is that random people just holler encouragement at you. One guy yelled “She’s wearing Chucks! Yeah! Go Chuck girl!” at me as I rode yesterday. I was cracking up, and tried to flash a smile. It having been my first race, so far I have only been a spectator, and cheerleader, and I have had fun doing that.Whether you are on the sidelines or in the race cross is a real fun time.
The course was super muddy and thus slippery, ladies were dropping right and left(myself included, mais oui)but other than that I thought it was the ideal course for a beginner.
I heard lots of cowbells,btw…
Jon, as usual, great photos. I just love the victory photo of Terry, John and Matt. I hope you make it for all the rest of the races.
nice pics! great action shots with the mud. so many beautiful bikes gettin’ dirty.
Darren said “Any ideas to increase fan support?”
My $.02 – I’ve watched ‘cross races at PIR and Alpenrose. I would be more likely to go if: I knew some racers to cheer for, I didn’t have to get so muddy just to watch, and I could see more of the course from one location. Those things might not be realistic for ‘cross.
Aw, it finally gets muddy for a cross race and I had to be in Wisconsin for a wedding…
Remember Jonathan, you’ve got a free Crusade pass, only four more!
Cate,
You can typically see a lot of the course from just a couple of locations, and since the races last at least 45 minutes each, you can quite leisurely stroll around and see quite a few places, cheeering the racers all the while.
And I race there in the Single Speed category. So now you know a racer there! I’m the one gasping for breath.
As to the mud . . . come on!! Put on some boots!
It’s a hoot, really. It’s hard to find a more spectator friendly sport.
I’ll be there regardless cheering everyone on, but would be great to have hot chocolate for the kids…they are the future generation. My daughter has been watching her my brother and has been wanting to try this. She still did even though it was muddy and rainy! I’m thinking of getting a big box of the mix for next Sunday at Horning’s Hideout.
tonyt – thank you, now I have someone to cheer for!
I did have boots on – the gooshy mud was about 4″ deep at PIR when I was there – one big mudfest! Plus I got splattered every time a racer went by. Kind of funny and fun…
It probably would’ve helped if I understood how the races worked better. Is there a good ‘Cross 101 on the web somewhere?
Rose-Ann, cocoa would be super duper, but there was cider at Hillsboro-that was pretty nice. ALl th ekids seemed ot be digging it, even some of the big kids(i.e. racers),too.
Chris King-are you paying attention? Cocoa!
looks like a great time for all
cyclocross is clearly one of the best cycling events for spectators
I think short circuit racing is difficult for spectators becuase it’s harder to follow who is in the lead. Splinter Rin(?) announcer for the Cross Crusade is really good at the play by play, though. As you learn who the top competitors are then it’s easier to follow. I think the specticle is enough to get most cycling fans hooked.
I’d like to see more local bmx racers “cross” over (pun intended). If we can get that to happen, Portland will cement it’s cyclocross reputation with a new generation of racers with same technical background of Sven Nys.
Oh, video coverage might help the sport out, too 😉
See the XCrusade Race 2 Video at CrankMyChain.com.
Thanksfor lettting me know about the cider. We did go ask and they said they would be making some later but it wasn’t ready after the Kids event. I had to leave early to take my brother to get some stiches. Good to know it was there and I’ll try again!