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.