Slideshow below — Gallery here
(Photos © J. Maus)
As if the Cross Crusade wasn’t wild and crazy enough, this weekend’s event was coupled with the second annual unofficial Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships (SSCXWC08).
The events took place Sunday at Portland International Raceway. The expo area was packed with all manner of food vendors (fries, soup, bratwurst, oatmeal, belgian waffles) and to commemorate the SSCXWC, beer flowed freely all day (with the purchase of a $4 pint glass).
The run-up was full of mud, barriers, and rabid fans.
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Racer Betsy Platt.
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Even before the “real” racing was over, Yakima prepped their bubbly foam machine. Beaverton-based Yakima is known for tinkering (they’ve Zoobombed on an adult-sized Big Wheel) and for SSCXWC08 they suspended a bubble machine over one section of the race.
By the time the hundreds of singlespeeders raged through, the wall of bubbles was 15 feet high and spanned the entire width of the course. It was so thick that racers would cut a silhouette-sized hole through it as they rode through.
Check out the full photo gallery (sponsored by BikeTiresDirect.com — thanks!) slideshow below for a look at the bubbles, the crowds, the costumes, and everything that makes Portland’s ‘cross scene one of the best anywhere in the world.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
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Oh my goodness batman. That looks incredible. Thanks for taking such awesome pictures.
Kudos to everyone who participated!
That was awesome, and I was just standing there staying dry with a megaphone yelling at people. Way to do it better. Next year we need a snow machine right after the foam pit!
What an excellent event. Definitely the most fun I’ve had a race this year… maybe it was the free beer? Maybe the foam? Perhaps the situp contest? This is one of my favorite photos of the day… http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironcladcycling/3022644606/in/set-72157608801322373/
That looks like a ghillie suit, not a monster.
Bonus points for racing in the full thing including face mask! 🙂
Now, if he was to go out into the field and lay down, no one would be able to find him.
🙂 Yes. I am a geek. I read tooooo much.
That is a Gilly (or Ghillie) Suit. Must have been fun to ride in. Nothing like a sniper on a Single Speed bike. As if single speeders weren’t already messed up in the head.