(Photos: Drew Coleman/ DC Media Haus)
Riding bikes in the Columbia River Gorge during fall is something to savor. Doing it with hundreds of other people as part of a Cyclocross Crusade presented by River City Bicycles event is downright extraordinary.
The venue for race #3 in the Crusade series took place on the EasyClimb trails on the banks of the Columbia River and Government Cove in the wonderful little town of Cascade Locks. In past years this has been the wettest weekend of the series, with puddles of standing water which pose a challenge during your race, then serve as a bath and bike wash after it.
But this year the sky was dry and so was the course. To make up for the lack of slippery mud, organizers made sure there was plenty of soft sand to keep things interesting.
Our cyclocross season photographer Drew Coleman was there to capture all the action. Here’s what he saw:
Advertisement
The next stop for the Crusade Series is Portland International Raceway (just north of Kenton). Come out and get into the ‘cross spirit!
– All photos by Drew Coleman. See more of his work here.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
— Get our headlines delivered to your inbox.
— Support this independent community media outlet with a one-time contribution or monthly subscription.
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
Great action pics!
Those sand sections were a blast.
The cool trick of perspective you used in the third photo makes the person rebuilding the obstacle appear to be about 2 1/2 ft tall. Bravo!
The idea of cyclocross always struck me as droll.
Why do they ride the funny bikes that require dismounting all the time? Not to mention carrying them over obstacles.
Tradition. It was a thing for road racers to do off-season in the low countries where mud is more dependable than snow and ice. Mount/dismount and carry are considered skills to be practiced and tested, a little like the disparate skills in winter biathlon (skiing AND shooting). Rules at the highest level, especially around tire width, lock in the concept of using a bike that’s unlikely to be rideable on the whole course. See https://www.cxmagazine.com/reno-cyclocross-nationals-2018-rules-questions-chuck-hodge-usa-cycling .
But no worries; in low-level, no-stakes CX, you can just show up on your mountain bike and have fun. I’ve done it, lining up at the back, and no one has cared. I did still have to dismount here and there, though.
Because it’s fun! And challenging and different!
For cyclocross the whole point is to keep the speeds slow and the effort high so that professional riders can keep in shape over winter in the cold and wet climates that are prevalent in the countries where bicycle racing is most popular like Belgium, the Netherlands, or France. Barriers, mud, and running sections keep the speeds low. When you are training on the roads in winter your speeds can vary from 10mph to 30+ mph which makes it difficult to dress. On the high speed downhills you get very cold because you are not putting out any heat but there is a high wind chill. On climbs you get drenched in sweat because you are dressed for going the average speed. Cyclocross used to be a very small niche sub sport in cycling but the short course (1.5-2.5 miles) setup makes it very approachable for spectators and it has become very popular in parts of northern Europe. In Belgium it is typical to see 20,000+ paying spectators at events and now riders specialize in cyclocross and make road racing a secondary career.
Dismount? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0oGMix5X44
Dismount?
Not necessary according to Joey….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEGAIYKTZ9w