Sun sets on Cyclocross Crusade season at Sauvie Island (Photo Gallery)

Another excellent Cyclocross Crusade season is done and dusted. Or perhaps I should say, mudded.

Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie Island played host to the festivities where participants battled muddy conditions for final placings in the nine race series. Our photographer Drew Coleman was on the scene and shared a report and photos:

“The final Cyclocross Crusade was at a classic Portland venue/ Kruger’s Farm included the “Kruger’s Six Pack” which is a set of six consecutive barriers (when normally you find only a single or double). You might recall Kruger’s as host of Singlespeed Worlds a few years ago and in homage, Crusade organizers had the singlespeed men do LeMans-style start. They left their bikes in the starting chute, walked about yards away and then on the horn they sprinted to their bikes and started to race!

It was a creative course and different from years past. It lacked defining features such as a big run-up, elevation gain, off-camber sections or drop-offs we find at other venues. It was pretty flat with quite a few straight and wide sections. What it does have, though, is soft ground and there was just enough rain to finally introduce a bit of mud. When racers put watts into the ground, they didn’t get them back. I haven’t seen that much suffering in a while. With the mud, coupled with the grass and vegetation of the farm, there was a lot of thick build up on brakes, chains and especially in rear derailleurs.

I’m sad to see the 26th season of Cyclocross Crusade come to an end; but one race still remains – the new Bridge City CX race this coming Sunday (11/24). After that, most of us will clean up our bikes and wait until next year while the more ambitious riders will head to Tacoma for USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships.”

Thanks for covering the season for us Drew!

If you’d like to see more of Drew’s work, check out his website and follow him at LCN_PDX on Instagram. Also, please do not share these images elsewhere. We’ve purchased a right to use the images and you must do the same if you’d like to use them.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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