Just popping in real quick on this Labor Day holiday to show you some of the hard work of local bike racers…
The cyclocross season blasted off Sunday with a full menu of races at Het Meer, part of the Harvest CX series put on by Zone 5 Promotions. Riders from all over the region descended on Vancouver Lake Regional Park just across the Columbia River in Washington. From kiddies to juniors, beginners to pros, there was a diverse display of racing talent on display.
While the course didn’t have much in the way of elevation gain, the high temps and brutally-hard beach section sapped strength of even the strongest racers. The sand was too soft and deep to ride through, so racers had to run down it, then trudge along the shoreline, then dismount again and carry their bikes back up the beach. It was brutal!
Here’s the full gallery:
Congrats to all the racers. Stay tuned for more ‘cross coverage as the season heats up (and hopefully the weather cools down!).
Thanks for reading.
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So good! Thanks for the coverage.
Nice to see all the kids!
Yes I thought the same thing! The sport of ‘cross is in good hands with the next generation.
Maybe somebody from OBRA could tell me why they run cyclocross (a cold, wet weather event), in the hot, dry season?
For many reasons:
-there’s demand for it(people show up to these early races)
-it’s a great way to get kids and new riders to come out(when the weather is great); this might not be the case if asked to come out when it was 44F and pouring rain.
-given that some segment/aspect of the sport is tied to a “funnel” towards national level events later in the year, nationals in December, and then Worlds in late Jan/ or Feb. these early events and scheduling make the most sense for those that are headed in that direction(this is pretty normal if you look at the USA calendar). Ya these’s an actual sport here beyond people dressing up and throwing beers around.
-lastly…cause it’s cross, not meant to be easy. The weather plays a roll.