On Friday of the 2017 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, this is what peoples’ bikes were looking like after the race. It was a weird amalgamation of frozen slush and mud that crusted onto the spokes almost more than any other part of the bike. Pit crews were running out of water in their portable sprayers, begging and borrowing from others, but there was simply no avoiding the grit. Check out the muddy, snowy race pics below to see why, plus a whole lot more good stuff from the races.
Friday’s course looked mostly like this.
But we woke up Saturday morning to this.
Because cyclocross.
Main parking was on one side of the interstate, the event was on the other, so we got to cross this pedestrian bridge each day and get a birds eye view of the course’s start/finish area and one of the more interesting run-ups and descents. With temps below 20ºF all weekend, people were getting creative to stay warm.
This was my first impression of the course on Thursday afternoon. Oh, how things changed quickly.
Sunday’s pro races brought out the big guns. We’ve already covered many of the pro bikes with the latest and greatest, but Richard Sach’s team stuck with the tried and true – steel frames with cantilever brakes. That’s the man himself on the left.
Van Dessel’s Maximenko had an interesting motivational message on his bike:
This customization was on an age grouper’s bike if I recall correctly.
Shimano provided some home cooking inside a heated tent to keep us all happy. Minestrone and chili, both delicious, were free to everyone, and they had the pro races live broadcasting on multiple flat screens. Very nice.
More cowbell?
The 7-and-under kids race of the weekend took place between the pro races. The whole field raced by, then just as spectators were about to start crossing the course, this little guy came running around the corner. Applause and cheers erupted, warm fuzzies felt by everyone. In our book, he had already won.
Awesome weekend, and worth a trip every year. Search “Pro Bike Check” to see more coverage from the event, and check out the massive race photo gallery on our Facebook page! That wraps our coverage of the 2017 event, thanks for watching.
