Presented by the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance and CT-NEMBA, CycloCross returns to Hartford this October at Riverside Park. If you're racing, enjoy the picturesque setting next to the Connecticut River while wallowing in the mud and take in views of the Hartford skyline as you trudge up the 40 foot high levee. The first race is at 10:00am and the last one starts at 2:00pm. It's free to watch, so stop by. Central Wheel, REI, Hooker Brewing Company and Ghostship Clothing have signed on as sponsors.
More from Brendan's invitation:
For those of you unfamiliar with cyclocross, it's a form of bicycle racing with bikes that kind of look like road bikes, but they have wider, knobby tires and cantilever brakes, instead of calipers. The races take place on off-road courses, usually in parks and that are generally artificial. They aren't as difficult or as long as mountain bike courses. The courses also feature barriers that require the riders to dismount and jump over, and a "run up" (or several), which is a steep section that requires riders to dismount and, well, run up.
Cyclocross races take place in the fall and early winter, after the road and mountain bike racing series are over. This form of racing is about seventy or eighty years old and grew out of the idea of giving bike racers something to do to keep fit in the off season. It's really, really big in the low countries of Europe. It's been raced in the US for awhile. New England is sort of renowned/infamous for its difficult muddy, rooty and rocky courses. The races are generally fun and spectator friendly because the courses are pretty short and have the potential to be crash-laden. If you have an interest in racing, you can pre-register here.
See you Sunday,
Brendan
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