Red Cross

This weekend was the inaugural installment of Cornell Cycling's "Red Cross" cyclocross race and it was a huge success by regional standards. I can only imagine the following this would get in New England.

In all, we drew 100 racers...which is probably how many riders register in the first 5 minutes for Gloucester...but numbers like that are huge for central NY, even for well established races. Despite (or because of!) the sloppiest conditions, the course was very ride-able and required a good mix of power and driving skills. We got rave reviews on the course and the venue. We have a winner for years to come!

On that note, the course's resistance to total deterioration has made me wonder why races like the Mercer Cup are so well received. Yes, there are a ton of great riders and the big national CX scene is amazing...but the course sucked! Even in dry conditions, the Mercer course was weak at best. A flyover does not make up for a total lack of terrain or anything interesting. Aside from the $$$ involved, how does a course like that make the cut? They could do a lot better for such a quality event.

Alright, enough of the rant there.

Laura came out to race AND take some photos. I'm sure there are a ton more in the works, but I think these really capture the day.

Newly minted NY state champ Wayne Bray in the whoops section


Some rode, some ran.

The leader of the 3/4 race before he flatted. Love those barriers!

It was a lot of work, but totally worth it in the end. Stay tuned for Red Cross v2.0 next year!