Welcome! The season is drawing near and the local race schedules are starting to take shape. Here's a run down on what has been published so far.
To kick off the season is the increasingly popular
Labor Day Cross Championships and swap meet (and 5k cross country run) held at South Seatac. You can find all the details
here.
For the 'crossers of Western Washington, The Emerald City Cyclocross Series - or now I believe it is being referred to as simply the
Seattle Cyclocross Series has announced its schedule:
9-24 - Fort Steilacoom
10-1 - South SeaTac
10-15 - Kelley Creek
10-22 - Donida Farms
10-29 - Snohomish
11-12 - Evergreen HS
12-2 & 3 - Fort Flagler
12-10 - Kelley Creek
A 'work-in-progress' flier for the series is right
here.
Highlights of the series include the season opener at Steilacoom with the run-up from hell, also two stops at the wildly popular Kelley Creek including the Series Finale on December 10th. Perennial favorite Evergreen HS is slated for November 12th, however there seems to be some issues with obtaining permits from the Park Department so if it they can't secure the facility then the week's race will be moved to South Seatac. With Evergreen being a highlight of the last two seasons, everyone is pushing for the Parks Dept to not let us down. Don't forget about the 2-day cross festival at Fort Flagler. This year will boast two different courses, overnight lodging is available and last year's event even boasted a cross-country fun run. The promoters have a big task to surpass the success of last year's event. Rounding out the series is a stop at a 'the farm', Donida Farms, where else can you ride your bike on a horse-track. Also, a new stop will grace the series, the boys from up north have put together an event in Snohomish. Word is the course if very euro and anticipation is high to add this venue as a new favorite.
One of the most anticipated events of the season occurs on the night of Saturday, September 30th. In what is now its 4th (or 5th year),
Star Crossed has gained a reputation of being one of the most fun events of the season and also highlights some of the best competition in the northwest. Where else can you find top caliber racing, a night-time party atmosphere, thumping sounds from featured DJ's and a huge beer garden set up right next to the course to cheer on your favorites. You won't want to miss this one. Check out all the details at their
website.
This season the
US Gran Prix of Cyclocross has chosen the pacific northwest as their final stop. Tacoma hosts the 5th stop of the tour on November 18 and then the USGP final will be held in Portland the next day. Details are still fuzzy on locations but keep track of it all at the
USGP website.
The buzz out of Portland is the release of the 2006
Cross Crusade schedule. Arguably the biggest and best series in the nation and boasting some of the top talent in the country, this year's edition seems to be right on par with past years. The schedule is shaping up like this:
10/1 Cross Crusade #1 Portland (Alpenrose or PIR?)
10/15 Cross Crusade #2 Portland (Alpenrose or PIR?)
10/22 Cross Crusade #3 Hillsboro
10/29 Cross Crusade #4 Yamhill
11/5 Cross Crusade #5 Carver (Barton)
11/12 Cross Crusade #6 Estacada
11/19 Cross Crusade #7 Hillsboro (also the USGP Finals)
The Cross Crusade series goes with some old stand-by favorites like Alpenrose and Estacada and also looks to add a new venue or two perhaps??? Final locations haven't been announced but we will post the info as soon as we get it.
Other promoters are also scheduling races to occupy vacant weekends and also adding Saturday races to create weekend-doubles along with the established local series. The people in
Bellingham, WA, and
Eugene, OR, are hard at work planning smaller series which fill up the calendar nicely.
Can't close this out without giving a shout to the great white north.
British Columbia has put together one of the tightest and coolest series around. 2006 looks to be no exception. They have rolled out the following schedule:
Sept 10 Fort Langley Cyclocross Classic, Langley
Sept 17 Diver Lake Park Cross, Nanaimo
Sept 24 Escape Velocity Grand Prix, Vancouver
Oct 1 Bayside Cyclocross Race, Surrey
Oct 14 Coastal Cross Classic, Delta
Oct 21 Vanier Park Cyclocross, Vancouver
Oct 28 Provincial Championships, Vancouver, double series points on the line
For the rules, regs and more info than you could ever possibly want, take a
peek here.
Check back for more updates as they become available. We'll have info on the
Idaho scene and the
Inland Empire (eastern Washington) as soon as it becomes available. Approximately 1 month until the season gets underway... time to get out the bike and dust if off and start those barrier-hopping drills.
Got any news, suggestions, corrections, gossip, advice, or just want to chat??? Email us
here!
