Cyclocross Nationals in Austin, TX (aka the Race is Cancelled)
‘Today’s racing is cancelled’. It’s 9am Sunday morning and I’m curled up in my make shift cave consisting of my camping mat in the bike room of a friend’s house where I’d slept all week. Trying in vain to sleep off Friday night’s Mellow Johnny & Castelli party shenanigans, my poor brain isn’t ready for such a comment. The final day of cross nationals just doesn’t get cancelled. That’s like canceling the Super Bowl. Dat shit just don’t happen.
Cross was cancelled. Soon enough social media was full of #crossiscancelled #cxnots and plenty of unhappy folks, rightly so. It was something to do with, trees, roots, mud or something, sounds like cyclocross to me. Anyway the rest of the internet is full of the ins and outs of what happened and whose fault it was or wasn’t. Up until that point it had been a week full of exciting racing with a great blend of people from racers to families all representing their local racers form over the states.
Due to fly home on the Sunday I missed the rescheduled racing for Monday. The last races I managed to catch were the men’s collegiate which provided a true cyclocross experience. Ironically after the rain the course was now at its most exciting. The lines were getting really techy and it was a 50/50 whether or not riders would make it through certain sections unscathed, allowing plenty of fodder for the hyped up crowds to gorge themselves on.
One of the final and positive notes of the week was how the Beat the Clock team & cycling community of Austin rallied together on Sunday morning to bring some enjoyment to what was a more than deflated day for most people. After Thursday’s nights bandit cross’ success an emergency bandit cross race was thrown together in a matter of hours. It allowed some people to race for cash to fund their airfare home and the rest of us a great spectacle of racing. While in Austin I learnt that it has over 70 bike shops to feed what is a superb and very welcoming cycling culture. I was treated to great hospitality and fun bike talk all week. Keep it going Austin, you’re doing great.
This is it, the 2024 cyclocross season is coming to a close with one of the best events of the year