Cyclocross in the Rain at Croton Cross
From the moment that I read Diane’s Weekend Forecast for Croton Cross, I knew that had a decision to make. You see, racing cyclocross in the rain is one of those few aspects of the sport that I have close to zero desire to participate in.
Part of this is that where some racers see “true cyclocross conditions™️” I see destroyed equipment, trashed kit, and lap after lap of mind numbing mud. None of which is helped by my stubborn goal to get through an entire cyclocross season without changing out my beloved file treads. The other part of this is that I absolutely love photographing rainy bike races. Give me the choice between thrashing my bike in the rain or taking my camera out to Bubblecross 2023 or Charm City 2022, and nine times out of ten I’ll choose my camera.
Other Croton Cross 2023 Content:
Croton Cross: the Photo Gallery Part One — To Be Determined Journal
Croton Cross: the Race Report and Photo Gallery Part 2 — To Be Determined Journal
As you probably guessed, Croton Cross Day One turned out to be one of those nine times. Come Saturday morning I left my (very clean) cyclocross bike safe and sound in the garage and headed north with rain gear in one hand and my camera in the other. Arriving at Croton Point Park, I actually felt a touch of disappointment when Keith Garrison told me the rain was likely going to skip the race (side note: we interviewed Keith a few years back and its worth a read).
Spoiler alert dear reader: Keith was very very wrong and the rain did not skip the race. Instead it started during the Men’s 4 field and never really let up - ranging from light sprinkles to full fledged downpour throughout the rest of the races. Before long, the ride-ups were becoming run-ups, and racers were slipping and sliding their way through the course’s challenging off-camber sections. All of which set up perfectly for my preferred style of photographing bike races: up close and with the rain pouring down.
Once the rain started the day became a bit of a blur. With a spread out course like Croton, there was no way to cover the far ends of the race. Instead I bounced around the section near the race pavilion, capturing teammates and friends as they thrived (or possibly struggled) in obviously challenging conditions. For the TBD squad it was a successful day of racing with a plethora of top ten results, led by Yosef taking a podium in his field (hashtag Year of Yosef).
As the hours ticked by and the Elite Women’s field kicked off, I realized that I was soaked to the bone, absolutely freezing, and hadn’t eaten anything all day. The feeling was such that perhaps I should have just raced after all. But then again, when I have this much fun shooting in the rain, it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to capture friends from the NYC cycling community in action amid “true cyclocross conditions™️.”
Stay tuned for a much larger gallery with more a couple hundred photographs coming up later this week.
Croton Cross Preview Gallery by Matt
A New York City based cyclist and sometimes photographer. Part adventure rider, part crit racer, and fully obsessed with an English bulldog named Winifred.
Instagram: @photorhetoric
E-mail: matthew@tobedetermined.cc
