Zero Weeks Until Cyclocross!
River City Bicycles 2006 Cross Crusade Starts Sunday
PORTLAND, Ore. - The 2006 River City Bicycles Cross Crusade - the
largest participatory cyclocross racing series in the world - kicks off its
seven-race schedule this Sunday, October 1, at Alpenrose Diary in Southwest
Portland, announced Cross Crusade Race Director Brad Ross. The Alpenrose
Cross Crusade will feature more than 500 riders from Oregon and Washington
in 16 classes of competition, from elite men and women to masters and junior
categories. The series, sanctioned by the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association
(OBRA), will pay out more than $20,000 in prize money plus merchandise.
This is the 15th annual River City Bicycles Cross Crusade, firmly
establishing the Northwest as the country's most popular region for
cyclocross bike racing - a specialized, cycling competition that requires
riders to race on a closed-loop circuit, over grass, pavement, gravel, and
mud, with barriers and steep run-ups mixed in for additional challenges.
While the Cross Crusade begins at Alpenrose Dairy this Sunday, the
series' marquee event will be the U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclocross race at
Hillsboro Stadium on November 19 -- which will be the sixth and final race
in the UCI internationally sanctioned Crank Bros. U.S. Gran Prix of
Cyclocross series. (www.usgpcyclocross.com).
"Cyclocross is the most accessible form of bicycle racing,"
explained Ross, who has directed the Cross Crusade for the past decade.
"While road and mountain bike racing can be intimidating, cross is just
plain fun, accessible competition for all ages and abilities. And we make
it as much fun as possible, with all types of prizes and classes, even one
for unicycles. Moreover, we treat everyone the same, from elite Class A
riders to the Beginners. We think of cyclocross as an excuse for adults to
play in the mud with their bikes."
2005 River City Cross Crusade
2-2-2-2
That's not to say cyclocross is all play; it's serious competition,
Ross said. Cyclocross requires special techniques and fitness - dismounting
the bike at speed, running, carrying the bike over barriers, shouldering it
up hills, and maintaining speed through turns and over uneven, muddy
terrain. Plus, the pace is frenetic, with little time to rest and less
opportunity for "slipstreaming," as in road races. Races vary from 30 to 60
minutes depending on the class.
Oregon is home to several of America's top cyclocross racers,
including defending 2005 USGP series and 2004 Category A Men Cross Crusade
champion Barry Wicks and 2004 U.S. National runner-up Ryan Trebon, both of
Corvallis, plus Portland's Shannon Skerritt, 2005 U.S. Nationals masters
titlist. The women's Cross Crusade field will be headed by Portland's
Rhonda Mazza, third in the 2004 U.S. Nationals; and Gina Hall, of Ashland.
Treborn, Wicks and Mazza all represented the U.S. in last year's World
Cyclocross Championships.
The complete River City Cross Crusade schedule is as follows: Race 1 -
October 1, Alpenrose Dairy; Race 2 - October 15, Hillsboro Stadium; Race 3 -
October 22, Horning's Hideout; Race 4 - October 29, Halloween Cross
Festival, Flying M Ranch; Race 5 - November 5, Barton Park; Race 6 -
November 12, OBRA Cyclocross Championships, Estacada Timber Park; and USGP
Finale - November 19, Hillsboro Stadium.
Last year's overall River City Cross Crusade class winners - most of
whom will be back to defend their titles - include Class A Men, Kevin
Hulick; Class B Men, Steven Hunter; Class C Men, Eric Heinrich; Beginner
Men, Matthew Fox; Single Speed, Matthew Slaven; Juniors, Jacob Rathe;
Masters 30+ Category A, John Bravard; Masters 30+ Category B, Michael
Romasco; Masters 30+ Category C, Aaron Leritz; Masters 50+, David Zimbelman;
Category A Women, Wendy Williams; Category B Women, Jade Wilcoxson; Masters
Women 35+, Karen Goritzski; Beginner Women, Jennifer Erxleben; and Junior
Women, Rachelle Hobson.
In addition to the series title sponsor River City Bicycles of
Portland, the Cross Crusade is also supported by Cannondale, Sellwood Cycle
Repair, Russ Auto Group, Health Net, and a host of others. The Cross
Crusade is organized and promoted by Club Vivo, 4409 SW Dosch Road,
Portland, OR 97201, 503-806-6943.
For complete information on the River City Cross Crusade, visit
www.crosscrusade.com. Learn more about the Cross Crusade and all types of
bicycle racing in Oregon at www.obra.org, site of the Oregon Bicycle Racing
Association.
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