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Cross Crusade Goes Beyond the Bike

By Katie Hawkins

One state’s crappy weather is 1,000 racers’ gold. The Pacific Northwest is infamous for its wet seasons that seemingly last year-round. Clouds, rain, and mud — to some it’s only good for one thing: cyclocross. That’s probably why Portland’s Cross Crusade is the nation’s premier ‘cross series. Or it could be the music, beer, free food, prizes and all around great time.

Photo courtesy of Dave Roth / cycling.dmroth.com

Autumn is recess time! For most cyclists the racing season is over. Now it's time to go have some serious fun in the mud, and cyclocross is just what everyone needs once the rain starts falling.

Cyclocross is one of the most popular racing disciplines in competitive cycling. In the early 1900s, European road racers recognized that riding on rough terrain during the winter could keep them in shape during the off-season, and soon it became a season of racing all its own.

The first national championships were held in France in 1902. Belgium (1910), Switzerland (1912), Luxembourg (1923), Spain (1929) and Italy (1930) were soon to follow. The first competitions were more like what a cross-country mountain bike race is today, consisting of leaving one point, crossing fields, forests, hills and rivers, and eventually the finish line.

Cyclocross slowly developed in popularity, and promoters began to search for shorter courses in order to facilitate spectators. These were usually in cities where obstacles became long sections of stairs, gardens and small fences similar to what is utilized today. The first World Cyclocross Championship was presented in Paris in 1950. In the 1960s, the sport made its way to the U.S. as a somewhat underground phenomenon in Seattle and Portland, New England, Northern California and Colorado.Recently, it has become bigger than ever.

Over the years, the sport has undergone many changes and the International Cycling Union (UCI) began to standardize racecourses. Now, typical short circuits vary from 2.5km to 3.5km. The courses run through both paved and gravel roads, country and forest paths, and have obstacles that may or may not require riders to dismount and carry their bikes on their shoulders. Each course is 80 to 90 percent rideable with up to four natural and/or artificial obstacles. Short 30- to 60-minute races are a great way to extend the cycling season and a fun way to train.

Today, some of the top professional cyclocross riders, such as Portland’s Sue Butler (Hudz/Subaru) and Bend’s Ryan Trebon (Felt Bicycles), can sometimes be seen at Cross Crusade races. But Rick Potestio, founder of Cross Crusade, and director Brad Ross emphasize that the reason Cross Crusade is the most popular series is because it is not exclusive to elite racers. In fact, their goal is to get anyone and everyone to try the sport.

“Cross Crusade is the most attended cyclocross series because of the way we recast it as an event that attracts newcomers to the world of cycling,” explains Potestio, who took over in 1990 when it was formerly known as “First Mud,” a mere three-race elite series. By 1993 he and his team changed the name and revamped it to include categories for all abilities. It grew from between 70 to 100 participants its first year to averaging 1,150 people per race.

“For many, it serves as an entry point for any competitive cycling discipline,” says Ross. “It is the first place people go to compete because it is the least threatening and the most fun.”

Photo courtesy of Dave Roth / cycling.dmroth.com

Fun seems like an understatement when Ross and Potestio describe Cross Crusade. Not only are there killer courses, but there is also free food, lots of beer, and a plethora of prizes.

“We decided prizes shouldn’t be limited to the top three finishers in each race, so we came up with other ways to distribute them,” says Potestio. And they got creative. Racers who see “The Black Knight,” a rider dressed in black who can cut the course and ride anywhere, are able to grab prizes (such as gift certificates or redeemable receipts) out of his back pocket if they can get within reach. There is also a daily “bingo number,” and if someone finishes in that spot they receive a free six-pack of beer. Costumes are encouraged around Halloween, where participants get discounts and prizes if they dress up. Even riddles became a part of the tradition after numerous poster confusions about race venues.

“It became an adventure to find the races sometimes, so when people would ask us about it, we would say, ‘We didn’t want to make it so easy for you to find!’ The mistakes soon turned into us purposely planting [them] on our posters, and those who solved them would win something,” says Potestio. This also inspired the annual scavenger hunt, where participants can solve a riddle that points them to a historical spot in Portland where they must find another clue. Those who solve them win a prize at the end of the season, and are entered into a raffle for round trip airfare to see the World Championships in Europe.

However, in the last few years it has become quite the challenge to come up with riddles that will stump smart phones. It is still to be decided if the Crusaders will be putting on a treasure hunt this season, but they will for sure be hosting a film festival the weekend following the series, where a competition will be held to see who makes the best cyclocross mini-film. Cross Crusade organizers plan to rent a theater, have an “orange” carpet (to match their official colors), and celebrate, Portland-style.

With all this surrounding the competition, many would agree that Cross Crusade is more like a festival than just a few heats of racing.

“We changed what cyclocross means,” says Potestio, who explains that when his team decided to revitalize the original series, they decided — after several beers — that cyclocross “should be more than a series, but a season. Then we said, ‘no, more than a season — a religion.’” And that is how the Cross Crusaders formed their name, deciding they wanted to create a following that puns the pseudo-religion controversies that were taking place during the early ‘90s. They succeeded. “[Cyclocross] is something we want people to think about all year round. It’s a movement that attracts all sorts of people.”

Not only does the series draw more than 1,000 participants per race, it attracts even more spectators. Cross Crusade is extremely viewer friendly, another contributing factor to its popularity. Friends and family can pull their cars right up to the edge of the track and tailgate and BBQ while they watch the race. But Ross emphasizes that, though cyclocross is fun to watch, it is even more fun to join in.

Photo courtesy of Dave Roth / cycling.dmroth.com

“Our goal isn’t to get spectators, the goal is to get participants,” he says. “Don’t spectate; participate.”

Ross and his team of Crusaders are always planning ways to keep the series fun and interesting, and this year’s races are looking to be the most attended, both by participants and spectators, ever.

“It’s still about the race,” emphasizes Potestio. But who says you can’t make it a party?

Visit www.crosscrusade.com to find more details, race schedule, photos, results and to register.