CrossVegas, as you know, is the biggest cyclocross race held outside the sport’s motherland of Europe. The spectacular classic ‘cross race is back in the Nevada desert for its 10th year on the evening of September 21 at the Desert Breeze Soccer complex way off the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event, not coincidentally, goes down while the largest bicycle industry trade show (Interbike) is in progress a few miles away.
After many years of attracting top ‘cross racers from around the world, the event became part of the official Telenet UCI World Cup Cyclcross series last year — vaulting the event beyond its already legendary status. The course, snaking around the soccer complex, has always been a fan and racer favorite. To celebrate 10 years of top racing in the desert, CrossVegas has introduced some course changes to appeal to those fans and competitors.
Brook Watts is the mastermind of CrossVegas, and he wanted to take the course to the next level. “We’ve taken a world class challenging course and made it even more difficult while enhancing the spectator-friendly aspects that fans have come to love. It’s a Three Ring Circus and a classic study in pain.” In addition to studying pain, Watts was also interested in making the course easier to navigate for the fans. “Spectators will be able to walk around the course a bit easier since traffic flow was a consideration of the design.”
Most of the action this year will happen in ‘The Bowl’ section of venue, allowing for a more arena-like atmosphere for watching the race. The likes of Wout Van Aert, Katie Compton and Lars van der Haar will be challenged by the addition of a large sand pit that sits on an incline. “[It’s] literally a sand dune that will probably earn me very few friends,” explains Watts. CrossVegas staples such as the wooden Raleigh Ramp, the Focus Bikes Stairs remain, while a new flyover sponsored by Kask has been added to the circus.
The expo area has also expanded to include more vendors, while VIP areas have been enhanced. You’ll also be interested to know there is a bigger food selection, and the beer tents have been “strategically placed.”
CrossVegas is very much open to the public. If you find yourself anywhere near Las Vegas in late September, you really ought to join several thousand of your closest friends to experience the largest cyclocross event in the United States.
