General Categories and Start Times
Note: these times do not apply to 542 Cross on Sept. 8th. See the home page for start times.
8:30 - 9:00: OPEN COURSE -- Practice our killer loops!
9:00 - 9:50: CROSS C -- Lower fitness and/or brand new to racing, Women beginners & intermediates, plus teenagers.
10:30 - 11:15: JUNIOR C/D & YOUTH -- Under 15 years of age down to as-young-as-they-come!
11:30 - 12:30: CROSS B -- Moderate fitness, minimal to intermediate racing experience in some discipline, have tried cyclocross before or have natural talent on a bike. Advanced women will race here, as will young adults.
1:00 - 2:15: CROSS A -- You are already wicked fast on a bike in some capacity, or just really enjoy suffering. You have also raced plenty of 'cross before, or have trained and practiced specifically for it!
During each of these four races, 5 to 35 people will ideally register for each of the sub-categories listed below. We will then start the group likely to be fastest and/or largest first. Another group will start a minute or two after that, and so on. Hopefully you can focus on your own race, but there will be some intermingling, so just try to pass people or not get passed by anyone!
If there are less than 5 people in any one sub-category, the organizers reserve the right to combine categories at the start line. We will attempt to score you separately.
8:30 a.m. - About the Course
You will be riding in circles. This may sound boring, but these are really fun circles, with lots of challenges to keep your faculties fully engaged. These loops are also relatively safe, so anyone can try this sport without worrying about getting hit by a car or falling off a cliff. See the Rules for more information about cyclocross in general.
You can ride the course while we are setting up in the morning, and also during the breaks between races, but keep in mind the course is not closed. Watch out for pedestrians, cars, kittens, and anything else you don't want to hit. If you strike or otherwise annoy an event staff person trying to ready the course, you better not be wearing your race number, because we will deduct half your points for the day!
Everyone does the same loop. Fast people will just do them faster! Watch out or they might lap you. According to your category, you will race for the length of time indicated below. Then you will race a little bit more until you cross the finish line again. If you are one (or more) laps down, you just earned yourself a shorter race. Hopefully we notice this and don't give you 2nd place or something. See points for more information on the dark art of getting lapped.
9:00 a.m. - Cross C Categories - 45 minutes
Master C Men - 40+
C Men
Junior B (15-16 yrs. old)
B Women
10:30 a.m. - Junior C/D - 30 minutes
Junior C (13-14 yrs. old)
Junior D (10-12 yrs. old)
* these categories are for kids with competetive experience and/or excellent bicycle skills
11:00 a.m. - Youth Citizens - 10-15 minutes
Kids (2-11 yrs. old)
* these categories are for kids brand new to bike racing.
They will get a few fun laps on a shortened version of the course!
11:30 a.m. - Cross B Categories - 50 minutes
Master B Men - 40+
B Men
Junior A (17-18 yrs. old)
A Women
Singlespeed
1:00 p.m. - Cross A Categories - 65 minutes
Master A Men - 40+
A Men