Twitter
Facebook
The Hochwald Cyclocross Cup will take place on Oct. 17 in Hochspeyer at the Sportverein DJK Grün-Weiß.
Cyclocross is a quickly growing niche in cycling and brings all its excitement to the 1 km round course in Hochspeyer for what is sure to be a full-day of great racing.
Cyclocross is the fastest growing segment in cycling due to its short race times and laps, making it easy for both competitors to prepare for and spectators to watch. Fast paced elbow to elbow racing and challenging courses with running sections add to the excitement.
Courses are typically made up of paved and dirt roads, with smaller paths and obstacles to challenge the riders, with sections that force the riders to dismount and run with their bikes.
The Hochwald Cyclo-cross Cup course serpentines around the running track on the Sportverein DJK Grün-Weiß and forest surrounding the area on a 1 km racetrack. Racing will be fast-paced and very tactical with lots of lead changes and attacks during the race.
Organizers Sandi and Ken Bloomer have long been bitten by the cyclocross bug, having raced and organized cyclocross events in the U.S.
“For us, it is our favorite form of racing,” Mr. Bloomer said. “You can design a wide variety of courses from flat and fast to more elevation changes and more technical, but no matter the course, you always have tons of fun.”
The cycling-duo of Mr. and Mrs. Bloomer organized a race weekend as part of a local series back in Colorado for nearly a decade along with putting on a UCI International points cross race are hoping to get more people hooked on cyclocross in Germany.
“The Germans have been traditionally strong in ‘cross not too mention that the World CX Championships are being held for the second time in St. Wendel,” Mr. Bloomer said. “Add that to the fact cyclocross is spectator friendly and one doesn’t need a ton of training to participate, I think this is all good reason to see some growth in the sport over here.”
Mr. Bloomer also filmed a Cyclocross tutorial this summer to help spark more interest in the sport. The video can be seen on the Web at http://vimeo.com/14160471.
On Oct. 17, racing will start at 10:30 a.m. with the Schüler and end with the Men’s Open at 2 p.m. Races will go all day long with a variety of categories, including a kid’s race, a hobby class, and juniors and women’s classes.
Race duration varies from 15 minutes for the kid’s race, to 30 minutes for the hobby class to 60 minutes for the men’s open race.
There will be a designated transition area at the south end of the main field were riders can exchange bikes or wheels.
The course will be open for practice in the afternoon on Oct. 16 along with a free cyclocross technique training session.
For more information on the race, e-mail Mr. Bloomer at info@cremacycles.com.
(Courtesy of Ken Bloomer)
