SSCXWCPDX16
If that string of letters doesn't strike a combination of fear and excitement into your heart, I'll just pretend I don't know you. For those of you that don't understand, let me explain. Cyclocross is a bit crazy, singlespeed racers are a bit crazy, Portland is a bit crazy and when you combine all three it makes Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships 2016: One part athletes, one part racing, 5 parts mud, 10 parts booze and 100 parts insanity.
After 10 years, Portland laid claim to the "world championship" stage again. I know it's not a sanctioned or "official" world championship race. But even Sven Nys, the best cross racer of all time, thought it was worth checking out.
Portland didn't disappoint. With a solid night of rain before the main event the fields out at Kruger's Farm turned into a bog rarely seen outside of the Pacific Northwest. Even hipsters in their Subarus were getting stuck in the parking lot.
The racing was crazy fast even with the copious amounts of mud, which doubled the weight of everyone's bikes. Good thing there was a lake that racers had to ride through, which allowed for a little mid-lap bike cleaning. If the course wasn't hard enough, throw in obstacles like the ball pit that kept people on their toes. Nothing says bike racing like "flying dirty muddy balls."
All in all it was an epic day, one that I won't quickly forget. Some sights are still burned into my retinas. One of the best days in the mud with a beer and a camera that I can remember.
