The provincial championship of a niche sport is coming to Chilliwack, and the general public is invited to give it a go.
The 2024 B.C. Cyclocross Provincial Championships will be at Watson Glen Park on Sunday, Nov. 3.
It's a combination of road racing, mountain biking and obstacles, and the organizer describes it as "Mario Kart on bikes." But, unlike the popular video game, they won’t be throwing banana peels or tortoise shells at their opponents, or yelling “Take that, loser” as they pass each other.
Or will they?
“Sometimes, because heckling is part of the sport. You get to harass your friends while they’re racing,” said Drew Nelson of Chilliwack-based Thrashers Bike Club, which is hosting the event.
“I call it Mario Kart on bikes because… we turn the park into like a Grand Prix-style course – lots of turns, straight sections, but also obstacles.”
Fellow cyclocross racer Michael van den Ham said the sport is a "mad combination" of steeplechase, road racing, mountain biking, and, yes, Mario Kart.
He's a three-time national champion, has competed in world championships in Europe and raced all across North America, and he designed this year's course, which is about three kilometres long and will be contained entirely within Watson Glen Park.
Both said the park is ideal for cyclocross, and since it's a wide-open space, people will be able to see nearly the entire course from anywhere in the park.
Obstacles include calf-high hurdles that the rider jumps over on-foot while carrying their bike, a set of 30-plus stairs where the competitor must dismount and carry their bike up the stairs, and off-camber slopes which is an “iconic feature” of cyclocross, van den Ham said.
“You’re trying to turn against the direction that the slope wants you to go,” van den Ham said, describing the cycling term. “There’s going to be stuff that makes you think twice about how you should be riding it.”
Both Nelson and van den Ham have been racing cyclocross for about a decade.
Nelson said he loves the challenge of the sport and the cheering, but most of all the atmosphere.
“The atmosphere is electric. The close proximity of the cyclocross races, it makes for this really lively atmosphere. You’re covered in mud, sweat and tears, and it’s just a thrill.”
The championship races start at 10 a.m. with different age categories, plus an elite category. Each race will be about 30-60 minutes long and riders will do about six to 10 laps of the course depending on the category.
Despite all the obstacles, both organizers said pretty much anyone can do cyclocross.
"The beauty of it is, it’s very accessible because it’s quite easy. Even though there are these obstacles, everyone can do it. You don’t really need experience to start in cyclocross, which makes it really accessible to novice riders and youth," Nelson said.
They want to public and youth to try out the sport that day.
There will be a citizens' race at 9 a.m. The cost is $22, plus riders must buy one-day insurance. People can pay the entry fee and the insurance online beforehand, or on the day of the event. Riders need a gravel or cross-country bike for cyclocross.
There will also be a free kids' race at 1:30 p.m.
“It’s absolutely the safest of the cycling disciplines, but not because you crash the least – you probably crash the most – you just crash the least hard,” van den Ham said.
They are expecting 150 riders to compete in the championships. Spectators are welcome to check it out, and heckling the riders is encouraged.
The B.C. Cyclocross Provincial Championships is Sunday, Nov. 3 at Watson Glen Park (5727 Tyson Rd.) in Chilliwack, starting at 9 a.m.
For more info and to register, go to thrashersbc.ca/west-finals.
