October 24, 2017 (Sherbrooke, Que.) – Canada’s best cyclocross racers will be heading to Sherbrooke this coming weekend for the 2017 CX National Championships. Pedal spoke with race organizer Stéphane Vallières about how this year’s event is shaping up, new features, and exciting future projects.

Last year’s CX Nationals was the biggest cyclocross race Sherbrooke has seen – what’s new for 2017?
Stéphane Vallières: There are lots of exciting changes. We were able to add a Flyover structure this year that allows us to execute the whole course in a smaller area which is much more interesting for spectators and riders. The team tents will  also be near the start-finish area just a few steps away from the beer tent where spectators can have a good time while watching the race and seeing all of the action.

This Flyover will feature a set of stairs to challenge all racer’s legs each lap. With this change to the course configuration it also allows us to add another set of stairs near the Lac des nations. It will be a much tougher Nationals course this year with these additional bike dismounts.

We’ve also removed the sand trap which was too easy and not slowing the riders down enough near the beer tent. This is where spectators love to be, so we want to give them a good show. We have approval for a 180-degree turn so that racers will actually ride through the tent for a short while (pending official approval on Oct. 26 when the commissaires review things).

For those who have never ridden the course, how would you describe it?
SV: It’s a rolling course…but everything depends on the temperature. The course is all on grass and we’ve been riding it for weeks – it’s pretty fast. But as soon as the rain hits, everything changes. That was the case last year. Freezing temperatures overnight made it even nastier. By the time the Elite riders were racing the course has become really technical with mud everywhere. So we’ll just have to see what race day brings.

The atmosphere last year was great with people cheering everywhere – how did you bring cyclocross fever to Sherbrooke?
SV: A few a us have been racing in the USA for quite a while. We experienced well-organized events with a great atmosphere so we decided to try and replicate this here – having a good party and festival type atmosphere is very important. The local Siboire microbrewery helps make this happen by providing a beer tent and restaurant located next to the course. It’s a perfect place to enjoy the race action and end the day in a true celebratory fashion.

Sherbrooke has been hosting cx events for 20 years – what did your team learn from organizing the CX Nationals for 2 years in a row?
SV: I’ll say that overall we’ve been improving each year. Moving the race to a new location at Parc Jacques Cartier two years ago for Quebec’s provincial cyclocross championships was a major benefit for us. Of course 2016 was a big step hosting the nationals which helped us to fine-tune things and bring in new features like the Flyover. We have plans for next year as well.

The Canadian CX championship will be moving elsewhere in 2018 – what are your plans then?
SV: We have lots of exciting plans going forward. We would like to begin with a UCI race weekend next year around the end of October. We have incredible support from the community here which is why many of these cyclocross dreams have come to reality through the years.

Is it true that Sherbrooke wants to become the Canadian capital of cyclocross?
SV: We are always keen to improve and the city council is happy with the event as it brings life to Parc Jacques Cartier during fall which is generally a quiet time of the year. Also the Sherbrooke Cycling Club membership is growing each year and we have strength in numbers. We are always the most highly represented club at provincial races in Quebec. Around 40 members show up for our Tuesday night training session. Considering that we’re at the end of a long season of road and mountain biking this means a lot.

Finally, our partners are very supportive to make it much easier and rewarding. Siboire is providing a lot of staff and meals for our devoted volunteers. Shimano helps us with many kilometers of banners and technical help. Castelli is back with us for a second year while we welcome Cannondale and Subaru for 2018.

We can wait for everyone to arrive in Sherbrooke for the CX Nationals this special and unique weekend.

Registration for CX Nationals is still open in every category, from youngsters to masters – click here.

Visit the event’s website here and facebook page here for more details.