October 9, 2007 – The UCI-C2 International Pro-Am Cyclo-Cross Races, November 10-11, 2007, taking place at 256 Centennial Park Rd., Toronto, are expected to attract 250+ daily professional, elite amateur to raw newbies from many parts of Canada and the Eastern US seaboard.

– 10 pm to 4 pm each day
– rain or shine – the nastier the weather the better
– park setting, no admission charge

The Centennial UCI-C2 international pro-am cyclo-cross’ programming includes:

UCI-C2 races for elite category men and women plus males and female racing for:
– masters (over 35 years)
– youth (11 to 19 years of age),
– beginner adults and
– school children (grades 5 to 12)

This U-tube video demonstrates crazy-cool aspects and fun inherent in the fastest growing participation sport in North America (20% growth per year) — watch the Granogue 2006 Cyclocross here.

About Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross racers take the “overcoming obstacles” to an extreme. The very nature of cyclo-cross is a high-speed race with lots of turns, interspersed with unrideable terrain, such as mud or steep climbs, that require the racers push, pull or carry their bikes at a flat-out run, before remounting so swiftly that many first-time viewers don’t even realize at first that the entire pack of bike racers had even been off their bikes. Cyclo-cross competitors are well-rounded, highly-trained athletes “gettin’ it on” on a field of play that requires a lot of different skills and techniques.

Cyclo-cross was originally created as a winter-training sport for road cycling. Today for many “˜cross riders road cycling is training for the discipline they love the most”¦ “˜cross! Mountain Bike magazine recently called the stars of European cyclocross, “the most elite fraternity in cycling.” (Mountain Bike, Rodale Press, November 2007, page 66).

Why so many people are taking up cyclo-cross? Well, because “it’s fun as hell.”

Seeing cyclo-cross for the first time, it’s no surprise that it’s growing in popularity. What is shocking is the speed with which its popularity is growing. In a time when participation in traditional sports and the newly mainstream action sports has flattened, regional cyclo-cross series around the continent have been experiencing exponential, 20-plus percent growth over the past three years.

What makes cyclo-cross spectator friendly?
Centennial Park’s setting with the courses laid-out so that the spectators see all the action, trills and spills. Erwin Vervecken, the current World Professional Cyclo-Cross Champion says, “In a park, people can see what you do all the time because for them the course is within sight. And in North America they don’t even charge people to watch, crazy! For me, this is the future.” At Centennial the typical lap time is between 7 and 9 minutes of which a spectator can see most of the exciting action — transitions, running, hurdling, painful climbs and fast technical descents — from one location.

Data Sheet

UCI-C2 International Pro-Am Cyclo-Cross Races at Centennial Park, Toronto

Time & Days: 10 am to 4 pm, Saturday November 10 and Sunday November 11, 2007

What: International Cyclo-Cross featuring men’s and women’s Elite races sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) the recognized world governing body of cycling plus semi-pro, amateur, beginner and school-student races — a race for everyone from 10 to 70 years of age.
The amateur and semi-pro races are sanctioned by Ontario Cycling Association, the governing body of cycling in Ontario.

Who: Approximately 250 participants

Location: Centennial Park near the ski hill, Rathburn Road, Toronto, ON.
Saturday we utilize the west side of the ski hill
Sunday we use the east side and the ski hill itself

Saturday November 10, 2007 Schedule
– 10:00 50 minutes Master 2 m OCA
Under 19 m & f OCA
Master f OCA
– 11:15 60 minutes Master 1 M OCA
– 12:45 45 minutes Pro-Am Elite F UCI-C2
– 13:45 3 laps Grades 5 & 6 m & f OCA short course
– 13:45 5 laps Grades 7 & 8 m & f OCA short course
– 14:05 7 laps Grades 9 & 10 m & f OCA short course
– 14:05 7 laps Grades 11 & 12 m & f OCA short course
– 15:00 60 minutes Pro-Am Elite M UCI-C2

Sunday November 11, 2007 Schedule
– 10:00 40 minutes Senior 3 & 4 M OCA
Master 3 M OCA
Under 17 m & f OCA
Beginner m & f OCA
– 11:00 Remembrance Day Ceremony
– 11:15 50 minutes Master 2 m OCA
Master f OCA
Under 19 m OCA
– 12:30 60 minutes Master 1 M OCA
– 14:00 45 minutes Pro-Am Elite F UCI-C2
– 15:15 60 minutes Pro-Am Elite M UCI-C2

Please note: females 16 to over 35 years race Pro-Am Elite at UCI sanctioned races.

Background

Explanation: Cyclo-cross is a hybrid between high-speed bicycle road racing and technical mountain bike racing with cross country running and hurdling thrown in for fun. The most distinctive characteristic of the sport are the man-made hurdles and natural obstacles that require the riders to periodically dismount and run with their bikes before jumping back on at a full run. The courses are primarily off-road, relatively short and easy to view. Courses are often designed to double-back on themselves so that spectators can watch various parts of each lap from a singe vantage point.

History: Cyclo-cross dates back to the 1920’s. The modern era began in 1950 with the running of the first Professional World Championships in Paris France. Like basketball, cyclo-cross was originally envisioned as winter-time training. Also like basketball, cyclo-cross has turned into it’s own unique sport with most high-level practitioners specializing in cyclo-cross and using other forms of bike racing (road racing, mountain bike racing) as method of getting in shape for cyclo-cross. Cyclo-cross is very popular in portions of Europe; especially in Belgium and The Netherlands, where entire towns are fenced-off in order to charge admission to the races, races are regularly broadcast live on national networks and cyclo-cross stars are like rock stars with groupies and their own t.v. shows.

North American History: With annual growth in excess of 20% annually, cyclo-cross may be the fastest-growing participant sport in North America. Canadian and American cyclo-cross races are typically held in public parks, but the tremendous growth is creating new venue opportunities, such as night-time races in Las Vegas and also at the New Jersey State Fair (where cyclo-cross drew bigger crowds than the fair’s traditional motor sports events.)

How to get started — learn-to-cross: 6 pm, every Tuesday night, under the lights of Centennial Park’s ski hill between 30 and 50 cyclo-crossers aged 11 to mid 50’s meet to learn, practice and hone their cyclo-cross skills. New people are always welcome. A typical evening is 30 minutes of warming-up and self-directed practice, followed by a 45 minute coaching-practice session led by some of the best cyclo-crossers in Canada and the evening ends with a three to five lap fun race. Newbies are given special attention. Everyone is welcome and the cost is minimal.

Equipment needs: To start use the bike you currently own — a mountain bike, a cyclo-cross bike or road bike with deep tread tires (cyclo-cross tires). A good quality helmet and some warm clothing is all that is required.

Riding skills needed: Basic ability to ride a bicycle and to run is the starting point, we teach everything else.

Rewards: Every week a participant will learn something new and we promise that every week you will go home pleased with your accomplishments. The work-out is pretty good too, to believe how good you need to experience it for yourself!

Organizer: Midweek is the premiere educational cycling club in Ontario, offering programming from April through December, for example the just concluded Learn to Race clinics on Mondays, races every Tuesday and Thursdays and our fall cyclo-cross “learn-to/training camp” every Tuesday from September to December at Centennial Park. We have just completed hosting the Provincial Road Cycling Championships in Milton to solid reviews all around.