Pro men at the starting grid. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Racers wait for the call-up for the Wheelers and Dealers race. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Reigning U.S. cyclocross national champion Katie Compton chatting it up with a friend Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Pink gorilla sighting. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
The sandpit where only the pro men managed to ride through. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Nice shirt, dude. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Kaitlin Antonneau of Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com waves to a friend during her warmup. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
The lead group of the elite women navigating the course Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Almost done. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Crystal Anthony reacts after racing CrossVegas Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
FYI. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Post-race recovery. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Getting Ready. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
The crowd at CrossVegas. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
(L-R) Jeremy Powers, Wout Van Aert, and Michael Vanthourenhout at the line. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Stephen Hyde getting it done in the sandpit. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Wout Van Aert cruising to a solo win. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
After. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Elite women's podium. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Elite men's podium. Photo: Stephen Lam/element.ly
Racing cross at a place named Desert Breeze Soccer Complex is such an irony because it was hardly a breeze. Okay, the weather at CrossVegas this year was noticeably more tolerable but it’s a World Cup damnit. There’s nothing easy about that.
For the spectators, however, CrossVegas was a blast. Quality racing, great atmosphere, and plenty of hospitality. It’s also a much-needed break from listening to and giving product pitches at InterBike. Two highlights:
Sophie De Boer out sprinted Katie Compton and Katerina Nash on the finishing straight for the win while Nash worked her way to claim second after a crash in the sandpit. Impressive.
The sandpit got everyone talking about whether anyone would be able to ride through it. The announcers joked it was “the finest sand imported from Tahiti”. The elite men did it like hot knife through butter. Then there was the Wout van Aert’s solo win that was so thrilling that he made it look easy even though it was obvious the warm, dry heat affected just about everyone, including the supposedly ice-cold beers. Still, the turnout and the atmosphere was pretty cool. Can’t wait to go back next year.
