With last week’s announcement that the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships is returning to the Seattle-Tacoma area in December 2019, it’s the perfect time to take a look back to when top-level UCI cyclocross racing was a regular event at Fort Steilacoom.
The USGP series and the Rad Racing GP brought the country’s best pro cyclocross racers to the park to tackle the infamous 80-meter-long Knapp Time run-up and battle each other for USGP points.
Racing was a bit different back then, with cantilever brakes and metal bikes being the dominant choices. Linear pull brakes weren’t common, disc brakes were banned, and carbon cyclocross frames were still quite rare. On the start line, favorites included the now-retired group of Ryan Trebon, Tim Johnson and Ben Jacques-Maynes, while the women’s side featured Georgia Gould, Lyne Bessette, Wendy Simms and Kerry Barnholt.
Still, some things never change. Some familiar faces still at the front of races today that were also seen battling for victory back in 2006 include the ageless Katie Compton and Katerina Nash, along with Todd Wells and Geoff Kabush.
Have a look at the Steilacoom venue and some great highlights of the USGP’s Rad Racing GP racing from back in 2006 in the low-res video below.
