As sports fans, we watch sporting events for any number of reasons. Fun, diversion, camaraderie, weird obsessions, whatever it might be.
One of those reasons for many is the hope that if we watch enough events, we will get to witness something special. It does not happen often, but every once in a while a great game or race comes along that stands out as an event we will remember not just next week but next year.
So what makes a cyclocross race achieve greatness? That is a good question.
In ’cross, the races we remember seem to come down to battles between two riders—Nys v. Stybar, 2014; Vos v. Cant, 2017, the races may start with large groups, but they usually seem to come down to a duel between two. The chess match between the two, the attacks and counters push riders to their limit and force them to raise their respective ’cross games to another level.
We remember the examples above because the stakes were so high. Great races can happen locally on any given Saturday or Sunday, but true greatness is usually reserved for those races when the most prestigious titles are on the line.
Finally, there are the storylines. Every athlete comes to the line with a story—where they are in their career, what they've accomplished that season, what they have not accomplished that season. These stories can elevate a race to something that is about much more than just a race.
This calendar year, there have been a number of cyclocross races that were nothing short of barn burners. Today, we look back at six classic races that have a good chance of being remembered years from now.
Use the next button to read about each.
Marianne Vos v. Ellen Noble – 2018 World Cup Waterloo, Wisconsin
For Ellen Noble, you could not have scripted her Sunday at the 2018 World Cup Waterloo any better.
When her former Aspire Racing program folded, there was a sense Noble would quickly land on her feet. Noble found the perfect situation when she signed with Trek Factory Racing to race the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups over the summer and cyclocross in the fall. It was a return to her dirt roots and a chance to race with an all-star cast of Emily Batty, Evie Richards and now, Jolanda Neff.
After her race in Waterloo, Noble said she placed a lot of significance on the World Cup there. The event was on home turf at Trek Headquarters, and the company made news by placing the Elite Women’s race in the marquee time slot at the end of the racing day.
Ellen Noble signed with Trek Factory Racing for the 2018/19 mountain bike and cyclocross seasons. 2018 Trek CX Cup, Waterloo © Cyclocross Magazine / R. Clark
Trek as a company put a lot of work into building a buzz around its race, so when the Elite Women toed the line, the stage was set for a barn burner to end the lively weekend of professional and amateur racing.
Vos’ presence in Waterloo was special in and of itself. Throughout her career, the seven-time world champion typically kicked off her cyclocross season in December, getting six to eight weeks of racing in before Worlds.
This year, Vos decided to go all-in on cyclocross, starting her season at World Cup Waterloo and racing through the European Championships before starting things up again in December. The World Cup in Waterloo marked the first race of her full ’cross season.
Marianne Vos kicked off her cyclocross season in September at World Cup Waterloo. 2018 World Cup Waterloo. © R. Clark / Cyclocross Magazine
With a boisterous crowd gathered in Waterloo, Noble ripped out to a fast start, accelerating off the front in the first lap. When she turned around after one trip around the course, none other than Marianne Vos was sitting right on her wheel.
“When you look back and see Marianne Vos on your wheel and no one else behind you, it’s one of those “Ohhhh, okay” moments,” Noble said after the race.
It was the perfect storyline. One of the sport’s greatest athletes ever against one of cyclocross’ brightest stars. The riders putting on a show at a race in the U.S. some naysayers should not even take place.
World Cup Waterloo came down to Noble v. Vos. 2018 World Cup Waterloo. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine
For most of the race, the two riders stayed wheel-to-wheel, trading leads and trying to hang tough on the fast, technical Waterloo course.
The middle part of the race was not without some drama. In Lap 3, Noble went OTB when trying to bunny hop the barriers. Fortunately for her, Vos ran into her and the two got tangled up. They quickly went on their way and continued dueling into the last lap.
“I think I was in more trouble than Ellen during the race,” Vos said about the duel.
Even though she was racing Vos, Noble left everything she had out on the course at Trek.
“On the last lap, I really decided to just say eff it, and I really went all-in,” Noble said. “I knew that I had to be willing to lose the race to win it, but obviously I came up short.”
Noble led Vos in the last lap. 2018 World Cup Waterloo. © R. Clark / Cyclocross Magazine
The duel between Vos and Noble came down to the last technical feature on the course, Trek Factory Hill. It featured a steep incline after a left-hand turn and was located right before the long drag to the finishing stretch.
Vos passed Noble right before the feature and took the lead exiting the steep climb. With just two or three seconds in hand, the Dutch living legend sprinted to a World Cup victory to cap a race fans who were there and watching at home will soon not forget.
Vos eked out a win in front of the impressive crowd at World Cup Waterloo. 2018 World Cup Waterloo. © R. Clark / Cyclocross Magazine
The race capped a successful weekend at Trek Headquarters that lived up to the pre-race hype and brought out fans passionate and casual to watch racing from the world’s best.
For more from World Cup Waterloo, you can read our race report and see photo galleries from Dave Mable and Robert Clark.
