Donut Race Brings Out Nation’s Best Cyclocross “Racers” – Full Results, Video Recaps and Photos

Full 2016 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championship coverage can be found right here.

#CXNats race reports from Wed-Saturday are brought to you in part by Verge Sport.

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina—Fried. That’s how the racers looked each time they stopped for donuts in the first-ever Donut Race at the Cyclocross National Championships. Despite the aparent belly aches, everyone was in fine spirits if not fine form for this first-time event.

The race was a 15 minute sprint where racers could gain time on their competitors by consuming donuts or riding more laps. One other regulation was the riders couldn’t eat more than two donuts per lap. Presumably this was for the safety of all involved.

What ensured was basically glazed mayhem. Riders charged onto an abbreviated version of the 2016 Cyclocross National Championships course, not unlike what the 9-10 and 11-12 Junior riders raced, except without a pass of Heckle Hill. Each lap just prior to the barriers they hit the “Donut Pit” where they could consume sugary goodness.

Most riders elected to eat donuts. It seemed nobody elected for the additional laps over chocolate covered, cake or glazed donuts. We can’t say we didn’t see riders not finishing their donuts. We can say we saw everyone having a great time.

The best part of the race was that it was for a good cause. We spoke with Tara McCathy the Event Director of USA Cycling who shared with us that the Donut Race was a fundraiser for a local Ashville, North Carolina, charity called I Dream Foundation that works to help folks with limited means to get to races and other events.

The inaugural Donut Race wasn’t without issue. The self proclaimed champ, Reid Beloni, who rode the four lap event and ate eight donuts, was listed in the “official” results as third. Beloni ultimately took it in stride and shared his well-thought out strategy for the race with us—water and a singlespeed.

We were also fortunate enough to catch a mind-race interview with USA Cycling CEO Derek Bouchard-Hall and witness all the craziness that the Donut Race offered.

The Donut Race was goodness baked right in to what thus far has been a great Cyclocross Nationals.

2016 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships Donut Race Full Results

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