KMC Cross Fest Kicks Off US Cup-CX Series at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut – Start Lists, Preview

After two big weekends of international racing in the U.S., the 2017 KMC Cross Fest kicks off an important month and a half of domestic racing with the start of the seven-race US Cup-CX series. The new series sponsored by Sho-Air International and directed by two-time national champion Ryan Trebon fills a void in the U.S. domestic calendar that has existed since the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series folded in 2012.

The 2017 edition of the KMC Cross Fest will be the ninth overall and second at the Thompson Motor Speedway in northeast Connecticut.

The Course

Cyclocross Magazine reached out the KMC Cross Fest team to ask what is in store for the riders.

“We had to share the venue one day with a driving school [last year], so we had to build the course in such a way that we weren’t anywhere near the race cars,” said media director Lauren LeClaire. “This year we have free run of the place which allowed us to remove a great deal of the pavement you saw in last year’s version, add in new features, and make the race have a more compact feel and allow spectators and racers to get around the venue much more easily. The start/finish and the pits are all in the track infield. The technical features and really decisive points on the course will be front and center of our expo, team areas, and food and beer tents.”

She added, “One of the comments about Patrick Goguen’s course designs is he designs course features in a way that invite riders to make mistakes, he makes you have to think, make decisions and quickly weigh options.”

2017 KMC Cross Fest course map. photo: courtesy

Last year’s course had several technical features, including a steep drop:

Curtis White rode with the strength of six men to take an early lead before teammate Hyde eventually took over. 2016 KMC Cross Fest Day 1, UCI C1 © Nin Lei

And a run-up that was effectively weatherized:

Noble kept Compton in her sights for the first half of the race. 2016 KMC Cross Fest Day 1, UCI C1 © Nin Lei

This year’s course also appears to have some tricks up its sleeve as well:

The folks from the KMC Cross Fest put together this video that previews the changes for 2017 and cxhairs.com has a discussion with course designer Patrick Goguen.

The Racers

Full Men’s and Women’s start lists are below.

Noticeably absent this weekend will be Katie Compton (KFC Racing p/b Trek/Knight Composites), who was planning on racing KMC before heading to Europe for most of this season. Compton had two tough World Cup races in the Midwest, with the Jingle Cross edition marred by a crash and the Waterloo running derailed by a bee sting, of all things.

Katie Compton goes back-to-back, wins 2016 KMC Cross Fest Day 2. © C. McIntosh / Cyclocross Magazine

Compton won both days at the KMC Cross Fest in 2016, so the field will be wide open for the start of the US Cup-CX series. As we saw last season, the talent in the Women’s field is deep, and the two races in Connecticut will be important for riders with aspirations of winning the overall $10,000 US Cup-CX prize.

On the Men’s side, Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com teammates Stephen Hyde and Curtis White won at the Thompson Speedway in 2016 and return as two of the favorites in 2017.

Curtis White returns as a favorite after winning the KMC Cross Fest in 2016. © Chris McIntosh / Cyclocross Magazine

Hyde’s two U.S. World Cups were hindered by an illness, so the defending U.S. national champion will certainly be hungry to start the US Cup-CX series off on a good foot if he is back at 100%. Kerry Werner (Kona) and Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz / Donkey Label Racing) are two other riders who had successful campaigns in Iowa City and Waterloo and are worth keeping an eye on this weekend.

Tobin Ortenblad rode well in Iowa City and Waterloo to start the season. Trek CX Cup. © D. Mable / cxmagazine.com

The Schedule

Elite racing at the KMC Cross Fest takes place on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Friday night will be a UCI C1 event and Sunday a C2. The KMC Cross Fest is also one of the few U.S. races with Men’s UCI Junior 17-18 racing.

Friday C1 Schedule

Junior Men: 4:30 p.m. Eastern

Women: 5:30 p.m. Eastern

Men: 6:30 p.m. Eastern

Sunday C2 Schedule

Junior Men: 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Women: 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Men: 4:00 p.m. Eastern

Saturday Champions’ Dinner

On Saturday night, there will be a Champions’ Dinner to benefit the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition advocacy organization. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet professional cyclocross riders and others in the industry. The Dinner will also feature the new inductees to the Society of the Wooly Mammoth, which is the U.S. Cyclocross Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the Champions’ Dinner are $75 and will be available at the door. More info: kmccrossfest.com.

Women's Start List - 2017 KMC Cross Fest

Men's Start List - 2017 KMC Cross Fest