Just when you thought cyclocross season was over, here’s information that’ll give you an excuse to keep riding that rig. The Speedway Cyclocrossapalooza comes on the heels of Tennessee’s UCI Kingsport Cup – sounds like a great weekend to us. Flights to Greensboro, NC, about an hour down the highway from the event, are on sale, and hotels in Wilkesboro are offering discounted rates to racers. It’s too soon to hang it up for another year…Read the press release below.
Pirate Race Productions and the Wilkesboro Tourism Development Agency are excited to announce Speedway Cyclocrossapalooza: a full day of cyclocross racing action on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at The Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. The penultimate weekend of the North Carolina Cyclocross Series, Speedway Cyclocrossapalooza follows the nearby UCI Kingsport Cup professional race the prior day. Speedway Cyclocrossapalooza will offer racing categories for every age and ability, and will embrace the rollicking party atmosphere that makes cyclocross the stock car racing of the cycling world.
Cyclocross is the fastest growing and most impressive spectacle in cycling. Races last from 20 minutes to an hour, with competitors doing five to 10 laps of a compact course featuring elbow-to-elbow racing, spectacular crashes, and plenty of mud. The Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway offers an incomparable venue where racers will use the historic racing oval, the infield, and the large sloped hill outside the stadium. Cyclocross racers are notorious for embracing the most miserable racing conditions, but for the faint of heart, there are hot showers just steps from the finish line, tons of covered parking, and the Speedway is just off US-421 only a few miles from I-77, making it a safe and easy drive regardless of the weather.
The Speedway is ideal for spectating: just say “Lift Me Up” and Talia Espresso will take care of you on top of the Winner’s Circle where they will keep you warm and energized with delicious food, gourmet hot beverages, Blowing Rock Ale and seasonal brews from Boone Brewing Company. Located in the middle of the track next to the finish line, the Belgian Party Tent will offer a warm haven with clear view of the most exciting course features: barriers over which racers will have to leap off their bike and run, the long, sandy Tractor Pull they will have to plough through, and a steep and slippery run up.
Speedway Cyclcrossapalooza is one of many events that make Wilkes County the premier destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The area hosts the NWS Cycling Series and Exhale Races at the Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway; Six Hours of Warrior Creek, the Burn 24 Hour Challenge, the Dark Mountain XC Race and the Dark Mountain Challenge off-road triathlon and paddle at the W. Kerr Scott mountain bike trails; and the Hurt, Pain and Agony metric century on the county’s extensive network of road routes. Wilkes County has numerous quality and affordable hotels and inns, and loads of great cycling and other activities you and your family can enjoy on the MLK holiday Monday following the race. Wilkes County: we’ll take your breath away… or let you catch it.
Speedway Cyclocrossapalooza presented by the Wilkesboro Tourism Agency
NCCX Series Race #12 – the day after the UCI Kingsport Cup
January 16, 2011 at The Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway 600 Fishing Creek Rd, North Wilkesboro, NC
FREE for spectators FREE parking
Racer registration on-site or online at Pre-Reg.com
For more information, course maps, directions, and photos and videos, go to www.HighCountryCX.com, become a fan of High Country Cyclocross on Facebook, or contact us at [email protected]
