VACX in Blacksburg: cyclocross video

Virginia Cyclocross Series comes to Blacksburg and the poetic Cole Harden and local photographer Mark Zhu give us a quick tutorial in their signature fashion.

Blacksburg Cyclocross 2011 from Mark Zhu on Vimeo.

Thanks to Montgomery County Parks and Recreation and East Coasters, the Virginia Cyclocross Series (VACX) officially arrived in southwestern Virginia on November 12th and 13^th for the 6th round of the prestigious state-wide series.

What is cyclocross, you say?  It’s been described as:  a steeple chase on bikes or “1 part road biking + 1 part mountain biking + [insert your favorite beverage] = cyclocross.”  Seriously though, cyclocross courses generally offer a mix of terrain including grass, pavement, hills, dirt, and barricaded portions to force riders into a partial run each lap. The race is extremely viewer friendly, as competitors ride around a closed circuit over a small area for about 45 to 60 minutes.

This year’s Blacksburg Cyclocross Spectacle (BCS) event was hosted in a new venue on the south side of Blacksburg. The venue so generously lent to the event is a particularly convenient piece of land owned by Montgomery County, yet situated right in the Town of Blacksburg. A simple piece of green space, this property is a great place for neighboring citizens to walk their dogs, go for a run, or simply sit and enjoy the beautiful mountain view.

While designing the extremely well-received track, organizers worked hard to take advantage of as much of the natural terrain features as possible. Not content to dumb-down the course in order to make it an easy ride, these designers instead mowed in a number of demanding technical turns and hairpins, utilized two exciting descents, and chopped in a devastating run-up. A pair of barriers were placed in such a manner as to require significant consideration as to the most speedy way to tackle them. The course drew nearly equally on technical skill, tactical ability, and brute fitness. In short, the course wasn’t friendly, it wasn’t lazy, and it wasn’t happy. Indeed, it was quite a cross course.

For those who were able to attend, the event may have planted a small seed of organic curiosity deep down in the dirt of your soul.  Or, if you were off nursing some other outdoor addiction and completely oblivious to the fact that VACX had arrived in town, a well-dressed devil roaming about the course, with a space-age camera setup and an eye for telegenic action, captured the action. This digitizing specter is a local legend, who goes by the name of Mark Zhu. Gleaned from the multifarious hours of footage collected, Mark has created a totally rad three-minute video perfectly matched with a particularly catchy song.  If you haven’t felt the organic curiosity rise in you yet, you will after viewing Mark’s video.

Be sure to stay tuned for updates regarding the upcoming two-day SUPERCROSS! Cyclocross Omnium here in Blacksburg on January 7th and 8th. If you’ve never had the opportunity to race a ‘cross time trial, this will be a mighty fine chance.