The third annual Boulder Cup cyclocross races were held in Boulder this past weekend. I’m relatively new to the sport of cyclocross racing but I must say I was quite impressed with the scope of the event, number of participants and especially the crowds that came out to cheer on the cyclists. Saturday’s event was located at the Boulder Reservoir. A beautiful setting along the water that provided a lot of sandy terrain making an already difficult course all that much harder. As if by magic, the entire race course was moved overnight to South Boulder and Harlow Platts Park behind Fairview High School.

I’ve got to commend the race organizers on organizing such a large event in 2 locations! Sunday’s crowd was much larger and laying the course out on the hillside afforded great views of almost the entire course. I found it exciting to be so close to the cyclists as the zoomed by and you could really see how hard this type of racing is up close and personal. Located on the hill made it even more challenging climbing up then flying down to what seemed  impossibly tight turns snaking back and forth across the park. Watching the elite men’s race I just marveled at the strength and endurance as these athletes race at a breakneck pace for an hour. The crowd was very vocal and it really did feel like a cycling carnival type atmosphere. Now I see why so many cyclists and fans are starting to follow the sport and that it’s becoming the fastest growing segment of bike racing in his country. I’m hooked and look forward to watching the sport grow in popularity!