Kruger’s Crossing CX Classic

By White Lotus Sports on November 20, 2013 • ( 0 )

Sunday November 24th, 2013

With cyclocross season in full swing, we are getting everything ready for the 8th edition of the Kruger’s Crossing Cyclocross Classic. This year, the “Mother of all Farm Cross Races” will take place on Sunday, November 24th, just over two weeks away! In good tradition, we plan to make it another fun one, for racers and spectators alike.

The course will be similar to last year’s course and will lead you through berry fields, pastures, a barn, along rutted farm roads, a bonfire, a chicken coop, and a giant pig named Mathilda. To keep things easy, the race schedule and bib numbers are the same as the Cross Crusade Series.

In the morning, Kruger’s Farm Market will be serving free coffee and Bob’s Red Mill will call present with hot steelcut oats, the mainstay of every cross racer’s pre-race breakfast. Later in the day, Kruger’s food stand will serve corn-on-the-cob and other grilled goodies, while Hopworks Urban Brewing will be sampling their much-acclaimed Abominable Winter Ale. At noon, the folks of the Lumberyard will stage a free kiddie race for the young ones (featuring some fun, farm-specific obstacles) and at 1pm, all hell will break loose at the Doggie Dash CX World Championships presented by Portland Design Works, a free and fun cross race for our four-legged friends (on-leash and sans bikes). We’ll have prizes for the top finisher in each category and for the most original dog attire!

Talking about prizes… besides the prize purse for Cat A riders, we’ll be raffling off a ton of prizes throughout the day, courtesy of our generous sponsors West End Bikes, Specialized, Showers Pass, Nossa Familia Coffee, and Osmo Nutrition. In addition, our presenting sponsor West End Bikes is offering racers 15% off on any bike apparel, accessories and bike parts they have in stock! Just visit their store (located at 1111 SW Stark Street in Portland) and show a print or electronic copy of this email at the sales counter. (Note: This offer is good throughout November 24. The discount does not apply towards bikes or out-of-stock items and can not be combined with other discounts)

Finally, a heads-up that you still have until Sunday to take advantage of our “Early Bird” pre-registration rate and save $5 off the day-of-race entry fee. To sweeten the deal, all pre-registered riders will get a start line call-up (in the order they have registered) and a FREE entry in our raffle of two Icebreaker Quantum Hoodies!

That’s it for now. As we get closer to race day, I will provide another update about the final course design and day-of-race logistics. In the meantime, mark your calendar, spread the word with friends and family, and count down to a fun-filled day at the farm!

Cheers,

~Kris
Portland Racing
kris@portlandracing.com

PS: Volunteer and race for free! As always, we’re looking for a couple hardy and joyful volunteers to help with set-up, registration, lap counting, course marshaling, and tear-down. If you are interested in helping out and get a free race entry while you’re at it, just reply to this email.

More info at http://www.portlandracing.com/cx/

Update November 20th, 2013

We are just four days away from the 8th edition of the Kruger’s Crossing Cyclocross Classic and we’re getting everything lined up to make it another fun one!

Earlier today, I was at Kruger’s Farm and it looks like the course is in excellent shape. With the NOAA forecast calling for dry weather and sunny skies throughout the weekend, we expect a rather dry and fast course, likely very similar to the Cross Crusade race at PIR two weeks ago. That said, there is no such thing as an “easy race” at Kruger’s (unless you’re not pushing it…) and we’ll make sure to make things interesting for racers and spectators alike!

Here are a couple other updates ahead of Sunday’s races:

1) Tomorrow is the last day to pre-register, get a call-up, and make a chance to win a Icebreaker Quantum Hoodie!
That’s right, all riders who pre-register by end-of-day Thursday will receive a start line CALL-UP (check out the 200+ racers already on the list), and a FREE entry in our raffle of two Icebreaker Quantum Hoodies (we’ll raffle off one among all pre-registered men and one among all women racers). Even if you prefer to pay at the race, we ask you to help us save paper and fill out the online accident waiver and release form in advance of Sunday. Also a friendly reminder that we only accept cash or checks at the race.

2) Race course:
As always, the race course at Kruger’s will be fun and challenging for Beginners and Cat A racers alike! It will be very similar to last year’s course, though we’ll move the center of the action back to the grassy field right at the entrance of the farm, next to the corn maze. That’s where teams can put up their tents and spectators can cheer on the racers, while standing around the fire. For those who like to pre-ride the course on Saturday, we plan to have most of the course set up and marked by 2pm, though you are welcome to drop by earlier.
3) FREE Doggie Dash & Kids Races, presented by Portland Design Works and Lumberyard:
For the fifth year in a row, racers and spectators will get a chance to race their dogs (on-leash and sans bikes) in the all-for-fun Doggie Dash CX World Championship race, which will be staged on a shortened (0.4 mile) section of the course! To participate in the dog race, you must register your dog between 10 and 12:15 at the Portland Design Works tent, which will be located next to the dog corral. Staging starts at 12:45pm and dogs and handlers go off at 1pm sharp. The kiddie races (for both beginner and expert kids) will be held in the same area at Noon (registration and start at the Lumberyard tent).
4) Bring your Cross Crusade bib numbers!
A friendly reminder that we will use the Cross Crusade bib numbers (both the large and small number!), so please bring them with you. If you haven’t raced cross yet this season or if you plan to race a new category, you will need to pick up a new bib number at the registration tent. As usual, bib numbers go on the left side.

5) … and cash for parking (and food and beverages).
Like at all events at Kruger’s Farm, there will be a $5/car “parking fee” to help support the farm. Since parking at Kruger’s Farm is not unlimited, we encourage people to carpool or bike over to the farm. Also, please follow the parking marshals’ instructions at all time, drive carefully when entering and exiting the farm, and make sure to bring exact change.

6) Eight more reasons to come out to Kruger’s Farm this Sunday…
– FREE mechanical support provided by the pro mechanics of our title sponsor West End Bikes (note: no neutral wheel support at this race);
– FREE raffle throughout the day, with more than $1,500 in prizes, courtesy of our sponsors West End Bikes, Specialized, Osmo Nutrition, Showers Pass, Portland Design Works and Bob’s Red Mill;
– FREE sampling of Hopworks Urban Brewery’s Abominable Winter Ale, starting at 1pm, right next to the bonfire;
– Nossa Familia coffee, Hopworks beer, and hot food – straight off the grill – catered by Kruger’s Farm Market;
– Live music by local guitarist Aram Arslanian and all-day race announcing by Luciano himself.
– Full-on bike wash station (in the area behind the beer bus), featuring plenty of hoses. Stewart Campbell of Bridge City Pressure Washing will also be on site offering his pro bike wash service ($5/bike).
– 20% OFF all goods (produce AND merchandise) at the Kruger’s Farm Market store! They will be stocking up on traditional Thanksgiving items (squash, yams, brussels sprouts, etc) and baskets, so make sure to bring your shopping list and load up on fresh and local goodies and some great holiday gifts. It’s a great way to support the farm and thank Don Kruger for continuing to host bike races at his farm!
– Giant all-day BONFIRE! Nuff said.

That’s it… I hope to see you on Sunday at the farm for some good times, on and off the course. Bring your family and friends. Bring your dogs. Let’s throw a party!

~Kris

PS: a reminder that our title sponsor West End Bikes is offering all Kruger’s Crossing racers 15% off on any bike apparel, accessories and bike parts they have in stock! Just visit their store (located at 1111 SW Stark Street in Portland) and show them a print or electronic copy of this message.
This offer is good through the weekend. The discount does not apply towards bikes or out-of-stock item and can not be combined with other discounts.