Oct 31 – Nov 2, 2014, The first-ever Pan-American Continental Championships will be held in three locations including Covington, Kentucky’s Devou Park. This weekend, Sunday, November 2, as part of the Cincy3 Cyclocross Festival, Devou Park will host the final day of this event for an all-terrain biking sport that has seen a huge upswing in popularity in the last few years.
This year's cyclocross event at Devou Park is both significant and historical. It will be the first-ever Pan American Cyclocross Championships ever held. Top professionals from 35 states and many foreign countries will be traveling to Covington to participate for the chance to win the UCI Continental Championship as well as a share of the $35,000 in prize money on offer this coming weekend.
The course at Devou is designed to be the most challenging course ever designed in the United States. Pro riders travel to Europe to race and face very steep, demanding terrain. Spectators at these events often number up to 40,000.
“Devou Park's natural landscape offers the opportunity to simulate European terrain for riders as well as provide spectators an opportunity to watch them in action.” said race organizer and rider Mitch Graham.
Now in its 11th year, the Cincy3 Cyclocross Festival is one of 4 UCI Class 1 cyclocross weekends in the Midwest region. What began as a one-day UCI event at Fairfield’s Harbin Park with 100 total riders – the weekend has now grown from 1 to 3 days, with a max rider count at over 600 racers in a day.
It features 3 distinct and popular venues for racing. Friday’s event will take place Harbin Park. Kingswood Park (formerly golf course) is Saturday’s Class 1 venue, possibly best known for hosting the World Championships “warm-up” race last January won by Niels Albert and Katerina Nash. Covington, Kentucky’s Devou Park, with its stunning views of downtown Cincinnati and massive 700 acres, serves as a grand locale for such a significant event as the first-ever Continental Championship.
The successful execution of last year’s World Cyclocross Championships in Louisville, KY, USA not only once and for all legitimized the American scene to the World, but showed the UCI how important the U.S. was to the overall growth of the sport worldwide.
The event was hosted at Devou Park last year, with approximately 150 participating racers from 20 different States the three countries. The event attracted a crowd of 500 spectators.
Cyclocross is an off-road/on-road cycling race similar in nature to a cross country running race. Racers will do laps of a very challenging and spectator-friendly 2 mile circuit around Devou Park. There will also be gravity-defying obstacles that will require racers to dismount their bikes and carry it over the obstacles throughout the circuit.
The public is encouraged this free event. Racing goes all day long Sunday from 8am through 5pm, but best viewing times are from 12-5 when the pros take to the course. Parking is available at Drees Pavilion, and the race is centered a short walk away in the area of Devou Park surrounding the amphitheater bowl. Food and drinks will be available during the races.
Event Details:
What: Cincy3 Cyclocross Festival, Pan-American Continental Championship
When: Oct 31 – Nov 2, 2014
Where: Devou Park in Covington, KY; Harin Park and Kingswood Park in Cincinnati, OH
Contact: Mitch Graham at (513) 861-2453.