Something very strange is in the Rocky Mountain air. No, it’s not the smellof cheap beer and hot dogs still wafting out of Coors Field. It’s the sweetsmell of victory.

Yes, I know, it’s hard to believe, but I have won three cyclocross racesthis season. That’s one more win than I have earned in the entirety ofmy 13-year cyclocross career. I’m not going to sugar coat it, these weresmall, local races with out very deep fields, but hey, a win is a win isa win, right?

Don’t get me wrong, these races didn’t come too easy, but a true testarrives this weekend as I make my way East for the Ohio Valley CyclocrossSeries UCI double header. I’m looking forward to these events because Ihave never raced in Ohio. To be honest, I can’t remember the last timeI was in Ohio and I was born there!

I’m not quite sure why I feel so good on the race-course right now.Is it the light bike, new components, smart training, my girlfriend’s deliciouspancakes, great support from my bike shop staff, more beer? I’m sure it’sa combination of many things, excluding the beer, of course. Regardless,I’ll try to ride the wave as long as it lasts.

Last week, Clif Bar Cyclocross Team Manager, Ben Turner and I hosteda fundraiser at the Boulder Theater to raise money for the American CyclingAssociation’s junior cyclocross development program. Nearly 200 peopleshowed up to the historic theater to see Sam Smith’s new movie, Cyclofile.

It was awesome to see the local ‘cross junkies come out and supporta great cause. The highlight of the evening for me was how many ‘cross-racingparents brought their kids to the movie. I hope events like these and supportiveparents inspire kids to ride and eventually give racing a try.

It’s not that I think racing a bike is as important as just ridingone, but who knows, one of these youngsters might become the next U.S.cyclocross superstar. And, even if a child doesn’t become a racer, cyclingis an activity a kid can learn at very young age and continue to do itthroughout a lifetime. Then, those folks will teach their kids to rideand so on and so on. Some kids might race, some might not, but unlike teamsports, such as baseball, football and soccer, riding a bicycle is an easilyaccessible activity anyone can do for their entire life.

I read a statistic a while back noting more kids in the U.S. ride askateboard than play little league baseball. I believe it, too, becausehere in Boulder we have a skate park adjacent to a little league baseballfield. Almost everyday the skate park is packed and there is not a soulon that ball field. I am willing to put money down if any town in Americahad a designated place to practice road, mountain, cyclocross and BMX ridingin it would be loaded with aspiring riders of all ages and abilities.

A place such as this might become a reality here in the Republic ofBoulder. Our parks and recreation department is collecting public commentsto shape the future of a local park and a designated cyclocross and mountainbiking area are part of the proposed plan.

If you are a Boulder resident now is time to speak up. Your strong voiceis essential to let city officials know you support cycling at the park.Visit the BoulderCycle Sport website to learn how you can get involved.

If you are not Boulder resident, stay tuned because this could be amodel for any town in the world to replicate. Can you imagine being ableto roll out to your local park and have a legal, designated place to practicecyclocross? Considering we had 83 people show up for this week’s cyclocrosspractice we could certainly use a place to play.

Thanks for reading.

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Brandon Dwight lives in Boulder, Colorado and is part owner of BoulderCycle Sport. He is also the founder of Doperssuck.com. Sponsors include: Time Bicycles, Scott Bicycles, SRAM, Zipp, Crank Brothers, TRP Brakes, Clif Bar, Challenge, Squadra, Sock Guy, JBV Coaching, and if his Time needed an external headset, Chris King.