- HOT TOPICS:
- The new VeloNews.com (BETA)
SSCXWC: Way beyond Thunderdome
It was Stumptown, not Bartertown, and Mad Max and Auntie Entity were conspicuous by their absence. But there was a Thunderdome and a battle, and when it was over, Canadian Drew MacKenzie and Seattle’s Kari Studley were the winners of the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships (SSCXWC).
While finding a winner is the ultimate goal of any competition, the spectacle and zaniness of the event largely overpowered the actual race in Portland, Oregon. Held on the sloppy grounds of Portland International Raceway, with Audis and Porsches racing on the track 50 yards away, the SSCXWC showcased course furniture seen only in sci-fi movies.
Well, one movie in particular: “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” The promoters acquired a 1,300-square-foot version of Bartertown’s Thunderdome, and racers passed through the contraption on every lap. Three acrobats suspended in harnesses taunted the racers as they snaked through, pelting them with marshmallows. No one was spared. Spectators climbed the structure to witness the madness and join the heckling.
Elsewhere on the course, racers had to contend with more “traditional” obstacles like barrier sets, muddy, off-camber stretches, a football-field-sized mud bog, a school bus with dancing strippers as a short cut, and barriers with launch ramps. All this made for some extended lap times compared to early races run on the regular course.
The race started off with a Le Mans-style introduction with another Mel Gibson twist, this time from “Braveheart,” complete with a kilted bagpipe player. All 250 racers, men and women, placed their bikes along the center of a large field. Half the racers went to the west side, the other half to the east. After the countdown and the yelp of “Freedom,” racers dashed to find their machines and vie for the all important hole shot. As the racing began, so too did Black Sabbath cover band Rat Salad, fueling the energy around the Thunderdome.
Ian Brown of Portland was the first to the top of the hill, winning a Raleigh SSCXWC frameset for his efforts. Matthew Slaven completed the first lap quickest, netting the glory of being the first cyclocross racer to ever ride through the Thunderdome.
Following him was a field of outrageously dressed racers, many in “Mad Max” style costumes, like the twosome racing a single-speed Madsen cargo bike, which one pedaled while the other sat in the cargo bucket, ready to assist on the dismounts.
MacKenzie was clad in his golden Speedo, a prize from last year's victory. Barry Wicks wore a sweater vest and what looked like wool britches, carrying a musette full of adult beverages that he happily dispersed to a willing crowd. Ryan Trebon ran most of the first lap with his dog on a leash.
As more rain and darkness fell, the officials rang the final-lap bell and the winners emerged. How the judges could keep track of 250 people on the course at one time, wearing all manner of outfits, is beyond comprehension. No matter. MacKenzie will add another SSCXWC tattoo to his skin, and a custom Pereira Cycles single-speed ’cross bike will look nice next to his Vanilla Speed Wagon from last year. Studley, too, will receive a SSCXWC tattoo and a custom rig from Spanner Bicycles.
Directly following the finish the second SSCXWC competition resumed. The battle for race ownership for next year's edition came down to two cities — Seattle and San Francisco — and naturally, took place in the Thunderdome. Two people entered, one person left.
Seattle's contestant was an energetic man poised for whatever lay in store for him. San Francisco's contender was an equally ready woman who will be forever known as St. SanFran as she toppled Seattle in a sumo-style mud-wrestling bout in front of a surly crowd.
The day before Seattle had emerged victorious in part one of the hosting battle, a debate moderated by SSCXWC promoters. With the score deadlocked at 1-1, the tie breaker would come from the race results. Studley’s victory in the women’s race also secured the 2010 SSCXWC for her hometown of Seattle.
