Cyclocross Nationals '05, from a Journalist/photographer's perspective

Providence, RI
Cyclocross Nationals have come and gone for another year, and there was plenty of intense racing and suffering. I think the spectators suffered more than the racers, but I'm not sure. More on that later. For those of you who aren't aware, the nationals were held in Roger Williams Park in Providence. Both a beautiful and challenging venue, and as the saying goes, beauty is danger...

I arrived Saturday morning and after getting all my gear checked, packed, and figuring out what I needed for the day, I headed to the course. Now, I was there as a journalist/photographer, so I wasn't riding, thankfully, as it was quickly apparent Friday's snowstorm had made everything slick, wet, frozen, or a combination therein. So I set up along the top of the course for the U23 race, which was one of my objectives, as Troy Wells was racing and he and I are from the same town, etc. I wasn't disappointed.

Between screaming my lungs out and trying to get good shots of the action, I was able to soak in the atmosphere. It was quite a bit like Manayunk Wall in Philly. If you've never been to that, I'm not sure how to describe it other than a very cold carnival. Quebec comes to mind. And about the cold, it wasn't bad when the sun was out, but as the day went on, the wind picked up, the clouds rolled in, and I found myself suddenly freezing. I added more layers and was able to keep functioning.

Wandering around the course I was glad I wasn't racing it. With no snow I would have loved it, rain would be cool, but the hardpack, ice, slush, and semi-frozen mud made it treacherous. Even sections of the pavement looked tricky. Add the layer of wet/frozen leaves under it all, and the word of the day for many must have been survival. I had a hard time staying upright on my feet. Thank god for tripod spikes...

After Troy won his race I headed into the main tent to get my media credentials. Wow, I was listed along with all the other photographers and journalists I've been reading for years. Very surreal. Now I had access to anywhere anytime for the rest of the weekend. Like the heated main tent which was a good thing, muddy as it was. Inside there were all kinds of vendors, and I picked up quite a few souveneirs. But the races were on, and back outside I went.

As the day wound down, the last race of the day was up. Elite men's. Todd Wells was my favorite, but I was anxious to see Chris Horner and many others. Again, there was no lack of excitement. By this time the course was changing every lap with the dropping temperature, and areas that were slush were ice, etc. The crowd was in a frenzy, maybe from exposure, but watching them run from one side of the course to the other like they do on hairpins in the tour was great. Let alone the noise. I'm not sure how many spectators were there, but they were loud.

I wandered around shooting pictures all the time, and ended up at a set of barriers that forced the riders to run up a short hill. Being all of a foot from these guys was fantastic. Of course, about this time the cold was taking its toll on my batteries for my cameras, but still I got quite a few good shots. The race ended, Todd won, and I and my girlfriend were frozen. So we went back to my car, packed up, and decided to explore Providence for a bit and go home. We were too cold to stay another day. Next year I'll be there all three days.

For my first Nationals, it was a great experience. I now know what I need to really make it perfect next time. Another camera or two, more batteries so I can keep a set warm at all times, better footwear (thankfully I had my ski gaiters) and maybe a thermos full of hot chocolate or something.

Next article - race reports and pictures.
Mike