30 seconds...GO!

A Cyclocross Race Series Preview

It doesn’t seem that long ago The Northeast CX Report was reflecting on last season’s CX National Championship results in December. Now here we are in September, showing up late to the start line with our jersey off and pinning on a number as we’re getting final instructions from race officials. Cross has started in New England and the rest of the region is not far behind. So, ready or not, lets jump right in and talk about some of the local cyclocross race series that are taking shape.

While some riders simply build a schedule of individual races that meet their personal criteria for a quality event, for others, the lure of a racing series can be a major motivator. And with series points, the promise of better call-ups (and sometimes additional prizes) on offer for strong finishes, chasing your rivals on google drives and spreadsheets is as much a part of the game as trying to close a gap after taking a sub-optimal line around that tree. In fact, for some, whose race-day podium appearances are frankly out of reach (CX is unforgiving), showing up to every race in a specific series is one reliable way to over-take those who might normally beat you on the bike. So who’s going to be best in 2025? Follow along with The Northeast CX Report this year to keep track of all the action!

Trek US Cyclocross Series. From juniors and masters, to UCI Elites, the USCX brings out the best cyclocross competitors this country has to offer. Not every event will be a preview of the National Championship showdowns, but you’ll still see many of the same names competing here in the fall as you will in Fayetteville, AR in December. The UCI-sanctioned races start in Roanoke, VA, in September and end in Waterloo, WI, in October, offering a $15,000 prize purse and mission critical UCI points for riders keen on international competition where establishing advantageous start line position is job number one. The number 11 ranked rider in the world, Mannon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) is back for the series and it’s not just for a delicious diet of chicken fried steaks, wings, crab cakes and cheese curds. (Although?) There’s lots more to say about this premier series—and we will—but for now, we’re keeping it local.

River Valley CX Series. By the time you are reading this, you might have already missed the start of this popular New England race series by…TWO WEEKS! Yup, the 5-race series started on August 24th with around 250 competitors for the Blunt Park CX race in Springfield, MA.

Athletes from host club Competitive Edge Racing were largely dominant at the front of the cat 1/2/3 races and made this season opener look a little more like a USCX Elite race than a typical local New England throw-down. Ex-national champion and Boulder, CO, resident Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing) took the win over reigning champ Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) who finished in 5th. And while the women’s field wasn’t quite as stacked with national level talent, Ellen Noble (JAM Fund / Salsa Cycles) has picked up where she left off last season, continuing her march back towards the front of Elite competition by winning her first CX race of the year. But this isn’t a race weekend re-cap, so lets get back to “series” (serious?) business.

Series Races:

1. Aug 24. Blunt Park CX p/b Competitive Edge Racing, Springfield, MA

2. Aug 31. NCC Hydra Cross, Holyoke, MA

3. Sep 20. West Hill Cyclocross Race, Putney, VT

4. Sept 28. Kilowatt Cross, Northfield, MA

5. Oct 19. Treehouse CX, Deerfield, MA

Project Mayhem CX Series. The legendary bike builder Richard Sachs is the presenting sponsor for this “spicy” 7-race series taking place in the Nutmeg State. The Report already LOVES this series more than most of the others because they have an updated website, with a mission statement and a tech guide. And for someone trying to hype up the sport with free publicity, this makes our job a little less impossible. (Now if we could only get anyone from Connecticut to subscribe to our newsletter.) According to the tech guide, organizers promise overall series victors a CHAMPIONSHIP JERSEY and a combination of cash and merchandise that is “yet to be determined for 2025.”

Series Races:

1. Sept 6. Belltown Throwdown #1, Portland, CT.

2. Sept 21. Hidden Valley CX, New Haven, CT.

3. Sept 27. Belltown Throwdown #2, Portland, CT.

4. Oct 5. Newtown CX, Newtown, CT.

5. Oct 11. Damned at the Damn, Mansfield, CT.

6. Nov 16. Moran CX, Wallingford, CT.

7. Nov 30. Orchard Scorcher, Guilford, CT.

New Jersey Bicycle Association CX Cup. Information is hard to come by for this well-established race series. The Report has reached out to multiple parties but has not gotten any additional information yet. That said, this has traditionally been a 6-ish race series with some very good races including one of the longest running and former UCI races in HPCX. Cooper River CX is a local favorite and is a way better race than any narrow parkway course has a right to be. At the time of publication, it’s unclear if Cooper River is part of the NJCX Cup this year, so we’ll leave it off the list. Looks like the MTB-friendly Bubble Cross opens up the 2(?) race series in 2025.

1. Sept 7. Bubble Cross, West Milford, NJ.

2. Oct 12. HPCX, Jamesburg, NJ.

The Pennsylvania Cycling Association CX Series. Our friends focused on these classic Keystone State events will have 7 chances to earn points towards an overall podium position this season. Many of these longer-running races draw competitors from surrounding states and we expect healthy turnouts at races like Whirlybird and Pineapple Crush Cross.

1. Sept 13. Whirlybird ‘Cross, Dresher, PA.

2. Sept 14. Pineapple Crush Cross, Emmaus, PA.

3. Sept 20. Carpenter Cross, Horsham, PA.

4. Oct 4. Crossasaurus Awesome, Schwenksville, PA.

5. Nov 2. West Chester Cross Classic XIII, West Chester, PA

6. Nov 9. Sly Fox, Pottstown, PA

7. Nov 15. Jive Turkey Cranksgiving Cross, Kennett Square, PA.

BikeReg Cyclocross Super Series. If you are looking for healthy fields across all categories, but especially juniors and “B” masters, then this mid-Atlantic series is worth the trip. Racing smaller fields of 12 or 18 riders has its place, but lining up in fields of 40 or more racers just hits different. Last year there were 7 events. This year, as of publication, 4 events are on bikereg.com.

1. Sept 7. Ed Sander Memorial CX, Leesburg, VA.

2. Sept 21. Hyattsville CX, Hyattsville, MD.

3. Oct 12. Falkorburg Cross, Stevenson, MD.

4. Oct 26. BikenetiCX, Leesburg, VA.

As the days and weeks begin to pass from summer into fall, The Northeast CX Report expects races will be added to the long-established NJCX and Super Series. “Page not found” and other assorted “404 errors” may remain but we fully expect them both to expand to include more races. The USCX, PMCX and River Valley CX series appear to have their individual events locked in for the season. But like you, we’ll be keeping an eye on bikereg.com from week to week and bringing you previews and wrap-ups of all the action throughout the greatest race season of them all.