NOVEMBER 17, 2011 ISSUE
A New Turkey Day Tradition—Cyclocross at Fairgrounds November 27
Cyclists carry their bikes while hurdling obstacles during a cyclo-cross race at the High Country Fairgrounds. Cyclo-cross is a hybrid sport—mixing biking, running and steeplechase. Photo by Andrew Stackhouse“Because four days of football and in-laws are one too many”—that is the slogan for the inaugural Turkey Cross at High Country Fairgrounds during Thanksgiving weekend on Sunday, November 27.
“After four days in a row of hanging around the house and stuffing your face with turkey, it’s fun to have an excuse to get outside and get some exercise,” Andrew Stackhouse, founder of Pirate Race Productions, said.
Same-day registration for the cyclocross race begins at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, and four races follow at 12:00, 12:45 and 1:45 p.m. All ages and skills are welcome for the races that span from 30 minutes to 60 minutes in length.
For women, C and B categories, advanced registration costs $15 and same-day registration costs $20. For the 60-minute A category, advanced registration costs $20 and same-day registration costs $25. It costs $5 extra to race in two categories. To preregister, click to www.pirateraceproductions.com.
Cyclocross is a hybrid sport, involving biking, running and jumping over obstacles through a maze of mud, grass, sand, gravel, pavement, and sometimes snow and ice. No matter the weather, Turkey Cross will happen on Sunday.
“The more miserable it is, the more people like it. The biggest nights have been arguably the worst nights of the year,” Stackhouse said.
Pirate Race Productions has presented the High Country Cyclocross Series at the High Country Fairgrounds since August. Stackhouse described the venue as a pretty flat farm with a really big slope towards the back of the property that includes an old quarter-mile raceway oval. He said the course is twisty, fun and challenging.
“It’s just a spectacle, the whole idea of jumping off a bike at full speed and running over a set of barriers and then jumping back on your bike is kind of crazy,’’ Stackhouse said.
The participants have fun racing, but the crowd might enjoy the spectacle even more. Cyclocross fans are known for wearing outrageous costumes, while cheering and heckling riders with cowbells and horns after a rider misjudges a jump or slips in the mud.
“The races are sort of ridiculous,” Stackhouse said. “It's a party atmosphere. People are yelling and screaming, while you are running around the course. There are idiots like me who take it seriously.”
High Country Fairgrounds is located on Roby Greene Road east of Boone. For more information, click to www.pirateraceproductions.com or email info@pirateraceproductions.com.
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