Dirty Deeds Spooky Cross : 2nd of November 2013

The Dirty Deeds Urban Cyclocross series for 2013 finished in style with the second annual Spooky Cross race. The end of season event has fast become known as a great party to say goodbye to the Cyclocross season for another year, costumed racing is encouraged with a 50% discounted entry fee for any one sporting a costume at registration, $5.00 instead of $10.00. Considering that some events entry fees are in the hundreds these days this is a refreshing change back to the affordable racing that I remember when I was young. This also encourages people to give this magnificent sport a try even if they feel that they will be off the back of the race, just to be out there amongst it and absorbing the atmosphere. 

The race format for the Spooky Cross races is somewhat different to most Cyclocross races too, this year we had a short (ten minutes) scratch race followed by another short handicap race for all of the race divisions. These were followed by a relay event, two people racing on one bike taking turns each lap, this was some of the most entertaining racing I have ever witnessed. Riders are encouraged to match up with another rider who is of a very different size to them so that the bike ends up being comically oversized or undersized, great to watch but not so fun to be the rider on a bike that's too big for you. The transition area was one of absolute carnage as riders finishing their lap would come flying into the transition area way too fast for them to be able to get off their bike smoothly to pass it onto their partner. This lead to many comical pile ups and tangling of bikes, to everyone's credit though there was nothing but smiles and laughs all around. The relay event was followed up with the main event, the Brunswick Cycling Club Dirty Deeds Cyclo Cross Single Speed Cyclo Cross World Championships or "BCCDDCXSSCXWC" for short. This was another short race but this time with only one gear, for the single speeders exclusively. Again, another fun looking race, I may need to invest in a single speed cross bike for next year...

The two best Cyclocross riders in this country, Allan Iocuone (National Champion) and Lewis Rattray (Australian Cyclocross World Championships representative) sharing a moment over a beer mid race.

Relay transition area.

So, at the end of the day it was all a bit sad to think that we will need to wait till next winter before we can  do this all over again. But I did manage to talk some more people into trying the sport out next season. Whether you have a Cyclocross bike or not you can still race with us and have a great time in one of the open category races on any bike you like, the more inappropriate the better. In the mean time I plan on organising some rides through the bush this summer that a Cyclocross bike would be perfect for, keep an eye out on our Facebook page and Twitter for details, all are welcome.

- Brad.