Editorial

Portland vs. Seattle 'Cross

By Sean Brandenburgh, Executive Editor
November 15, 2007

As loyal readers will know, the BicycleNorthwest crew went south to Estacada, OR last weekend to witness the circus that was Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships. The event was sheer mayhem from start to finish as beer flowed like water over Multinomah Falls, and racing took a trail-a-bike to fun and debauchery.

We had gone down there to "work", but all the while I couldn't believe how much fun I was having. And as I looked around, it was clear that everyone else there was having just as much fun. I immediately felt I was part of a greater community, even though I wasn't there to race my bike. By the end of the weekend, I'd made several new friends and now I can't wait to head back to Oregon for the USGP of 'Cross races. But enough beating around the bush, I'm just going to come right out and say it: Portland's 'cross scene is better than Seattle's.

That's right.

Sure, we've got Starcrossed, which is an amazing event that attracts huge crowds, incredible fields of riders from beginners to pros, and definitely features a party atmosphere. The organizers of that event do a fantastic job of making it spectator friendly, exciting, and worth the price of entry whether you're watching or racing. But there was something different - a different vibe entirely - about Singlespeed World Championships that I just can't put my finger on when comparing it to Seattle 'cross races. Was it the beer? Was it the excitement over a race the likes of which had never been seen? Was it the community and camaraderie? Was it the crowd participation? Was it that no one seemed to be taking themselves too seriously? What was it?

All of the above, perhaps.

It was as though the cycling stars had aligned just right for these two days in November. The sun shone brightly for most of Saturday and the latter half of Sunday; huge fields of racers showed up to wear goof costumes and to pedal, dismount, run and pedal some more; and there was beer. Lots and lots of beer. Events like Starcrossed and Singlespeed World Championships happen only once a year, and as no other 'cross race in Washington (or anywhere else for that matter) is as spectacular as Starcrossed, I figured that no other race in Oregon (or anywhere else for that matter) could come close to the spectacle that was SSCXWC.

As I made my way through our two days in Etacada, I met several fantastic Oregonian 'crossers. As we talked about how great the event was I would ask, "Is every 'cross race like this?" And to my surprise, the answer every time was some variation of, "Not quite, but almost."

Think about that for a second. In fact, take a minute and look at our photo galleries and read our stories from SSCXWC. Then think about that for a second. You'll see clearly that everyone there was having a fantastic time and no one was taking themselves too seriously. It seemed as though everyone was just happy to be in each other's company. We were all among friends.

So, I asked at least twenty different people if regular Cross Crusade races were as spectacular as Singlespeed Worlds, and every one of them said something along the lines of "Not quite, but almost." Now, imagine if every Seattle 'cross race were not quite as awesome as Starcrossed, but almost. Don't get me wrong, Seattle 'cross races are fun, fanstastic events, and the scene here appears to have been growing steadily and quickly over the past few years. But until we have events every weekend that are almost, but not quite as awesome as Starcrossed, Seattle 'cross has a long way to go before it catches up with Portland's 'cross scene.

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