34 National CX titles up for grabs in Hartford

Thirty-four national titles are on the line in the first week of the New Year as the nation’s top cyclocross racers head to Hartford, Conn. for the 2017 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, Jan. 3-8.

The historic Connecticut River will set the backdrop for nearly 2,000 racers to compete at Riverfront Recapture’s Riverside Park adjacent to downtown Hartford. National champions will be crowned in the junior, collegiate, U23, masters, and elite ranks, while non-championship racing will also be available for several groups including juniors 10 years and under. For masters racers, multiple age groups will be offered up to the 60+ group for women and 70+ group for men.

Competition opens with several days of amateur racing and culminates on Sunday with U23 and elite competitions. Among the athletes who will be on hand to defend their titles are 2016 elite national champions Jeremy Powers (Easthampton, Mass./Aspire Racing) and Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./KFC Racing p/b Trek Panache). Powers will set his sights on a fifth national title while Compton will go after her 13^th consecutive win in the elite women’s field.

Online registration is open until Dec. 31. Check out all of the currently registered riders here.  Want to race? See the eligibility, rules and call-ups here or click here to register.

THE COURSE

The roughly two-mile course has something for everyone including grass, dirt, and asphalt on wide-open power sections, as well as on twisty technical sections. A couple of challenging run-ups that incorporate the river levy will make for great spectating on this downtown loop, that comes within 20 feet of the Connecticut River.

WATCH LIVE

Live streaming will be available on USA Cycling’s YouTube channel on Sunday, Jan. 8.  You can catch the Junior Men’s, youth women’s (ages 17-22), U23 men’s, elite women’s, and elite men’s races LIVE beginning at 9 a.m. ET. More information on the live stream will available in the coming days.

FOLLOW ONLINE

More information about the 2017 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships (including start lists, schedule, results, photos, and event recaps) will be available on the event webpage. You can also follow live on twitter using hashtag #CXNats.

VENUE ACCESS & PARKING

There is a $15 per person venue access fee which covers all racing days, as well as parking. This fee offsets the local organizing committee’s expenses for hosting the event. You can buy your wristband ahead of time by clicking here. You can also purchase wristbands onsite and pick up pre-purchased ones at these locations:

• January 2: The Hilton in Downtown Hartford, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m
• January 3-8: Onsite in the main event parking lot, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(Anyone purchasing vendor or team space on the venue will receive two wristbands included in the purchase.)

Parking for spectators with wristbands is available at 3938 Pequote Street. There is a pedestrian bridge to access the south side of Riverside Park. Teams and vendors can drop off equipment at 1 Leibert Road in a secure area. Please see the tech guide for more details on parking and equipment drop-off.