Yes! It’s nearly time for the National Cyclo-Cross Championships to come to Cumbria!
Dave Haygarth (rider) practices what he preaches, guaranteeing that this racer-designed course will challenge all competitors.
This weekend (the 14th and 15th of January 2023) the ‘cross season’s biggest, most important racing event of the year will be taking place just down the road from Wheelbase HQ in the South Lakes. The popular Westmorland County Showground race venue, conveniently located just off junction 36 on the M6 has been a regular fixture on the season-long National Trophy Cyclo-cross Series, however this year we’ve got the BIG ONE!
Come and watch the UK’s best CycloCross riders battle it out for the British national jersey at the National CycloCross Championships.
Race program:
Saturday 14 January 2023
- Morning from 9.45am Veteran Men & Women
- Afternoon from 1.45pm Under 16 and Under 14 Girls and Boys
Sunday 15 January 2023
- Morning from 10am Junior Men and Women
- Afternoon from 1pm Senior Women and Men
Great on site catering, race commentary and of course the not to be missed WHEELBASE Lake Brew Co Bar
FREE ENTRY, £3 car parking per car. Head to our website for all the details.
The popular Westmorland County Showground race venue will provide non-stop entertainment for spectators over two days of racing.
Wheelbase are proud sponsors of this premium event and are really looking forward to helping to make this the best National Cyclo-Cross Championship yet, providing logistical support behind the scenes as well as running the WHEELBASE BAR! So regardless of whether you’re racing or spectating there’ll be an opportunity to grab a local beer with your mates before, during or after the most exciting cross races of the season.
Wheelbase are sponsoring the National Cyclo-Cross Championships as well as hosting the WHEELBASE BAR!
One of our very own Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli Cyclo-Cross team riders Dave Haygarth is the hard-working organizer behind this two-day event who, along with his team of volunteers has spent the past few months creating a National Cyclo-Cross Championships that will challenge racers across all categories, with an international-level ‘cross course consisting of all the sort of features you’d expect from an event of this magnitude. Off the track, Dave and his long list of event sponsors have worked closely together to ensure that we can all enjoy an action-packed weekend of racing within a family-friendly, smooth-running event.
The super-steep banks on WHEELBASE MOUNTAIN will push the racers to their limits.
After hosting multiple local and national Cyclo-Cross races at the popular Westmorland County Showground venue Dave has been able to gradually refine the course to perfectly suit all categories and age-groups, striking a great balance of being challenging for the elite racers while still being accessible and rider-friendly for our younger racers. As well as steep banks, cambers and run ups there’ll be our own WHEELBASE HURDLES, the infamous WHEELBASE MOUNTAIN, the FRED WHITTON CHALLENGE STEPS and the CANNONDALE FLYOVER.
Racers can expect a challenging course, while spectators can look forward to an action-packed weekend of elbow-to-elbow racing.
Come and join us for the ultimate Cyclo-Cross party! We’ve put together all the information you’ll need for the National Cyclo-Cross Championships below. Read on for much more info…
Car Parking
SPECTATING IS FREE, parking is only £3.00 You can PRE-PAY FOR PARKING HERE which help for speedy access to the event, or pay on the day. The show ground gates will be open at 7am and closed at 10pm.
Directions
The Westmorland County Showground is a privately owned facility with easy access from Junction 36 of the M6. For Satnav, please use the postal code LA7 7NH
The Race Course
With (50m) of elevation per lap it could be described as about averaging for a ‘cross course. Not hilly, not flat. The ascent / descent comes from a combination of:
- A few run-ups with no chance of riding
- One run/ride up depending on skills and weather / ground conditions.
- Cambered slight descents
- One set of hurdles, 35cm, 5m spaced
- One flight of steps, stone
- Two clean, good surface climbs
- One flyover, scaffolding bridge
- One fast, good surface, flowy and easy descent (recovery!)
- Numerous grass sections that are likely to get very heavy going in January.
The land is well-drained but like anywhere, when it gets wet, it gets sticky. That means that the fine stone on some of the hard-surfaces could get pulled into your bike if it’s muddy.
The National Cyclo-Cross Championship course promises to deliver action-packed racing throughout the weekend.
Race Schedule
Saturday 14th January
9.45am Veteran Men 50-59
9.47am Veteran Men 60+
11.00am Veteran Men 40-49
12.00pm Veteran Women 40-49
12.02pm Veteran Women 50-59
12.02pm Veteran Women 60+
13.45pm Under 16 Girls
13.47pm Under 14 Girls
14.30pm Under 14 Boys
15.15pm Under 16 Boys
Sunday 15th January
10.00am Junior Men
11.15am Junior Women
13.00pm Senior / U23 Women
14.45pm Senior / U23 Men
Win a £150.00 Wheelbase Voucher!
If you’re coming to this big weekend of racing then why not enter our ‘Best Photo of the Weekend’ competition. Capture the event however you want and post it on Instagram. Serious, humorous, action-packed, whatever you like just, use your imagination!
We’ll select the final 10 photos before putting them to public vote on Instagram, with the overall winner taking £150.00 in WHEELBASE vouchers!
Need more event information? Go to the official National Cyclo-Cross Championships here….
Written by Johnny Dodgin
Photos by James Vincent
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