Cyclocross racing is breaking away from the cold, wet days of autumn/fall and winter to debut at next spring’s Sea Otter Classic, the four-day ‘Celebration of Cycling’, scheduled to take place on 19-22 April 2012 in Monterey, California.
“During the last few years, cyclocross has grown with a cult-like fanaticism as a participatory and spectator sport,” said Frank Yohannan, President and CEO of the Sea Otter Classic. “It fits right in with the festival atmosphere and the celebration of everything cycling that makes up Sea Otter.”
The Sea Otter Cyclocross, hosted by Raleigh America, will take place on Saturday afternoon, 21 April, and will feature all men’s and women’s professional and amateur divisions, as well as singlespeed, messenger and industry cup races.
“We hosted the Midsummer Night Cross race and found that people will show up just about anywhere, and anytime, when offered a chance to ride their cross bikes,” said Chris Speyer, Vice President of Product and Marketing for Raleigh America. “When the idea of helping with cyclocross races at Sea Otter presented itself, we didn’t think twice.”
With 2012 its 22nd year, the annual Sea Otter event is regarded as the world’s largest cycling festival. It attracts more than 50,000 cyclists and fans every year, where they are immersed in dozens of races, product demos, family-oriented events and more than 350 exhibitors showing off the latest in cycling services and products.
Cyclocross joins Sea Otter’s cross country, dual slalom, short track and downhill mountain bike events, as well as its road, criterium, and circuit road racing events. Recreational options include three Gran Fondo routes – a 96-mile Carmel Valley route, a 50-mile Coastal route, and a 20-mile mountain bike route.
Cross racers will experience the thrill of starting and finishing on the Laguna Seca Raceway while thousands of fans cheer them on. The course will snake through the Sea Otter Expo and Laguna Seca Lakebed area, and will include off-camber and ‘kitty litter’ sections, a high-speed barrier section located near the Sierra Nevada Beer Garden, and other yet-to-determined obstacles.
