A new event is being introduced to the world of cyclocross. De Ronde Van Cork Cycling Club hosted a Time Trial Mixed-Team Event modeled on a cycle relay race in which riders take turns completing a course lap before handing off their relay baton to the next rider. (Report Micheal Corkery & Photos from the DRVC social media page)
The race took place in the newly appointed purpose-built CX course at the Cork Showgrounds on Sunday 6th February. The grounds consist of a sandpit, off-camber section, and the infamous ‘stairway to heaven’, roughly 2.4 kilometers per lap of type 2 fun.
The Relay format was that of an ‘it’s not a Race but a Time Trial’ event however try telling that to a bunch of cyclists who believed their cross was over for another season, they now again had their moment in the mud.
A team consisted of three riders with the aim to complete their laps faster than their opponents, each team member rode a lap before handing the timing chipped baton over to the next team member who, in turn, did a lap. At a total of 4 laps each. A strong cohort of 11 teams signed up for the main event with riders cross-populating between Munster’s finest cycling clubs producing some interesting team pub quiz names like Kinki Cycles and the Wolf Pack to name a few!!
This unique event was a great family day out and an opportunity for everyone to get involved in a different type of cycling event. Catering for all cyclocross levels as the teams were handicapped, the day started as usual with a Kiddies Event and then moved into the much-loved Family Relay where the big kids got an opportunity to be shown a thing or two by their little ones, followed by the main Mixed Team Event.
