Prague - Part 3: Cyclocross Elite World Championships

Sunday was the big show: The 2010 World Championships of Cyclocross. I’ve never been to a world championship anything, so this was all pretty exciting. We got to Tabor early so we could make sure we got to catch the Elite Women’s race at 11. I guess the Euro’s aren’t all the into watching the women race, because they crowd was actually smaller than it was for the U23 race. Surprising. On our way into the race area, we stopped at a nearby grocery store and picked up some beers. When in Rome…

For the start of the women’s race, we situated ourselves in the grandstands along the start/finish straight. From there, we had a good view of the riders coming through the finish line as well as a view of a big video screen. Like any big sporting event, you get a much better view at home so it’s nice if you can watch the rest of the race unfold on a big video screen.

Finish area

When we planned this trip, I had high hopes that we’d be able to see American Katie Compton take her first title. She had been having a great season up to that point, but a few weeks before the race she started having cramping in her legs and it kept her off the bike. It was clear from the very start of the race that she hadn’t overcome that yet. Bummer. I feel bad for her. I know how much it sucks to really train for something and then have the rug pulled out from under you. We still had plenty of cheering to do, though, as Meredith Miller (another Fort Collins resident) finished a strong 12th.

The crowd really started to fill in for the men’s race. The pre-race festivities in the beer tent were in full force. Lots of tipsy fans singing along to songs whose lyrics I can only assume are common knowledge to Europeans. The DJ even had the crowd singing along to dance versions of songs from Cats. If you want to get an idea of the atmosphere, think of the tail end of a wedding reception when everyone is sufficiently drunk but not yet sick. Then add some costumes and people waving flags supporting the favorite racers.

Elite Men Start Line

We didn’t move around much during the men’s race. Instead, we opted to stay in one area of the course where we could see the racers go by a few times and also catch the rest of the race on the video screen. As an added bonus, Christine could stand in the beer tent and watch while she stayed warm.

The pre-race favorite had to be the Czech champion, Zdenek Stybar. He’d been riding well, and the extra motivation of riding in your home country is always a factor. He didn’t disappoint the home crowd, and slayed the entire field in impressive fashion even after an early flat. It’s so fun to be next to the course and watch the riders power by on the hilly course. They’re animals.


Christine with a Swiss dude and a big Swiss cowbell