Behind the Scenes at Cyclocross Nationals
A conversation with USA Cycling CXNATS course director Darron Sturgeon
“There’s been a lot of talk … maybe too much talk … about this next course.”
Bono, probably.
To follow up on Zach’s CXNATS post about the annual tradition vis-a-vis the nationals’ course, I decided to put on the journalism hat and chat with Darron Sturgeon, a veteran of cyclocross nationals operations, on his new role as course director and the decision-making that went into creating a different layout at Joe Creason Park than we’ve seen in the past.
Balancing public and governmental concerns, rider safety, potential weather conditions and competitive equity, Sturgeon took on the challenge of laying out a track that worked for everyone, from young racers and masters fields to the UCI elites.
Today will tell if he ultimately succeeded, but I believe it is important to hear the thinking that went on behind the decisions that may be easy to criticize simply because it’s different than what we had before.
Thanks for watching, and see you at the races.