Why Not?

Based on the success of Bandit CX in July, and the Cyclocross Resurrection in December, we need something in between to bridge the gap. Cheaper entry, USAC-sanctioned, earlier in the year, and a fun low-stakes environment dressed up as a costume party.

What's not to love?

The Storm Eva Bandman course is full of FLOW!
Historically this course was for powerful riders, but everyone knows the techy bits are more fun. The aim of this race is to bring maximum fun and minimal suffering, so we add as many fun features and play with topography to create a unique racecourse that suits all types of riders.

With part of Eva Bandman becoming a managed grassland, we now encourage carpooling to the race. Parking will always be in the grass field, but there is a lot less surface area than in years past.

Please drive all the way down the side-access road to the gravel lot, and turn onto the grass up the hill.

If you have never held a license, don’t worry, we got you. We’ll cover your one-day intro license and waive the late fee. Just pay the $35 bucks to enter and go race your bike. Have fun!

If you’ve held a USA Cycling License as a Cat 4 or higher, USA Cycling has an “Experienced” one-day license available for $35. You will have to present us proof that you purchased it on their website at checkin.

Masters Cat 5/Novice, you will be racing your age group buddies if you want, or you can jump into the true novice category. Or you can double up and do two races in one day!

Preregistration will be available at >http://www.bikereg.com/storm-eva <

If you missed the pre-reg window, we will have on-site registration on race day. Please register at least 45 minutes before your race. Please bring exact cash.

To get you all to register for this race earlier, we are implementing a tiered registration pricing schedule.
- $35 before October 13
- $40 between Oct 14 and 25 when Pre Reg closes
- $45 onsite Sunday, Oct. 27th

Call-up order based CrossResults.com points rankings will be set at close of registration on October 25 at midnight and published on October 26th.

Because this is a halloween race, wearing a costume at the start will improve your call up. Face paint, fake mustaches, and obviously retro racing kit (10+ years) all count as a costume!

The pricing tiers apply to all categories greater than Cat 5 men, Cat 4/5 women, Juniors, and U23.

Bikes are for everyone and for all bodies. We disagree with USA Cycling and the UCI’s stance on trans athletes and welcome all athletes regardless of gender identity, sex, religion, race, or creed to our events.

At registration, in good faith, please select whichever race lines up best with your ability, experience, and gender. If there is a problem with our BikeReg Page, please email us at cyclingholdings@gmail.com to rectify the issue.

Thank you.

Most of us once were cash-strapped college students. Back when they used to publish them, the year-end USAC demographic reports regularly showed that more PhD’s raced cyclocross than any other discipline (and cared the least about course safety!! Truly unhinged!!).

New for 2023, OVCX has committed to provide a U23 discount at all its races. We will follow suit with this race. If you need a hand up to participate in our race, kindly email us at cyclingholdings@gmail.com and we’ll sort you out with a coupon for whatever category you’re registering.

You are the future of our sport and we cannot afford to price you out. Please bring a friend, or seven. Non-racers love watching CX.

Does your bicycle have two working brakes? If so, you’re good to go.

We’re gonna tell our USA Cycling officials to let anyone with a pulse and a bicycle to race.

Gravel bikes, mountain bikes, cross bikes, fixies (with 2 working brakes), and cruisers all work. We even had Winnie the Pooh and a pair of “Hillbillies” race last year on a tandem. Are some bike choices… bold? Yes. But we like boldness around here.

Gravel seems to have a “spirit” but that was stolen from cyclocross and dragged out over 200 miles. At the this race, you can experience The Spirit in a mere 30 minutes.

If you’re into details, the regulations state one must race a drop-bar bike with 33mm tires or less.

If you’re running a 1x drivetrain, we recommend anywhere from a 40-44t chainring and cassettes in the max range of 30-35t.

Standard 2x ‘cross chainset of 46x36 or road compact of 50x34 will both work as well.

Tire choice is up to you, but as a beginner you’ll hit the sweet spot with 33mm intermediate tires like the Schwalbe X-One, Challenge Grifo, Vittoria Terreno Mix, or Donnelly MXP.

Depending on your equipment, your tire pressure will vary on course conditions, riding styles, and your weight. Tubeless tires can be run as low as 15psi in muddy races and in dry races most everyone settles around 25-30psi.

If you’re using clinchers and tubes, aim on the high side, (40-55psi depending on your weight and ability) and embrace the jackhammer. It’s better to have sore hands and shoulders for a few minutes after the race than a DNF and a trip to the bike shop for more tubes.

For a scheduled 30-minute Novice race with 8 minute lap times, you can expect the distance covered to be around 6 miles or 4 laps.

Cyclocross is scheduled as a timed event due to several skill categories occurring on the same short course throughout the day.

Distance and lap count is determined based on the leading racers’ average speed during the early minutes of the race. Officials extrapolate those lap times into a lap count that fits the scheduled race duration and will ring a bell for you on the Final Lap.

A great way to prepare is to attend our Hot Laps practices at Eva Bandman every Thursday at 6 pm! We work on skills, then do a sweet spot workout. It’s free and all are welcome. We regularly mentor each other at this practice.

We wrote an in-depth article on this topic called “How to Race a Crit: Tips for Beginners” and we’re pretty proud of it. Give it a read by clicking here!

Now cyclocross is a slightly different beast. So just go out and have fun with it!