Preview 2016 Cross Vegas

Expectations for the 2016 Cross Vegas

At the 2016 edition of Cross Vegas ,there will be some big changes to the race course at the Desert Breeze Soccer Complex in Las Vegas. The racing action will be moved almost exclusively into “The Bowl”, only at the start and finish will the racers move out of the bowl for some concentrated action for spectators.

Race director Brook Watts described the course changes as, “a natural evolution of CrossVegas. We’ve taken a world-class, challenging course and made it even more difficult while enhancing the spectator-friendly aspects that fans have come to love. It’s a Three Ring Circus and a classic study in pain.”

The wooden “Raleigh Ramp”, famous for the high-speed riders reach on it, will remain in the race. The Shimano Flyover will be joined by the new green KASK Helmet Flyover and the CrossVegas sandpit has a new incline location that is described by Watts as “literally a sand dune that will probably earn me very few friends.”

After finishing the bulk of the action in the Bowl, the racers will face the “Focus Bikes Stairs” just before the final sprint to the finish line. Last year the Women’s Elite was won by Katerina Nash of the Czech Republic and the Men’s Elite was won by Wout Van Aert of Belgium. Both Nash and Van Aert are expected to compete in 2016.

The Wheelers & Dealers races, presented by KASK Helmets, will give amateur riders a taste of what’s to come later in the evening during the World Cup races, with the advantage of a short cut to spare them the toughest section of downhill and uphill racing.