A few weeks back was our first time racing at Belltown Cross and the event did not disappoint. The super varied terrain and course features, coupled with a classic grassroots inclusive community vibe (ideal fall weather didn’t hurt), made for a perfect day racing cyclocross in central Connecticut.

All photos by @CoolRobotPhotography courtesy of Belltown Cx unless otherwise indicated.

Belltown Cross is put on by the Stage 1 Cycling Team at a YMCA camp in Portland, CT, just south of Hartford. As a wise teammate said, “I have never been disappointed at any CT race of any bike discipline”. She was right. The course featured a great mix of steady flat pedally sections, some climbing, good turny bits, a small sand pit, a set of perfect (not-too-tall) barriers, a cool densely wooded loamy section and other bits of singletrack, a STREAM CROSSING, a terribly steep and long run-up, and some other fun/challenging pits. Essentially, something for everyone. For folks who’ve raced in previous years, I’m told the long beach section by the lake was (mercifully) taken out.

The vibes at the race were classic New England grassroots cyclocross vibes. Lots of families, kids, good dogs, and racers of all sorts. It also felt inclusive and especially welcoming of racers in lower categories, which is great to see. The entertaining announcer & music kept energy high all day, and a fried chicken & biscuits forward food truck showed up to feed the hungry crowds. Speaking of the announcer, I just have to shout out this man who did so while walking around the course wearing a child (marsupial dad-style) most of the day. I was impressed and sure hope the kid liked the sound of his voice!

As for my race, I fought hard early on to try to get on good pal & skilled technical rider, Andrea Archer’s wheel, and stick with her as best I could. I managed to stay within a couple of turns of her for the first lap, but she gradually gapped me off. Staying ahead of the racer behind me also proved really difficult. I felt myself losing time to her every lap on the dreaded run-up. She finally passed me on the run-up in the 3rd lap, as I started to fade & made a few mistakes that cost me more time. Still, I managed to hold on to 3rd place, and had a blast riding around the course.

The podium prizes consisted of a custom cowbell and some brews from Fat Orange Cat Brewing Company, who, in my opinion, have the best pint can labels I’ve ever seen. Purrrfect prizes if you ask me!

If I were to compare this race to one of our closer NYC area events, I would put this in the category of a BubbleCross - one of my personal favorites. Definitely a not to be missed event that everyone should put on their 2024 Cross Calendar!