USA Cycling and Riverfront Recapture team up for a weeklong cycling competition. HARTFORD, Conn. — “Cyclocross” is not yet a household word, but the event is bringing more than 1,600 biking competitors to Hartford this week. Riverfront Recapture and USA Cycling have brought the Cyclocross National Championships back to the capital city for the first time since 2017 and set up shop inside Riverside Park, where a 2.2-mile course is up and running.
Cyclocross is described as a mash-up between road biking, mountain biking, and Steeplechase, according to Tara McCarthy, who is the director of national events at USA Cycling and has come to Hartford from Colorado Springs.
“Here at the Cyclocross National Championships, we have about 44 states represented — sometimes we get Hawaii,” McCarthy said.
Beyond the 2.2-mile course, the six days of races will go far for the economic impact in the area.
Mike Zaleski, the president and CEO of Riverfront Recapture estimated that the event will bring in over $2 million for the Greater Hartford region.
“We’ve got a couple thousand athletes who are coming to Hartford and Riverside Park to participate in this national championship event," Zaleski said. "People stay in hotels, go to the bars, they go to restaurants – it really is a great opportunity for the city and the region.”
Cyclocross amateur competitor Deidre Garvey traveled to Hartford from Boulder, Colorado, for the competition."I think it’s got an appeal that other sports don’t,” Garvey said.“Come see the park, come see the racing, come be by the Connecticut […]
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