Some big names came out to play at the Providence Cyclocross (I don’t hyphenate) Festival last weekend. Double points going fifteen deep at this UCI C1, a tight and surprisingly hard-racing course that brought out the selections early—though not so early that the always-important start proved decisive.
While I’m not sure the podium would have played any differently on a more open course, the race also provided a good example of how the technical aspects of cyclocross sometimes invert the road racing logic of keeping your nose out of the wind.