As sports fans, we watch sporting events for any number of reasons. Fun, diversion, camaraderie, weird obsessions, whatever it might be.
One of those reasons for many is the hope that if we watch enough events, we will get to witness something special. It does not happen often, but every once in a while a great game or race comes along that stands out as an event we will remember not just next week but next year.
So what makes a cyclocross race achieve greatness? That is a good question.
In ’cross, the races we remember seem to come down to battles between two riders—Nys v. Stybar, 2014; Vos v. Cant, 2017, the races may start with large groups, but they usually seem to come down to a duel between two. The chess match between the two, the attacks and counters push riders to their limit and force them to raise their respective ’cross games to another level.
We remember the examples above because the stakes were so high. Great races can happen locally on any given Saturday or Sunday, but true greatness is usually reserved for those races when the most prestigious titles are on the line.
Finally, there are the storylines. Every athlete comes to the line with a story—where they are in their career, what they've accomplished that season, what they have not accomplished that season. These stories can elevate a race to something that is about much more than just a race.
This calendar year, there have been a number of cyclocross races that were nothing short of barn burners. Today, we look back at six classic races that have a good chance of being remembered years from now.
Use the next button to read about each.
Maghalie Rochette v. Ellen Noble – 2018 Pan-American Championships, Midland, Ontario
Even though Michael van den Ham came up just short of bringing home a Pan-American jersey to Canada, the Canadian contingent still had one more hope to capture its first Elite title when Maghalie Rochette took to the start line for the marquee Elite Women’s race.
The 2018 domestic season was a big one for Rochette. After growing up with the Clif Pro Team racing mountain bikes and cyclocross, Rochette decided to go all-in on cyclocross by leaving the Clif team and starting her own CX Fever p/b Specialized program. Rochette launched the program in style, winning both days at Rochester and then defeating her friend and mentor Katerina Nash at RenoCross.
Maghalie Rochette won both days at Rochester and at RenoCross. 2018 Rochester Cyclocross Day 2. photo: Bruce Buckley
Standing in Rochette’s way was Ellen Noble. We already heard from Noble after her classic against Vos at World Cup Waterloo. Noble then went on to beat Rochette in the last lap on Day 1 of Charm City and win the next six domestic races she entered, including the Silver Goose CX race the day before Pan-Ams.
Noble entered Pan-Ams on a seven-race winning streak. Rochette was hoping to end the streak and bring home a Pan-Ams title for the home team.
Entering Sunday’s race at Pan-Ams, Ellen Noble had won seven straight, including that Saturday’s C2. 2018 Silver Goose Cyclocross UCI C2 © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
Early in Saturday’s Silver Goose CX race, Rochette made a costly mistake when trying to pass Noble and take over the lead. On Sunday, Rochette started fast but raced with more control, getting to the front early on along with Noble and Kaitie Keough.
Keough won the Jingle Cross World Cup but had largely been in the shadow of Rochette and Noble during the domestic calendar. With her fast start, Pan-Ams was also a chance for her to show that she is still the rider who finished second in the 2017/18 World Cup overall series.
Midway through Lap 3 of 5, Noble and Rochette pulled away from Keough. With two to go, the stage was set for a duel between the top two domestic women racers of 2018.
Rochette and Noble got a gap on Keough at the end of the third lap. 2018 Pan-American Cyclocross Championships, Midland, Ontario. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
Inside two to go, Rochette went for it. She opened up a small lead on Noble at the stairs and then extended it on the backside of the course. It was there that the race’s big moment happened.
Noble roared back to Rochette’s wheel and shortly before the final sand section, she tried to pass Rochette. Unfortunately, Noble’s handlebar got caught on a course stake and she went OTB. The mistake gave Rochette a nine-second advantage at the bell.
Maghalie Rochette got a small lead on Noble shortly before the last lap. 2018 Pan-American Cyclocross Championships, Midland, Ontario. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
In the last lap, both women turned themselves inside out. Rochette to hold her lead, Noble to come back and catch her Canadian counterpart.
With the hometown fans roaring for her in every section of the course, Rochette held off Noble’s valiant last lap to finally bring home a Pan-Ams jersey for Canadian ’cross.
Maghalie Rochette gave Midland a case of CX Fever on Sunday. 2018 Pan-American Cyclocross Championships, Midland, Ontario. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
Fans in Midland were treated to a barn burner between the two best domestic racers of 2018.
For more from the race, you can read our race report and interview with Rochette after she won Canadian Nationals. We also did a in-depth look at the race and the 2018 domestic season.
