Forty-eight years of cyclocross racing! The longest-running cyclocross series in the USA is returning for one final party at Crest Tree Ranch. Two days of racing, affordable camping, a costume race, free entry for first-timers, on-site food and coveted Frank Kalcic wine for podiuming racers are just a few of the draws of the 2026 edition of Surf City Cyclocross. See what’s in store for racers and what’s in the mind of race director Brendan Lehman below.
Keep Surf City CX promoter Brendan Lehman smiling by joining the party at Crest Tree Ranch one final time. © Andrew Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Here we are, staring down the barrel of another cyclocross season. As the days get shorter and the nippy autumn air raises goosebumps on my not-so-recently shaved leg hair follicles, I take this time to reflect.
The year is 2026 and life has become a panopticon of dreadful boredom where time seems to pass quicker than ever, yet each day is a drawn-out relentless doomscroll of A.I. generated advertisements designed to convince us that our lives might be better if we play out our roles in the surveillance state capitalist system that hands us bite-sized joy in the form of a sensational all-new Panera sandwich lunch combo that can be enjoyed while sitting on plastic furniture in the soulless overpriced apartment complex plaza that was erected atop the rubble of a recently demolished bowling alley (we loved that bowling alley).
But I offer you hope. Yes, a reprieve from the never-ending parade of bad news and intellectually vacuous daily humdrum. This coming October 24th weekend you can join us for the 48th(!) running of Surf City Cyclocross. A weekend that is so profoundly fun that despite all odds, it still rears its head each year to celebrate the magic that is bike racing.
Get over your barriers and make this memorable, final weekend at Crest Ranch © Andrew Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Yes, in one week, worlds will collide at Crest Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains for a two-day cyclocross festival featuring camping, live music, the Pixie Bike World Championships, and Northern California’s premier costume race.
You would never guess, but with zero practice, the band kicks off the A race at Surf City with its piercing, memorable tunes. © Andrew Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
And by golly, it doesn’t even cost that much. For the price of three burritos, you can toe the line to race and get two nights of camping with clean porta-potties.
Don’t wanna plan meals? No problem, the Good Times Crew is serving up healthy and affordable food all weekend. Sorry, it looks like there isn’t any rain in the forecast, so you’ll have to suck it up and deal with sunny skies and perfect temperatures.
Rain, fog, dust, #truecrossconditions, you never know what you’ll get at Surf City CX. © Andrew Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Oh by the way, we aren’t even doing this for money. So if you’ve never done a bike race before, and you wanna try it out, or you’ve got a friend to drag along, we can hook them up with a free entry (a Surf City CX / CXM partnership since at least 2019!). Just shoot us an email and let us know. The rest of you salty veterans can help us break even by showing up and buying a t-shirt or whatever.
Just remember, when you’re old, you’re not going to be proud of how many hours you spent on the couch drooling at the television.
In the year 2035, when choose-your-own-sci-fi-horror movie future predictions come true, your brain, which will barely be functional now that robots run our lives, will have little flashes of joy from fuzzy memories of Kell McKenzie bunny hopping bonfires on a pixie bike or tracklocross bike.
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By then there won’t be any trees left on planet earth since we burned them all to make room for data centers, so it will have been nearly a decade since your nose inhaled the sweet smell of wood smoke intermixed with the body odor of hundreds of other bike racers camped out in the forest.
Group costumes add to the fun. This Pax Man collab between Black Mountain Composite and Live in Peace set a high score. © Andrew Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
I predict that you’re going to regret not having something to wear for the Sunday costume race. And that’s ok. Plenty of other people have been working on theirs for the past 11 months and you can just enjoy that from the sidelines. The only regret that matters is the one from staying home.
The costume race is a fan favorite, and Scott, Amanda and child always are podium contenders. © Andrew Yee / Cyclocross Magazine
Register now before you’re filled with regrets.
More info: cyclo-x.com
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