Cycling Cyclocross National Championships Get Underway in Hartford

 The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau welcomes the 2022 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships to Hartford’s Riverside Park this week. Riverfront Recapture, Inc. will host the six-day event beginning Tuesday, and numerous area organizations and businesses are among those welcoming the competition to the Capital City.

 “This race is one of USA Cycling’s four major national championships with more than 1,600 athletes coming from all over the nation to compete for 34 national titles, including categories qualifying for the UCI Cyclocross World Championships,” explains Michael Zaleski, President & CEO of Riverfront Recapture, Inc., the private, non-profit organization that manages Riverside Park.

 “The USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships was first held in Riverside Park in January of 2017, and it moves to a different city and course each year. The organizers’ and participants’ responses to our race venue in the Capital City was so positive that USA Cycling chose to return here.”

 National championship titles will be awarded in age groups from 11 years old up to age 70 and older, according to officials. The event also features a festival atmosphere with food trucks, beer, and an age 10 and under Fun Lap.

 The mission of USA Cycling is to develop the sport of cycling in the United States at all levels and to achieve sustained international racing success while fostering a shared commitment to safety, integrity, and the joy of cycling.

 “We welcome this dynamic outdoor tournament and the thousands of the visitors it will bring to the Greater Hartford region,” says Robert Murdock, President of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau, the state’s official meetings and sports events sales and marketing organization. “With over 1,600 competitors, hundreds of coaches, officials, staff and supporting vendors, plus thousands more spectators, the six-day event is projected to generate more than $2.2 Million* in revenue for the Greater Hartford region.”

 The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTMEETINGS) is managing the tournament’s hotel reservation process and has booked rooms in at least 15 hotels in Avon, East Hartford, Glastonbury, Hartford, Manchester, Southington, Windsor and Windsor Locks, with the Hartford Marriott Downtown serving as the event’s host hotel

 “Spending by visitors at local restaurants, attractions and hotels during the tournament will support more than 480 tourism-related jobs and will result in over $160,000 in sales tax revenue for Connecticut,” Murdock added.

 Admission to the championships is $20 for attendees who are ages 11 and up, and wristbands can be used for the entire championships.

To purchase wristbands and get all information about the 2022 Cyclocross National Championships for athletes, vendors and spectators, including the event schedule, go to www.riverfront.org/cyclocross

photo by Andy Hart