Almost none of the best professional cyclocross racers in the Western Hemisphere had been to Missoula before coming to town for the Pan-American Championship races this past weekend. But they seem to universally agree they ll be back.
At the Pan-American Cyclocross Championships in Missoula this Saturday and Sunday, the best riders in the Western Hemisphere will take on a challenging course of grass, dirt and mud at Lindborg-Cregg Memorial Field. Sitting one notch below the annual Cyclocross World Championships, this weekend’s Pan-Ams race is one of the highest-level sporting events of any kind Missoula has ever hosted.
Rolling Thunder Cyclocross, a classic Missoula bicycle racing event that s as much a party as it is a competition, returns for its 17th year this weekend, Oct. 28 and 29. But unlike most years, when Rolling Thunder is the biggest cross race of the fall, this edition is also a lead-up to a major international championship coming to Missoula the following weekend.