Local cycling fans can look forward to rare racing action in Qualicum Beach this weekend.
A new cycling event, Cross on the Commons, will take place at the Qualicum Beach Community Civic Centre on Oct. 22. The race will start will start at 10 and will go on until 3 p.m.
It is one of the legs of Cross on the Rock, a competitive cyclocross series on Vancouver Island that has been held annually since 2003.
The race course is going to be centered around the various playing fields adjacent to the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. It’s going to be the first time for this race to be held in Qualicum Beach.
“We are expecting a good turnout because we are part of an eight-race series and we’re right in the middle of it, race number five,” said organizer Roy Kregosky. “There’s a lot of racers fromVancouver Island that follow it on a regular basis, so everyone will be into it and it’s a new venue in Qualicum Beach.”
Kregosky is expecting about 350 racers to come out. Competitors can use either a cyclocross bike or a mountain bike.
The event is a multi-lap race and is expected to last an hour. It’s open to kids, juniors or senior cyclists, and they can be beginners, intermediate, masters or experts.
“I hope a lot of people would come out and try it out on their mountain bike or some kind of gravel grinder bike,” said Kregosky
Kregosky said they’ve wanted to hold this in Qualicum Beach for two years now and this year, the organizers of Cross on the Rock agreed to make it happen.
“We are excited to have the race here for the first time,” said Kregosky, who is an avid participant in the cycling series. “We’re going to make the course interesting and challenging.”
Cross on the Rock races are held in various locations on the Island. They include Victoria, Nanaimo, Cumberland, Port Alberni and Ladysmith.
