SSCXWC 2025

Marley Blonsky in a moment of quiet contemplation among the mayhem.

October in Minnesota is quite possibly the best time of the year to ride bikes; cool enough for a pair of shorts and a long sleeve jersey in the morning that can be shed later in the afternoon. Mix this with foliage that ranges from buttery yellow to fiery orange and you have yourself a perfect season for cyclocross.

Since I haven’t been to my native Minnesota in autumn for over a quarter of a century, I was excited to experience it once again under the guise of my first Single Speed Cyclocross World Championship (SSCXWC). Before I get into SSCXWC, let me share with you a basic understanding of cyclocross and its origins.

Cyclocross Origins 📖

Cyclocross was born in the early 1900s in Europe; in the winter season road cyclists kept their fitness by taking shortcuts across farmfields, fences and ditches. Originally, it was called steeplechase as the riders would use church steeples seen from a distance as their point of reference.

Twenty-four years later, the first international cyclocross race (Le Critérium International de Cross-Country Cyclo-Pédestre) took place in Paris, France. It was also around this time that races had become more structured, run on marked courses with looping circuits, rather than point-to-point sprints, all the while retaining the core challenge of mixed terrain and required dismounts.

It was in the 1960s that Belgium and the Netherlands, with muddy fields aplenty and huge cycling cultures, embraced cyclocross at an elite level. Some of the biggest names in cycling come from cyclocross; Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel to name a few.

The Single Speed Cyclocross World Championship started in 2007 in the other USA cycling mecca of Portland, Oregon. Tequila shot hand-ups, beer, costumes, and general mayhem set the tone for all following editions.

Which brings to the present day Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships. Minneapolis had won the hosting rights for 2025 against Bellingham, Washington after a cheese curd eating contest in last year’s host city of Madison, Wisconsin.

SSCXWC 2025 - Friday 👋

Friday morning kicked-off at Behind the Bars bike shop where locals and those not present on Thursday could register. It was also here that I met my two of my fellow Skadi Sport Psychology scholarship recipients, Jeremy Gomez and Chloë Spritz.

Chelli and Anders giving guidance for the day’s events

After a beer and some more mingling, Chelli handed the megaphone to Anders who lead us on a slow-roll to Cedar Lake to cool the feet as well as the palate as it was an unusually hot (30° C / 86° F) and humid kind of day. It was also here that the last of my group of four Skadi Sport Psychology scholarship recipients showed up; I recognized Amahl instantly and promptly introduced myself and the group.

About forty-five minutes later, we pedaled on to Arbeiter Brewery where darkness brought vegan burgers, live music, dumpster tattoos, and one epic round of foot down; first as one of the challenges for the next host city (Bellingham won) and then just for the fun of it.

SSCXWC 2025 - Saturday 💪

Today was the day that would determine each person’s general position in the start field. By earning Poochie Buxxx (a currency that felt like Monopoly money with real world implications) through acts of kindness, courage and/or bribery, riders could gain an advantage at the start of the race. These were earned during the four Feats of Strength that were to be completed throughout the day.

The disorganizers broke up the over two-hundred folks registered into twelve teams to compete throughout the day. I ended up being on Team Sprocket lead by Handup Team member and randonneur Jake. Rounding out the team were Lawrence, Armando, Chris, Marley, Andy, Keely, Tim, Adam, Grayson, Claire, Anna, Talia, Maddie, Keely, Dan, and Gene.

After a quick breakfast at a local park, we broke up into our teams and headed off across town to do our first Feat of Strength. A flat tire had us stopping to fix it in the shadows of the Viking Stadium, before we rode onward towards Theodore Wirth trails and ended up at what is known affectionately as Bare Ass Beach on Twin Lake. We were then split into two groups and had to move small objects from the wooded hillside to floating mattresses in the water. This involved a zipline, a catapault and a good amount of creativity. Afterwards, we played a game of wet trout where some of us made the beach’s namesake proud. Each team was awarded a few Poochie Buxxx per person with a few extra going to the other team for their creativity and teamwork.

Chelli said we should bring a suit and she wasn’t kidding 🤪.

Next up was another commute to Cedar Lake (Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes) where a relay race was set-up that involved a bucket and water. This time we were broken down into four teams where each team was given a bucket to bring down from the top of the hill, fill it with water, bike with it to another person, that then ran it back up the hill. The winners were based on speed and the amount of water left in the bucket. My team ended up winning and receiving three Poochie Buxxx per person.

As this was the half-way point of the Feats of Strength, we biked back across town to Boom Island Park where grill master Justin was serving up bratwursts and beers including vegan sausages and sparkling water for those so inclined. There was also a little kicker jump that was set-up but, I was hesistant to try it out as I wanted to make sure I was good to go for tomorrow’s race. In hindsight, I should have given it a go as there was an even bigger one waiting for us the next day.

Crashing this lovely couple’s wedding photo.

We still had two more Feats of Strength to complete before the day was done, so he headed off to what is known as the Witches Hat Water Tower. As we were leaving the park, Chris saw a wedding couple with photographer in tow which he asked if we could get a photo with with them. They gladly obliged (the photographer didn’t look as amused) as we lined up for our wedding photo.

If you were this father, would you let us in your jumpy castle?

Another side-quest came a few kilometers later; as we were pedaling down the West River Parkway there was a group of three kids in a jumpy castle with the dad organizing things in the yard. We asked Jake if we have time for a quick little jump (which we did) and then asked the dad if we could also jump in the castle. After checking the weight restrictions (maximum five adults) he also obliged. It didn’t take us long to pull-off our shoes and join the kids in the castle. Jake upped the ante at some point by throwing in handfuls of Poochie Buxxx.

Before long we were back on our bikes and climbing Tower Hill Park where two unconventional bikes built by Dave were waiting for us. Instead of having the steerer tube attached to the headset, the bikes pivoted at the seattube making for a very tricky riding experience. Lawrence would end-up being the fastest to complete the two laps around the Witches Hat Water Tower while I came in third.

Anna and Marley checking out the fit on these new rides.

The last Feat of Strength was also on a body of water; this time it was at the White Sand Beach on the Mississippi River. We were divided into four teams where we had to first find five wooden tokens in the surrounding wooded area and then build a sandcastle that would be judged on its height, moat and overall creativity. My team ended up placing first (or tying for first) and receiving three Poochie Buxxx per person.

That was the end of the Feats of Strength. We tallied our totals of Poochie Buxxx (thank you Keely and Marley), gave the number to Jake, and then headed off to freshen up for the night’s festivities. I had just hoped I had enough to make it into a top 50% call-up for the race the next day.

The second hosting challenge was at the evening party and consisted of another Dave construct. This time it was ten-person pedaling, four-wheeled vehicle. Bellingham won this as well.

SSCXWC 2025 - Sunday 🏁

Race day!

And it’s being held at Buck Hill; a ski hill 48km (30 miles) south of Minneapolis. The good news is the disorganizers had planned for this by providing a party bus (aka yellow school bus) to bring us there and back. Being a scholarship recipient, I opted to take the bus as that was included in the scholarship package.

Plus, it sounded like a good way to start the morning and soak in some more race day vibes.

All on board the party bus to Buck Hill.

After Chelli and Nikki checked our names off the list, we loaded up the bikes in trailers and our bodies in the bus and sent us off to Buck Hill. I happened to looking out the window and saw them finishing up their final preparations which I can imagine was not unlike all parents felt that had done this during their child’s elementary school morning routine.

Upon arrival at Buck Hill, the vibes were electric!

I fetched my bike, signed in to get my timing chip and did a few recon laps of the course. Thank goodness I had a 22 tooth chainring I installed the night before as we were going straight up the hill for the first lap and then taking a series of switchbacks for what would be the remaining six laps.

The course was challenging (ca. 405m of climbing on a single speed) with plenty of switchbacks, a hidden heckler wooded area, a launch ramp onto a inflated landing, and a mandatory dismount that crossed a speed boat. The biggest concern I had was the launch ramp as I am just not that confident in my ability to launch a bike. This is where I put most of my energy while pre-riding the course.

Before long it was time to line-up for the start. Fortunately, I had enough Poochie Buxxx (44 to be exact) to make it into a top 50% (thanks again Keely and Marley). I not only made it to the top 50% but, was the third person to be called-up. That meant I had a first row start surrounded by Team Rock Lobster who had brought a strong contingent from Santa Cruz.

To make a long story a little shorter, I had a good start (2nd halfway up the hill and 5th entering the single-track), did a manual nose wheelie all the way down the inflatable landing, and got a flat halfway through the 4th lap. I pulled the plug with two laps to go, which in hindsight, I should have just asked someone for a loaner bike or wheel and kept going.

Live and learn. Live and learn.

On the bright side, this gave me more time to get photos of the next two races and soak in the atmosphere in what I can only hope was just the beginning of many more years of experiencing the SSCXWC traveling circus.

Thank you to the disorganizers (Chelli, Nikki, Kadence, and Renee) for creating a safe and inclusive space for all. Also thank you to Skadi Sport Psychology for the scholarship; if I hadn’t had the privelege to have been awarded this scholarship, I definitely would not have been able to attend. And lastly, thank you to all those that I met and made me feel welcome for my very first SSCXWC.

Gallery 👀

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More info ✌️ Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships

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