Resistance Racing and Tracklocross: The Evil Stepsister of Cyclocross

Photos and words by Angel Perez

This past weekend was the first race of the Bay Area Tracklocross race series hosted by Resistance Racing. The course proved challenging: battling through discarded large concrete blocks in the hopes that you don’t pedal strike and a climb containing a ~80 ft steep run-up.

Tracklocross could be considered the evil stepsister of cyclocross. Imagine a traditional track bike (fixed-gear, no brakes) set-up to be ridden and raced on dirt. Most of the bikes are track bikes with the biggest tire that will fit wedged into the frame or a cyclocross bike retrofitted to run a fixed gear drivetrain. Pushing the boundaries of which bikes can be ridden off-road, the simplicity of the equipment leads to a high level of accessibility, providing space for a unique and growing subset of the cycling community. The idea is not about categories, winners or losers – but instead getting together, having a good time, and racing with your friends for the pure enjoyment.

We all can’t thank Jean Padilla and Nick Kean enough for their hard work over the past two years for hosting Tracklocross races. Each year, these events and community continue to expand in size, slowly spreading across the globe, with especially vibrating communities in Japan and the US. Inclusivity and diversity have been an important component of the Resistance Racing events and, in an effort to grow the community, free entries have been offered to the Women, Trans, and Femme and non-binary (WTF) entries.

Upcoming races by Resistance Racing

Sacramento, CA – May 4

Golden Gate Park – May 25th

Nationals June 21st – 23rd, an all weekend race event.

RR will be holding a bidding contest at Nationals for cities to vote where it will be hosted next year.

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