Late-season cyclocross can be a chilly affair in Alberta. Calgary’s Dark Knight CX is doing its part to keep racers warm and the mood light.

With flaming barriers and a separate “Arkham” category for costumed capers, the race is as much about celebrating cyclocross as it is serious racing.

Now in its second decade, 2018 was the 11th edition of Dark Knight CX, the race wasn’t always this much of a spectacle. “Initially, it was just a core group of racers that were into CX and took every race seriously,” says race director Ed Garvin. “The race has really evolved and changed over the years.”

Dark Knight CX got its start in the early years of CrossVegas. “Anybody who watched that race can relate to wanting to be a part of it,” says Garvin. “I couldn’t compete in that due to a complete lack of talent,” he adds with more than a hint of Canadian self-deprecation, “so I decided to do the next best thing and hold my own version.”

When the opportunity arose, Garvin jumped. Through a U of C venue well suited to night time racing and the solid support of the local club Cyclemeisters, who he says “were willing to follow through with a pretty bad idea,” Dark Knight CX was born.

“There was a real appetite for a race that was more of an event,” Garvin says, “as opposed to just the usual weekend CX hammerfest that people were taking way too seriously.” With a DJ, laser lighting, race announcer, and a growing crowd of spectators, the race quickly grew into an event.

“It didn’t take long for the newbies and crazies to win me over,” says Garvin, looking back as how the race has changed over its 11 years. “Bike racing is sometimes pretty boring,” he adds, “if we’re going to do it at night then why not throw some jumps and obstacles in?”

The new course features were a hit, but not universally well received. “Some of the serious racers complained,” Garvin recalls, “so that’s when I decided to light the jumps on fire. Just to prove a point.” Flaming barriers, a laser light smoke tent and, for a couple years, a tequila shortcut helped make sure Dark Knight was a spectator-friendly event as much as it was a cyclocross race.

Over the years, Dark Knight CX has continued to evolve. It hass moved from U of C, through a seven year stint at Calgary Olympic Park, and now takes place at Kingsland Community Centre. A growing family focus has seen the addition of a kids race (fewer flames).

Then there’s Arkham. “We started to recognize that some people just have way too much fun dressing up in costumes,” says Garvin, “so we gave them the final race slot of the evening.” With the race’s proximity to Halloween, Arkham was an instant hit. “In your first year, we had close to 80 people in that start alone.”

As Dark Knight CX has grown and evolved, there the inevitable questions about why he doesn’t try make the event bigger. For now, Garvin’s happy with the events position in the Alberta race calendar. “It’s turns into a bit of a season ending party for everyone,” say Garvin, “often drawing racers from the local scene who show up just to watch and catch up with friends.”

“I think the consensus amongst those of us in the Alberta cyclocross season is that this is our party,” Garvin says. “It’s big enough, and good enough as it is.”

With that kind of community-focus approach, Alberta racers can count on the flames of Arkham lighting up the cyclocross course for years to come.