How a lucky trip to the CX world championships led to the flight of the Silver Goose Cyclocross Race

Finding inspiration for Ontario's 2016 provincial championship cyclocross course

Canadian Cycling Magazine October 11, 2016

by John Hauser

Silver Goose Cyclocross 2014 — Photo: Kevin Morphet

Perhaps it was a moment of serendipity that led me to Louisville, Kentucky for the cyclocross world championships in 2013. Amidst a crowd of screaming European fans in varying degrees of intoxication, I watched as muscle negotiated mud at speeds that seemed almost impossible. That was my first real experience with cyclocross racing. A group of friends had decided to make a road trip from Ontario, to check out this sport I had only seen a handful of times streaming on the internet. As I watched the grimaced, mud speckled faces of the world’s elite roll their bikes swiftly, up and down, through twists and turns, something deep inside me was energized by the spectacle. I was hooked.

Upon my return to my hometown of Midland, Ontario I saw the terrain of my favourite local park with new eyes. On evening walks with my dog, Aspen, I analyzed hills and beaches, stairs and trails. Like early cartographers who must have seen ideal lands for great cities, before my eyes I saw lines that would test cyclocross racers of all abilities. Before long, I was on my bike, testing my theory. I chose a scientific approach to design my personal cyclocross course in Little Lake Park: Hypothesize. Test. Repeat.

It wasn’t long after playing in Little Lake that I joined the ranks of amateur cyclocross racers in Ontario. Almost immediately, I felt there was a pureness to the sport, something that was missing from my previous experiences in road racing. For amateur road cyclists, there seems to be a belief that speed can be purchased with dollars. More carbon, less ounces, an extra three-thousand dollars for the wheel upgrade. However, in cyclocross, speed is purchased through hard, cold, muddy miles. Racers’ bikes are cobbled together from carbon and steel; mountain and road bike parts come together on one frame. Each racer is a Dr. Frankenstein, attempting to create the perfect monster.

After a couple races on the Ontario circuit, I knew that my training ground in Little Lake was something special. Nowhere else did I see the unique combination that my hometown park had to offer. Sand, stairs, steep hills, asphalt. I wanted to share it with a bigger audience. The problem was I had no idea how.

I decided to go to my local cycling club with the idea of starting a cyclocross race in Little Lake Park. The idea was warmly received and I recruited the assistance of the five dedicated members of the Mountainview Cycling Club. From there, it was a matter of frequent consultation with the Ontario Cycling Club (OCA). Oh, and fundraising. Is there nothing more uncomfortable than asking local businesses for money to support some crazy idea?

Fortunately, the business owners of Midland were incredibly generous. With the human resources and financial support now secured, we submitted the relevant forms to the OCA. My solitary cyclocross training grounds were now dubbed The Silver Goose Cyclocross Race. Its name originated as a tongue-in-cheek joke about Little Lake Park’s massive Canada goose population and my idea that the geese are represented by a massive silver swan sculpture at Midland’s town dock.

On Sunday, Oct. 26th, 2014, we held the inaugural Silver Goose Cyclocross Race. Through friends’ connections and a lot of time spent on Facebook and Twitter hyping the race, we persuaded 70 racers to come to the event.

After the 2014 race, I sent out a brief online survey to ask participants what they thought of the event and was ecstatic when the responses started rolling in. The racers were calling it the best course they had ever ridden.

In 2015, race participation doubled, assisted by its first-time recognition as an Ontario Cup event. Once again, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with racers expressing their enjoyment of the course.

Currently, the Silver Goose race organizing committee is looking forward to Nov. 13, 2016, at which time The Silver Goose will host Ontario’s Provincial Cyclocross Championships. The stakes are higher than ever, but our committee is confident that our course and solid event coordination will attract and impress a range of cyclocross riders once again.

All in all, it just goes to show that a last-minute road trip with friends to a cycling event that you have barely heard of could lead to much greater endeavours than ever expected.