Singlespeed mountain bike world championships announce 2018 race dates

Get your ducks in a row, your ponies in a pack, and all your couch coins collected after the holidays, singlespeed world championships (SSWC) in Bend, OR have announced race and registration dates for the 2018 event. This will be the first time SSWC’s return to North American soil since 2014’s Alaskan adventure. Details remain sparse, outside of a few key items of note. Race day will be October 20th, 2018, so pencil that one into your calendar. Registration is open through Eventbrite, with a couple Oregon-style twists. If you’re detail oriented and like to plan ahead, race start is scheduled for 10:00 AM and the distance will be 50 miles. But if you’re that concerned with having order and predictability in your racing, you probably also stopped reading shortly after “SSWC.” Once your registered, you’ll have most of the year to work on your legs, lungs and liver in preparation for the event, and maybe even ride a singlespeed mountain bike once or twice.

With SSWC’s younger, more social media conscious sibling, singlespeed cyclocross world championships (SSCXWC) heading overseas for the 2017 and 2018, SSWC Bend will be the only chance this year for the single-minded singlespeed crowd to contest an event that is in no way sanctioned as a world championships. As with SSCXWC’s return to Oregon in 2016, the organizers of this years event in Bend have stated they’ll be “taking it back old school” for their event, likely meaning they intend to actually host a race, not just a party. For those of you as focused on the beer as you are on the bikes, Bend’s many fine craft breweries are still sure to feature prominently in the event, don’t worry.

You can follow along with SSWC news and running commentary on their Facebook page, as an actual event website seems unlikely at this point.