If you are going to be in Austin for US Cyclocross Nationals, mark your calendars now: Friday, January 9 at 7pm, the World Premiere of Benedict Campbell’s For The Love Of Mud: A Movie About Cyclo-Cross will take place at the legendary Stateside Theater. This is going to be amazing. Along with the world premiere the director and a panel of pro racers will be on hand to answer your questions. I will have the honor of emceeing the event and hope to see all of you there. Want to know more? Here is a handy press release from the folks at Texas Bike Racing who are responsible for making this all happen:
December 11, 2014, Austin – TexasBikeRacing.com will host the world premiere of the cyclo-cross cycling film documentary “For the Love of Mud” on January 9, 2015 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Austin’s legendary Stateside Theater. The screening will be held in conjunction with USA Cycling’s 2015 Cyclo-Cross National Championships from January 7-11, in Austin, Texas. More information on tickets and the event can be found at http://texasbikeracing.com/cx-nats/
Presented by Stages Cycling and the work of British filmmaker and artist Benedict Campbell, the event will take place from 7-10 pm beginning with happy hour before the screening and a Q&A session with Benedict Campbell and many of the country’s top professional cyclo-cross racers after the movie. Much more than a race movie, the film provides a beautiful history and narrative on the “religion” of cyclo-cross.
“I wanted to debut this film in Austin because the sport is growing quite rapidly in the state of Texas,” says Campbell, who shot, wrote and edited the film himself as sort of a side project during and after his race seasons. “And, quite simply put, I really like the city of Austin.” He spent 1.5 years on the film that he says highlights the sport on many levels, from beginner to professional racers. “This is a movie that all cyclo-cross racers can identify with and share with people to introduce them to the sport.”
Texas-based racing news website TexasBikeRacing.com is hosting the film premiere as a way to showcase the sport to during a major event such as the national championships. “Benedict Campbell is a ridiculously talented photographer and filmmaker and we’re honored to have a chance to premiere his film,” says TexasBikeRacing.com publisher and Austin resident Robert Wray. “The film is so well done and has such a story and history that even if you don’t like or know much about ‘cross you’ll enjoy the film.”
The USAC Cyclo-Cross National Championships will be held in Austin’s Zilker Park and will attract elite bicycle racers from across the country as they compete to win a national jersey in both amateur and professional categories.
Destined to become a cult classic for our crazy sport of cyclo-cross, “For the Love of Mud” includes coverage from Cyclo-Cross Nationals in Boulder 2014, the World Championships in Hoogerheide, along with numerous Superprestige races across Europe. Interviews include top pros Sven Nys, Helen Wyman, Gabby Durrin, Jeremy Powers, Katie Compton, along with age groupers and rabid fans.
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing and consists of on- and off-road courses that are held on mix of surfaces including pavement, grass, and often mud. Obstacles such as barriers, steep climbs, sand pits exist throughout the course and force racers to navigate tight spaces and turn and often dismount and re-mount the bicycle, carrying it on their shoulders if needed. The sport first began in the Flanders area of Belgium and is usually held in the fall and winter seasons, and racers use specific cyclo-cross bicycles that are outfitted to handle the rigors of cyclo-cross. Races vary in distances depending on course conditions and difficulty and usually last between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.
Benedict Campbell (www.benedict1.com) is a renowned global photographer, digital artist, and filmmaker; he has produced eye-catching imagery for the world’s leading brands and draws on a wide range of styles. When he’s not working on advertising campaigns, he spends his time making cult documentaries, such as “It Ain’t About Cav,” “Café Cowboy” and “The Wall of Death.” He’s still very passionate about riding his bike.
Stages Cycling (www.stagescycling.com) is a Colorado-based manufacturer of cycling-specific power-based training meters for both indoor- and outdoor-use bicycles.
TexasBikeRacing.com is the go-to source for bicycle racing in the state of Texas. The site includes race results and reports, cyclist profiles, a calendar of events, photos and more.
And if you haven’t already seen it, here’s the trailer:
“FOR THE LOVE OF MUD” TEASER-2 from benedict campbell on Vimeo.
While CrossVegas is new to hosting a UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, it is the biggest cyclo-cross race outside of Europe and has been an UCI Category 1 event for the past 8 years. For the last few years racers from over a dozen nations have competed. Competitors have included the world’s top-ranked men and women as well as multiple national and UCI world champions.
