Who’s the ‘cross king of Valmont Park?

Ben Berden on the beach at Colorado Cross Classic

Ben Berden of Raleigh-Clement will start the 2012 Boulder Cup as a clear favorite. He’s won at the Valmont Park venue the last two times he’s raced there.

Why is he so strong at Valmont? Berden shared how he sees it, speaking before the start of the Colorado Cross Classic.

“It has a little bit of everything,” he said. “There’s stairs, mud sections, uphill, and some technical sections, so that makes it really interesting for me…I’m good in everything, and it makes a difference I think.”

The Belgian rider is also good at making the most of opportunity. He took advantage of several mistakes by Ryan Trebon at the Colorado Cross Classic, which, together with a strong sprint, helped to net him the win at that race. The Colorado Cross Classic and the Boulder Cup are two UCI cyclocross races in Colorado, and take place back to back on October 27th and 28th this year.