Question: Has there ever been a bigger week in U.S. cyclocross?

Answer: Probably not.

America is no newcomer to big time cross racing. We’ve hosted a World Championship and three World Cup races within the past five years. But in 2017, the U.S. will kick off the World Cup season with two events on consecutive Sundays, Jingle Cross, and the Trek CX Cup.

Both events will be held on previously tested venues, and offer three days of racing in total, with UCI C1 and C2, and USA Cycling category races, in addition to the marque World Cup races.

Adding to this chaotic cross week, on the Wednesday between the two World Cup events, the iconic CrossVegas will take place under the lights in Sin City—and stream live on FloBikes.com.

Arguably, we’ve peaked.

Here’s what you need to know heading into these ten days in U.S. cyclocross.

1) The U.S. is at the center of the cyclocross world

"It's quite exciting to have Jingle Cross, an event founded on grassroots participation as part of this amazing week of Cyclocross with our C1, C2, and World Cup all at one venue,” said Jingle Cross promoter John Meehan.

Brook Watts, race director for Clif Bar CrossVegas and the Trek CX Cup, said, "It was an honor to bring the first World Cup race to the U.S., and to now work with Trek on the World Cup in Waterloo is equally gratifying. We’re emerging as a powerhouse nation in the sport.”

Belgian pro Rob Peeters arrived in the U.S. not just coming for the World Cups, but also raced the weekend before at Rochester Cyclocross to scope out the American talent. His presence, along with the strong European line-ups for both American World Cup races, makes it clear that the Belgians—the forefathers of cyclocross—are taking American cyclocross seriously.

2) This year’s schedule is well-designed for European riders to stick around

Following the Trek CX Cup, the next World Cup race won’t occur until the third weekend of October. That makes this year’s U.S. calendar appealing to European pros, who may stay in the states for races like the KMC Crossfest in Connecticut and Charm City in Baltimore. These races may prove to be enticing points-grabs for mid-level European riders, and would still give them two weeks to recover from jet lag before the Koksijde World Cup.

3) The Americans can—and likely will—hang

Top-tier American talent has been moving up in the World Cup rankings, especially on the women’s side. Ellen Noble finished fifth in the elite women’s race at the Jingle Cross World Cup, and Katie Compton finished fifth overall in the World Cup standings. At the end of last season, five U.S. women finished in the top 20 of the overall UCI cyclocross points rankings.

This sent a message to European pro teams: if you want top-ranked women, you have to send them to the U.S. to race. World Cups and C1 level-races like Clif Bar CrossVegas are clearly on the radar of every European pro (and every big-dollar sponsor who wants a long results list).

4) Don’t discount CrossVegas

Some riders assumed that this year’s CrossVegas would provide an easy UCI C1 points grab, as it sits sandwiched between the two World Cup races in Iowa City and Waterloo, Wisconsin. But while this coming week's race schedule will make competing at CrossVegas a tight turnaround for all racers, the roster in Vegas is still star-studded and fans are still clambering for tickets to the event. Since Interbike is moving to Reno in 2018 and CrossVegas will likely find a new home there as well, this year will be a bittersweet farewell for CrossVegas’ 10-year long run in Sin City.

Subscribe to watch the FloBikes livestream of CrossVegas on Wednesday, September 20, and don’t miss Elvis singing the National Anthem.

“We worked with FloBikes in the past to present CrossVegas to fans and the experience was really great,” said Watts. "The production value was high, and it turned out to be a webcast that received an incredible number of views.”

5) Pace yourself: it’s going to be an action-packed week

Meehan summed up the coming week in U.S. cyclocross by saying, "Ten days of cross with six days of UCI-level racing and all the world's best all coming to the U.S? You can't beat that."

— By Molly Hurford