USCX retains $15,000 prize purse across three events in 2026 and adjusts opener for later start at Rochester Cyclocross to avoid 'heated sufferfest' of early September

Opportunities to compete for UCI points in North American cyclocross races are notably fewer in 2026, with just five C1 races spread across a four-month calendar. Three of those C1 events return as part of the US Cyclocross Series (USCX), which begins September 19-20 at Rochester Cyclocross in upstate New York.

Last fall, there were 28 days of racing in Canada and the USA, which offered UCI points in the discipline. This year, there are 23 in total, including Continental and National championships for elite riders.

While the number of events has dropped from four to three in the sixth season of the USCX, the prize money for elite riders remains the same at $15,000, split evenly among women and men. Last season, Maghalie Rochette (SRAM/Seeker) won seven of eight events to dominate the elite women's competition, while Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) edged Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing) for the men's title.

"We kept the prize money at $15,000 because we didn't want the athletes to take a hit," USCX Executive Director Scott Page told Cyclingnews.

“Our goal is to deliver three consecutive weekends of world-class racing. By aligning these premier events, we’re creating a powerful platform for athletes and an exciting experience for fans."

Missing from the UCI calendar of races are the Trek CX Cup in Wisconsin, which had been part of USCX for two years, and the long-running Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross in Massachusetts. Also gone are Englewood Open in Wisconsin and Thunder Cross in Missoula, Montana.

North American cyclocross begins the weekend prior to USCX in Alberta, Canada, for a pair of C2 races at Canmore CX p/b Klaune Partners, September 12-13. Then the three rounds of USCX take place in successive weekends, Rochester Cyclocross on the third weekend of September, followed by Virginia’s Blue Ridge Go Cross in Roanoke, Virginia and Charm City Cross in Baltimore, Maryland.

"We heard from people that Go Cross, being further south than Rochester, was too early in September, it's been so hot the last four years in a row. Athletes were coming to me and saying this isn't cyclo-cross anymore, it's a heated sufferfest," Page explained.

"So we kept Rochester Cyclocross on that date and moved Go Cross into Charm City's date, and Charm City moved one week later. Hopefully that'll be better for everyone, to make it a little cooler for the athletes."

Kings CX returns to Mason, Ohio, on October 17-18, two weeks after Charm City, and offers C1 and C2 points. The only other event with a C1 race is Boulder Cup on the first of two days of racing, November 14-15, in Colorado.

The Canadian National Championships will be held in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, for the first time, scheduled for October 31. UCI Pan-American Cyclocross Championships return to Washington, DC, the following weekend. USA Cycling National Championships return to Fayetteville, Arkansas, December 12–13.

UCI cyclocross 2026 calendar in North America

• September 12-13 - Canmore CX, Canmore, Alberta C2/C2
• September 19–20 - Rochester Cyclocross, Rochester, New York C1/C2
• September 26–27 - Virginia’s Blue Ridge Go Cross, Roanoke, Virginia C1/C2
• October 3–4 - Charm City Cross, Baltimore, Maryland C1/C2
• October 17–18 - Kings CX, Deerfield Township, Ohio C1/C2
• October 24–25 - Major Taylor Cross Cup, Indianapolis, Indiana C2/C2
• October 31 - Canadian National Championships, Oro-Medonte, Ontario
• October 31–November 1 Cycle-Smart Northampton Cyclocross, Northampton, Massachusetts C2/C2
• November 1 - Hardwood Cross, Oro-Medonte, Ontario C2
• November 7 - UCI Pan-American Cyclocross Championships/DCCX, Washington, DC
• November 8 - DCCX, Washington, DC C2
• November 14–15 - Boulder Cup, Boulder, Colorado C1/C2
• November 21–22 - North Carolina Grand Prix, Hendersonville, North Carolina C2/C2
• December 12–13 - UCI USA Cycling National Championships, Fayetteville, Arkansas