From Dec. 9 - 15, hundreds of competitors of all ages are expected to descend on Louisville as cyclists zip through Joe Creason Park in pursuit of the championship cyclocross title.
While the event is ongoing, access to the park will be closed to the public.
The event will be the third time the park hosts the USA Cycling 2024 Cyclocross National Championship national race at the park, with the most recent being last year.
Cyclocross is part mountain biking, road cycling and obstacle course.
The event brings more people to the neighborhood than usual. Local Ariana Shah said it’s easy to see the difference when the race comes to town.
“Like, [at] restaurants and stuff like that, if you’re out and about, there's just more people,” Shah said.
She likes the attention the event brings to the community but notes the production does damage the park.
“Because the course goes all through here, the grass does get torn up a lot,” she said.
Parks officials heard similar concerns from people who use the park after previous championships. Now Louisville Parks and Recreation and the Louisville Sports Commission partner to restore Joe Creason after the event concludes.
“I would not say it was a huge backlash, but it was significant enough. You know, there were phone calls, emails, visits here to the [parks] building,” said Jon Reiter, a spokesperson with Louisville Parks and Recreation, about the feedback in 2018.
“A couple of months from now, there won't be any traces of this event here,” he said.
Limited access to the park will be available through Sunday, Dec. 8. The park is set to close off public access from the 9th through the 15th while the event is ongoing.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the location of Joe Creason Park.
