Cykelscramble: Clif Bar’s Obstacle Race for Bikes

Clif Bar may be better known for its range of energy-packed foods, but the company also organizes a bike race called the Cykelscramble.

If you are picturing shaven-legged, lycra-clad cyclists whirring along pristine tarmac, you’re in for a surprise. Cykelscramble is an obstacle bike race inspired by cyclocross, Tough Mudder and BMX.

The first Cykelscramble took place at the Marin County Fairground in San Rafael, Calif., on Sept. 26, with 60 teams of four members each doing laps around a course the likes of which you have never seen before.

Careening over beer kegs, sand, dirt and grass, costumed riders competed around the 0.6-mile course. As you might have been able to tell, the day was designed as a fun event rather than a deadly serious ride. The organizers pulled in food trucks, bands and a beer garden for a family-friendly event that attracted more than 7,000 people from all over the Bay Area. If you fancy watching riders dressed as former presidents and superheroes tumbling over a strange collection of obstacles, Cykelscramble is the place for you.

After the success of the first edition it sounds as though Clif Bar will be putting on another Cykelscramble next year. If you want to experience a unique biking event, make plans to be in the Bay Area around fall 2016.