early cross

borrowed from a site called blackbird some very cool pictures and a description of a course from that era...nuts...our mountain bike courses are not that tough

THE RACE COURSE

The Critérium International de Cross Country Cyclo-Pedéstre created by l'Auto and organized jointly by l'Auto and the U.V.F., will be held over the following route of 20.2 km.

The start will be at precisely 3 p.m. at the town hall of Suresnes. Climb the grand boulevard which leads to the fort of Mont-Valérian and before the fort turn left on the strategic boulevard, cross the Rueil road over the steep path of the tile factory, take the first track on the right which skirts the racetrack and continue straight while following the barrier of the hippodrome until the Saint-Cloud to Rueil road, turn right on this, circumventing the racecourse, follow this road to the Buzenval monument, which is 200 meters on the left, take the track which leads directly to the monument (the first control).

From this point, the track will be marked with papers.

Go around the wall of the Buzenval school property, and, arriving at the top of Garches, enter the Saint-Cueufa woods, along the fence of the sheep pasture.

Continue through the Saint-Cueufa woods until the Celle-Saint-Cloud (the second control).

The track will then return directly to the edge of the Saint-Cueufa lake and steeply climb, to the wall of the Buzenval school property (the third control).

Turn left along the wall to drop down 300 meters into the Trou-du-Diable, cross the river issuing from the Saint-Cueufa pond, and towards Malmaison. The track will then follow the valley to the first house in Malmaison (the fourth control).

Go back up again to the right to enter Rueil via the Rueil - Saint-Cloud road, continue to the right until the porte du Long-Boyau, where one will find the wall of the Buzenval property; turn left and follow the aforementioned wall keeping it on your right, until the place Saint-Nicholas, in Buzenval (the fifth control).

Turn right and 50 meters further make a right angle turn to the left.

At this point the course markings end.

Continue straight along the Rueil - Saint-Cloud road, heading towards the latter city, passing in front of the Buzenval monument.

Return to Mont-Valérian by the same route as the outward journey.

The finish line will be on the strategic boulevard, 100 meters before the turn on to the boulevard climbed at the start.

In addition to the five fixed controls indicated above there will be four surprise controls and no voluntary or involuntary error will be permitted.

CONTROLS

The competitors will be provided with numbers which they will have to wear in the back below their belt and on their left. Each nation will be identified by color, as follows:

Belgium: yellow numbers;

France: tricolour numbers;

Italy: green numbers;

Luxembourg: blue numbers;

Switzerland: red numbers.



At controls 1-5, the numbers of the competitors will be noted by officials installed for this purpose.

To ensure passage through the Trou-du-Diable, two controllers provided with white flags are appointed, and the competitors will have to exit the Trou-du-Diable between the two flags, which will be placed 4 meters apart. Any competitor not conforming to this regulation will be disqualified.

Changing bicycles is completely prohibited and to put French and foreign competitors on equal footing, the machines will be marked at the start and marks will be checked at the finish. Marking will be apparent, in a manner such that the officials can check racers at each control to make sure they are on the same bicycle they started with.. Any infringement of this rule will result in disqualification.