This is the official week that Cyclocross racing starts all over the US. There is no better way to celebrate this than to grab the drop-barred off-road bike and go at it like a cannibal.
The local crew took me on a ride that may or may not be a local race in the near future. It was grim, demoralizing, tough, treacherous, steep, fast, and fantastic. I called it an indulgent ride, since I was longing to use my off-road skills, for this is the first year that I have owned a cyclocross bike. Barry, he just called the ride masochistic. Indulgence, masochism; I guess it all matters how much you actually enjoy the pain.
Here is the course we took – The elevation profile says it all… While there were a few dips that gave us a break from the constant climbing, it was still uphill 60% of the ride on washed out roads.
The roads… if you can call them that, were great. No only were there gravel sections, but we also encountered mud, animals, rutted out segments, and even parts of abandoned roads that had cracks in the dirt itself… Like some tube eating monster was trying to come out of the earth and attack us.
Check out the video:
My bike held up well, and felt more nimble than I expected. I didn’t fall, and barely had to hike the bike. I came home feeling tired, and slept quite well that night.
I can’t wait to do it again.
WV Cycling 