It’s here! The best NJCX race of the year came early for 2022, and we are thrilled to report that Bubblecross in West Milford, New Jersey is shaping up to be an incredible day for cyclocross this Sunday. Here’s what this year’s race put on by Team Town Cycle is going to look like:

Weather

In contrast to last weekend’s mudfest at Pineapple Cross, Bubble is shaping up to be warm and dry, with extremely pleasant vibes for spectating under a tent and a possible need for an ice sock for those racing after 11am. The dew point is an excellent 57-59 degrees, meaning it shouldn’t be too humid, it might even be worth throwing a chapstick in your bag.

The temps over 75 hopefully won’t affect things overmuch, since so much of the race takes place in the woods under tree cover. With even the morning temps in the 70s, though, it’s definitely a race for your summer kit regardless of your field or the time of your race. As of now, though, leave the rain gear at home!

Course

Bubblecross is traditionally a course that suits mountain bikers over roadies. It also has a deceptive amount of climbing, and when you aren’t in the woods you are likely to wonder why every bit of pedaling seems to be uphill.

A good third to half of the course takes place on single track-type sections, which tend to change slightly from year to year but generally consist of the typical rocky, loose soil of Northern New Jersey and will test the limits of your ability to maintain traction on your rear wheel. Some sections are usually rideable along a single line, but otherwise require you to run.

The park has a small pond surrounded by sand, and usually the course builders make full use of it, famously forcing a full send down a rocky descent into the longest of two to three sand sections. Fully committing means being able to ride the full section, but misplaced weight on your front wheel means you’re in for a long run. The smaller sections of sand seem much shorter and easier, but tend to be deceptively deep, and people often get caught up in the entrance and exit.

This is one of the best, most technical courses in the mid-Atlantic, and anyone who is proud of their handling skills should expect to do well here (or get a helping of humble pie).

Though the course has changed slightly over the years, here’s our best diagram of what it looked like in 2019:

Hangs

The weather is going to be great, people still have Big September Enthusiasm for cross, this is one of the closest races to NYC before the end of October, and a lot of people are likely to come out in droves for Bubble. The course is relatively compact, and there’s often a big group cheering (heckling?) near the sand. The course also meanders around a playground, so cross parents tend to be found in the center of things chasing around their lil belgians.

The park is not super close to a lot of amenities, but historically there is a food truck or two parked in the lot next to registration. If you are newish to cross, know that people will stick around after the race, there will be kids and dogs and heckles and good spirits, but bring a chair or a blanket, as it’s a race where the main place to spectate and hang out sometimes is the parking lot.

Gear

We finally—finally!—had some rain this week, so the course won’t be as dry and dusty as it might have been a week ago. However, the rain seems to be concentrated earlier in the week, so there is unlikely to be mud, either. I’ll likely be racing my Vittoria Terreno Drys, a file tread with side knobs, at a relatively high pressure to try to avoid flatting on the roots and rocks I’m sure to roll over inelegantly as I gasp for breath on lap 4.

Unless you’re really comfortable in the woods, though, a mixed tire is probably the way to go. Again, because it’s dry and rocky you’ll want higher pressure than usual (3-5psi more than usual I’d say). It might not be comfortable in certain sections, but it will keep you from sadly walking to the pits mid-race. There’s a fair amount of off camber grass sections, but all but the very earliest race should encounter really dry grass that you can hit at a pretty high pressure without losing your grip.

Bring your shorts and a hat for spectating afterwards!