We came. We saw. We raced. We cheered. We had unwelcome mechanicals. We definitely did not ride the sand. Two weeks later, we’re still coughing up dust. As predicted, Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross delivered a quality cyclocross weekend.

First, lets do some post-race fact checking of the weekend forecast.

Barriers: still too tall, but provided some quality leaping. Unless you were one of few select pros defying gravity.

Belgian Stairs: Rideable, as advertised.

Spectating: Perfect. The beer garden, as always, was perfectly situated to watch sand pit chaos, which was more chaotic this year than ever. The changes to the turns over by the bleachers made it a great spot to grab photos or cheer. The generally chaotic turns made everywhere a good place to watch.

Food: 10/10 and there was ice cream.

Sand: Yea sorry we (me) biffed this one, both in preview and in real life. The sand - the actual sand pit, anyway - was largely not rideable, and running was way faster than riding (unless you were Maghalie Rochette, the only person all day to turn riding the sand into an advantage). But while the lack of rain made the sand pit itself too soft to ride, it did turn the rest of the course into one giant rideable sandpit that left everyone wondering whether they actually knew how to turn a bike, after all.

Special weekend MVP award to Frank, Shark River Devo’s mechanic, who saved a lot of our weekends.

Racer Reviews

Hannah

Tires: Maxxis All Terrane - because they came with the bike and I try to avoid faff at all costs.
Attempts at riding the sand: 10. Success? Once (it happened to be my first try )

Turn that made you feel the most like you had no idea how to ride a bicycle: The series of sand pit turns right at the end of the course. In particular, sand pit #3.

Favorite in race moment: On Day 2, there was a long grass downhill into a left turn that took you uphill to the short off camber in the woods. You could carry a good chunk of speed on the left turn and pump on the uphill. A few times I had that feeling of weightlessness on the uphill that makes you feel like you are flying.

Favorite not in-race moment: Discussing ghosts

Mechanicals: Burped my tire in the last turn of pre-ride on Friday. The kind folks at Shark River Devo got me going again. Dead shifters on Day 2 pre-ride (thank you Diz for the spare batteries)

James

Tires: First race - Grifo tubeless front and rear. Remainder of weekend - Typhoon tubular front, Grifo tubeless rear.

Attempts at riding the sand: Two or three times in pre-ride. Success? Once, but was clearly not the move for me. Ran each time during racing.

Turn that made you feel the most like you had no idea how to ride a bicycle: I loved the loose chaotic turns and feel like I figured most of them out. The one turn I never quite figured out was the grassy left hand turn coming off the hill before the bleachers.

Favorite in race moment: In first race, battling friend and race nemesis Patrick, figuring out where I was faster, then executing the moves to get by and trying to make it stick.

Favorite not in-race moment: First day pre-race morning setup with Yosef: the quiet before the beautiful chaos.

Mechanicals: Pre-race - forget the tubular race wheel, HR and GPS head unit at the AirBnB. In-race - burped front tubeless in first race after two laps, ending a fun battle. Switched to tubular for perfect, supple, trouble-free rolling the remainder of the weekend.

Shane

Tires: Vittoria mid on the front, Vittoria dry on the rear, did not regret

How many times did you try to ride the sand? Successes? About 5 times during Friday afternoon and Sat morning, finally did it the last two times, but I wasn't consistent so I just committed to running. I also started dismounting before I hit the sand, and made up multiple seconds each lap on the people who dove into the sand and came to a complete stop before getting off their bikes. If you commit to run you have to really commit to the run.

Turn that made you feel the most like you had no idea how to ride a bicycle? The sharp right into the rideable sand before the running stairs. I was coming off my brakes on the prior turn and had lots of speed and felt it was possible to no brakes it into the big lip, but just never quite was able to mentally commit to it. Every time I felt like I was leaving a second or more out on the course by slowing down there.

Favorite in-race moment? Committing to having a good first lap on Sunday and passing a lot of people who had eluded me on Day 1. The wheels came off my lap 4 and I ended up in the same spot but I was more happy with my race on Day 2.

Favorite not in-race moment? New Festa dog (cute).

Mechanicals? Only mechanicals of the sinuses.

Diane

Tires: Baby Limus Front, Vittoria Terreno Dry Rear

Attempts at riding the sand: Probably 20. Success? Multiple times during pre-ride leading to one stubborn, absolutely massive failure on lap 1 of my race. Learned my lesson. Started running.

Turn that made you feel the most like you had no idea how to ride a bicycle: The right turn onto the sand in front of the bleachers.

Favorite in race moment: Battling Hannah and Lauren on day 1. Day 2, watching Marcela, one of our local juniors relentlessly battle her way back to Hannah and I over and over and over again.

Favorite not in-race moment: Debriefing over european cyclocross and more thai food than you’ve ever seen.

Mechanicals: Bent my rear derailleur hanger before Friday pre-ride and was so proud of myself for having extras until…I realized I had the wrong ones. Thanks to Frank from Shark River Devo for saving my weekend.

Yosef

Tires: Dugast Rhino. Yes they are a mud tire and this was completely dry but it’s what was in stock and mounted on my wheels and I wasn’t changing it.

How many times did you try to ride the sand? Successes? YES! This is also my favorite in race moment. I was lucky to race early on day 1 when there was a chance at riding the sand. Not only did I ride it every lap but the last one. But on the first lap I was able to ride around some folks that bobbled putting me in the lead of the race! An incredible feeling when sand has been a real nemesis of mine to have the confidence to ride it each lap (except the last but we won’t talk about that).

Turn that made you feel the most like you had no idea how to ride a bicycle? Some dusty corner before in the woods before the finish straight. Any angle I’d come at it had me feeling like it just wasn’t right.

Favorite in-race moment? Answered above. Changing direction in the sand to ride around someone and take the lead of the race!

Favorite not in-race moment? Watching Strohmeyer and Miles jump the barriers the first lap on day 1. The anticipation in the crowd as we all watched to see how it would unfold. The realization that they were coming in hot without unclipping. The excitement and cheering in the crowd when they flew over them those super tall monstrosities. Wildly impressive.
Mechanicals? None but my legs on day 2 whomp whomp.

Jacob

Tires: Vittoria drys! This has been such a dry season and I’ve ridden these at every race besides Charm. I honestly wish I had them still on for NoHo now that I did the preride.

How many times did you try to ride the sand? Successes? I rode it at preride and then never again. By the time we raced, it had dried out and become really REALLY loose.

Turn that made you feel the most like you had no idea how to ride a bicycle? The sandy turns in the woods before the finishing straight. My front wheel would sink in one, then the rut would lead be way too wide in the next. Each lap felt wrong. 

Favorite in-race moment? Finding Yosef at the end of day 2 and crossing the finish line together lol

Favorite not in-race moment? Getting to see the sunset by the shore!

Mechanicals? None this time around wooo.

Really Rad gets the highest ratings from TBD and there’s no question we’ll keep coming back.