Most of the team’s first big UCI weekend of cross season is finally here, and we couldn’t pick a better race than Charm City CX in Baltimore.

WEATHER

We are looking at another outstanding weekend of weather. After a crispy week in the Northeast, things are heating up a little bit again and it could hit 80 on both days, with plenty of sun. There’s a small chance of rain, mainly on Sunday afternoon, but even if that happens it’s not looking like heavy rain, so it should still be a great afternoon for spectating.

GEAR

Charm somehow always involves mud even if it is not raining. The section by the pit just before the flyover is the lowest point of that part of the park, so any moisture collects there (and if it does rain, the runoff from pit power washers also ends up there). However, even if there is some mud on a few parts of the course, most of it is likely to be pretty dry.

Given it’s not likely to rain, a full mud tire is probably not necessary, but this is definitely a course for mixes. There are just too many sections where you want traction, which have the potential for being greasy, to try to make file treads work.

The other major gear issue you will want to think about is toe spikes. It’s unlikely there will be uphill mud, so toe spikes are going to be of limited use to you. A lot of people just leave their toe spikes in all year round and deal with them being annoying on pavement or flat runs. I tend to be the opposite—I leave them out and only remember I should have put them in as I’m sliding back down a hill in the rain on lap 1. Then I think about how my toe spikes are definitely in a drawer at home.

However, the sheer number and height of the stairs on this course would really make me nervous to have toe spikes in. Not only are they awkward to run in, but they can catch on the steps if you don’t bring your legs up high enough. Think about running up three stories of stairs on lap 3 with a bike on your shoulder: do you really want toe spikes in your shoes? If you have to have them, use the smallest ones you’ve got.

COURSE

The thing to know about Charm is that a lot of the course is a grind. There isn’t much quick elevation change, just moderate, slow slogs uphill. Then stairs, more uphill, and more stairs.

The real race at Charm, though, is at the top of the course on the off-camber, which is longer than most off camber sections in Northeast races. It means that if you nail it and are able to ride smoothly, you can gain dozens of seconds on someone who messes it up and ends up having to run. It’s also quite steep, so it’s best to stay up high where you have a better chance of being able to pedal without your inside foot hitting the ground and stalling you.

Practice the off camber. Not once, not twice, but until you feel comfortable riding it.

There are some changes to the course from previous years, notably no sand section over on the other side of the road, and an extra flyover near the finish. The organizers put out a map of this year’s course, and Clay (in yellow) and I (in black) have annotated it here:

And here is Clay’s best guess of what the half-built flyover the organizers posted on instagram is going to be:

HANGS

it’s going to be a great day with a high chance of crab and beer handups.

The Charm course is sort of bowl-like, with tent row in the middle, next to a double straightaway and not far from the 3-story flyover for maximum heckling. There is historically multiple food trucks and a large expo area also within that center of the bowl. The course flows around the area where most people hang out, and it’s pretty easy to be able to see multiple areas of the course from one spot, making spectating easy and fun.

The pro races seem to be stacked, with all the top pros vying for the extra UCI points that come with Saturday’s C1 designation. In the women’s race, Canadian Maghalie Rochette will go up against U.S. national champion Clara Honsinger, as well as GoCross double winner Caroline Mani. We’re also hoping for another stand out performance by TBD favorite Erica Zaveta. (I will also be racing. Not in the same race, mind you, but at the same time.)

The men’s race is equally stacked. Belgian Vincent Baestaens, who handily won Rochester day 1 and narrowly took the win again on day 2 over Stephen Hyde, is still in the U.S. American favorites Stephen Hyde, Curtis White, and Kerry Werner will all be looking to upset him.

If you’re not in Baltimore this weekend, the pro races will be broadcast on GCN, at 3:05 for the women and 4:15 for the men both days (Eastern time).

If you are at the race, TBD is bringing a boatload of Athletic Beer, which we will be giving away in our tent. Come say hi!

Not convinced it’s going to be a good time? Check out Matt’s photos from previous editions of Charm: