The Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross has been a favorite of ours for a few years, drawing TBD and the rest of the NYC scene out in big numbers. The racing is fast, the venue is great for spectating, and who can say no to a trip to New England during peak leaf peeping season?

Locale

Really Rad takes place at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in Falmouth Massachusetts, which is part of the “lower cape.” For folks who have not ventured to the cape before, allow me, a New Yorker who spent way too many years in New England, to share with you some important facts about the Cape to help you along your journey.

First, the Cape is further away than you think it is. The drive is long. Kind of like Maine. Maine is also always further away than you think it is. How is Maine so far?

Second, the Cape is very big, actually. Falmouth is part of the Upper Cape and the closest to “the mainland.” That other place you’ve all heard of - Provincetown - is actually extremely far away and on the outer cape. Allow me to illustrate the point using a bicep as a map, as is the custom of the locals. (see image right)

Third, it is off season, which means the hotels are empty and cheap and many come equipped with a kitchenette. They are excellent options if you don’t want to book an entire Airbnb (though those options are also plentiful and cheap). It’s like the place is just waiting for cyclocross racers to descend upon it with their preferred coffee apparatus and morning gruel.

Fourth, Foliage!!! If “The Tree” in Prospect Park is any indication, we are at Peak Foliage, and there’s no place better to peep some leaves than in New England (or whichever interstate you are about to spend many hours on).

Weather

I started my work on this post early this time, or at least as early as 10-day forecasting would allow and great news, everyone!!!! You won’t need an ice sock this weekend. Finally! In fact, the forecast is now in the 50s and you might have to wear sleeves. SLEEVES! While you race! Might even need to put on a little sweater after you race! Because it will be breezy! Sweater weather!!!

Course

The Really Rad course has stayed largely the same throughout the years and is very fast when it is dry. There isn’t much to speak of in terms of terrifying obstacles or really noteworthy features - there’s no Mansion Hill or Noho pro line - but it’s interesting, challenging, and rewards both driving and pedaling your bike well. In terms of features, there’s a long sandpit (rideable), some Belgian stairs (rideable), some twisty bits between trees that often have some pesky acorns, and lots of places to put the power down. While I wouldn’t call it a grass crit, this is definitely a course where pedaling is your friend and you should use every bit of pedal you can muster. There’s almost no bottlenecks to speak of, tons of space to pass, put down power, and claw back time. The start/finish straight especially is a very long paved section where you can really get some speed, but try to also remember not to start your sprint too early in the last lap.

The barriers are somewhat notorious for both their height and placement. In spite of allegedly being the regulation 40cm, they seem impossibly tall, and positioned on an uphill in a kind of homage to Tabor, giving you an opportunity to do your best Puck impression. (I recently learned that 40cm is a ceiling and not a floor and I am imploring U.S. race promoters to reconsider whether everything must, in fact, be bigger in America.) For the shortest among us, these require an actual vertical jump, as demonstrated below by Leah, who you will note has neither of her feet anywhere near the ground.

There are only minor changes to the course on day 2 and it doesn’t run completely “backwards” as most two day races traditionally do. The first part of the lap is often the same, but there are enough changes made throughout to make it a new challenge.

The course is open for pre-ride on Friday, which is a great time to help develop the rut into sand. I will be there doing my part because this is a community and we are all in this together, after all. Except the guy running through the rut and ruining it. He is the enemy.

Gear

Honestly at this point I should probably remove this section, but I am a devoted to tradition. I told you the weather, and I know perfectly well that if you have a bunch of gear you are not interested in what I have to say about gear and you will just bring all of it. And you should! That’s the point of having all the things. Bring it all! If you have one bike and one set of wheels, you should bring those and you should ride them as best as you can possibly ride them. We will all be very proud of you no matter what.

Vibes

The most important thing to know about the vibes is that there are real bathrooms at the fairgrounds. They are conveniently located near the finish line and right in the center of the course. There’s also a bike wash station, because you should wash off all that sand, otherwise your drive train will make that noise, that very sad noise.

Really Rad also:

1. Always has a few really good food vendors, including some hot beverages (because cyclocross is a winter sport, you know), and a fully loaded beer garden.

2. Has excellent spectating. Club row is not on the course (unlike Charm) but the venue has a few popular spectating spots set up that encourage fans to gather together the way you would at a normal sport. The beer garden has a set of bleachers and multiple tables, all perfectly placed to watch the barriers and any sandpit drama. Outside of the beer garden, there’s a second set of bleachers near a field where some kind of horse sport takes place (I don’t know anything about horse sports, I’m sorry) where you can see multiple parts of the course at once - a tricky off camber bit, big stairs that are part of the course on day 2, and some fast pedaling sections. It must be something about bleachers that really brings out the Sports Fan in people and you’ll find yourself heckling or cheering on your own friends, and the friends of the three other people who happen to be sitting beside you.
   

Really Rad Registration closes on Thursday, October 24 at 11:59pm. Say hi if you see us at the bleachers!