Croton Cross: the Race Report and Photo Gallery Part 2
This past weekend, the team traveled (by car, bike (again), and train) up to Croton for the second edition of Croton Cross. With just under 30 TBD registrations across several fields both Saturday and Sunday, and a downpour scheduled for all-day Saturday, we knew we were in for a great weekend of cx.
No rain had fallen yet when I arrived in Croton on Saturday morning, and I thought for a second that maybe we would luck out with the weather. I was wrong. Almost as soon as Yosef and I were lining up for the Men’s 4, the rain started coming down and it didn’t let up for the rest of the day. Despite the weather, the vibes were great, and TBD came away with numerous top 10 results as well as a podium for Yosef placing third (1st adult!) #YearofYos3f.
Additional Croton Cross 2023 Coverage
Cyclocross in the Rain at Croton Cross — To Be Determined Journal
Croton Cross: the Photo Gallery Part One — To Be Determined Journal
On Saturday ‘s course we were going in the same direction as Sunday last year (running up through the woods rather than bombing down them) due to course conditions that would worsen throughout the day. That run up... sucks. It’s steep, and with no spikes, I was taking two steps but going the distance of one. Heart rate was maxed. For me it was easily the toughest part of the course, and I felt a lot better when the rest of the team shared that sentiment as they finished their races.
Sunday was an exquisitely crisp autumn day. Was the ground dry? No. ‘Twas a slop fest. Perfect for hecklers, absolute chaos for the riders. Going the opposite direction on Sunday, I was grateful to have no massive run up, however I would say the most frustrating part of the course for me Sunday was the lead up to the barriers. About 100 ft from the barriers was a short, but steep, run up through a small woods section. From there, you remounted only to get maybe 5-6 pedal rotations in before you hit deep mud which zapped all speed. I don’t think it was physically possible to get through fast enough to hop the barriers (not that I do that in good conditions), but it was also impossible to run through. With a few inches deep mud, you were speed walking at best. Then after remounting, you were immediately met with a climb featuring off camber switch backs up to the woods section.
The course, regardless of weather, is definitely skills-forward course. There are only a few sections where you can lay down power to make up for mistakes in choice of line, or how quickly you were able to get on/off the bike. It’s also a great for spectators as there are areas where you can watch riders on multiple parts of the course at once.
As the team migrated back to the city Sunday night, with muddy kit and bikes that now make new and interesting noises, the sentiment in Slack was unanimous: our bodies hurt, and we were all stoked to have Croton on the calendar for the second year in a row. Great hangs, and race directors Alex Klafehn and John D’Agostino did an amazing bringing this one back. Shout out to Keith Garrison & Travis Torsky as well for all their work in course build/design leading up to the weekend! Croton remains one of the few, inclusive, races which NYC riders can easily access without having to book AirBnBs and spend hours in the car getting to, and we love that.
