I made the trek down to Williamsport, PA over the weekend for the running of the Iron Cross XIII. The picture above does a great job of breaking down the different aspects of the course but the upper left image comes about 48 miles into the race and was just sheer torture.
You can add in Snow, Sleet and some wet pavement on a sweet 12+ mile descent into the finish line to make this race a must do if you enjoy races that test every aspect of bike handling there is:
We had rock strewn single track
We had 6700+ feet of climbing
We had gravel ascents and descents
We had paved ascents and descents
We had Hike-A-Bike leg cramping sections
But mostly we had a great time
This is one of those rides that you are just counting down the miles to the finish line (all 64+ of them) while trying to take in some breathtaking scenery. You cross the finish line and you tell yourself that race will never come back on the schedule in the future but after you change and refuel and rehydrate you think to yourself it wasn't that bad and if I did this or that I could shave some time off and get sub??? (no I am not telling you my finish time - you can research it but I did finish Top-100 ;) )
There were Fat Bikes, Full Suspension Mountain Bikes, Hard Tails, Cross Bikes (I rode my All City Space Horse with 41mm Surly Knard tires and loved the decision from the get go - maybe some easier climbing gearing but oh well I survived with a high gear of 39x30). There were a ton of Specialized's out there from the CruX to S-Works Mountain Bikes!
Hopefully they run it in Williamsport again next year - an easy 3 hour drive south east of the Buffalo area with some great accommodations and some awesome riding all the way around. This is a definite must do if you enjoy pushing your limits.
Stop by the shop and check out our complete line of bikes that can carry you all the way from a comfortable?? finish up to a shot at the podium (but you better be strong) with a Mountain Bike or Cross Bike. We are open from 10-8 today so stop on in and check out our inventory!
Want a great way to test out your bike? Purchase the bike and sign up for a free demo slot of our Indoor Training Series.
Indoor Training Series is on right now. Information HERE!
WE RENT FAT BIKES NOW! Interested in trying out a Fat Bike without having to purchase one? We now rent the Specialized Fatboy at Tom's Pro Bike!
WNY Cross has a new Facebook Page with all the Buffalo/Rochester Race Information posted. 5 races left this year!
http://www.tomsprobike.com/
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, NY 14086
Lancaster, NY 14086
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