Cross is the new black

(at left Elite A men cross racers negotiate the spongy switchbacks. Photo by John)

Build it off road and they will come. Trashmore Cross race attracted a curious mix of racers yesterday. Of course there were the cross experts (Team CSK men). Also, mainstays for any racing genre like Pam and Dave showed. Josh split from marathon training for the day to reacquaint himself with the bike. There were pure mountain bikers like Mike and Dan who live in town but can only be spotted on backwoods trails 3 hours outside of town. I saw 2 single speed types, including Wes and some guy wearing a Shenandoah Bicycle Club jersey. Triathletes Eddie and Laura emerged back on the scene after hiding in UT and CA for the past few years working on PhD’s. Closest local racer: 3 minutes from event. Longest drive home: Washington DC.

Best part of the course was top of the first mountain (elevation 50 feet), where the temp was colder than below, where the wind was battering the course tape, and where spectators’ voices were carried off the same way it happens on plateaus thousands of feet higher. I rediscovered the joy of being atop Mt Trashmore, Va Beach’s much joked but much beloved landfill.

The season's first snowfall dusted the course later that night, entombing our collective tire tracks. (All race day photos by John Blaszczak.)