A dude named, Shane decided to map out, and put on a 50-odd mile, Ultra Cross race one Sunday, when the regular cyclocross races were far away in Fort Collins and  more expensive than usual (they’re always pretty expensive). His was free. So I, with most of the rest of the Happy Coffee team, decided to participate.

Well, it just so happens, I managed to win the damn thing. On a single speed Surly Crosscheck.  FEEL MY LEGS!

Here’s going up the 18% grade of Lick Skillet where I also somehow won the King of the Mountain:

• Shane’s take on putting on the Boulder Ultra Cross
• Boulder Ultra Cross on Mountain Bike Radio (I call in, to yammer about a few things)
• Levi’s ride report

It was a nice scrimmage, and I was happy to put in a good showing after getting my ass handed to me, each and every weekend on each and every cyclocross race. Winning a 50 minute race against Cat 1/semi-pros hiding in the Single Speed category with the rest of us one-gear riff-raffs just ain’t going to ever happen, but when the miles get longer and the terrain gets more varied, I certainly have the right experience to push against. 

I also did my homework; pre-riding the course a few days before, and resting up, for a few days afterwards. It was luck that I didn’t experience a mechanical and it was just pure adrenaline when it came to how I was able to somehow get up Lick Skillet’s 18% grade with a 2:1 gear ratio. If Shane puts this on another race next year, I’ll sure try to defend the “title”.