Fulton CX — There Will Be Mud

Last week’s conditions at Freewheel CX were just a teaser for the Belgian hellscape that would unfold at Fulton CX. Cold, wet, muddy. Classic cyclocross weather.

Lions Valley Place Park in Crystal was a new venue for the event this year, with terrain ranging from low-lying mud bogs, to steep uphill mud, to slick, technical downhill mud. I rode a recon lap before the race and knew it was going to be a long afternoon. The start was a gradually inclined straightaway followed by a sharp right straight up a sledding hill, with the finish line placed at the top of the hill for good measure. From the top, the course wound down through some switchbacks to a fast straightaway towards the lower terrain. A short, sharp 180º turn that brought us down around some fencing and back up, started out slick and only got worse as the day wore on.

The main section of the course was in an open field, which was where all of water from the week’s rain and snow had collected. For the first lap, there was still some grass to be found at the outer radius of the corners, but by lap 2 and 3 the only grass to be found was mixed in with mud on everyone’s bikes. As steep as the sled hill was, it took way more effort to get through the flats than it did to get up the hill. The reward for pushing through the field was a short paved climb leading to a steep grass climb to the top of the back side of the sled hill.

Usually when you see a crowd form at a certain point on a cx course, you know it’s because there’s a high-potential for crashes and heckling. A series of 180º, off-camber switchbacks back down the sled hill would confirm this. The rideable lines through here changed every lap until the last bit of grass was gone and it was reduced to a giant mud patch. Definitely the most technical part of the course.

By about lap 5 on the downhill after the switchbacks my bike was making sounds a bike shouldn’t make. I stopped to clear as much of the mud and grass as I could and got back to it. I could tell I was tired and not thinking clearly because on lap 6 I decided to sprint the last 1/4 of the course to make sure I didn’t get lapped. This meant I could go back around one more time. Hooray!

It was a tough course, tougher conditions, and I’ve had better days on the bike. It will be filed under #epic in my brain for future reminiscing. Conditions would get worse for the waves after us, as temps dropped and the rain moved in. Props to all who raced. Props to Fulton crew for a great course and for post-race beer.

No Sunday report, you say? The following video sums it up nicely.