The three leading women pedal the undulating hills of Fort Ord National Monument on California's Monterey Bay, answering one another's accelerations as they streamline in and out of chaparral clusters and oak woodlands. The group stretches and recoils as the riders dive into descents and negotiate the corners, dried-up ruts, loose rocks, and sand that could take them out of contention.
Fans edge the start-finish stretch of the 2022 Fuego 80K XC race at the Sea Otter Classic cycling festival in Laguna Seca Raceway, where the pro racers are soon to arrive after two laps of an old-school cross-country course. The race is the first in the inaugural Life Time Grand Prix series, six off-road courses-mountain bike and gravel-where 60 professional racers will battle it out for a $250,000 prize purse.
The Fuego course, which gains 5,700 feet of elevation with its short punchy climbs, is traditionally flowy, with a few blind turns, grassy mounds, and sand dunes that spill onto the tracks. It's not a technical course-no drops, jumps, or rock gardens-but it is fast. There are only two sections where riders can attack: Hurl Hill, a steep half-mile stretch of singletrack; and Lookout Ridge, which is less steep, but at two and a half miles long, it can take up to 20 minutes (if you are in race shape) to complete before the last five-mile push to the finish line. The top women in this race ride it in 15 minutes or less.
It's now the riders' last time over Lookout Ridge, its crest illuminated by an early April sun that reveals the trio slowing down as the grade kicks up again. The drone shot shows Alexis Skarda struggling to stay attached. And as the sun grows hotter, the rolling ribbon of dirt between Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Moriah Wilson in front of her gets longer. Already driving a hard pace, Sofia's legs go silent to her demands.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Summer 2023 من Bicycling US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Summer 2023 من Bicycling US.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.
