Six reasons you should ride cross-country
With our trails in Northern California under water (or worse), I’ve been stuck crushing epic fire road. Photo by Ian Collins
As a former downhiller, my brain never understood the concept of cross-country. If I wanted to wear Lycra, crush miles, and cut gluten, I’d ride a road bike. But recently, I’ve had a change of heart.
I live in Northern California and we’ve been battered by a series of cataclysmic rain storms. Our roads are either under water, covered by landslides, or have slid off a cliff. Riding trail hasn’t been an option. Instead, I’ve been stuck riding XC in an effort to stay sane. In the process, I’ve learned that it can actually be fun. Here’s why:
Adventure machine. Photo by Ian Collins
1. Finding new trails
We all got our start riding bikes because it gave us a sense of freedom. It allowed us to explore our neighborhoods, visit friends on the other side of town, or just get away. With an XC bike, you have the same sensation. The bikes are so efficient, you can go anywhere or up anything without stressing about the trudge back home.
Even boring trails can feel challenging when you don’t have suspension to save you. Photo by Ian Collins
2. Skill building
With their slack angles, modern enduro bikes make easy work of even the gnarliest terrain. Riding a XC whippet makes singletrack challenging. It forces you to pick better lines and focus on technique. And when you get back on your big bike, everything seems easy in comparison.
When you’re trying to get fit, you should switch from beer to whiskey. Less empty calories. I think. Photo by Ian Collins
3. Getting Fit
The key to going fast isn’t spending more money, it’s getting stronger. The easiest way to get there? More saddle time. There’s also that whole interval and base mile thing but that’s roadie talk…
4. Going great distance
One of the fun things about XC (or road riding) is getting places. It’s incredibly satisfying to see a mountain way out in the distance, then climb to the top.
5. Less Maintenance
Many XC bikes don’t have rear shocks. They’re all about pedaling efficiency and low weight. Since they don’t have any of them fancy linkage things, there’s a lot less maintenance involved. And if you decide to go single speed, you never have to feel bad about riding your bike in crappy weather again.
The best part of riding all day? Pigging out after. Photo by Jordan Carr
6. Eat anything you want
When you’re putting in big days on the bike, you burn a ton of calories. If you’re not stressing about getting down to race weight, that means you can fill back up with whatever you want. My go to is a California burrito and Mexican Coke (or Lagunitas), but I’ll settle for a burger and ice cream.
Why do you ride XC? Let us know in the comments section below.
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