Huttcross Ronde Twee: Twice As Nice
Photos Tom Mann
CX. The enduring endeavour of balancing traction and speed. Skinny tyre footprints maximised by minimised tyre pressure and navigated by narrow drop bars. File treads need not apply in Wellington’s winter. This is the Land of the Long Wet Cloud at its’ finest as the winter solstice looms.
After a good dump of rain, add a surface remix or three to the recipe and you’ve got a quintessential offering that would strike pride into the heart of any Nederland cyclocross aficionado, even this far from home.
Grass. Gravel. Asphalt. Riverstone. Wait, riverstone? Yes. A rambunctious club crew added a smattering of riverstone to Huttcross Ronde Twee in a break from tradition.
After the mighty Te Awakairangi threatened to breach its banks earlier in the week, water levels dropped by the Sabbath. The course embraced the Southside of Moonshine with a slither of race tape connecting water’s edge to parklands and the Hutt’s closest thing to the Koppenberg Cross cobblestone was born.
Needless to say, if riverstone was the accompaniment then mud was the hearty main course. And this mud was military grade.
The sun came up. The gun went. Legs burned. Hearts pounded. Heavy breathing ensued. The race was contested. Even the race within the race. Kids were fearless. Lines evolved. The course did not dry. Drivetrains were tested. Some rear derailleurs did not survive. Some onlookers were perplexed. Some were intrigued. Sweaty browed mud-splattered faces shared post race stories. And the impromptu handlebar vuvuzela won the day for encapsulating all that is the madness of cyclocross.
Chapeau, Huttcross.
