By Joe Nuss
Don’t let the name fool you. UltraCross, outside of absurd amounts of post-race beer, has little in common with cyclocross. In fact, UltraCross events like Southern Cross in Georgia and Three Peaks USA right here in North Carolina are making the events a bit more of a highbrow affair by hosting the races at local wineries. For long-course minded triathletes, an UltraCross event is just the ticket to break from your usual racing regimen and experience a new adventure that will do wonders to revive your spirit for your last big race of the year.
If you’re worried about your bike handling skills on a short track filled with competitive cyclists, have no fear: UltraCross events are much more friendly to beginners while still maintaining a high degree of difficulty to challenge your fitness. According to Three Peaks USA founder and director Andrew Stackhouse, “A normal ’cross race is 30 or 45 minutes of anaerobic suffering in a seething pack of crash-happy absurdity. An UltraCross race is a lot more comparable to a long-distance MTB race like ORAMM [Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell].”
Terrain and roads in western North Carolina are ideally suited to epic cycling events, like Stackhouse’s Three Peaks USA, which embraces the triathlon-esque focus on fun and finishing without losing its “epic” feel. The Three Peaks USA race is 50 miles long with 10,000 feet of climbing, including a couple of sections where even top pros have to get off and push. But, unlike a long-distance MTB race, there are no descents that require suspension and big tires, like you would find on a mountain bike. Winners will likely come in around three and a half or four hours, with most folks coming in between five and six hours. In the half-distance event, winners will finish in about two hours, and everyone else should finish within four hours.
This year’s Three Peaks USA takes place Sept. 23rd and starts at the Banner Elk Winery and Inn. For more information, please visit www.threepeaksusa.com.
