Posing For a Selfie at the Beaver Kill
Ever since discovering the Cross Mountain Crusher a few years ago, I have been intrigued by this ride. During marathon training season, I will often schedule my weekend long runs around the Pepacton reservoir, since it is relatively flat, and traffic is relatively light. B will typically provide support to me on these runs, driving ahead every couple of miles and waiting for me with Gatorade and snacks on hand. It was during one of these runs that I first discovered the Crusher. I was approaching one of forks in the road where I could see that Britt was parked waiting for me. She was talking to some volunteer firemen who were directing bike traffic. They told us about the annual ride, and how it was a fun little way to see the leaves, etc.. That day I made a mental note to myself that this was something I wanted to check out.
The biggest impediment for me registering in past years, was the fact that I did not have the appropriate type of bike. I was lucky enough to score a new gravel bike for my birthday last year. So this Summer when I received an email from the Catskill Recreation Center saying it was time to sign up for the ride, I knew this was the year, and registered right away.
Left: Selfie on Cross Mountain Road | Right: My Trusty Steed During a Cliff Bar Break
I knew that the ride was going to be during marathon training season and decided that I would work it into my schedule in place of one of my long runs. I discovered when I was signing up for the Crusher, that there are actually 3 separate rides with varying levels of difficulty. In order to make sure that I would get maximum training effect, I naturally signed up for the “Super Crusher,” which is the most difficult iteration in terms of both distance and elevation gain. The Super Crusher is a 61 mile ride with ~6500 feet of net elevation gain. I remembered back to the people I had seen riding it, and that they hadn’t appeared to be particularly hardcore looking cyclists. I thought, if they could do it, I should be able to do it. Penciling out some rough time math based on some long rides I have done on my single speed bike in NYC, I estimated that I should be able to do the ride in about 4 hours. LOLOLOLOL.
The morning of the ride I took my time making my way over to the rec center. The event website said the ride was from 8:30 – 6. Based on that time range, I mistakenly assumed that it was the type of thing where people show up at their leisure, so long as they can be off he course by 6 (similar to ‘city streets’ or something). So I decided would show up around 8:45 as not to appear like an overly eager nerd (which I in fact actually was). As I rolled into the parking lot, they had already packed up the check in desk. One of the organizers asked me if I was there to ride, and if so, told me that I better get a move on because everyone already left. Nice one, Jake. I skipped eating the the breakfast sandwich I had picked up on the way over, threw on my helmet and starting sprinting to catch up to the group. The first 5 or so miles of this ride are not too crazy at all. A lot of relatively flat sections where you can fly along in top gear. Each time I came to a turn in the course, I would ask the volunteers how far I was behind. Each time, they would reply with something like “oh, quite a ways back. Keep going, you’ll catch ’em!” About 800 meters from the first summit, I finally did catch up to some stragglers.
As I later discovered, the people who I had seen all of those years prior were riding the version of the course called the “Mini Crusher”, which is no joke in its own right. The intersection where I had seen them those years ago, is not even a part of the course for the regular Crusher or the Super Crusher. After finishing that first brutal climb on Cross Mountain Road, I was invigorated with a huge burst of adrenaline as I started the steep descent into Beaverkill under bluebird skies and surrounded by the dramatic autumnal colors.
A Sage Hen that I Narrowly Avoided During one of the Descents
The first of the aid stations was located at the Beaverkill fish hatchery. I was very stoked to see a relatively large group of people there filling up water bottles, etc.. I did not stop, because I was still chasing the “pack”. Plus, I still had plenty of water and snacks. Shortly after this station was where the course splits off for the Mini Crusher. This is where I realized most of the people who were still this far back on the course were doing the shorter ride. I put my head down and started the long climb up Shin Creek Rd. while the Mini Crushers continued straight on nice and flat Beaver Kill Rd. Before long, I encountered a small group that was riding the regular Crusher. These folks were fully decked in spandex, with clip in pedals etc.. It was a little intimidating to ride with this group, since I consider myself a casual cyclist, at best. But they were all very friendly, and it was very nice to feel like I wasn’t solo anymore.
An Example of the Scenery on the Brutal Climb up Beech Hill Rd.
By the time I reached the summit on Beech Hill Rd. I was starting to fade quite a bit. I began to wonder how the rest of the ride was going to go for me, knowing that I was barely over half distance. Having descended back into Beaverkill, I stopped at the aid station with the rest of the group. I devoured a sandwich B had made for me and chatted with one of the very friendly gents from Overlook Bicycles, who was assisting in manning the tent. I heard a couple of the guys in the group talking about skipping the last leg of the Super Crusher and taking the shorter way back to Arkville. Based on how my legs were feeling by this point, I considered doing the same. The rest of the group saddled up and rode off while I was still refilling my water bottles and downing a banana. I decided that I would make a game-time decision after I made it back over Cross Mountain Rd.
Left: Taking a Quick Bio Break on Jim Alton Rd. | Right: Crossing Over the Beaver Kill on Mary Smith Rd.
Climbing back up Cross Mountain Road from the Beaverkill side was not nearly as grueling or long as coming from the other direction. By the time I had descended back to Mill Brook Road, my aid station fuel had metabolized and I was feeling a bit of a second (or third, maybe fourth) wind. I started the last climb, which only increased in intensity as I neared the summit. About 800 meters from the top, my hamstrings started to spasm pretty badly and I was afraid that I was going to cramp. I took a quick break to massage them out before soldiering on. Much to my delight, there was an aid station at the summit. I had a banana and a rice crispy treat. They were both amazing. While chatting with the gentleman at the aid station, I learned that I was probably the last one on the Super Crusher route. When I remounted the bike, I was so exhausted that my fingers were having trouble shifting back into high gear. Thankfully, the remaining 8 miles were all downhill or flat.
Left: Aid Station at the Beaverkill Fish Hatchery | Right: Eating My Last Cliff Bar Before Climbing the Last Big Hill on the Course
As I coasted back into the parking lot at the rec center, I was greeted by B and my little boy. The ride ended up taking 5.5 hours to complete. My crew had been waiting there for quite a while, based on my 4 hour estimate. I was very grateful to see them. My legs felt a level of fatigue similar to that of finishing a marathon. I ended up skipping my run the next day and opted for a recovery day instead.
My takeaways: This thing was a LOT harder than I had anticipated. Despite how hard it was, I had an absolute blast. Next year, I plan to show up early and hopefully can talk some friends into riding it with me. Even though I’m in decent shape, cycling muscles are a different subset of muscles than I use for running. So I also plan to do mix in some training rides before next year’s ride. Lastly, I need to get a more forgiving saddle for next year.