Favorite Cross Course Feature to ride or view?

[easyasballinacup]

sitting here pondering life and more importantly bikes, was wondering :

1) whats your favorite feature you have (or have not) encountered in a cross race?

2) Whats the most enjoyable feature to watch the racers try and ride,run or navigate?

 

[UtahJoe]

 

[Mountain Bike Mike]

Swirly Turd

 

[easyasballinacup]

nice! i like to golf too.

 

[mstyer]

 

[Magic]

Fuck pinwheels.

 

[hotsauce]

The big off-camber at Granogue was fun riding and good heckling. Sadly I'll miss it this year.

 

[Norm]

 

[hotsauce]

@1sh0t1b33r facebook.com/PinwheelsHaveNoBusinessOnCxCourses/

 

[easyasballinacup]

looks like me at the beach

 

[The Heckler]

The run/ride up "Heckle Hill" at Cheshire CX is off the chain. Incredible, good, hot, steamy, energetic fun. Guaranteed. (ref my avatar c.2013)

The poop pit at nittany is always thrilling, possibly b/c of the rumors of staff infections that have happened over the years. Last year it was 100 yards of peanut butter turd sludge, and I had a nasty wound on my ankle. didn't get infected, win!

Cycle-Smart in Noho, MA has been doing a great job with their technical pro only features. Last year they had a great rooty off camber DH for everyone which was very challenging for US CX.

But, the best feature Iever saw was the Pro sand drop at KMC last year. Holy crash fest, so happy i didnt race UCI on saturday. It was still a bitch to run up on Sunday.

 

[hotsauce]

Cycle-Smart in Noho, MA has been doing a great job with their technical pro only features. Last year they had a great rooty off camber DH for everyone which was very challenging for US CX.

I wanna race Noho so bad this year. Seems unlikely with a newborn at home tho.

 

[MadisonDan]

There's a wooded area at the top of a hill at Capital Cross in Reston, VA (Super 8 Series) that had a brass band, cookie and beer hand ups from people dressed up in superhero costumes, a DJ a minute later, and a metric shot ton of heckling.

Pinwheels can s.a.d.

High speed sand pits (HPCX) are always entertaining for the sheer number of OTBs.

 

[Jmann]

The run/ride up "Heckle Hill" at Cheshire CX is off the chain. Incredible, good, hot, steamy, energetic fun. Guaranteed. (ref my avatar c.2013)

My favorite race. Half the race is in the woods. Plus heckle hill. That answers both questions.

Supercross did a nice job adding the run up in woods. Any run up that's steep enough to need your hands is good.
Sand is fun. I think bubblecross had some. And Gloucester.

My least favorite feature: grass crit.

Personally I like the more "euro" courses. Off camber hills, nasty run ups, punchy climbs.

 

[Delish]

The Choose-Your-Own-Adventure feature. AKA, risk reward line.

A good course design should present different line options for racers, not just one possible line. This type of feature rewards racers for creativity and technical abilities. It also makes for GREAT racing and spectating.

I think this is fundamentally why people have so much contempt for pinwheels--no possibility to ride it any different or pass anybody. Its as exciting as watching two cars race each other inside a car wash, but without any of the fancy machines.

Zolder Worlds from 2016. This feature has so many possible lines and arguably was the decisive feature in there race (yes, the corner where MVdP got his foot caught in WvA's spokes).

USA Nationals 2017 - the wall of choice:

 

[jnos]

Favorite to ride? Fast barriers.

Favorite for heckling? Run ups.

Also, agree with the above, pinwheels suck.