Markin Glen 2014

You know, it’s pretty easy when it’s 60 degrees and sunny. People want to set up the course. People what to get outside on a beautiful day and have a few UV rays hit their bodies. People are understandably less worried about frostbite.

For the first time in four years, Markin Glen today was not 60 degrees and sunny. It was, at best, 32 and barely snowing. It was muddy. It was not exactly a day that begged you to come outside and play. Yet 75 people did, and we had a very interesting time. As a result of the snow and mud, the course was maybe a little bit harder than we intended, but it was harder for everyone.

On this site and in our shop we talk often of the shared experience. The race may be great. The race may stink. But if you do the race with friends, reliving it is always fantastic. The race as community builder — that’s what we think. This race was a good, hard race on a pretty sketchy day. We had a good time. We cheered for the other racers and many of us met at a local brewery to eat and drink and talk afterward.

This post is Pedal’s invitation to you to come and race with us. Cyclocross is great for people of any ability. I encourage you to stretch your envelope just a little bit and give it a try. It’s very hard, but very rewarding and very supportive. I’d say the same of dirt road races like Melting Mann and Barry Roubaix — accessible, welcoming, hard, fun.

I’ll close by thanking Kalamazoo County, KissCross and the wonderful folks who help us design, set up and tear down the course. Big, big fun.