"Bandit" cross course setup?
#1
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"Bandit" cross course setup?
I live in an undisclosed location near a park with a lake, greenway, open grassy fields, a greenway that runs beside a creek with wide dirt/rock shoulders, and even an existing accepted kind of mountain bike-ish 30 seconds bit of trail nearby, a few well weathered foot/bike cut-thru paths etc.... It reeks of opportunity in a couple spots.
Anyone around your area ever carefully/cautiously/kindly setup a little mini "bandit" cross course?
We are lucky to have a public access one across town, but it's a solid 40min bike ride there OR I have to take the time to load up the car and go. I feel like I have a little gem right out of my house I could work with. I think I just need to make it good enough but not obvious enough.
What do you have nearby? What did you do to have fun but be discreet?
Anyone around your area ever carefully/cautiously/kindly setup a little mini "bandit" cross course?
We are lucky to have a public access one across town, but it's a solid 40min bike ride there OR I have to take the time to load up the car and go. I feel like I have a little gem right out of my house I could work with. I think I just need to make it good enough but not obvious enough.
What do you have nearby? What did you do to have fun but be discreet?
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I have a larger park close to my house with all sorts of little trails. I have a couple of little 'cross loops that are fun and good to get a little "training" in on. Here's a little video:
https://vimeo.com/336962329
I say go for it!
https://vimeo.com/336962329
I say go for it!
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Outlaw CX courses are easy to make -- if you don't publicize it much it's unlikely anyone will get riled up. We've got a couple spots in town that we've built courses on -- as long as they're a little off the beaten path, no one says boo.
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Only problem we have had in my local area is that Four Wheeler's and Motorcycles find them, get in there and tear them up. Often the noise of them tearing around scares those that live nearby. I am though reluctant to voice this concern because I know how much fun it is...
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FWIW - in my world, "Bandit" racing refers to jumping into a race illegally, without paying for registration. This happens in large running races like the Boston or NYC marathons, where there is usually a wait list and/or people don't want to pay the steep registration fees, so they just hop the barriers, sneak in and run the race without getting an "official" time.
That said, there are a few areas around me that CX racers and teams frequently use for practice. These are usually grassy park areas with some hills and trees, and as fall goes on a track gets worn into the grass from people riding the same routes over and over. Eventually a Strava segment pops up. It's fun and a good way to simulate some race training. No one is out there riding this in the rain so it doesn't really get torn up.
I did get yelled at by an angry old man once for "ruining the grass" in the park, which is hilarious because a.) it's grass and will grow back and b.) I am in my 40's and getting yelled at to "get off my lawn" reminded me of being a kid.
That said, there are a few areas around me that CX racers and teams frequently use for practice. These are usually grassy park areas with some hills and trees, and as fall goes on a track gets worn into the grass from people riding the same routes over and over. Eventually a Strava segment pops up. It's fun and a good way to simulate some race training. No one is out there riding this in the rain so it doesn't really get torn up.
I did get yelled at by an angry old man once for "ruining the grass" in the park, which is hilarious because a.) it's grass and will grow back and b.) I am in my 40's and getting yelled at to "get off my lawn" reminded me of being a kid.
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I think I'll spend a training night to go scope it out.
I'll try to grab a video if I do. Going to be some sticks and things to cleanup for sure.
I'll try to grab a video if I do. Going to be some sticks and things to cleanup for sure.
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