Events: 2025 Rapha Festive 500 Day One
Ride Distance: 12 Miles/ 300 Remain
It was a route I had always wanted to cover with the long bike. After nearly two months off the bike due to an injury, a short route capturing the essence of off-season cycling aligned perfectly for the Rapha Festive 500 first day. With low PSI, spikes, and a goal to hit new acreage, this outing took on the feel of an elongated cyclocross course.
The Rapha Festive 500 is a yearly challenge pitting cyclists against the clock and mileage. From December 24th to December 31st, cyclists are challenged to cross 500 kilometers. In 2020, Rapha reversed its stance and allowed indoor miles to count. Given the predicted ice/ snowy weather, along with the fragility of a rehabbing injury, there is no chance a large portion of the Festive distance will be accomplished. That in and of itself is a major relief.
The course in front of me was roughly a dozen miles (20 kilometers). The first off-road segment was the local middle school that not only had a track around its upper field, but featured a massive run-up perfect for creating cyclocross carries. At mile three (5 kilometers), I pulled into the parking lot, rode around the running track, and aligned with the hill that did not appear as steep as I had imagined. Instead of taking the gravel tractor path, I shouldered the bike and kicked past the hibernating grass clumps on the way up the climb. The Horst spikes clawed at the hillside, propelling me upwards. Bike down, I surfed the small hillsides surrounding the soccer and baseball fields. A chain at the northern end of the tractor path cut off momentum, but in true cross spirit, I knuckled the post for a U-turn and rounded into the parking lot to finish off the one kilometer experience. Off road path number one was exciting.
Another school was the second off-road segment, mixed with a park and gravel road. Plowing down Silo Hill Road, across a steel bridge, the route turned into Owls Nest Park. On to a paved walkway for a brief downhill to sideswipe a pond, the route crossed a plank bridge and then turned in the elementary school and its unofficial paths through the woods. These paths were frozen mud that crunched beneath the undermatched tires. Mud hardly flew, velcroed to the ground by the ice. The opening field shined ahead as the next bike carry came into view. This steep hill is popular for kids to roll down in the summer months, but today, I ushered the bike uphill, the whole unit hanging on to the Horst spikes once again to propel us upwards. Over the curb, the route was sent around the school via the parking lot and bus lanes before rejoining the woods in the back.
The outing was too much fun to pass up the next few portions of the route. After descending through soft frozen grass, I rejoined the pathways, crossing over the plank bridge for a second time. Here a curious spur trail was explored, going over little foot bridges before dead-ending near the creek. I could see Silo Hill Road’s gravel from the trees, but backtracked back to the paved section of Owls Nest Park. Opting for the northern paved path in the woods, the trail exit brought me back to Silo Hill Road and back to the paved roadways.
To remain on Silo Hill Road, one must turn onto Curly Hill Road before making the challenging steep uphill turn to continue north on Silo Hill Road, a wiggling combination of ninety-degree turns farther into Bucks County farm country. It wasn’t just the peaceful road that was pursued, it was the fact that a tractor path paralleled the roadway toward its end. It felt appropriate to bounce along the tractor ruts next to the cow pasture vacant of the cud-chewing animals. This felt like proper cross riding from a century ago when offroad riding was training and before competition. The path turned with the road, paralleling the busy Stump Road. Today, no traffic zipped along the road, leaving me to enjoy the ruts and the ear to ear smirk that developed.
Eventually I had to turn off the tractor path to cross Stump Road and access the housing development across the street. The remainder of the route was paved. The seasonal decorations were absorbed as some houses prepared for the busy night ahead. The rest of the route involved calculations of any secret unpaved pathways to hit before returning home. Having thought of none, I slowly meandered my way back home, satisfied with over two miles of unpaved segments
Bike parked, ride uploaded, winter gear shucked, I settled in to watch the haul of cyclocross races coming through over the internet. With coffee in hand and cross on the television, the day was highlighted by having crossed a route off that I had hoped to do months ago. I imagined the screaming crowds in the cross coverage were secretly cheering for me after having done something I had wanted to do for quite some time.
