Chris Sheppard loving winter aboard the Santa Cruz Stigmata. Easton EA6X tubing, made in the USA, 1300 grams of sweet masochism, for a mere $850.
There is no easy way to describe the attraction of ‘cross to the uninitiated. To the outsider’s eye, it is a cold, messy, brutal, masochistic sport, played out at the thug-ugly dark end of the calendar year, rewarding dumb luck and animal toughness. Kind of like rugby on wheels. But from the inside, ‘cross is the most beautiful racing in the world - a dance of power and savvy, grace and fast twitch snap, timing and anaerobic clarity. It demands sharp focus and huge doses of gag reflex tolerance, and rewards the faithful with the sort of joy that can only be felt plowing through wet grass in a narrowing red haze of tunnel vision filled with the clamoring chaos of bell-lap madness.
Santa Cruz Bicycles: 104 bronson st. #22 santa cruz, ca 95062 santacruzbicycles.com info@santacruzbicycles.com
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