Iron Cross

Overview

This route is almost 62 miles long and features nearly 6,300 feet of elevation gain. There will be one checkpoint/aid station in each Sektor. This thing freakin' rocks.

Sektor 1

The race begins innocently enough with a lap of a traditional cyclocross course at the Carlisle Family YMCA's Camp Thompson. After leaving Camp Thompson, racers turn right on and follow the Cumberland County Hiker-Biker Path to Bendersville Road. Racers turn left and ascend to Slate Quarry Road, keep climbing, cross Piney Mountain Ridge Road, and descend Slate Quarry Road.

Racers descend Slate Quarry Road to Old Railroad Bed to Wenksville Road, turn right, and proceed to Shippensburg Road, turn right, and climb to Piney Mountain Ridge Road, where they turn left (KOM/QOM and checkpoint 1 is here!) and proceed to Lippencote Trail.

Sektor 2

Turning left on Lippencote, racers descend to Rt. 234 and head west to Rt. 30, where they turn right and enjoy a fast downhill road section to Rt. 233 at Caledonia State Park. Riders turn right onto Rt. 233 and then left onto Milesburn Road.

The course climbs up Milesburn Road to the reservoir and then to the daunting Wigwam Hill powerline run-up.

Sektor 3

At the top of the powerline is checkpoint 2. After that, the course turns left on Stillhouse Hollow Road and then turns right on Ridge Road to return to Milesburn Road and then halfway down Milesburn Road to Gilbert Road.

Under the powerline, riders then climb back up to Ridge Road, turn left, and roll to Shippensburg Road, where they turn left and then right onto Thompson Hollow Road. Riders descend Thompson Hollow to the paved roads (Whitmer Road, Walnut Dale Road, Sand Bank Road, Gutshall Road, and Big Pond Road) across the bottom of the ridge to Hogshead Road. Riders then climb Hogshead Road, crossing Ridge Road and then continuing on to Woodrow Road.

Sektor 4

The trail sections off Woodrow have been simplified and reduced to include trails on the right and then a double-track climb and short run-up from the snowmobile bridge up to the Rattlesnake Ridge logging road. In this sector, you will pass through a newly created section that has been fenced off to prevent deer grazing.

Racers follow Rattlesnake Ridge Trail to Michaux Road to Old Shippensburg Road to Old Carlisle Road to Ridge Road.

Racers then turn right and descend Rt. 233 from Ridge Road, turn left on Pine Grove Road, and re-enter Camp Thompson via Ice House Road.