Love City, also known by the official name of Saint John, is the third largest of the islands which comprise the US Virgin Islands territory. How it got that nickname is a bit of a mystery, but DJs on the radio certainly played a huge part in popularizing the nickname. It is a fitting name, as about 60% of the island is a national park, giving the island a more rugged and untouched feel than St. Croix or St. Thomas, with dense...
Read moreLove City, also known by the official name of Saint John, is the third largest of the islands which comprise the US Virgin Islands territory. How it got that nickname is a bit of a mystery, but DJs on the radio certainly played a huge part in popularizing the nickname. It is a fitting name, as about 60% of the island is a national park, giving the island a more rugged and untouched feel than St. Croix or St. Thomas, with dense forests and secluded beaches.
The race starts and ends in Cruz Bay, the largest city on the island, and contains 4 laps of 27.8km each. The first 9km of the lap follows the north coast and are fairly flat. Then the riders have to climb Mt. Pleasant (1.8km, 207m, 11.5%) followed by an easy descent on wide roads down to Coral Bay. The next climb up to Bordeaux, follows soon after the descent and it is an even harder one at (1.7km, 357m, 21%) . There is no proper descent for the riders to recover after this beast of a climb, instead the final 11km of the lap follows the Centerline Road. An undulating road with twists and turn ups and downs. It is mostly down though, as the riders have to get back down to Cruz Bay at sea level to start the next lap.
Once the riders hit the final lap they have already learned the ins and outs of the route. However, knowing a hard climb is coming will not make it any easier. The climb up Mt. Pleasant won’t be pleasant at all, and Bordeaux will make them wish they were sipping wine in Southwestern France, or really anywhere but riding up the climb. Whoever emerges victorious will certainly have earned to relax on the beach with their drink of choice.
