Last year I bought a Bianchi Axix cyclocross bike (to keep my mountain bike and my road bike company). My son built it up for me and made sure everything was sized correctly. I LOVE it (as well as my great in-house mechanic!) I feel it can do anything a road bike can do and often better! I have had to make several quick exits to soft shoulders along roads where there was no paved shoulder--would never have stayed upright on my road bike--altho that may be partly my skill level. The only thing that makes it slower than a road bike is the gearing setup, and perhaps a little bit due to the wider tires. But all around it is now my favorite bike. When you don't know exactly what is coming on a ride-to me it is the best choice.