Bicycle Racing - an Intro to Cyclocross

What is it?
Cyclocross is a discipline of bicycle racing which typically takes place in the Fall and winter months. A cyclocross course will typically be 2 to 3 kilometers in length made up of dirt roads; single track trails; grass; pavement; steep hills; and hurdles and other obstacles. Races consist of many laps around this course, with events typically lasting anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. The sport is most well-known for images of muddy racers clambering over hills while carrying their bikes on their shoulders, or dismounting from their bikes at high speeds to hop over hurdles and remount on the other side. Although these are certainly the elements that make cyclocross distinct from any other discipline, this is a small fraction of the total race length.

The cyclocross bicycle most closely resembles the road bike in that it has 700c wheels, drop handlebars, and typically uses the same gear shifters found on a road bike. 'Cross bikes also borrow some elements from the world of mountain bike racing including knobby tires for better traction on dirt/sand; cantilever brakes to allow for these wider tires; and clipless mountain bike pedals which allow the racer's shoe to quickly engage and disengage from the pedals.

Here's a link to a great free video which shows a little bit of everything that Cyclocross has to offer! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uHX9uRinAk

History

Cyclocross traces its roots back to Europe in the early 1900s. Road racers were looking for a way to maintain their fitness, improve their handling abilities, keep warm, and have fun by doing something completely different from their typical training routine. Rider would incorporate paved country roads, farmer's fields, fences, dirt roads, hill run-ups, and anything they could find along the way. By staying off of main thoroughfares during the cold winter months, riders were able to stick to terrain which was more sheltered from the wind. The running portions of the events were initially incorporated to pound the blood back into the athlete's feet to prevent them from freezing.

Cyclocross spread from France, and into Belgium and Switzerland by the 'teens. It continued to grow in popularity until it was finally granted its own World Championship event in Paris in 1950. Although the sport began as a way to cross-train for road racing, it has certainly become an event in its own right. Many of the top racers are cyclocross specialists, and in fact will often use road and mountain bike racing as preparation for their "real" sport.

The true hotbeds of cyclocross remain in Europe-particularly in Belgium, where cycling in general, and cyclocross in particular, is one of the country's most popular sports. Elite races in Belgium are famous for drawing 10's of thousands of spectators who are boisterous and often quite drunk.

In the United States, although cyclocross does remain a bit of a "fringe" sport, it has become the largest growing segment of competitive cycling. The real hotbeds of 'Cross in the US seem to be where the winter weather is the worst: in New England and the Pacific Northwest. However, there are significant, and very cool 'cross scenes popping up all over: North Carolina features racing from October through February; Colorado and New Mexico have very competitive fields; Northern California has one of the best cross scenes; and Kansas City has hosted cyclocross nationals on several occasions.

Equipment

Cyclocross bikes are actually perhaps the most versatile bike around. Put road tires on it, and you have a road bike. Put low enough gearing and fat enough tires on it and you have a rigid mountain bike. And shoot for something in between, and you have a true 'cross bike! The beauty of cyclocross is that you can do pretty well on a very low budget bicycle. There are many racers who simply bring their mountain bike (although full suspension is definitely not ideal because of the weight). Put on some narrower tires, remove the bar-ends for races (required by cyclocross sanctioning bodies) and a mountain bike makes a great first 'cross bike. OR, bring out your old touring or road bike. Touring bikes may be a bit better since you can typically fit wider tires into these, but there are many people just getting into cross who will stuff the widest tires they can into an old racing bike and do very well!

Another benefit of 'cross-for the true cycling addict, it's a new excuse to buy a fun new toy or to develop a low-budget project. One front chainring is becoming fairly prevalent; typically somewhere between 36 and 44. And you only typically use 5 or 6 gears in the whole race-so no real need for the high-zoot (and extremely expensive) new 10-speed gear. It's also a great way to "recycle" older components as they trickle down from you fancy-pants racing bikes!

The Courses

Cyclocross courses are designed to be 90% rideable, and typically have tight, winding terrain which is continually changing: grass; dirt; sand pits; short steep hills; and pavement. These features emphasize high intensity bursts with few spots to really get any rest and recovery. Successful racers learn to conserve energy by riding smoothly through technical sections, and then gain time by sprinting out of corners to get back up to speed. Although international rules stipulate that there be only one barrier section per lap, there are often other "natural: obstacles thrown in which make the racers dismount and run. These can be hills to steep to ride, logs, sand pits, stairs, etc. Because of the nature of the courses, the races feature less drafting and therefore tend to be less strategic than a road event, and more focused on an individual rider's power. These race courses twist and weave so much that the 2 - 3 km course can be made to fit into pretty tight spaces (like city parks), which makes the sport EXTREMELY spectator friendly. Lots of people riding fast in variable conditions and doing crazy stuff on bikes-most of which can be viewed from one vantage point!

Why the HECK would I ever want to do THAT!?

While I fully realize that at first blush the sport of cyclocross sounds (and quite frankly looks) completely INSANE, it's perhaps the most fun you can have on (and off and on again) 2 wheels. There is something unique about gearing up and going out into the worst weather that you can find and, rather than hiding underneath your covers, fully embracing what Mother Nature throws at you. There's also nothing that can make you feel like a little kid again quite like going out and riding in the mud, sleet, and snow.

If you race on the road or mountain bike during the warmer months, this is a great way to maintain fitness while doing something that will revive you and keep you from feeling stale. You need to look no further than Stage 9 of the 2003 Tour de France to see how much racing cyclocross benefited Lance Armstrong. When Joseba Beloki crashed hard in front of him, Lance pulled a sharp turn off the road and downhill into a field, where he executed a perfect 'cross dismount, jumped over a ditch, and remounted to join the group. (Free video clip here: http://www.yellow-jersey.net/blog/545/free-tour-de-france-videos/).Whether you ever race cyclocross or not, just go out and set up a course and learn the techniques and skills. Ride some of your local fireroads and escape for a little while. Many cities have midweek training races and/or clinics. These are a great way to get out and learn something new in a non-intimidating, but somewhat structured way. There's NOTHING that simulates the intensity you can get in a cyclocross workout-try it, you might get hooked!