A Rookies Guide To Cyclocross

Cyclocross (or cyclo-cross) is actually a type of bike racing. Races occur usually in the the fall and winter (the international season is September-January), and is made up of many laps of a small (2-3km) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep inclines, and obstacles requiring the rider to dismount, jump the barrier and remount. Races for senior groups usually are between fifty minutes and one hour long, with the distance differing according to the terrain conditions. The sport is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale; it began in the 1940s and the first world championship was held in Paris in 1950. The sport is strongest in the conventional road cycling countries (and particularly so in Flanders).

Cyclo-cross has some obvious parallels with cross-country mountain bicycle racing and lots of the best cyclo-cross cyclists will also be stars of mountain biking. But cyclo-cross bicycles offer a similar experience to racing bikes: lightweight, with narrow tyres. They need to be light because competitors have to carry their bike to get over barriers or slopes too steep to climb in the saddle. The view of opponents struggling up a muddy slope with bikes on their shoulders is the traditional image of the sport, although unridable sections are generally a very small fraction of the race distance.

In contrast to other forms of cycle racing, strategies are fairly straightforward, and the emphasis is on the rider's cardiovascular endurance and bike-handling skills.

A cyclo-cross rider is permitted to change bicycles and receive mechanical assistance during a race. While the rider is on the course gumming up one bicycle with mud, their pit team can work quickly to wash, repair and oil the spares.

By: Eddie Smith

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