Bicycle Racing - an Intro to Cyclocross

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.