RSS
Home
Cyclocross season is here!
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Copyright Dustin Bradford
If you missed rounds one and two of the Boulder Cyclocross series over the past few weeks, you’ve allowed half the local season to get by you. There are only two more races scheduled, so make sure you don’t whiff the entire series. If you’re a rider, you may want to partake of the competition. In any event, cyclocross is a hoot to watch, so either as a competitor or as a fan, plan to make it to round 3 at the Boulder Reservoir on October 26 or round 4 at the Louisville Rec Center on November 15.
If you’re already familiar with cyclocross, you know that it combines elements of road racing, dirt riding and running to offer a highly challenging regimen to even the hardest of hard-bodies. Cyclocross is not like the decidedly structured multi-sport spectacle known as triathlon. Rather than doing one sport for a portion of the race, then a second sport for another portion and then the third sport to wrap up the event, cyclocross requires you to go from the road to the dirt to running with your bicycle slung over your shoulder, usually a number of times on each lap. With a typical race covering anywhere from 5 to 20 or more laps, you get to exercise each discipline repeatedly. There are no transition “zones” because transition from one sport to the next happens on the fly.
Cyclocross is actually a very old sport, pre-dating mountain biking by decades. Legend has it that the 1910 Tour de France champ, Octave Lapize, attributed his victory that year to the stunning training effects of a winter filled with cyclocross. A number of Tour champs were serious crossers in the 30s and 40s, but more recently it has become more of a specialized sport. Today’s top cyclocrossers do not usually stand out in straight road or mountain bike races, and not too many top roadies are found dabbling in cross. But for regional level racers and recreational riders, cyclocross is a natural lead-in to next year’s training goals.
You can race cyclocross on your standard road bike with one de riguer modification: 28c or 32c knobby tires. A true cross bike has many other subtle differences from a road racing bike, but if your goal is to try it for fun and exercise, those subtle benefits are not worth the money and hassle. If, however, you do want to look like a real cyclocross racer, you might want to invest in a full-on cross bike from one of the big-name bike makers or more special purpose manufacturers like Kona, Redline, Ridley or Jamis.
Race or watch – it’s your choice. Either way, plan to come out and experience an exciting spectacle before the all-too-short season winds to a close.
Related Articles:
Comments
.jpg)
