As summer turns to fall and the road racing season winds down, for many racers the next season is one that not many recreational cyclists have heard of…it’s known as “cyclocross”. This type of racing, which involves what looks to most like a somewhat normal road bike, is arguably one of the most exciting and spectator friendly types of racing anywhere. The races are short, from 30 to 60 minutes. The courses are also short, laps are usually between 6 and 10 minutes, so the crowd gets to see lots of action.
The sport of cyclocross, or “cross” as it’s known, began around the turn of the century in France. It was developed to give road racers some fall/winter training, and since the courses incorporate both pavement and dirt or grass, as well as barriers and running sections, their handling skills got a workout as well. In a few short years other northern European countries got in on the game, and now Belgium, Holland, and Czech are cross powerhouses. The international governing body of bicycle racing, the UCI, officially recognized cyclocross in 1950, and world championships have been held around the end of January ever since. It’s not unusual for 15,000 beer-fueled Belgian or Dutch fans to show up at races every weekend from October thru January, with 10 or 12 high caliber races taking place in the 2 week period around Christmas and New Years. The pro racers have fan clubs numbering in the thousands, and these rabid supporters will follow their favorites all over northern Europe during the fall months.
The cyclocross bicycle is very similar to a normal road bike, with drop handlebars and narrow rimmed wheels. The tires are somewhat larger, usually around 32mm wide compared to the normal road bike tire that is 23mm wide. There are many different tread designs for varying course conditions. To fit around the bigger tires, and to provide extra clearance for mud and grass, cross bikes use cantilever brakes, much like the original mountain bikes. This season, the UCI has legalized disc brakes for cross, it will be interesting to see how many racers make the switch. Gearing is similar to a road bike, w/ a double chainring up front, usually 39/46, and depending on the course, an 11/23 or 25 cassette in the back. Most pro and elite racers will use mid or deep section carbon rims just like a road racing bike, with tubular tires inflated to only 25 psi…traction and a smooth ride are very important. A top lever cross bike will weigh virtually the same as a road racing bike, many are right at the UCI weight limit of 6.8 kilos, or 14.9 pounds.
There are many hotbeds of cross racing in the United States. In the northwest, Seattle and Portland have historically had some of the largest and most well attended series in the country, if not the world. The bay area has also been cross-crazy for many years, in fact the first US national championships were held in Berkeley in 1975. There are currently series held in the bay area, Sacramento and Santa Cruz/Monterey, with other races held all over northern California from October thru December. Our US Nationals were just last weekend in Bend, OR. Colorado’s Katie Compton won her seventh consecutive womens elite national title. Another Colorado resident, Todd Wells, won the elite mens title, he won 2 mountain bike national titles earlier in the year. The best American racers are now preparing to head to Europe for various World Cup races, and then World Championships. One of our former local high school racers, Bjorn Fox, is heading to Belgium with US National Jr Team for a couple weeks of racing this month, then back for World Championships in January. If you’re interested in trying a race, or just getting to see some of the best racing around, check out the Northern California CX calendar at http://ncncacx.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html . If you decide you want to try out CX, stop by Paradigm Cycles in San Anselmo or City Cycle in San Francisco, we can take care of all your cycling needs! http://paradigmcycles.com/
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