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It's that time of year when most
of us are looking at the end of the season. The days are
shorter, the temperature has been dropping and bikes and
winter don't mix. Right? That may be true for most of us,
but for some, the season is just beginning.
No, I'm not talking about ESPN's
completely lame sport of downhill snow-biking; I'm talking
about cyclocross.
Cyclocross, or simply "cross,"
is a painful, punishing form of cycling that started about
80 years ago by European road racers as a way to stay in
shape during the winter off-season. It involves high-intensity
riding and running. A typical cyclocross race course is
about a mile or two long, off road, with several sections
where you are required to dismount and run with your bike
over obstacles.
Common sense might tell you that
with New England's weather, any type of winter bike racing
might not be that popular around here. Well, common sense
and cyclocross don't exactly go hand in hand.
"Massachusetts has one of the
best cross racing scenes outside of Belgium," says
Mark Abramson, a local cyclocross race promoter, "There
has always been a group of local hardcore racers,"
he adds," but the past five years have definitely been
growth years for this region. There are a lot of great races
and that brings more people out."
At first glance, cross racing might
look simply like a combination of mountain biking and road
racing, but Abramson truly feels that it is it's own thing.
"You've got a mix of surfaces,
from pavement to mud, from grass to sand and even snow and
ice. And there are hills, hurdles and crazy turns - there
is always a transition going on, whether it is from one
surface to another, or from running to riding," he
says.
Aside from the frigid conditions,
the races themselves are quite hard. Each division C, B,
and A race for a set amount of time, 30, 45 and 60 minutes,
respectively, plus one lap. The pace is unrelenting, with
no opportunity to settle into a rhythm. It is basically
an all out sprint, but there are a lot of tactics and strategic
moves in a cross race too. There is blocking, passing, drafting
and even a pit area where racers can switch bikes if they
are having a mechanical problem (and if they have a mechanic
and extra bikes…). Racers must be not only be strong
riders, but also strong runners, and have the skills to
ride off road and handle getting on and off the bike without
slowing down.
Since cyclocross predated mountain
biking by over 50 years, this is definitely the first organized
off road cycling event. In the early days, cross racers
simply put knobbier tires on their road bikes and chose
parts that were strong, to withstand the off road abuse,
yet light, because of the sections where you must run with
the bike. Over the years, as cross gained popularity, several
of the major bike companies started to make cyclocross specific
bikes. Many amateur racers still use either modified road
bikes or modified mountain bikes though, since the race
season only lasts a couple of months and a decent cross
bike starts at $1500.
Cross-specific bikes look like traditional
road bikes, but there are some major differences. "There
are bigger tires for the off-road surfaces, more room for
mud clearance and the bikes are slightly shorter to give
you a more upright riding position," says Abramson.
The bikes also have cantilever brakes and are designed to
be carried easily too.
You don't need a special bike to
race though. "A mountain biker can just show up with
their bike and race, as long as there are no bar ends on
the bike," says Abramson, "but a road racer would
probably be better off borrowing someone's mountain bike
or cross bike to get started."
Since its humble start, as an off
season diversion, cyclocross has certainly come into its
own right. There is a world championship, a national championship
and regional races all over the United States. Many racers
specialize in cross racing and use the "traditional"
bike race season as "preseason" cyclocross training.
European races can attract up to 30,000 spectators and top
racers can earn big money.
Some of the sport's top riders come
from right here in Massachusetts in fact, including the
legendary McCormack brothers, Frank and Mark, who originally
hail from Plymouth and still live locally. The brothers
have almost countless wins between them and they are always
the ones to "try" to beat at the races around
here.
About the only local guy with a chance
to beat them is the 2000 National Champion and 1999 bronze
medal winner at the World Championships (Under 23 division),
Tim Johnson from Middleton.
These three powerhouses are teammates
too, on Team Saturn, and they pretty much rule the roost.
But the great thing about having such talented riders nearby
is that they are very supportive and helpful in getting
more people into the sport.
If you've never thought about giving cross racing a try,
now is the time. "There are a lot of races within an
hour's drive of Boston and there are a lot of enthusiastic
riders out there focused on having fun," says Abramson.
The races have that hometown, friendly feel to them, like
mountain bike races were in the early nineties, and that
attracts a lot of people too.
"Cross racing will definitely
help with other forms of racing," adds Abramson, "this
will make you smoother and it will help your handling skills,"
When you go to a race, "make
sure you are ready to have fun and learn a lot," says
Abramson. "Get there early and practice the course
as much as you can - beginner races are only 30-minutes
long, so you can afford a long warm-up. If you haven't done
'run ups' before, you definitely want to get used to getting
on and off the bike," he suggests.
For a full schedule of local races
and clinics, go to www.bostoncross.com.
You can also try www.usacycling.org
or your local bike shop.
Maybe you'll get hooked too and your
season will pick up when most riders' is just ending.
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