By Laurie
For the uninitiated, it looks completely insane: Grown men and women, and a lot of kids, too, riding around a grassy field, covered in mud, hopping off their bicycles and jumping over obstacles. For many northwest cyclists though, it’s a way of life. It’s called cyclocross, and on any given fall weekend, you will find thousands of devotees driving up and down the I-5 corridor in search of a race.
The Olympia Orthopedic Racing team will be hosting a cyclocross race for the first time this November 12th at Pioneer Park in Tumwater. Racing will begin at 9:15 a.m. with the Category 4 (beginner) men and continue throughout the day. Junior racing and a free “Tikes and Trikes” event will be included.
Cyclocross is a mixture of road racing, mountain biking, and steeple chase. Riders complete laps of one to two miles on a closed course that is filled with twists and turns and usually more than one or two surprises. How many laps is determined by the experience level of the racers. Younger riders and less experienced adults will ride for between 20 and 30 minutes and may only complete one or two laps. Elite riders will compete for an hour and often will complete 7 or 8 laps in that time period.
No two cyclocross courses are the same. Part of the fun for riders is how course designers utilize the unique features available within any given area. Various surfaces including pavement, sand, gravel, single-track wooded trails, and grassy turf are all legal. Short steep hills and obstacles, both natural and man- made, often require riders to dismount and carry their bikes. And to make things even more complicated, races are held in the fall and winter. Rain or shine, sleet, hail and snow, cyclocross racers brave it all.
Although mountain bikes are permitted in many cyclocross races, most racers have a dedicated bike. A cyclocross bike looks very similar to a road bike. In fact, it is possible for a cross bike to pull double-duty by swapping out tires and a few other components during road season. If you know what to look for though, differentiating between the two bikes isn’t difficult. The most noticeable feature is the use of knobby tires. A higher wider clearance of the front fork accommodates the larger tires and also allows for mud and other debris to pass without clogging up the system. Cantilever brakes are also utilized so that mud and grass are less likely to cause issues.
Started in the early part of the 20th century as a way for road cyclists to stay fit during the off season, cyclocross is now a sport unto itself and many riders spend the spring and summer months building their fitness levels to a peak during cyclocross season. National and world championships are held every year in January, and there is even a movement to have cyclocross added to the winter Olympics.
The Tumwater race in an independent race, but in western Washington, two separate series take place each fall. The Seattle Cyclocross Series consists of seven races and began the weekend of September 25th. The MFG series features six races. It began on September 11th. For those further south, The Cross Crusade is an 8 races series held primarily in the Portland area and venturing as far as Bend.
For information about the Tumwater race, check here:
http://cbcracing.org/cowbells-to-ring-out-in-olympia-once-again/
Information about all three series can be found at the following web-sites:
If you’d like to see for yourself what cyclocross looks like, check out these videos on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eGrug-mUto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N-5zWKSOfc&feature=related
