Cyclo-What?!

Alright so if you ventured on into this site you probably know something about cyclocross. Well we are here to further your knowledge on this great 4 th leg of competitive cycling, the other 3 being road, mountain bike, and track racing. Cyclocross (CX) is exactly what it looks like; a cross or mixture of cycling events. CX is a hybrid of road cycling and mountain biking with some running thrown into the blend as well. Some say it is the steeplechase of cycling, I would agree with this and I also agree that it is the most grueling segment of cycling.

So how a CX race works is organizers will set up a 1-2 mile course that will cover varying terrain including grass, dirt, sand pits, mud pits, short run ups, monster runs up (thank you Winding Trails, CT), singletrack, off-camber sections, and you cannot forget the barrier sections, yes now you have a visual. Many times races are held on soccer fields, college and high school campuses, motor raceways, and city parks. Races range in length from 30-60 minutes depending on category with the fast guys (aka pros) hammering for the full 60 minutes around the 1-2 mile circuit. The season begins at the end of September in the United States and finishing up with the National Championships in early December. The World Championships are held (usually) during the first week in February.

THE HISTORY :: So now you are probably wondering who came up with this crazy event called Cyclocross? Here is the long and short of it…back in the early 1900s in France (where else?) the crazy pro cyclists were getting sick and tired of long winter training rides where their feet would freeze. You all know that feeling of riding in the winter months and having very little blood flowing to your feet. The best part is trying to take a shower after one of these rides and your feet just itch and sting yet you still continue to take a hot shower regardless that you are damaging your nerve endings.. Anyways, the euros decided to create a winter cycling event that would force riders off their bicycles and onto their feet thus causing a rush of blood back into the feet and sparing them of frostbite. CX also made for an intense workout so that riders would keep their hard earned summer fitness throughout the winter months, hmm maybe Jan Ulrich should try CX.

So yes, the French were the pioneers of CX and the specifically Daniel Gousseau was the inventor of the sport in 1902. He first came up with the idea by riding his road bike on dirt roads and trails while following a French general on a horse. He must have learned to bunny hop real quickly riding behind that horse! So after honing his skills on the dirt Gousseau organized races strictly in France until 1924 when he brought together some of the top road cyclists from around Europe in Paris for the first international CX race. It would be another 26 years before the first World Cyclocross Championships would take place and 25 (that brings you to 1975 if you have lost track) years after that for the first U.S. National CX Championships.

Courtesy of ::Ryan Amirault, CX Elements::

Cyclo-cross Related Links:
Wisconsin Cycling AssociationWisconsin orgainzation promoting USCF based road and CX racing.
MadCross.org Madison area CX news and info.
Cyclocross Elements Boulder, CO based website focusing on national CX news and info.
CyclocrossWorld.com Online CX retailer also posts national and world CX race info.