Different Perspective Sports Magazine Issue 3 | Page 17

It’s this lap-based format that helps make ‘cross so accessible. Starting and finishing at the
same time as everyone makes it less daunting for newcomers and the time based format
means you always know how long you are riding for. Grass-roots racing caters well for
younger riders, or novices with separate categories and increasingly whole families are
getting involved with the kids racing as well as Mum and Dad.
Nowhere is ‘cross more popular than in Belgium – the motherland of cyclocross. More
popular arguably than football, Flanders hosts many of the biggest cyclocross races in the
world, attended by 10s of thousands of fans, livened up with beer tents, supporters clubs
for individual riders and a knowledgeable and highly partisan crowd. In Belgium, the top
riders are national sports stars, with the attention and money that comes with that level of
recognition.
Cyclocross is not all about racing though. For the less competitive amongst us, a ‘cross bike
can be the perfect do-it-all bike to get out and about on. Mountain bikes score high on the
fun factor, and on a good trail, can give you a fast, adrenaline fuelled ‘video game’ feeling.
Road bikes give rise to ‘journeys’, epic or otherwise, with exploration of new places the key
to the long distances they can cover, as well as the challenge element that a big, hilly road
ride brings. But a cross bike gives you the best of all worlds, in one easy package.  Road,
bridle ways, woods, moors, trails, even mountains - they all open up to you on a cross bike,
none of them being a chore on an ill-suited bike. Ride a XC MTB far on the road and it soon
becomes a burden. Likewise a road bike is pretty restricted to tarmac. A cross bike will do
both, and more, in the same ride and without giving too much away on any terrain.
How to get involved and more information:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross
Image top left copyright Dave Haygarth