Championship were held in 1950 but now ‘cross
is a distinct branch of cycling with large grassroots participation at one end of the sport and
professional cyclocross specialists earning six
figure sums at the other.
At its heart, ‘cross is based around races of
around an hours duration on short (sub 10 min)
offroad laps, in parkland and woodland, with
natural
obstacles designed to slow down the rider and
at times make them dismount and mount,
whilst carrying their bike. The bikes themselves
are closest in form to a standard modern road
racing bike with small alterations in tyres and
brakes to cope with the terrain and conditions
under wheel. Riders are allowed more than
one bike and can make changes to a clean bike
in a dedicated pit area, with helpers cleaning
and maintaining bikes in between changes.
And whilst ‘cross started as a winter sport and
remains focussed on this part of the year, its
growing popularity and accessibility means
some form of it practised pretty much all year
round.
Whilst courses years ago originally covered
rough open terrain with river crossings, walls
and other large natural features to negotiate,
modern ‘cross courses tend to be mostly
rideable, with a mixture of grass, gravel and
tarmac surfaces, short climbs and banking,
single track sections through woods and
strategically placed barriers or sand sections
to make riders dismount. Depending on
the ground conditions and the level of mud,
running can be a factor in some races where it
is quicker to shoulder the bike and run rather
than attempt to ride particularly slippy or boggy
sections.
Physically, ‘cross is demanding. The mass start
is fast and furious, as leading riders jockey
for position into the first technical or slower
sections, and as the course itself weaves around
the terrain and in and out of corners and
obstacles, riders rarely get into a rhythm, having
to perform a series of short, sharp efforts to
maintain progress. But it only lasts an hour, or
less depending on your age category, and all riders
finish on the same lap so no-one is left behind on
their own.
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