This is Cyclo-Cross!
(Taken from the British
Cycling website)
Muddy marvellous! Thin tyres, thick mud and some of the most exciting (but safe)
racing you will ever come across – that’s Cyclo-Cross.
Cyclo-Cross is an almost exclusively winter sport. Short courses
(often less than a mile long) on grass, generally in public parks or on playing
fields, are tackled on machines which look very similar to Road bikes. Thin tyres have a knobbled tread and
powerful brakes and low gears make Cyclo-Cross bikes
easy to handle on the rough.
Massed starts make for fast races which are
usually no more than an hour in length – shorter for juniors, women and
Veterans. Tactically, it’s best to get to the front early and stay there. In
practice, the better riders are often as good at running with their bikes as
they are riding them. With ice, tree-roots and even man-made obstacles in their
way, they are extremely agile at mounting and dismounting whilst keeping
forward momentum. Many include running in their training.
If that all sounds like hard
work, then don’t forget that Cyclo-Cross is also one
of the most accessible forms of cycle-sport. Races have a relaxed, informal atmosphere and entries are
usually accepted on the day. There are categories for younger riders, usually
with a reduced entry fee. The short lap length means that the better riders
often lap some of the slower competitors, but that’s not the end of the race –
you can still submerge yourself in the action, enjoy your own private battles
and forget whether you are first or a hundred and first.
British Cycling Cyclo Cross pages
Order the cyclo cross handbook here
Cyclo-Cross Facts