If I were to start talking about cyclocross most people would imagine competitors racing in the cold, wet, rain, and snow with crazed fans cheering them on. Las Vegas then probably isn't the first place that comes to mind for a cross race, but over the past few years Cross Vegas has established itself as the season opener of the discipline. And with this growing reputation the race has also attracted more and more top competitors. This year's Elite rider roster almost read like a who's who of the sport, all coming to Sin City to test their mettle on a hot dry course.
For those of you that are still new to the concept of cross, or CX for short, it's basically an event that's a cross between road riding and cross country racing. Competitors race road bikes with knobby tires and cantilever or disk brakes up and down hills and over obstacles including barriers and stairs. The season runs through the fall and winter, often when the streets are too wet and the weather is too cold for traditional road racing. The sport is nothing new, it's been around for over a hundred years, and probably even puts into question the story of the first mountain bike. Think about the fact that over a hundred years ago people raced knobby tired 29ers down gravel roads and through farmers fields, and some of them even had flat bars. It makes for some interesting thoughts...
0% Loaded
prev
1/24
next
Sometimes things go wrong... Troy Wells of Team CLIF Bar misjudged the spacing on the barriers and didn't get his second bunnyhop in time.
Until I raced Cross...
Correction. Until I raced CrossVegas! I was there last week and it was by far the most physically taxing race I've ever done and it was less than an hour long?! My results still sucked by the way. Those guys are on a completely different fitness level than most XC racers out there plus they have the bike handling skills to compete professionally in MTB (Katie Compton made the Pro podium in an Enduro race earlier this summer for those of you who didn't know). Balls to the wall for the entire race with no rest until you either die, pull out of the race, or somehow finish! It is by far the most fun I've ever had while racing even though it's so hard! Beer and cash hand-ups plus heckling for the entire course...sounds like a party!
but i will refrain from slandering such mtb discipline in a negative connotation. maybe the reason i dont care much for it is because it reminds me of road..? who knows.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fvLs5KXWYI
If I could only have one bike it would probably be my 'cross bike. You can tour, shred singletrack, commute, or go on long road rides, and it does them all pretty well, plus it's super customizable. True all-around machines. Ok, maybe a rigid 29er with off-road drop bars, just so I could fit in some fatter tires. But you get the idea.
www.rise-ride.net/myBloggie/files/20111112_1.jpg
cyclingtipscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ZdenekStybarJump.jpg
Cool article thanks for adding it. I reallly hope the people throwing beer weren't mountain bikers... We all ride bikes.
Support your local bikeshop...so that they can be complete douches.
Real classy guys. "While a bit of heckling and excitement makes for an interesting race the USA has seen a growing amount of rider abuse from fans. These guys were simply drinking their beers and ringing cowbells, but some fans got a little out of control. While the idea of beer and cash hand ups seems to be a big part of cross racing at the local level, it's actually against the UCI rules, and any rider that even accepts a hand up can be disqualified. And some fans went way beyond offering dollar bills and beers to the racers, spraying beer and throwing other objects at the racers. There were more than a few of the top riders that commented on it, and several expressed that they may not come back because of it. Not cool..."
www.blackbirdsf.org/cx/2007_01.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclo-cross