Cyclo Cross News - Rhos On Sea Cycling Club

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.

Cyclo-Cross Facts

Mountain bikes are welcome at most domestic races

The World Championships are held in late January or early February each year. Crowds of 20 to 30,000 are not uncommon, especially when held in the cyclo-cross heartlands of Belgium or Holland.

The world’s top riders are dedicated cyclo-cross specialists, feted as stars in their home countries, and the speed of these top level races is spectacularly high – whether over mud, sand, ice or snow.

The “Three Peaks” Cyclo-Cross race takes place every September and involves climbing three of Yorkshire’s most famous mountains, Whernside, Pen-y-gent and Ingleborough – all over 2000 feet high – some riders have recorded over thirty successful finishes in the race.