Top 10 Reasons to Race Cyclocross

TOP 10 REASONS TO RACE CYCLOCROSS

1. Cyclocross Races Are for Working Folks: Bing, bang, boom! Cross races are less than an hour long. Unlike triathlons, road or mountain bike racing, you can find a few hours to train enough to race CX while holding a full time job and having a life. Plus, generally-speaking cx bikes can be purchased for way less than most road bikes.

2. Great For the Whole Family: There are categories for everyone! Races are time limited for the most part; they don't take all-day so you can race without compromising the whole weekend. Did you know kids/juniors race for FREE or cheap in youth categories in many of the Ohio races! Women's categories have seen a huge rise in participation, too. It’s a spectator friendly sport even for Grandma and Grandpa.

3. CX culture is All About Fun: Cross is about having a good time, riding in dirt, cheering for your friends, drinking an adult-beverage or two, wearing costumes, enjoying BBQ, and having an entertaining time whether you are racing or watching. No pretentious behavior allowed!

4. But is it Safe: Courses are very safe and held on a closed course off public roads so there is never a fear of traffic. There are only steep climbs to ride up, or dismount and run. There are a few descents, but they are generally short and quick and not on pavement, certainly nothing to worry about and it’s generally about 70% grass, so hup-hup buttercup, what’s holding you back now?

5. No Shortage of Opportunity: There are over 30-races per season in the Ohio valley alone. Many of these races are all within or around a two-hour drive so you can race to your hearts content. With organized weekly practices going on in Columbus and in the Cincy area, how can you not see opportunity to try it out?

6. Keep It Weird: Cross is all about being an individual, there are no robots here. Like pink? Go for it. Like to wear your wife’s tall socks, go right ahead. Like to glue animals or things to your helmet, have at it, we will still like you and salute your individuality.

7. Jerk Free: We like to keep it Jerk Free. In other words, we like to support each other, yell at other racers, encourage those racing when we are not, even people racing we don’t know. We support our friends, deepen friendships and develop new ones, by screaming, yelling, slapping, hand-ups, working the pits, calling out gap-times, clanging cowbells, cupcake hand-ups, expensive and inexpensive beverage hand-ups and dropping Benjamin’s in the mud pit.

8. Come Back Stronger: If you thought you were finished with your cycling season, well, you’re not. Go find your cx bike, head out to your local practices, then get out and race. You can race locally until late December here in the Midwest. Then go to Nationals in January and freeze your ass. Then take a few weeks off, and blam, it’s road training season. I guarantee, your fitness will come back around quicker and you’ll have more power from a full season of cross racing and training.

9. Beat the Roadies: You have an opportunity to beat some super fast roadie types who might sail past you on the local hammer ride each week or beat you hands down in a crit or road race. There yes I just said that - but in cross, you have a chance to take your mad mountain bike skills short bursts of power and crazy ability to take chances, where a roadie might not and beat them lap after lap. How great is that? You can sign up for a CAT 4 CX race, with a varied degree of other racers, the playing field becomes level of sort. There might be Road CAT 1,2 folks in the CX CAT 4 field or even in the CX CAT 3 field. They might have an advantage on the straights or flatter sections, but you can get them in the trees, and twisty bits. Show them up, then congratulate them afterwards on their efforts. Don’t be a jerk.

10.  Heckling is Allowed: You might take yourself too seriously at a cross race if you can’t endure the heckling. It’s all in good fun and certainly can be taken in stride. There is an art to it and not everyone has the gift. Yell at people you don’t know, tell them to pedal harder, get a megaphone and make sure everyone can hear you cheering on your racing friends. Call out the sandbaggers that are 2 minutes off the front of the CAT 3 race. Dress up in your scariest getup, jump up and down, and distract your racing friends until they wipe out in the sand pit. It’s game on, cause it’s cross.