Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter and consist of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount. Races are generally between 30 minutes and an hour long, with the distance varying depending on the ground conditions.
Cyclo-cross is the sport I never knew that I always wanted to try. Midway through my first season of road racing, a couple guys at the shop asked if I was racing cross in the fall. A few weeks later, I bought a CAADX and was eyeing up the schedule for my first race.
Aside from seeing one race several years ago, I didn’t know much about cross, aside from the fact that it was “awesome” and “something I needed to try." Prior to the race I set up a one on one session with a coach to learn some cross specific skills. I fell off the bike before we even started.
My first race, Whirlybird cross, was September 29th in Bensalem, PA. My heart rate went from resting to max in thirty seconds. It stayed that way for the duration of the forty-minute race. I’m pretty sure that if I had a chance to look down at my Garmin it would have been flashing, “You should be dead by now.” On the second lap I said to myself “I actually paid money to do this.” On the third lap, I was pretty sure I was going to vomit...but I didn’t AND...I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike and I can’t wait to do it again.
