Ask someone about the joys of cyclocross, and with pride and loathing they’ll mention the hurt.
“You can’t breathe, you can’t think,” says Berwyn’s David Pilotto, who gets up as early as 4:30 a.m. to practice with friends. “You can’t really do anything without it hurting.”
“It’s definitely the hardest type of competition I’ve ever done,” says Lou Kuhn, owner of Evanston’s Pony Shop, a bike store that specializes in cyclocross. “There’s no room for letting up.”
“During the thing, you’re just in so much pain,” says Leah Sanda of Western Springs. “Legs and lungs ready to explode, dying to hear that final-lap bell. But then you’re laughing at the end.”
Cyclocross — ‘cross or CX for short — combines elements of mountain biking, road racing and steeplechase. A 1- to 2-mile course winds through parks and forest preserves, sending riders powering over grassy fields, twisting through wooded mazes and leaping over 40 centimeter (about 16 inches) barriers.
And? Cowbell. Lots and lots of cowbell.
Northern Europeans have long used the sport for off-season training; it’s close to the national sport in Belgium. Now ‘cross is enjoying its latest wave of popularity in the U.S., and Chicago is a hotbed, as hundreds of dirt-loving mountain bikers, triathletes and road racers (including this reporter, a devoted roadie) look to extend their fitness into winter.
Nancy Heymann of Highland Park was a mountain biker who got coaxed into cyclocross by her teammates last summer. She bought a bike on a Monday and, after watching an instructional DVD, was racing the following Sunday. She placed third and was hooked.
This year she dabbled in road and track racing, too, but she says cyclocross is her favorite. “All the women I raced against were so helpful and so friendly,” she says. “There’s a great camaraderie out there.”
Cyclocross requires technical skill to navigate difficult terrain and endurance to go all out for 30 to 60 minutes, at the end of which riders will be wheezing, wobbly wrecks.
In addition to man-made barriers, obstacles such as streams, hills and sand pits will compel riders to dismount and carry their bikes, clutching them like giant suitcases or slinging them over their shoulders. Then they must leap back to their saddles as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Crashes are part of the spectacle, but they occur at much lower speeds than in road racing, and one typically lands in grass or dirt, not unforgiving pavement.
And if the weather cooperates, there will be mud: messy, slippery, treacherous, glorious mud.
“I fall a lot in the mud,” Sanda says, “which is sort of like the different stages of grief. First time I get so mad; I’m spitting mad. Then I want to cry and I’m in tears. And then at some point I start laughing.”
Sanctioned races in Chicago were rare until volunteers organized the Chicago Cyclocross Cup in 2004, starting with four races its first season. Prior to that, says Joe Doyle, the Cup’s first director, enthusiasts would travel hours for races in neighboring states or throw unofficial “bandit” races in local parks.
Now the Cup has grown to 10 races and comes off a breakout year in 2008, with individual races seeing 20 percent to 35 percent growth over 2007. Organizers expect even more participation in 2009.
The season started Sunday with a record turnout in Jackson Park and runs almost weekly through the state championships on Dec. 6 at Montrose Harbor, where racers should expect the additional obstacles of frigid weather and snow.
(Full disclosure: This reporter is a member of XXX Racing-AthletiCo, which hosted Sunday’s opener.)
For as hard and humbling as it can be, cyclocross can engage athletes of all levels and experience.
“There’s room for everybody,” Kuhn says. “The scene’s not as intimidating as some other places, like the track or road races. The scene is more comfortable for people to get into and start out and not be so nervous.”
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How the races work
Races last between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on ability level. After a few laps, officials will time how long the laps are taking, do some math and display a countdown at the start/finish area. When there’s only one lap left, officials will ring a bell. (Thus the final lap is known as “the bell lap.”)
Categories and age groups
Each racer is assigned a category based on ability and experience. Beginners start in Category 4, with Category 1 reserved for the best of the best. (Rules for upgrading can be found at usacycling.org.)
To accommodate current popularity, Chicago race organizers divide the men’s Category 4 into two races: 4B for absolute novices, 4A for those with previous ‘cross or other racing experience.
“Masters” races are organized by age group: 30 and older, 40 and older, 50 and older. Ambitious riders can thus race twice in a given day, but this is no geezer parade. Masters races are very fast and competitive.
The flow of the race
Other than “go as fast as you can” and “try not to crash,” there is not much tactical know-how that beginners require.
The beginning of a race can be the most pivotal and the most frantic. Dozens of riders will explode from the start line in a mad scrum for the first corner — known as the “hole shot” — as racers vie for an advantageous position at the front.
The first 10 minutes will be intense. “I’ve never started a ‘cross race and not felt like I was over my head within the first two minutes,” says racer and shop owner Lou Kuhn. “You always feel like you’re absolutely not going to be able to maintain that pace. But things always tend to slow down — relax and settle into a groove.”
Soon the race will stretch out, and racers will be riding single-file. From here it’s a series of personal, mano-a-mano battles: One must claw forward and pass the next rider, all the while staving off the rival pursuing from behind.
— Luke Seemann
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What you need to get started
1. A cyclocross bike. These bikes have knobby tires, cantilever brakes that won’t get jammed by mud or leaves, and a slightly different geometry than a traditional road bike. Entry-level bikes go for $600 to $1,000 and can double as a commuter.
2. Or, a mountain bike. Mountain bikes are slower, but they are fine for people looking to try the sport without making a major investment. “It’s not a sport where people need to be intimidated by equipment,” says Lou Kuhn, owner of the Pony Shop. “Just come out with what you have.”
3. A helmet and bike clothes. Helmets are required. Bike clothes are recommended, as loose-fitting clothes can get caught on the bike. (That said, do not be shocked if the next rider over is wearing a superhero costume or a dress. ‘Cross has its irreverent side.)
4. A license. Annual licenses can be purchased from USA Cycling for $60 (usacycling.org). Single-day licenses can be purchased on-site for $10.
5. Entry fees. Races cost $25 to $30, but juniors race free. Pre-register at bikereg.com to guarantee a spot and avoid a $5 day-of penalty.
6. Practice! Dismounting and remounting are crucial skills. Tutorial videos are easy to find on the Internet. Study them, then head to a park to get it down. Once you have a smooth technique, try dismounting at speed and jumping over invisible barriers.
— L.S.
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How to be a good cyclocross fan
1. Find a cowbell. Any noisemaker will do — horns, drums, yelling — but the cowbell is the ‘cross accessory of choice.
2. Find a bigger cowbell. Seriously, you can do better than that. “The rowdier and noisier [fans] can be, the better,” Leah Sanda says. “It totally amps you up.”
3. Stroll and find a good spot. Sand pits are ideal vantage points: Most riders will carry their bikes through them, but stronger athletes will try to gain a few seconds by riding through. If they make it, cheer wildly. If they face-plant? Cheer even more wildly.
Other spots to look for are muddy corners, barriers and any challenging terrain. Then when the race comes to a close, scurry to the finish to catch any dramatic sprints.
4. Alert your favorite riders of their position. The races can get chaotic, especially once the leaders start to lap slower riders, and some oxygen-deprived riders won’t know whether they’re in 10th place or 40th place, so pay close attention and shout out positions.
Nancy Heymann recalls that in her first race, “There were people who didn’t even know me yelling ‘You’re in third place! Go, go, go!’ It gives you that little incentive to keep going.”
5. Heckling is allowed. Feel free to badger your friends for going so slow. Be the Mickey to their Rocky. They’ll thank you for it later. Probably.
— L.S.
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lseemann@tribune.com
More info online
chicrosscup.com: Schedules of local races and other news updates
bikereg.com: Pre-register for local races
velonews.tv: Excellent video tutorials for how to dismount and negotiate barriers
