Cyclocross (Pt I)

A sunny but cold winter day afternoon as the parishioners left of their Sunday mass a strange event gained notice. John and his family, well dressed in their ‘Sunday best,' sauntered toward their home. Suddenly they happened upon an unexpected spectacle of winter. They saw the strange sight of cyclists leaving of the road and beginning to ride through the field and run over the obstacles.

“What a muddy sport!” retorted his wife? A curious man, John approached the group and asked, “What class of cycling is this?” Quickly a joyous reply, “It is called cyclo-cross!”

Cyclocross season is almost here. Like much of bike racing, the sport of Cyclocross is rich in history. You might be asking, "So, what is cyclocross?"

History-

During the late 19th century, it is believed that cyclocross style of riding a bicycle originated during the Autumn in the French countryside when French road racers would race through farmer's fields, taking short cuts, and jumping over fences from one town to another. Early on, this was called "steeple chasing" as the riders would simply ride toward the next town with the landmark they were following being a church steeple. 

French generals on horseback observed this strange discipline and moved quickly to train the French Army troops on bikes.

A French soldier named Daniel Gousseau, frequently rode his bicycle over the rough trails and difficult obstacles to maintain cycling fitness during the winter months. Gousseau is credited with organizing the first French National Championship Cyclocross race in 1902.

Numerous other National Championship Cyclocross races started popping up in other European countries shortly there after in places like Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Italy.

It wasn't until 1950 that the UCI caught on and finally sanctioned the first Cyclocross World Championship race, which happened in Paris--48 years after the first National Championship event!

Here in the US, Cyclocross started to become popular on the east and west coast in the 70's with the first National Championship event taking place in Berkely, CA in 1975.

Today, we find the Cyclocross world stronger than ever! With a full European and North American race schedule, and UCI races on both sides of the Atlantic, there are plenty of races to fill up the schedules of riders in the pro ranks. Here in the Midwest, racers will find several Cross races per week. Believe it or not, it is now common to find more competitors and 10 times the spectators at your average Cross race as compared to your average road race here in the Midwest.

Development-

Slowly cyclocross was developing great popularity and promoters searched for short circuits to facilitate spectator's overall vision. Driven by this popularity they looked to central areas of cities, where the courses were characterized by long sections of stairs, paved streets, gardens and small fences (or barriers) similar to the ones utilized today.

As the development progressed, the “Criterium International de Cyclo-Cross” gave way to the World Professional Cyclo-Cross Championships in 1950. The first official World CC Champion was Jean Robic (Fra). Robic, who in 1947 won the Tour de France. He is still the only TdF champion to win the World CC Championship. After Robic the championships were dominated by long “reigns of champions.” Roger Rondeaux (Fra)- 1951, 52, & 53, Andre Dufraisse (Fra)- 1954, 55, 56, 57, & 58, Renato Longo (Ita) 1959, 62, 64, 65, & 67, Eric de Vlaeminck (Bel)-7 WC victories in 8 years (he was the Eddy Merckx of cyclocross), Albert Zweifel (Sui)- 1976, 77, 78, & 79, Roland Liboton (Bel)- 1980, 80, 82, 83, & 84.

In the 80+ years the CX discipline underwent great changes and the sport developed. The “routiers” (strong TT type riders in the peloton) began to realize that good winter ("dead seasons") training in cyclocross provided great preparation for the road season. In an effort to attract more and more road riders the UCI (cycling's governing body) began to standardize the racecourses, making them easier and faster. The “Trou du diable” descents were eliminated (or at least made easier).

Modern CX-

As the sport grew, some riders abandoned the road-racing schedule and became cyclocross specialists. These cyclocross specialists began to emerge in the mid-1970s and the racecourses slowly returned some of the difficulty of previous years. Today, there are professional cyclocross riders that are paid year round to dedicate themselves to the winter cycling sport.

In the modern era the UCI established regulations to standardize the difficulty of the racecourses. Each circuit should have paved roads, forest and field sections, and obstacles to break the rhythm of the rider. The typical racecourses should be a circuit of a minimum of 2.5 km and a maximum of 3.5 km in length. A properly designed course is 80% to 90% ridable with as many as 4 natural and/or artificial obsticles.

The cyclocross schedule begins early in September in Belgium and finishes late in February. Because of the road season the CC schedule will vary according to the countries. In France the traditional start is in October, while in Spain it is November.

Stay tuned!! Parts 2 & 3 will be all about 'cross bikes and why you should own one, and the local 'cross scene including races (seriously fun to watch) and training sessions.