jimmyodonnell

I've been a casual fan of pro cycling, mostly grand tour viewing, since LeMond beat Fignon in the time trial . . . always looking forward to the Tour and trying to watch as much as I can each summer, etc. Now with digital subscription packages and replays on-demand, in recent months I've watched cyclocross for the first time. WOW what a kickass spectacle this sport offers and I'm sorry to be so late to pick up on it!

I tip my hat to EVERYONE in this sport -- riders, fans, the event organizers, all of it. If I lived in Europe I would be all over the map trying to attend these races and see it all, up close. And if my fascination sticks I might even try to give it a shot, humbling as it is sure to be. . . better-late-than-never, I love this stuff!

Russ Roth

New England, CNY and good parts of NJ and PA have quite the scene available as does the Pacific NW. Don't know about a lot of other areas but these ones can have some really kick ass races and the wet weather later in the season to make the rides fairly intense and muddy. My first cross bike was my first road bike with knobby tires, had to clear out the brakes on a couple courses from the mud, had it modified to get rid of the brake bridge and add cantis, eventually got a dedicated cross that went when married college life was too poor. Used an old MTB with drop bars 2 other seasons, and last year used a gravel bike which also had some mud clogging issues. So you don't need a dedicated cross bike to show up and have fun. Though I was just told this evening my dedicated cross bike is off to the powder coater's and should be done in 3.5 weeks which still leaves me staring at a box of awesome parts and no cross bike.
As cool as watching the pros race, it is way more fun in person though you'll swear your legs are falling off and your lungs don't work any more.

chas58

It is a kind of insane sustained max effort with some technical challenges thrown in to spice it up!

caloso

You should absolutely give it a shot. It's super fun and a very welcoming atmosphere. The local race series here is a blast. There's always music and a food truck, a kids race, good fun. People race hard and then hang out to cheer/heckle their friends. It's a great scene.

And you don't have to have a hardcore dedicated CX race bike to try it out. I see people on MTBs and even road/gravel bikes (helps if you can fit a knobby tire). Definitely try it out.

caloso

I can relate. I did my first season on a Trek 660 where I used the skinniest knobby tires I could find and then ran it single speed. It worked great in September, not so great in December.

msu2001la

I can't speak for other areas, but Chicago has a really great local CX scene. The competition ranges from first timers to national champions. Our weather ranges from hot to snow, with lots of mud in between. The last race of the season is on a beach, in early Dec, occasionally with a hot tub.




Sven Nys showed up to our 2017 season opener, registered as "Stan Nice" for a Cat 5 race, and put on a show for everyone. He started dead last and passed the entire field about 15 seconds after the whistle.

Video in the link below:
https://www.cxmagazine.com/sven-nys-...-skills-clinic

chas58

Hey, any racing when they offer me a beer on every lap clearly doesn't take itself too seriously. There is room for everyone.