Cyclocross and Interbike

I didn't see and do all things cyclocross at Interbike. I used the opportunity to explore some other cycling disciplines. I rode some time trial bikes, road bikes, cross bikes, mountain bikes, but no unicycles (there were some to sample). Cyclocross Magazine has some great shots and write ups of many of the cyclocross offerings to be had there www.cxmagazine.com. Here are my impressions of the various cyclocross bikes I rode, starting from worst and going to first.

Salsa - Chili Con Crosso: A big disappointment here. I've loved this bike for a year or so and would have bought the frame if I had $900 to spend on a frame and fork. I'm really glad I didn't now. The bike felt really heavy and sluggish. Sadly I don't remember the specs other than I liked the Salsa Bell Lap handlebar. It was wide and the drops were flared which should help when navigating tricky spots while in the drops.

Van Dessel - Gin and Trombones: Not too bad, but nothing really standout on this bike. This is another bike I considered buying at one point. It had good reviews but having the chance at Interbike to ride a lot of bikes back to back really showed the differences. This bike, like all of the others I test rode had TRP Eurox cantilever brakes. I became a big fan of them, but that's not hard considering I hate my Avid Shorty 4 brakes.

Felt- F15X: This was the biggest surprise for me. I've always considered Felt to be a decent brand but nothing to get excited about. This frame was aluminum like the others. This one had been spec'd with SRAM Red. The bike felt light and responsive. It was fun to ride and my only complaint was a fairly severe fork shudder. I'm not sure if this is due to the Easton EC70 carbon fork or if the headset needed to be tightened up a bit. Either way it was distracting and irritating. I would definitely recommend this bike as a good budget buy. Felt has 3 'cross bikes and the frames appear to all be the same, just different builds; wheels, components, etc. Get it with the SRAM Rival build and you'll be looking at about $1500 for a great bike.

Stevens - Carbon Cross: Not sure if this is the actual name of the bike/frame, but most of their literature is in German so it was the best I could come up with. I had read a good review of this bike in Cyclocross Magazine a few months ago but since it was carbon and had fairly road bike like geometry I didn't think it would be a bike I'd like to ride or could afford anyway. I immediately loved this bike. First off I found I liked the new Shimano Ultegra 6700 better than my 6600, who knew a year could make that much difference. I believe the bike had Fulcrum 5 wheels, a decent choice. The TRP Eurox magnesium brakes were great. The Michelin Mud 2 tires did great in the loose stuff. The bike just felt great both on and off road. It struck me as a bike I could easily throw slicks on and use for longer road rides. This bike was so great it converted my triathlon buddy and now he wants to do some 'cross races.

Aside from the fun of getting ride a bunch of different bikes at Interbike was the chance to try out all of the component groups. I was able to use: SRAM Red, Force, and Rival, Shimano Ultegra 6700, Dura-Ace, Dura-ace Di2 (Electronic shifting) on a time trial bike, and Campagnolo Super Record. The Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 shifting was beyond incredible. I would have never thought I could get that much pleasure from shifting. It would even shift up to the big ring while putting some decent power to the pedals, no hesitation, no chain lock up, just quick, precise shifting. SRAM Red was my next favorite, though I suspect I'll go with Force on my next bike. The shifting is just as precise, it's just not quite as light as Red. Plus, the group looks great!

Some non cyclocross tidbits: I rode a Moots titanium 29er hardtail and loved it. It handled corners great and mellowed out a lot of the trail chatter bumps and rocks. I was able to ride a Ellsworth Moment for about 1/2 mile before my companion got a flat and we hiked back out to catch the shuttle truck. It was a great bike, the 6" felt like much more as it swallowed up BIG rocks and bumps. I also rode the Look 985 road bike. I was the first to ride the 58 cm size so they cut the integrated seat mast to fit me. I was cool seeing an expensive road bike made to fit me, even if I was only going to ride it for 30 min. I also rode the Argon E-114 time trial bike with Shimano Di2 push button shifting. I'm still not sure if I loved the bike because of the bike or the component group, either way it was fun. It's amazing how much faster you can go on a TT bike compared to a road bike. It's not as comfortable to ride but it sure is fast.

I heart Interbike

I got a surprise invite to Interbike, the national bike show in Las Vegas, earlier this week. I'll talk about it more a bit later but suffice it to say, I'm suffering from a serious case of bike lust. I managed to get the triathlete that I went with to ride quite a few 'cross bikes and I think I converted him. All I have to say is get your hands on the Stevens carbon 'cross bike. It's awesome! I rode about 4 different 'cross bikes and the Stevens was the only one I really liked. The Felt F15X was pretty good but the Easton EC70X fork had a lot of chatter. All of the bikes I rode had TRP brakes in one form or another on the bikes, the Stevens spec'd the magnesium for some extra bling.

I wish I had taken the time to demo the new Ellsworth Roots cyclocross bike. I found out just a little too late that Andrew Yee, the editor of Cyclocross Magazine, was included on the design of the new bike. He was in good form riding the new bike during the wheelers and dealers race at 'Cross Vegas. Andrew also let me know that the article that I wrote for the magazine on having a successful first race will be in the new issue. So, if you are a subscriber take a look. If you don't subscribe, repent, get a subscription and immerse yourself in cyclocross goodness.

Cyclocross Bikes - Making Me Feel Like a Kid Again

I love riding my cyclocross bike! It sees a lot of road riding with road tires but once I have the 'cross tires on and I'm riding around, whether it's on a trail, in the park or just bombing around the neighborhood I can't seem to wipe the goofy smile from my face. I'm not exactly sure what it is. I ride my bikes a lot and I get close with mountain biking, but I usually push the speed envelope enough that I'm almost as scared as I am having fun. I like the thrill of going fast through the mountains but I know, and have the scars to prove it, that the thrill of speed can end up as the pain of defeat really fast. My wife has just shakes her head now when I show her the bloody wound as the answer to her question of how my ride went.

I think what makes me so happy when I ride my 'cross bike is I feel like a kid again. I grew up in a small farming town and had a choice between fishing for carp and catfish in the slow moving Bear River or riding my freestyle BMX bike around. I saved up my paper route money and bought a blue GT Vertigo freestyle bike. It was the nicest bike in the town and I loved it. All summer my friends and I would roll around town. We'd do sessions at the small dirt jump park we'd built near the river or ride over to the church to use the parking lot for flatland type tricks. We just had a lot of fun goofing off or working on mastering the latest trick. Riding a 'cross bike makes those feelings come back. Just the freedom to ride wherever I want. It's not a heavy or cumbersome bike so I'm not limited to trail riding like my full suspension mountain bike. The larger somewhat knobby tires are much more durable than the road tires I have around so I can hop curbs, ride through parks, do some trail riding, and just go do whatever I want.

I think we've all felt this way about bikes. It's the first real taste of freedom that we got as children. Until then we could walk or run but you couldn't get too far that way and it wasn't fast or very much fun, at least on 5 year old legs. Once you learn to ride that bike, the world opens up, or at least as much as your mom will allow. I still remember finally getting to ride around the block with my friends; I could go fast and jump off of the curbs on my yellow Huffy. This is exactly what bikes were meant for. I still feel that enthusiasm whenever I'm on my cyclocross bike. I feel like I'm not tied down by anything. I'll admit to not following proper cycling protocol. I dart around the road, hop off curbs, blast past the ladies walking in the park, and get odd looks from the mountain bikers when I ride past them on the trails.

Cyclocross is a somewhat old cycling sport, around 100 years old. There is a healthy ongoing discussion about whether or not to allow some modernization. Some of the charm of cyclocross is the antiquated technology used; drop bars, cantilever brakes, narrow tires. The honest truth is that even if some changes were made to allow flat bars, disc brakes and wider tires, 'cross races probably would keep using what they've been using. The historical equipment used has not only been refined but it's lighter and one thing I know cyclocross races don't want is an extra pound of bike to throw up on their shoulder for a steep run-up. When I first started learning about cyclocross I considered these restrictions sort of backward, every other cycling discipline take advantage of new technology. I've since changed my mind. I like that there is, to some degree, a limitation placed on 'cross bikes. Sort of like the various classes of auto racing. There are racing classes that require a car to remain mostly stock. This keeps everyone on the same page and you just accept the challenge to work within the limitations and even have fun with them.

In the local Utah Cyclocross Series you can ride whatever you want, standard 'cross bike, a unicycle, a full suspension mountain bike, whatever. Although there are no limitations I still see most people riding 'cross bikes with standard equipment. Again, I don't know if that's based on a 'cross bike with narrow tires actually being faster than a mountain bike on our single-track heavy courses, or if it's tied to what 'cross should be, but that's what most people seem to like about the sport. You'll see a lot of mountain bikes in the C-class division, a few in the B's but none in the A class. So either they're fully committed to 'cross culture or they know what is indeed the fastest bike to ride. Either way I'm going to stick with my 'cross bike the way it is, even if it does squeal like a school girl every time I tug the brakes.

25 days, 19 hours and five minutes...

I looked forward to the cyclocross season last year but it didn't eat at me like this year. Maybe it's because I have my own 'cross rig to ride this year, maybe it's because I feel like I have a tad more fitness this year, but it probably has to do with DNFing my last real race of 2008. The race was at the equestrian center in Draper UT, the site of my first race that year, where I was lapped right at the line and had to stop, though as I mentioned before it was a bit of a relief to cut my race short one lap. Cut to that last race, or at least the last one that counted before the snow-covered just-for-fun race, I was feeling good, I was riding well. I was actually passing people on downhill and uphill sections. Then just as I was about to start lap 2 I realized my rear tire was flat. I didn't have a spare wheel and there really isn't time to patch a tire in a 40 minute race so I walked up the hill put my bike down and cheered on the rest of the racers.

I'm determined not to DNF this time around, I haven't worked out as much as I should have but still feel pretty good about things. I plan on getting whooped in the first race when the first time 'crossers show up from their full season of mountain or road cycling and realize after one race that they should probably upgrade and race the B's instead of us lowly C classers.

When you're coming up on the start of a new race season you start to plan things out. The things that need to be replaced, the new parts you need to buy, mentally going through the races to get yourself psyched up for it. Apparently the gents that run the Utah Cyclocross series are busier than I am, have other things on their mind or haven't finalized details because they have the dates for the races but no venues listed. It's going to drive me mad! No disrespect intended, they're not under any obligation to list any details, but it would sure help out my mental state. After an exhaustive research I've determined the tires I want to buy, anyone not familiar with cycling, and especially cyclocross has no idea the great amount of time spent in determining the right tires to buy. Panaracer Cinder-X 35 tires are my choice for this year. This means exactly nothing to my wife or anyone else I know but it's one area I know I'll have dialed in for the season.

The thing about both cyclocross and Utah is you never know what the weather is going to throw at you. It's probably because cyclocross season is in the Fall and anyone who's spent a couple of years in Utah knows you could have a drought in October or you could have a blizzard. I spent my that my fair share of childhood Halloweens with a coat over my plastic Darth Vader costume. There were also those year when it seemed downright balmy as I walked around collecting candy and getting scowled at by people who thought 15 too old to be trick-or-treating. What this means for race day preparation is I have to make sure all of my clothing options are available to grab Saturday morning: wool socks, thermal base layer, tights, shorts, gloves, cycling socks, short sleeve jersey, rain gear, skull hat, wool hat, etc. It can be maddening.

In case it hasn't become apparent in previous posts, I, and most of my fellow 'crossers, actually hope for bad weather. The crappier the weather, the better it is for cyclocross. If you have a dry fast course you can usually just hand the first place prize to a roadie. You can make your way through the course without much in the way of bike handling skills and it comes down to pure fitness, which I have none of. When mother nature decides to deliver a nice rain storm it turns into anyone's race. Muddy corners can take down the best of them, I know they sure tried

last year. Rocks and roots get slippery, hills get twice as hard to run up and brakes, tires and derailleurs get all gunked up with

mud. It's beautiful. Belgium is the home of cyclocross, I don't know why. I also don't know why Hungary loves water polo, it's like watching a very foggy soccer match in which you can't see anything that's going on. Every country seems to have it's own favorite sport. What I'm getting at is, from my understanding, Belgium has a lot of rain and it just seems like cyclocross races should be muddy and tricky with even the pros ending up on their faces now and then.

Looks like we're down to 25 days, 18 hours and 25 minutes, and the Utah Cyclocross guys still haven't posted the venues for the season...

Why You Should Try Cyclocross

The thing about hobbies is everyone thinks theirs is the best, but they don't necessarily want everyone to do it too. Some people like their hobby to be exclusionary, for them to be special in the eyes of their friends and acquaintances. Cyclocross is not one of those hobbies. I don't know anyone that races cyclocross that doesn't want everyone to join in. The more the merrier. It's not just a race, it's more like a bike festival. Everyone is out with their cowbells, friends, kids, dogs, what-have-you, and this happens every weekend for 3 months. Even if the weather is bad and everyone gets covered in mud, you just know that the racing is going to be that much more epic. How great is that!

There are a lot of options out there for amateur athletes who still want to have fun and recreate past high school and college: triathlons, masters swim meets, 5k's, marathons, softball and soccer leagues, road races, mountain bike raced, crits, etc. In every one of these there are 3 basic groups of people that participate.

The pseudo pro: This is the guy(or gal) who just knows they could go pro if they had the time or money or got noticed. They spend every waking minute training or planning their diet to maximize their chances of winning the upcoming race or game. They get really upset if things don't work out, their bike gets a flat, someone crashes and blocks them on the trail, a teammate commits a fatal error, whatever. This guy then flies into a rage because his world has just crashed into tiny pieces and he can't be the one to win the amateur competition that day.

The weekend warrior: This gal/guy is fairly balanced. They train during the week, eat reasonably well and look forward to the race or game, but their week isn't ruined if something derails their training or they lose the game. They're competitive but do it as much for the fun as the they do for the competitive push they get.

The fun guy: This person might run a couple of times before a 5k, just to make sure he doesn't completely die, but also stays up late the night before eating burritos and watching the "Back To The Future" marathon on tv. He just wants to have fun with his friends.

Cyclocross has all of these, except the really fast guys don't seem to get all hopped up when something crappy happens, everyone seems happy to help everyone else. I've had a number of great get-to-know-you conversations waiting at the start line. Cyclocross is the fastest growing segment of cycling for a reason, it's just plain fun. People are friendly and it gives you something to look forward to after the Summer ends. This might be an odd outlook on a sport often referred to "An hour long sufferfest" or "The most painful hour in cycling," but it's true. I am addicted to it.

Every week I experience the same pattern. I wake up Monday thinking about the race on Saturday, get in some intervals on the trainer in my basement while watching a video, usually a comedy to keep my mind off the monotony that accompanies riding a bike that goes nowhere in the basement. Same sort of thing through Thursday. Friday comes and I'm really starting to get psyched for the race. I make sure I get some carbs, get the bike all ready, check the weather report and get the appropriate clothes together. Saturday comes and I can hardly contain

myself. I get to the race venue, register, warm up, get on the line with a big grin on my face. The race starts, I enjoy taking the downhill stuff fast, keep the pace on the climbs, then about half-way through when my lungs and legs are burning and my back is killing me I start to wonder why in the world I looked forward to this. I'm not enjoying myself, my fingers are freezing and I've over filled the terry cloth part of my glove with snot. I somehow make it past that one kid that races with the adults, "At least I passed the kid," I think. I make a last hard push to the line to come in 39th place out of 52 riders. I'm done and an hour later I can't wait to race the next Saturday. Maybe I'm sadistic, I don't think so because I genuinely dislike pain. So what is it? It might be the camaraderie, it might be the experience of pushing myself, it might be the smell of embrocation, maybe it's the muddy grins from the racers that just finished their race. Whatever it is, I love it!