A New Word for Pain

This weekend I was introduced to a new form of pain and suffering - Cyclo-Cross racing. Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing which also incorporates running. Races take place typically in the autumn and winter, and consist of many laps of a 1-2 mile course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills, mud, sand pits, tight turns, and man-made obstacles requiring the rider to dismount, jump the barrier(s), and remount, while carrying the bicycle. It is often described by avid cyclists as the most painful form of bicycle race. The bikes are like road bikes but with knobby tires (wider than a road tire but narrower than a mountain bike tire) and mountain bike brakes.

The races are short (1 hour), but intense - there is never a point in the race where you are not suffering. But at the same time, you don't really think about it b/c you are having so much fun: crashing head-over-heels in deep sand, sliding off the back of your bike seat as you attempt a running re-mount after having jumped over a small creek on a slight downhill at high speed, or hitting a tree as you cut the turn too tight. It is odd b/c, after so much hard pedaling, the least sore part of your body is your legs.

I raced both Saturday and Sunday (against my better judgement), and spent the better part of Sunday afternoon/evening in the "pain locker". I'm still feeling it today (Monday), but already looking forward to my next race.

Here are some photos that may help better explain the basics of a cyclocross race:

Barriers - you ride up quickly, jump off at the last second, and jump the 16" high boards (while carrying your bicycle) as quickly as you can before a getting back on via running re-mount:



The re-mount - the most difficult skill to master. You have to jump back on your bike while running. If you don't, you lose valuable speed/momentum:



The run-up - Not all cyclocross races have a hill run-up, but the ones that do are that much more painful. The hill is too steep to ride, requiring you to dismount, "shoulder" your bike, and run over the top:



The "twistys" - tight, technical sections that require good bike-handling skills. Sometimes, they like to stick a tight turn right alongside a tree, just to make getting around the turn at high speed more challenging: