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What's Cyclocross
all about?
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If you are asking yourself
these questions or if you're just trying find out more
information on this fast growing segment of bicycle
racing, hopefully you'll find this page a good tool
toward discovering Cyclocross in St. Louis and the
Midwest.
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Click on the
photo
for a large image |
What is
Cyclocross?
Cyclocross is cross
country cycle racing.
Competitors cycle
at the speed of elite road racers while cornering and
bunny hopping like in Mountain biking or BMX. Mud, steep
banks, and low hurdles force the riders to become
runners, they sling the bikes over their shoulders. Firm
ground and tarmac sections let the riders reach speeds
over 50kph. Riders lap the courses many times in the
hour long races, so spectators have many chances to see
the race as it develops.
Athletes in this sport are about the best all-rounders
in the world of sport. Top riders have come from other
branches of cycling like Road Racing, BMX, and Mountain
Biking, and athletes have crossed over from fell running
and triathlon. Be sure to read Big Shark's
Introduction To Cyclocross racing.
Venues
Unlike mountain bike race courses or your typical road
race course that sometimes are miles away from the
nearest Mini-mart or 7-11, Cyclocross events are
normally found much closer to home. Laps are brisk and
short. The mixture of pavement and off-road courses are
perfect for moderate or larger sized parks found in
large metropolitan areas so your travel times to venues
are shorter. You might even find yourself driving toward
town for a change.
Before taking off on the
links to St. Louis web sites. Let's start back on the
USAcycling.org site that will load you down with
details that will challenge you to absorb it all in one
sitting. Quickly scan that page & stop. You can always
come back to it as a reference area. There's more
interesting local information to check out first.
The Local
Cyclocross Scene
St. Louis Cyclocross should be your first stop on
the list. Jim Sullivan, webmaster of St. Louis
Cyclocross, has really it going when it come Cyclocross.
Besides all the information listed on the site Jim has
also written a few segments himself. The 1st page to
read should be his
Brief History Of Cyclocross. This will take you back
to the turn of the century. No! not 2000 but the 1900
era. Then you'll want to read his
Cyclocross equipment page. After you get to the
bottom of this page you'll get a feel of where you fit
it and you will want to follow the links starting with
your ability and interest level. Mike Weiss over at Big
Shark is definitely a fan of Cyclocross. Big Shark's
2001 "Silly Rabbit" series was a great success and
should prove to grow even more this year. The
2002 "Silly Rabbit" series is held every Sunday at
nearby Queeny Park. Here's a brief outline of the
series.
The entry
fee for all races is $20.00 that includes a couple of
bucks for insurance. Only $10 for second race. This is
USA Cycling. You can also pay for the whole series
for $80 for five races.
Series title will be
scored 6 places deep in each category. 1st through 6th
points will be distributed: 7,5,4,3,2,1. Missouri State
Championship race will be double points for the series.
Medals and Jerseys for all classes riding Cyclocross
bikes.
Here's the normal
start times for the races.
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Start
Time |
Start Time |
Duration |
Prize List |
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Masters 30+, 40+,
50th |
High Noon |
40 minutes + 2 laps |
3 places |
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Women/ Juniors |
12:01 pm |
40 minutes + 2 laps |
3 places |
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Cat 4/5 |
1:30 pm |
45 minutes + 2 laps |
3 places |
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Cat 1/2/3 |
1:30 pm |
45 minutes + 2 laps |
6 places |
The Mix
Cyclocross brings together an interesting mix of riders.
You will find mountain bikers, roadies and a good
segment of the Tri folks entering these contests. But
the mix doesn't stop there. It really doesn't take a
special bike although it really does help. Riders will
be sporting all sorts of bikes that include everything
from mountain bikes to the typical road bike with
everything in-between. The actual course might be the
deciding factor of the day.
Revisit last years race
action at Queeny Park
If you need more
Cyclocross racing to satisfy your system, there is more
racing just a few hours away. So before you just jump
into the car and stomp on the gas pedal it would make a
lot more sense to check out these other Midwest web
sites for current information in their area.
Other links to help you enter the world of Cyclocross
 Back
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