Get Across It

How do I get into cross?

Think back on some of the recent rides you’ve done. Remember that gravel road that veered off your usual route? Have you been down it? Then congratulations, you’ve dabbled in cyclocross. This has always been my advice to people looking to try the sport: just go find a gravel road and see where it takes you. After that, go find some single track and really try to get yourself into some trouble.

Do I need a cross bike?

It’s ok if you don’t have one. Just stick the fattest tyres possible on your road bike and go ride in the woods. This is exactly where I started about a decade ago, taking my road bike down gravel roads, and paths, trying to find new things to add to my routes that challenged me. The best advice I got? Ride a little slower but otherwise just pretend it’s a paved road. Beyond that, relax your upper body, try not to death grip your bars. Easy does it on the steering.

What are cross races like?

Cross racing is short, but it's one of the most intense types of racing you can do. For thirty minutes to an hour, you go all out from beginning to end…unless you stop for that beer hand-up of course. And just after you’ve tossed back that beer, you have to dismount and carry your bike while running up stairs. Before your vision goes completely blurry, you’ve got to collect your wits to navigate your way across a muddy, off-camber hillside without sliding butt-first into the fencing at the bottom of the course. Now that you and your bike are covered in an extra five pounds of mud, you must find your way to the pit to gracefully exchange bikes for a clean one with your significant other who’s yelling at you to “go faster!”. And then you get to do it all over again four more times. (NB. Not every race has beer hand-ups, although if it does, lucky you.)

How did you improve?

I was a roadie through and through when I first picked up a cyclocross bike. I had an engine for the long, powerful straights but the engine couldn’t help me navigate the thick peanut butter-like mud, and my body froze before dropping into steep, rutted descents. I may have cried a little trying to drive my bike across sheer ice. But rarely could I practice these skills in Colorado where muddy races are practically non-existent and the courses are tame compared to those in Europe. I practiced basic skills in local parks. I hopped in practice races. I rode my mountain bike to get comfortable with two-wheel drifts. I followed my teammates around as they bunny hopped curbs, railed the ruts, and whipped through the thick mud like it was soup. Mostly it was learned trial by fire.

What’s the best thing about cross?

Riding in the woods or off-road always requires lots of focus and attention. I love that I just completely focus, 100 percent, and don’t think about other things. For instance, if I train on a road bike, my thoughts go everywhere. Sometimes that’s nice, but I really appreciate that cyclocross requires all your attention.

What’s the hardest thing about racing?

Your start needs to be really, really good. Every race I feel the pressure that my start has to be great, even though I actually am a good starter, and I often get the ‘hole shot’ [first place into the first corner]. The season is very long, too. We begin in September, and each week we have two or more races until it ends in February. Compare this to road cycling, where you can recharge your batteries between periods of racing. At the end of the cross season, around January or February, I feel completely exhausted.

How has cross changed the way you ride?

Riding cross has exposed me to parts of the city that I didn’t know existed. All the riding is so much closer to where I lived than I realised. I’d been riding through the forest, on the roads, not even realising the incredible trails that could be ridden on a bike with drop bars. There’s something about road riding that makes you more ‘precious and protective’ about yourself. Whereas with cross, you're totally prepared to get filthy and will most likely come home with a few bumps and bruises. It’s all part of it. You hit the deck, have a laugh and then jump straight back on the bike. It’s like being a kid again.

When did you really get into CX?

At Rapha, we are lucky to be able to ride on Wednesday mornings and in the autumn and winter, a group of us hit the trails of Epping Forest each week. It’s up there with the most fun I have on a bike. It was so much more interactive than I expected too. I’m a lot more vocal, shouting out when I escape a tricky situation, or when others do the same. You get a real buzz from riding on the limit of crashing.

What's your favourite discipline?

It's so hard to pick a favourite, and I love that I can flow from one to another through the year. However, cross pips it as the one I love most. It's alway super social, from group training sessions to racing. Locally it’s taken less seriously and I love that all abilities can race together, competing with the riders in front and behind their current position. I love being outdoors, and cross keeps me outside all year round, always improving how I handle a bike when things get technical, which benefits my crit and road racing through the British summers.

What's been your highlight on a cross bike?

Last season as a whole was special, my fitness and ability took a leap. Two highlights though would be 13th place at the Three Peaks – arguably the toughest cross event of the UK calendar taking place over three peaks in Yorkshire, England. It’s a 'type 2 fun' kind of race, but the views and people are worth it. But on a traditional level, finishing top 20 at a National Trophy last year was up there. Especially when battling it out with a true hero of the sport, Nick Craig – a multiple British cyclocross and cross country national champion.