Bikes Etc Magazine December 2017 Back Issue

CYCLOCROSS: WHY IT ROCKS AND THE BEST BIKES TO RACE ON!
As winter approaches, you might be thinking that it’s time to put the road bike away and look for other ways to keep up your cycling fitness over the cold, wet months ahead. But this doesn’t necessarily mean giving up cycling altogether. For many road cyclists, winter is cyclocross season – especially in Belgium, where cyclocross (CX or cross for short) is huge and even local league races attract highly competitive fields and vast crowds of enthusiastic, and very noisy supporters. Essentially, cyclocross is cross-country racing for modified road bikes. Races are held on short circuits (usually around 2-3km in length) featuring a mix of terrain, including grass, mud and tarmac, as well as various
obstacles. With lots of tight bends and sharp changes in gradient to negotiate, it’s a great way for roadies to hone their bike handling skills, which is why many top pros get involved when the road-racing season ends.