With the Eastern CycloCross League having reached the half way point, I thought I'd do a quick catch-up on what I've found it to be like.

CX Grafham hurdles

Imagine my surprise when every photo of me has my big mouth wide open!

After my introduction day with British Cycling & the Central League down in that big London where elbows were very pointy and rear mechs seemingly considered eminently disposable items, all the talk I'd heard about CX being 'the friendliest form of bike racing' seemed likely to be either a fib of Armstrongesque proportions or a terribly damning indictment of the rest of cycling.  However, I'm very pleased to say both the race day experience and the on-going (free!) weekly training I've been doing with British Cycling & Team MK has been nothing but positive and awash with friendly faces, encouragement and help with the technical and mechanical side of things.

I won't 'treat' you to a forensic review of every race; but whilst each has been different in terms of course layout & challenges, a common theme has been the welcoming & supportive nature of each club that has hosted a race and the spectators cheering everyone on. However, for anyone thinking of giving it a go, and I would highly recommend you do, here are a few key things I've learnt:

  • Despite races being a series of laps, they normally don't 'start' behind the finish line - make sure you don't stand there like a plum wondering why everyone else is leaving it very late to join you

  • For the flattest, driest region of the country, East Anglia has plenty of both up & downs and mud

  • I've found falling off very easy to master (or rather transfer my existing skillset to a new discipline), although thankfully most of the landings have tended to be relatively soft. My best results have been when I stayed upright all the way round, and I'm beginning to wonder if this might not be important to remember

  • I still think half of the courses I've seen would be best tackled on a mountain bike; although perhaps this says more about me & my CX ability than anything else

  • two people approaching the finish line is a race; no matter if its for 1st or 101st place - no matter how knackered I've thought I've been, the end of the last lap is a sprint to catch the guy in front or hold off the one behind

  • I still can't decide if a white bike with white tyres was a clever idea or not with regards to cleaning; its not hard to spot the bits I've missed!

  • having ridden on mud, wet grass, leaves, gravel and sand, at least my winter GatorSkins will feel relatively secure on the road

Given that you're probably going to get cold & wet wherever you ride over the coming months, why not give cyclocross a try; at the very least, if you get hooked its another n+1 opportunity

Simon