After being a hard core roadie for the past twenty years of my life I decided I needed a new challenge. I've tried MTB and I love it, but there was such a huge difference between road and MTB that I still felt there was something missing.

I have had customers and friends telling me repeatedly to try cyclo-cross as it was the perfect blend between road cycling and MTB...but with it's own "feeling" that nothing else could capture.

Thus, after several years of "thinking" about it, I decided to just "DO IT!". And boy am I glad that I did, because for 20 years I've been looking for that "feeling" I had when I got my first bike as a kid. FREEDOM AND GETTING REALLY DIRTY!

BIKE...MEET GRAEME. GRAEME...MEET BIKE:

Granted I am no bike "techie", but I can tell you that a cross bike is a unique breed of bike that oozes fun and asks you to beat the heck out of it! Not like a MTB, but close!

Imagine the sexiness of a fast road bike with the gnarlyness of knobby tires, a beefed up front and rear end, and the powerful addition of canterleaver brakes. It's like the ultimate road bike that you can toss and throw around. It's a bike built to get dirty and have fun.

After riding my dream carbon road bike, a Parlee Z3 and handling it with white gloves, it's nice to have a bike to thrash around! (Cyclo-CORE Custom Parlee Z3 review coming soon.)

I bought a REDLINE PRO cross bike and although I have never ridden a cross bike before, all I can say is that the bike did it's job and I felt in control and safe for my race. I've always liked black too! (More in-depth review for the REDLINE PRO coming soon)

JUST DO IT!

I decided to be bold and have my first cross race just three days after I got my first cross bike. I was so excited to try something new that I couldn't wait. I spent one day practicing dismounts and working on my bike handling and skills. Man, talk about core strength!

I meet too many people that stay in the "contemplation stage of life" way too long and never get out of their shell and try something new and challenging.

I've always thought..."If you can't stand the heat, then get in the kitchen and learn how to cook!" STOP thinking and just DO IT!

So, I did with the Connecticut State Cyclo-CROSS Championships.

THE RACE:

I am by no means an expert on cross, obviously. So, I am going to attempt on taking my experience in my first race along with my expertise in understanding movement and the body along with some helpful tips from my cross customers and offer you some tips and insight into the world of cyclo-cross.

Try it Twice:

My suggestion to all new racers is you must race cyclo-cross twice before you can decide if you don't like it. Races course, weather, and how you feel will be different each time.--Tim Hopkin Founder / Organizer of the North Carolina Cyclo-Cross Series www.nccyclocross.com and cyclo-core customer

INSIGHT 1: PRE-RIDE AND WARM-UP

You definitely want to get there early and walk and then pre-ride the course. Since I don't know much about cross I felt the only thing I had going for me was my instincts and reconnaissance Glad I followed those rules because I found many areas to "watch out for" as well and many places where I felt I could accelerated and try to catch up!

I felt confident coming into the race because my mind was focused on what I saw. I had already formatted in my mind how the race would go. I wouldn't come close to winning, but I would stay upright, feel strong and in control, and have fun! It worked!

TIP: Walk the course first and look for bottlenecks and areas that could lead to problems. Then practice riding the course at a slow pace to get a feel for the mixture of surfaces and where you will need to dismount, etc. After you get a feel for the course, you want to do a "hot" lap and practice your instincts at speed. --William H. (CORE & ZEN customer)

INSIGHT 2: THE START IS KEY!

The starting line for my race was packed to say the least! We couldn't even all fit into the funnel they had set up for us. I later learned that the influx of new crossers was the largest they had ever seen! Excellent for the sport....bad for me!

So, of course, yours truly was stuck in the back-middle of the starting pack! NO GOOD! By the time the whistle went off, I had to wait about 3-5 seconds just to clip in as the front group was off to the races jockeying for position!

Because I missed the lead out to start I was crammed in with everyone else and when we hit the first hill (20% Wall of Grass!) one person got off the bike to run it and thus a bottleneck was formed. I could make it to the top no problem in pre-ride by myself on the bike, but with the bottlneck I had no choice but to dismount and run up it and thus continue to lose placement! At that point, fitness means very little.

This became evident in my final placement as I didn't even finish in the top 25. I have no idea where I finished because they still haven't posted the results. 26th?;) I think there was like 50-60 people in my race. The other major thing to consider in cross is that they start the races with intervals as short as one minute apart. So pretty much everyone is out on the course and you really have no idea who you're racing against!

TIP: Get to the start line as early as you can and try to jockey for position right out the gate. Even if you have to go all out to do it, you are less likely to get bottlenecked and lose position. It seems as though the earlier you try to get to the lead, the better chance you have of staying there if you have the fitness and technical skills--My Insight

INSIGHT 3: BIKE CONTROL IS EVERYTHING!

There is no question who was a "roadie" and who was on "off-road junkie" in the race. The roadies had obvious fluidity on the straight away and more power on non-technical ground. I was one of those roadies.

The MTB's were definitely more graceful and had me beat on most of the technical stuff and especially with the remounting and clipping back in! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Then there was the TRU 'CROSSER! WOW is all I can say. A perfect blend of skill, speed, power, and grace. They looked like gazels running over the African Plain! A muddy plin of course;)

My biggest problem was remounting and clipping back in. I must have lost 5 places just because of the lack of practice with this seemingly simple task. Not So Simple!

When you're used to clipping in and out only once per ride, getting in and out of your pedals at speed with your heart pounding will take some practice. I plan on having technical sessions working on dismounting, remounting, and turning skills each week.

Practice, practice, practice technical drills - it will save you minutes over the course of the hour. Starts, mounts, dismounts, barriers, shouldering bike etc. Practice all of these at least once a week for maximum benefit on race day.
--Alan Dorrington, from NW England

A couple of pointers: 

Try to keep your hands on top of the handlebar and off the brakes.  This is tough to do around turns and when you're bearing down on hurdles, but you'll be amazed at what you and your bike can do.  But keep it within the realm of reason.  Do all your turning early.  If you go long into a turn, you'll lose a huge amount of momentum.  Don't hesitate to unclip the inside foot around a turn and hang it out there.  It goes a long way toward keeping you upright with good speed and control.  Sand and mud:  hands on top, sit back, grind away and let the bike choose its course.  Don't overanalyze anything.  Let the course take you where it will.  And have fun.  Nothing compares to the experience of cyclcross.--Rob Costello

Cross-top levers:

If you aren't already using them, the so-called "Cross-Top" or in-line brake levers are worth a try.  They have gone from very popular to somewhat less popular among the professionals, but they provide for better control, especially during dismounts.  You can use the left-hand lever to 'feather' the rear brake just before flinging yourself off the bike for a barrier.  Save some weight and only install the left-hand lever and set the rear brake up for the LEFT side levers. --Alan Lloyd, In freezing cold Durango, Colorado

Another great improvement for me was to have the bike set up European style (reverse the brake levers where the left hand is the rear brake) if you dismount primarily on the left side of the bike.  When coming up to a barrier at speed being already half dismounted (right foot out of the pedal and on the left side of the frame) I have found I have more control with the left hand controlling the rear break because my right hand is already on the top tube or down tube ready for dismount.--Jim Pulliam

Pre-Shifting Before Dismounting:

Shift into an easy gear right before a run up so that when you get back on the bike you will have an easier time getting back your momentum. --Joel

INSIGHT 4: TALK ABOUT CORE STRENGTH!

The only real advantage I had is that I have good core strength, a powerful low back and good muscular endurance from using my CORE, ZEN & SPEED programs.

If you think road needs core strength, then try cross! WOW! It's like a Cyclo-CORE dream come true and a perfect example of how important core work can be. I would have been on my butt or my face several times without the balance, flexibility, and core strength from using my own Cyclo-CORE, ZEN and SPEED programs.

Right away I can tell you that using the aero-ab blaster from SPEED, the neuromuscular balance training for SPEED, and the 8 minute Power Routine from ZEN would be of great benefit for CROSS. I just did those workouts yesterday actually!

This isn't to toot my own horn. Read what some of my cross customers have to say...

"Good luck Graeme!  This is where your cyclo-zen program incorporates flexibility that is perfectly suited for cross.  You will come into spring with great bike handling skills and a great anaerobic base."--Jim Pulliam

"Graeme, I'm two races into my first season of 'cross...what a trip. It is HIGH SPEED, man -- the pace is a crusher.  If you've been doing cyclocore, you'll be fine -- I did cyclocore for six weeks (last three with weights) and I'm plenty pumped for the rough stuff. Good luck and keep us posted." --Matthew E. Juros

"Having a strong core is essential for cyclo-cross. Many riders find their
lower backs begin to hurt toward the end of the race. I have Cyclo-Core, Cyclo-Zen and Cyclo-Speed and they all help. I find it hard to train prior to the season as I manage a large youth soccer program. I started the season yesterday with 6th place finish in the Master's 35+ race. It was two [laces better than last year, which is good." --Tim Hopkin Founder / Organizer of the North Carolina Cyclo-Cross Series www.nccyclocross.com and cyclo-core customer

"Hey Graeme, Funny thing happened to me last year when i was on bikereg.com looking to register for my first cross race, I found a link to some thing called Cyclo-Core. The race was the most fun I've had on a bike in years and the need for a more formal training program was also immediately apparent to me. So when fate presents an opportunity I take the hint. I hope you had a blast in your first cross race. Hope to see you at the nationals in providence in Dec"--James.

INSIGHT 5: GET READY TO GO ALL OUT BABY!

There is no question that CROSS is all about going all out and maxing yourself pretty much from the start to the finish! Talk about anaerobic endurance!

Granted my race was only 30 minutes, but holy cow...it felt like three hours of all out effort! No wonder they call it "Pure, Sweet Hell!" It hurt so good!

So, there is no question that cross requires some changes in training as well. More work on anaerobic endurance with intervals. I plan on using Cyclo-SPEED anaerobic-functional training circuits 1-4 once per week as well as on the bike intervals for 2-8 minutes each. I'll also incorporate the Cyclo-ZEN 8 Minute Power Routine 3-5 times and finish with the Cyclo-EN fix the back stretching and strength workouts. Keep the back strong and recovered is key!

Also, I'll have to work on running as there are plenty of cross races that will require you to dismount and lug your bike as you run. NOT EASY! I'll work on some running hill intervals to get use to climbing with my body weight and then with the bike.

SAMPLE INTERVAL WORKOUT:

"Finally something that's near and dear to my heart. It's all about the start. My favorite (and least favorite) cross interval session:

Warm up for 20 minutes. Z2 with some hard jumps. Then (2' all out (from a dead stop) Z5+ then settle to Z4 for 8' 10-15' recovery) x 2

With a good start, I often find I can hold the gains made through out the race. Two weeks of these are worth 5 places."--Thomas Hoeffel Oakland, CA

That's One Small Step for Cyclo-CROSS and One Giant Leap for Roadie-Kind

Well, that's it for my first report on this adventure they call cyclo-cross. I had such a great time with my first race that I'll be racing again this upcoming weekend. Granted, I could have spoken about fifty other things in this report, but it's a good start and my goal is to entice you to take challenges in your life and try new things.

I think I've found a new love affair that will finally give me some new excitement for the cold and miserable road season. I will stop cross in December at the nationals and then take a break and move into my 12 Week Off-Season Training Program with CORE, ZEN and the advanced level off-season training plan from Coach Al.

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I'll also be on the MTB working on new ideas for programs and harnessing my technical skills this off-season. Yes, you can use our 12 Week Training Plans if you're a MTB rider and get excellent results. I'll also be commiserating with other MTB experts to create hybrid plans and programs for all off-road programs. Stay tuned.