West Coast Cycling hosted the Vanier Park Cyclocross Classic with the support of the growing Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Cyclocross Coalition, a grassroots race series that vows on its website to “make your life muddy," on Sept. 28.
Cyclocross is emerging as an organized cycling sport around the world. Racers make several laps of a short circuit that doubles as a kind of obstacle course. Competitors have room to pass and must be prepared to dismount and carry their bike over barriers, such as low walls or steep drops, and ride on a range of terrain from dirt, sand, rock and asphalt.
The International Cycling Union requires elite racers ride specialized bicycles; cyclocross bikes are like road bikes in that they’re lightweight with narrow tires and drop handlebars, but are different for their higher tire clearance, lower gearing, stronger frames, cantilever brakes and higher riding position. Riders typically opt for knobby tires over smooth, treadless slicks.Â
