Cyclocross & Singlespeeds, a natural combination?
- Thread starter sanjuro
- Start date
I am generally anti ss but I totally agree with you.
Most CX courses are like road races with rough pavement.
Maybe on the East Coast. We have real cross out here!
As far as I can see and what I hear many of the PNW races don't stringently follow UCI rules.Maybe on the East Coast. We have real cross out here!
New England takes CX seriously. There are about 5 people here that boil up when talking about Oregon or Washington or California racing. Cupcakes and bacon are no way to run a sport.
This is a puritan land- we've been doing it professionally longer than any other region and we have UCI cat2 or Cat1 races every weekend with occasional doubles.. Promotion here isn't a hobby. These people are hardcore. Eastcoast racing is way different than many other regions. Our rider numbers are lower than someplace like the CrossCrusade. The consensus of our NECX hivemind is that we don't want rabble rousers and fun seekers at our events. CX is serious business. Track regulations are determined in meters. Long mtb type sections are not acceptable. UCI-style tracks are still hard and technically challenging when a professional promoter and course builder do their jobs. Speed and transition is the jam. If you want to ride across long sections of rough slog go ride a mountainbike. That's the consensus here.
Personally I have more fun racing on "jungle cross" tracks. I finish better on them as well. Unfortunately old school USAC races are becoming increasingly rare around here with just 2 or 3 left. People seem to be cool with that. The serious people race the UCI races and the people who like to have fun do the other races and then ride their bikes and have fun when the racing isn't happening. CX used to be a freakshow, but it was a freakshow of bike geeks.
I'm so frikkin over how shiny and rich 'cross has become. I'm sorta anticipating it's decline of cross as the Next Big Thing. Let the loonies go rollerblading and let the fun races happen.
If cross isn't UCI approved it isn't cross. That's something that sorta resembles CX. I don't think anyone really cares about that fact but it's true.
A muddy and gross, rutty track that adheres to UCI technical rules is awesome.
That is the reality in my town.
I wish i had time to promote more grassroots races, but that's never going to work into my available time.
We are nothing but professionals in Oregon. Our unicyclists can hang with the best in the world, and look good while doing it! In fact, racing on a bike was too easy. This fine lady decided that she needed to toy someone via hooks in her back to increase the challenge!
