Cyclocross bicycle racing schedule
9:30 a.m. - Amateur women
10 a.m. - Novice men
11:30 a.m. - Juniors
Noon - Free kids fun race (separate course)
Noon - Amateur men
1 p.m. - Elite masters men (age 35+/45+)
2 p.m. - Elite men and elite women
YELLOW SPRINGS — Cyclocross bicycle racing appears “absurd at first look,” admitted Ken Getchell, spokesman for the Zipp OVCX Tour that comes to John Bryan State Park on Sunday, Nov. 29.
Dubbed the “Steeplechase of Cycling,” cyclocross is a hybrid between high-speed bicycle road racing and technical mountain bike racing.
“It’s faster than mountain biking, more technical than road racing. More tactical, too,” Getchell said on Friday.
About 300 competitors are expected Sunday for the 2009 Buckingham Financial Ohio State Championships at the park.
Yellow Springs has hosted the cyclocross tour for several years, but this its first state championship event, Getchell said from Conshohocken, Pa.
Riders will compete for jerseys, medals and nearly $2,000 in cash prizes.
The cyclocross series has grown about 50 percent each year in terms of entries, Getchell said.
The sport includes man-made hurdles and natural obstacles that require the riders to periodically dismount and run with their bikes before jumping back on at full run.
First-time spectators might not even notice because the riders are “so smooth and so fast doing it,” Getchell said.
Some riders also will have a spare bike in the pit and switch bikes twice a lap during particularly muddy races.
“They’ll jump off, hand the bike to one person, grab the other bike and jump on,” Getchell said. “I’ve seen people who were able to do it so fast that they actually increased their position over the people who were still riding.”
Cyclocross bicycles look like a road racing bike, but use a different braking system and wider tires.
The bikes range in price from $1,100 to $8,000, according to Getchell. The carbon fiber wheels can cost as much as $2,000 or $3,000 each.
“It’s very serious,” Getchell said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author