Training for Cyclocross

[Voodoo Sally]

I found out what cyclocross was about 7 years ago when my friend invited me to watch him race. It looked pretty crazy. And fun! I had a mountain bike racing background, so felt somewhat confident to try it. In fact I couldn't wait to try it. The following fall, I jumped in with both feet, and just up and bought a cross bike, before I had even tried doing a race. I took that bike to the next local race, raced it with success, and the rest as they say. . . My story is probably not typical. Most people try a race on a mt. bike or borrow a bike before getting their own 'cross bike.

As for training, again I think I'm atypical. I just don't really train for 'cross. After I learned the techniques, and I did spend my first few seasons woodshedding the techniques, I will literally do my first race of the season now as my first 'cross "practice" of the season. The past 2 seasons I hadn't practiced the dismount and mount a single time until I was going over the barriers at the first race of the season! By the fall I'm fresh off a season of steady mountain biking, road biking and BMX racing, so I don't build up miles for 'cross. And then people hem and haw about the running part. The running question is so over-hyped. In reality there is NOT THAT MUCH running in 'cross. If you learned to walk and run by age 2, you can handle the few steps here and there of running in 'cross. You don't need to practice running as if you're a runner training for a running event. I don't practice any running.

I'm heartened to hear that you'd like to try 'cross. Just remember it doesn't really get cookin' until September. Till then, rock on!