Wisconsin State Cyclocross Championships

A couple of Saturdays ago my friend Matt and I crossed the border back into the homeland to attend the Wisconsin State Cyclocross Championships. For those of you who don't know, cyclocross is an odd bastardized form of bike racing. It's not mountain bike racing (done with fat tires and full-suspension frames) and it's also not road racing (on asphalt). The bikes themselves are more like road bikes: drop handlebars, rigid frames and skinny tires. The tires themselves are knobby, and as opposed to road brakes (caliper-style, allowing only for skinny, slick tires) use cantilever brakes (wide open to allow for knobby tires and lots of mud).

Matt's bike, built by our friend Pierre is shown below.

We're lucky enough to have a buddy in Madison (who we met through a competitive bicycle commuting league) who was kind enough to let us crash on his floor the evening before. Matt had done well in the category 4 race at the Minnesota state championships, so he was going to race. Me? I was there to watch the spectacle and toss back a few beers.

Cyclocross is awesome to watch. The riders have to cross barriers (that's David from Salsa below):


and as a result of the soggy soil, they end up falling a lot (sorry random guy):


Perhaps my favorite part was the action the spectators brought to the race. Cowbells and yells in the faces of riders gave us a purpose for freezing our asses off. A liberal pull from the beer can and/or classy flask doesn't hurt either.




Next year? Maybe I'll ride...