Cycling. A word that to the average person brings to mind the July heat and blazing sun beating down on men together hunched over their bikes, gliding over the slick asphalt and painted with cheer amidst the cries of thousands of dedicated fans who wait for hours on the high mountain passes of France just to see their heroes flash by in seconds. There among the cyclists is the one who wears the gleaming jersey, gold-coloured and impeccable: the leader. Many cyclists listening on their earpiece to instructions. July: sun, heat, black asphalt, gold in the jersey, glamour, glimmer.

But like any image, road cycling has its negative, and the contrast brings us to the nostalgic side. Winter: clouds, rain, breath coming out of mouths, dirt roads, puddles, grass, mud on the jerseys, fans standing along the wooded circuit to see their heroes pass by several times, in an hour of concentrated effort, and glimmer as well. In this image also gives a peculiar, characteristic and unique vision of the return to romanticism, to the times when road cycling looked a lot like cyclo-cross, with its dirt roads and mud-stained heroes, when sometimes the bike rides the cyclist, when he has to throw it over his shoulder like a bale to get through the roughest patches.

Although it was later organized into circuits. cyclo-cross represents a return to the bicycle’s full voyage; the kind of journey that ignores roads and signs, and that takes us through whatever we come across. Roots on the ground? Better be careful with the handlebars, ‘cause the wheel is thin, but when well-handled, glides through the crevices. Stairs? The bike and I climb them together. Puddles? No biggie. Anyway, that’s what I came for…

The moxie of Monsieur Gousseau

The dawn of the twentieth century, a time remote enough from the present for legend and history to become fused, saw the birth of its first hero and the founding father of cyclo-cross: Daniel Gousseau, a young French soldier who was used to criss-crossing the countryside on his bike who, without the slightest hesitation would get off the marked roads and head into the woods, marshes and rocky areas while his superiors followed him on horseback. His passion quickly spread to those closest to him, and in 1902, Gousseau organised the first French cyclo-cross championship.

There are those who believe that cyclo-cross (also called “cx”) is the precursor to Mountain Biking, and the truth is that today’s all-round mountain bikes were conceived precisely to make some of the adversities that are part of the cyclo-cross trend that Gousseau started easier. But the major difference between the two goes back to that romantic, and until recently, somewhat archaic spirit: cyclo-cross enthusiasts, of their own accord, insist that the bike they use for their sport remain, in essence, very similar to a road bike, with only slight adaptations so as not to make their life totally impossible.

Despite all of the new technologies and advances that have been and are still to come in the world of two-wheels-and-human-traction, the cyclo-cross bike has consented to only a few concessions: slightly wider wheels and deeper treads for a better grip on slippery terrain, special brakes (cantilever brakes, usually) and some modifications to the fork and other components to keep mud from clogging up.

The lightweight frame is usually pretty stiff, and the crankset axle is slightly elevated, to sit further away from obstacles on the path. And that’s about it. An unseasoned observer wouldn’t be able to distinguish it from a road bike at first glance.

And when it comes to the cyclist, his outfit and gear aren’t much different from those of a road cyclist, except that, obviously, he better dress more warmly… the normal cyclo-cross season begins in September and ends in February: the one true fall-winter cycling format.

A good cyclo-cross racer has to be able to concentrate all of his skill and endurance, because even the major championships don’t usually run for more than an hour, albeit a totally intense hour at that. This is why many professional road racers, especially those who come from the north, practice cyclo-cross during the pre-season, to acquire greater resistance for future long-distance races, and also as a means of getting a good workout during a period of the year when road cycling has practically gone into hibernation.

The mission

It is the same as for any sport that has a starting and finishing line: to come in first, of course. Or to have fun, if you are not competing. But the fact is that for practical reasons, cyclo-cross competitions have, to a certain extent, set limits to the limitless horizon envisioned by Gousseau, with a format that consists of several laps around a course that tends to be 2+ to 3+ kilometres long, depending on the category, age group and importance of the competition. The major men’s races can be about twenty kilometres long by repeating laps.

As to be expected, a cyclo-cross course is full of all kinds of snares that give this sport its particular flavour. Part of the course runs on asphalt, it’s true, but mixed in with sections of grass, sand, mud, roots and sprinkled with stairs, puddles, crossed boards, short and steep climbs and descents, and short barriers that oblige the racers to dismount and carry the bike, only to get back on it as soon as possible and make the best of the multiple advantages cogs and gears bring to human exertion.

And in the surroundings, despite the characteristic (and even desirable) bad weather, there is always a good number of fans, because the spectacle is unforgettable: from the trigger of the starting gun, all bets are off and the racers all sprint to get ahead as soon as possible and thus secure the advantage when navigating tricky sections, given that there usually are many racers and the course is only a few metres wide. And then skill and strength do the rest, always with great care to avoid stumbles and falls.

The racers, usually covered in mud from head to toe, still reflect the epic spirit of road cycling that is still evident in that sport on a few occasions, such as on the cobblestone roads of the Paris-Roubaix race. As a matter of fact, several world cyclo-cross champions have also won “The Hell of the North.”

The history of cyclo-cross is broad and magnificent, spreading from its origins in France at the beginning of the twentieth century to neighbouring countries, and especially to central Europe. The first international competition of some importance was the so-called International Criterium, which was first held in Paris in 1924 and saw itself as a major world event.

Popularity waned with the first official World Championship in 1950 and until the present day. This Championship usually takes place in January, each time in a different country (the last time that it was held in Spain was in 1990 in Getxo), and the sport’s greatest legend is the Belgian racer Erik de Vlaeminck, world champion seven times over. This year’s World Championship will be held this weekend in the Belgian town of Hooglede-Gits.

Today, cyclo-cross is not at the height of its glory, but there are still numerous races in Europe and North America, and it is most avidly followed in Holland, and especially Belgium, and more precisely Flanders, the cradle of some of its greatest champions and an area where this discipline, and cycling as a whole, is practically a religion.

Aside from the World Championship, there are other cyclo-cross events of international importance, such as those that make up the World Cup, born in the winter of 1993-94, which is won by points earned in the various races held in different countries (11 in the 2006-07 winter season, among them the race in Igorre (Vizcaya)). These races change every year, and club organizers have to apply and meet very strict requirements.

The World Cup record-holder is the Belgian racer Sven Nijs (four-time champion), followed by another legend, the Dutch biker Richard Groenendaal (three-time champion). Another important championship is the Super Prestige cup, and kind of World Cup but at a more local level, limited to a number of point races held in the capitals of cyclo-cross, that is to say, in Belgium and Holland.

And also in Spain

In the 2006-2007 season, a similar competition with point races was initiated in Spain: the Copa de España, or Spanish Cup, with eight races in different provinces that was won by Oscar Vázquez. Nevertheless, the most important event in Spain is the aforementioned one held at Igorre (won six times over by the Italian cyclist Daniele Pontoni), usually part of the World Cup and won by non-Spaniards, followed by other international league races such as the Asteasu and Ispater races.

The first Spanish national ciclo-cross championship was held in 1929; in its most recent edition, in Alcobendas on January 13th and 14th of 2007, the Catalan mountain bike specialist and Olympic medallist José Antonio Hermida overcame his cyclo-cross rivals. David Seco, six-time state champion (and several more times on the podium) was unable to participate due to injury.