Azikara
Speeding Up
- Feb 2, 2011
- 52
- 21
I'm curious as to why people in this TCC community don't race CX around Tokyo or other parts of the country. Maybe I'm missing something or haven't done enough research. There appears to be a bunch of uber-competitive roadies on this forum who live and die by how far and high they ride and how many Strava segments they have but there's so much more to cycling competition than that.
Cycling is a humbling sport. There's always someone faster, stronger and technically better than you. CX just amplifies this. I've seen Cat 1 roadies show up and get crushed in entry level CX races. It's a whole new dimension to harnessing your fitness and skills and mental ability.
I'm here to tell you that CX is alive and WELL...no, prospering in Japan! And CX is awesome if you don't already know. It's basically a technical time trial on a road bike (with grip) off and on road, through grass, mud, asphalt, ice, snow and anything else the organizers throw at you. And you're with your friends and the events, courses, CX culture, people who show up rain, snow, shine or other, are first class here in Japan.
CX is a badass sport. End of story. It's not for sissies. You start with an all out sprint for the first corner and then settle in to take the body blows and try to survive. You heart rate goes from resting to threshold in a few seconds and then flat lines the ENITRE race! The Belgians know what they are doing with beer, bikes, fries and chocolate. Trust them. And it's growing here and in the rest of the world. In Chicago, 600 racers show up every weekend for a Cyclocross Cup Series. 15,000 beer swilling, encouragement shouting, frite munching Belgians show up for the pro races every weekend! That's amazing.
And before you think a 60 min race doesn't deserve to be taken seriously, some top CX'ers have shown up in road races and dominated. Think of Stybar and what he has managed to achieve on the road in the biggest one day classics against the best road racers.
CX is a compact event (races are 30-60 mins) but favors riders with high threshold power, superb bike handling skills (not me) and ability to produce very high anaerobic and neuromuscular power and keep repeating it for the entire race. Basically, it's like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer and feeling terrific afterwards because the endorphins and camaraderie are like nothing else in cycling. Everyone who shows up understands the culture and what all the racers are going through while pulling on their masks of pain. People get involved. They shout support (and sometimes heckle), ring cow-bells, give cash hand-ups etc. all in the name of racing your face off.
This weekend I went to Makuhari MTB park to the Starlight CX event. It's world class. There are coffee vendors, food vendors, beer sellers and all sorts of sponsors even offering you try outs on their bikes. It's terrific. Except...I'm the only gaijin in Tokyo competing there. This is a serious faux pas for the international cycling community here in Tokyo. Seriously. I'm embarrassed.
If you haven't tried CX, give it a try. You might become addicted. It's FN AWESOME!
Amateur CX:
Cycling is a humbling sport. There's always someone faster, stronger and technically better than you. CX just amplifies this. I've seen Cat 1 roadies show up and get crushed in entry level CX races. It's a whole new dimension to harnessing your fitness and skills and mental ability.
I'm here to tell you that CX is alive and WELL...no, prospering in Japan! And CX is awesome if you don't already know. It's basically a technical time trial on a road bike (with grip) off and on road, through grass, mud, asphalt, ice, snow and anything else the organizers throw at you. And you're with your friends and the events, courses, CX culture, people who show up rain, snow, shine or other, are first class here in Japan.
CX is a badass sport. End of story. It's not for sissies. You start with an all out sprint for the first corner and then settle in to take the body blows and try to survive. You heart rate goes from resting to threshold in a few seconds and then flat lines the ENITRE race! The Belgians know what they are doing with beer, bikes, fries and chocolate. Trust them. And it's growing here and in the rest of the world. In Chicago, 600 racers show up every weekend for a Cyclocross Cup Series. 15,000 beer swilling, encouragement shouting, frite munching Belgians show up for the pro races every weekend! That's amazing.
And before you think a 60 min race doesn't deserve to be taken seriously, some top CX'ers have shown up in road races and dominated. Think of Stybar and what he has managed to achieve on the road in the biggest one day classics against the best road racers.
CX is a compact event (races are 30-60 mins) but favors riders with high threshold power, superb bike handling skills (not me) and ability to produce very high anaerobic and neuromuscular power and keep repeating it for the entire race. Basically, it's like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer and feeling terrific afterwards because the endorphins and camaraderie are like nothing else in cycling. Everyone who shows up understands the culture and what all the racers are going through while pulling on their masks of pain. People get involved. They shout support (and sometimes heckle), ring cow-bells, give cash hand-ups etc. all in the name of racing your face off.
This weekend I went to Makuhari MTB park to the Starlight CX event. It's world class. There are coffee vendors, food vendors, beer sellers and all sorts of sponsors even offering you try outs on their bikes. It's terrific. Except...I'm the only gaijin in Tokyo competing there. This is a serious faux pas for the international cycling community here in Tokyo. Seriously. I'm embarrassed.
If you haven't tried CX, give it a try. You might become addicted. It's FN AWESOME!
Amateur CX: