Muddy
Spokes
Cyclo-crossers
run, ride, jump
to slick victory
By HARRY ESTEVE
Of Ww Emaratd
It's no glamour sport.
Winter cyclo-cross competitors walk
away looking like World War I trench
soldiers Few congratulation kisses are
offered, even to the winners
In most latitudes, bicycle racing sea
son ends in September. Cyclists take a
needed break, hang their expensive
bikes where they won't get wet, and let
the hair grow back on their legs
But some keep riding They race
cyclo-cross to stay in shape, to practice
bicycle handling, or to pacify a
constant urge for competition
"I preach it because it helps riders
learn to ride their bicyles," says Russell
Morton, the recognized cyclo-cross
“coach" for most local racers
Cyclo-cross “eases a lot of tear"
many first or second-year bike racers
have about hurting themselves in a
race, Morton says
“The stiffness that comes with fear
limits their ability "
Summer bicycle racing takes place
on asphalt roads at speeds hovering
around 30 mph, and crashes can be
painful if not disabling
A typical cyclo-cross race however,
is held on an unpaved course, and the
average speed is considerably slower
Spills, although more frequent due to
the nature of the race, generally are
less destructive
The ability to control a bicycle under
extreme conditions becomes crucial,
as most races entail cycling down
steep, muddied embankments, turning
against the camber of the embankment,
and sprinting up hills with the bicycle
slung over one shoulder
In some races, a rider will spend as
much time running as riding
"It’s real demanding," Morton says,
and good practice for serious bicy
clists “They can overstep their means
without much physical damage," he
says
"Overstepping" means trying to leap
barriers while still on the bike — a feat
expert cyclists accomplish by pulling
the bicycle into the air by the toe clips
as they ride Or it means trying to take a
90-degree turn at 25 mph
Veteran cyclo-crossers normally
bring at least two bicycles and a pit
crew along As the first bike becomes
caked with mud, or a tire suffers a
puncture, the rider simply switches
bikes Immediately after the switch, the
pit crew hoses off the mud, or replaces
the punctured tire, and the first bike is
set to go again
Often the competition seems to pit
the individual riders against the course
itself, rather than against each other,
Morton says. Some beginners have an
easier time of it because they are not as
self conscious about being beaten
That doesn't mean the competetive
aspect is not taken seriously; it is
In Europe, where cyclo-cross enjoys
its biggest popularity, it is a profes
sional sport, with big purses for the
winners Riders there are subiected to
some of the harshest weather condi
tions known in athletic competition
They wade across rivers, pedal
through snow fields, crowd up outdoor
Continued on Page 12
Photos courtesy of Puss*I Morton
Cyclo-croaa racers can expect apllls like this, but softer tells and slower speed
make the sport safer than Its summer counterpart. Yet racers In this sport are
subjected to worse weather conditions than almost any other athletes.
outside.
But you can keep your toes nice and
toasty when you wear socks with your
Birkenstocks.
Though any style of Birkenstock is
fine with socks, our clog is perfect for 4
those cold and rainy winter days.
Ahh! Birkenstocks with
your favorite socks. What a
way to weather
the weather.
CD
Birkenstock.
TWO STORES TO SERVE YOU:
2nd floor Atrium
10th & Atrium
687-0065
Mon-Sat: 11-6
Now in the
fifth street public market
as well!
342-6107
46 scientific
functions at your
fingertips
$28.50
MODEL EL-506S
• Some of the 46 (unctions
performed at the touch ol a key are
hyperbolic (smh, cosh tanh) and
their inverses trigonometric (sin
cos. tan) and their inverses
rectangular/polar coordinate
conversions exponential (base 10
and base e) and their inverses
(logarithms) power (y x) and its
inverse ("x root ot y"), factorial (nl).
mean sum and standard deviation
• Scientific notation (8-digit
mantissa, 2-digit exponent)
13th & Kincaid
Mon-Fri 8:15-5:30
Sat 10:00-3:00
Textbooks MA-3S20 • General Books Mft-3510
Supplies M6-4331