Nebraska Cycling Association

The rumors are true: Cyclo-Cross is hard, technical and fast, requires special equipment, a strong cyclist who is a good runner, and it's fun. Best of all, no matter how much running a course may offer, 'cross races are still bike races, and only skilled racers have a chance to win. What athlete wouldn't want to be part of that combination?Cyclo-Cross Courses:Usually, races are held on a grassy loop, no longer than a few miles, with a few short road or dirt road sections. There are numerous sections where riders must dismount to run over man-made barriers placed around the course. Mud and slippery conditions are very common, and the best courses are serpentine loops that give spectators plenty of entertainment and challenge riders with steep, short hills and sharp, technical corners.

Anyone who has lined up before the start of a mountain bike race will tell you that in those brief moments of calm before the starting gun, there is an intense energy that surges through the group of racers, be they women or men, juniors or masters, first-timers or pros. It is the anticipation and excitement that drives racers forward to tackle the wilderness that has been carefully taped off, creating a challenging course for the race at hand. Mountain biking is a fledgling discipline compared with other forms of bicycle racing, but it has all of the elements of classical cycling tradition: adversity, speed, unpredictability and rugged individualism. Basics Over its evolution, mountain bike racing has branched off into two major disciplines: endurance and gravity events. The former covers cross-country, short track and marathon racing, while the latter includes downhill, mountain-cross and dual slalom.

Road racing is exactly what the name implies -racing on paved roadways, but there are several events, such as time trial, criterium and road races, which can be highly specialized in nature.