Cyclopedia (13 page)

There are some exceptions, however. Being a world champion did not seem to affect EDDY MERCKX adversely, while GREG LEMOND won the TOUR DE FRANCE a year after taking the world title in 1989, and 1980 world champion BERNARD HINAULT won the Tour de France and Paris–Roubaix in the next season. Perhaps the curse applies only to mere mortals.

CYCLE SPEEDWAY
Cycling discipline run along the same lines as motorized speedway, with short, sharp races run counterclockwise on an oval track, with a standing start. It developed in the 1940s when the motorized version was at its zenith, when kids began racing on British bombsites using discarded bikes, with bars made of copper piping to imitate motorbike handebars. Now, races are held on outdoor dirt tracks between 65 and 90 meters in length. As in TRACK RACING, bikes have single speed gears and no brakes, but the gear is a freewheel not a fixed and is far lower than that used for track racing, spun at up to 200 pedal revs per minute. The races are usually between four riders over four laps, most often between two pairs of riders from opposing teams; first over the line is the winner, with points awarded over an evening's racing. The riders draw for grid position, which can be a critical factor as overtaking is difficult—inside grid is best. All the tracks are subtly different, so previous knowledge of what lines to adopt around the curves can be important. Physical contact is permitted—jostling and barging for corners—but the referees have tightened up on it in recent years. The best riders are explosive sprinters but stamina is needed for up to 10 races in a meeting, while cornering, overtaking, and physical contact mean that high skill levels and decent upper body strength are called for.

There are about 40 clubs in Britain, with regional leagues, and also clubs in Australia, the US, Sweden, Holland, and Poland. Among the major names, the first rider to take the “Grand Slam” of national junior, under-21, senior, Australian, and world titles was Jim Varnish of Great Britain. The 2009 British champion was Gavin Wheeler, while the 2009 world champion was Daniel Pudney (Australia).

 

(SEE
BMX
AND
GRASS TRACK RACING
FOR OTHER BRANCHES OF CYCLING INVOLVING SHORT RACES ON STRIPPED-DOWN BIKES ON OUTDOOR CIRCUITS)

 

CYCLO-CROSS
The oldest form of off-road racing has been upstaged by brash newcomer MOUNTAIN-BIKING, but remains popular at a grassroots level in Europe, particularly in Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland, and is gaining popularity in North America. Cyclo-cross racers use adapted road-racing bikes on circuits that are usually short and include obstacles: ditches, steps, tree roots, logs, mud, sand, ice; one famous course used the steps leading up to Montmartre in Paris in the 1940s.

Most cyclo-cross circuits require the rider to run with the bike, meaning that the ability to dismount and remount smoothly is paramount. Bike changes are permitted; on muddy courses, racers will switch bikes as their machines become clogged up.

Compared to road and track, cyclo-cross is a latecomer: the sport was in existence in the 1900s, and a French national championship was run in 1902, but the first world championships were only held in 1950. In Britain, the toughest 'cross race in the world, the THREE PEAKS, was founded in 1961.

Traditionally, continental cyclo-cross was a way for road racers to keep fit in winter—the first man to put a bike over his shoulder 'cross style is said to be Octave Lapize, 1910 Tour winner, and another star of the HEROIC ERA, Eugène Christophe, was seven-times French champion.

The first world champion, Jean Robic, had won the TOUR DE FRANCE in 1947. BERNARD HINAULT was a regular cyclo-cross racer, and his final race was a 'cross in his home village in Brittany in 1986, but the most successful 'cross and road racer was ROGER DE VLAEMINCK of Belgium, a multiple CLASSIC winner in the 1970s and also world cyclo-cross champion in 1975. De Vlaeminck's elder brother Eric (b. 1945) won the world 'cross title seven times, and also took a stage in the Tour de France. In the 1980s, Adri Van Der Poel of Holland won a world cyclo-cross title and several Classics. Recently, however, 'cross has been
dominated by specialists, some of whom double up with mountain-bike racing in the summer.

Cyclo-cross bikes now use a mix of road- and mountain-bike technology with the emphasis on two factors: coping with mud and with a variety of other surfaces. Clipless mountain-bike pedals are ubiquitous, while CAMPAGNOLO Ergopower and SHIMANO STI gear-changers are common, with a few die-hards sticking to old-style handlebar-end gear-changers.

Most cyclo-cross bikes now have double front chain rings rather than the traditional single, with mountain-bike rear derailleur and cassette for a wide range of gears. Frames are specially built with larger clearances and fittings for cantilever brakes. Tires are specially made high pressures or tubulars, much wider than usual (34 mm rather than 23 mm for the road), with studs. Top riders will choose tires for a particular course or conditions. For years the whole pedal issue was a nightmare, with riders fitting double toeclips for extra strength and customizing toestraps to eliminate mud build up. Then Shimano invented the SPD pedal for the mountain bike and 'crossers immediately latched on.

CYCLOSPORTIVES
Offering a challenge midway between racing and touring, cyclosportives have been run in Europe since the start of the 20th century. Since the 1990s they have been cycling's biggest growth area, with events proliferating across Europe—many of them oversubscribed—and a field of 35,000 turning out for the most popular event worldwide, the Cape Argus Pick'n'Pay Tour in South Africa.

They are to cycling what the great marathon events are to
runners. The key attraction is that riders can choose their pace: whether that means going with the best or pedaling gently. The huge fields mean you never lack company. The best follow the format of the ÉTAPE DU TOUR, founded in 1993, which itself drew partly from major mountain-bike events where completing the course and having a good time was what mattered, and partly from the more spartan AUDAX and
randonneur
events such as Flèche Velocio and Paris–Brest–Paris. Sportives are hugely popular in Great Britain and France, and in Italy, where they have a long history and are known as
Gran Fondo
, or “long distance.”

A Sportif route is tough and if possible linked to a major professional race or at least including climbs that are a little out of the ordinary. Most offer a variety of route lengths so that all abilities are catered for, with a well signposted course. In the best events the riders are timed accurately, so that even though they are not—officially—competitive events, all starters have something for posterity and to compare with their friends. There may be medals for finishing within a certain time for certain age categories. Support is provided, with feeding stations, a broom wagon to pick up stragglers, and sometimes service vehicles. There is usually a prerace pasta party, possibly a “village” of sponsors' stands where the riders can spend their money, and everyone is given a goody bag containing free gifts from sponsors. In many cases, sportives are run by or on behalf of former pros in their local area; media stars such as PHIL LIGGETT also have their own events.

Recognizing the popularity of the events, the UCI created the Golden Bike series of seven long-established sportives around the world. In 2009, they were:

 

Other great sportives include: