Watching Cyclocross

I'm not going to claim to be an expert on cyclocross, because I am not. However, in the matter of bad weather I can be considered at least a proficient amateur, as most of us can claim to be that live in these drizzly isles.

So, when I say that the Scottish National Cyclocross Championships were undertaken in classic cyclocross weather, take that to mean that it was that particular blend of sleet, wind and cold that one would associate with a Belgian winter, and one that, sadly, could not be ameliorated by a regular supply of that nation's beer.

We can let this organisational oversight slip, however, since the races themselves were well-organised and brutal. The championships had been delayed from earlier in the year, when frozen ground would have made the undertaking too dangerous, and a new venue had been sought, found and accepted by East Kilbride Road Club in Strathclyde Park - a mixed country park to the east of Glasgow where riders could expect gravelly chicanes in the car park, off-camber mud, a drag up a fire road and several hop-skip-jumps over steep bankings and up kerbs.

As an open championship, the range of abilities was vast, from fitness up the hill (the deciding factor in all the races) through to the technical finesse to jump onto bankings and up curbs without hanging up the rear wheel (a lack of which technique costing several riders punctures). In all races, the pack swiftly blew apart, but none more so than in the senior men's, where Rab Wardell pulled out 30s in the first lap and cruised to extend the lead from then on.

It is a good type of racing to watch, provided that you are well wrapped up, combining as it does the easily traversed courses and viewing options of a circuit race with the wide-open rider-based racing of a rough classic. (With tongue firmly in cheek), it was a lot like watching a cross-country race, with more mud and speed, but less (average) skill and terrible brakes.

For myself, though, I can't claim to be tempted to try it. It suits someone who is able to just power through anything, sprint up hills and recover in any free second - which sounds fun. It's just the mud - I wouldn't want to put my bike through that!

Good trails!