Team BEER

Cross is serious. Serious fun.

The time for tall skinny knobbies on the dirt has arrived. Finally!  Let us rejoice in the type of racing that does not support wheel sucking, and waiting until the end of the race to have that one burst of energy.  No, cross is about going hard from the gun and sustaining through to the middle of the race.  When you start to feel tired in the middle its time to start accelerating more, and more, and more until you cross the line on the last lap.

It’s also a time to put all of your skills into a complete package.  The complete package of a good crosser includes and is not limited to:

Great cadence conditioning

A powerful pedal stroke

Deep developed breathing

Riding with a relaxed upper body

A developed eyesight for the smooth fast lines

Knowing how to setup HELLA WIDE for a turn

Fluid transitioning skills

Knowledge of the available traction at all points of the course

Breaking the course into manageable sections

Looking for the hidden spots of traction

Knowing how to dial your tire pressure on the spot

The list goes on…so if your power and or cadence aren’t the best work on the other aspects of the game.  There are a multitude of ways to become a good crosser even if the fitness isn’t there.  You have to run what you brung.  So bring more game to the bike race, because it is a bike race.  If you only ride your bike on the road and do barrier practice in the park, then you are only working on a few aspects.  Start now by committing to yourself to become a better crosser.  Become a better crosser by committing to working on all the aspects of cross.  Work on all the aspects of cross, by adding to this basic list and getting good at all the items on your list.  Commit to getting better at each and every aspect through out the entire season, and you will find yourself getting better and better.

And if you are having trouble imagining stuff to work on, then ride like Luca Bramatti in the 1996 World Championships.