Explaining Cycling, Part 3 of 6: Cyclocross

Known to fans simply as 'cross, cyclocross is a blend of road cycling and mountain biking. 'Cross bikes are essentially the same as road bikes, but with a wider front fork and more space between the seatstays and chainstays to allow for wider tires. The handlebars are standard road drop handlebars, but 'cross riders generally use smaller gear ratios because of the sharp, steep climbs which characterize 'cross courses.

'Cross courses are generally short, from 1 to 4 kilometers, and races generally last from around 20-30 minutes (amateurs) to 1 hour (Elite Men). Courses usually feature obstacles which riders either have to dismount and carry their bikes over, or bunny hop over.

Bunny hopping is a difficult and complicated maneuver which can either save time or make the rider look very foolish. There are also frequently sand pits which the riders can either ride or run through, while carrying their bikes on their shoulders.

Cyclocross courses also commonly feature stairs which the riders must run up, also carrying their bikes on their shoulders.

American Johnathan Page at the top of set of stairs, 2006 Cyclocross World Championships.

The final major element or 'cross courses is the steep climbs. Some, including the infamous "bridge" at the Pijnacker course in Holland have gradients in excess of 30%. This short climbs are launch pads for strong riders like Sven Nys or Bart Wellens to attack the field.

'Cross fields are generally fairly diverse, although the Belgians have dominated in recent years, winning the
last 7 World Championships.

Four Belgians lead the field in the World Championships.

However, don't think that the races aren't competitive. Because 'cross is an individual sport, the Belgian "team" isn't really a team at all. They will attack each other as much as they can, from the starting gun to the final sprint.

Explaining Cycling, Part 2 of 6: Six-Day Racing

The six-days are the heart of track racing, and we're right in the middle of the season right now. The six-days are really a series of Madison races (see the explanation thereof in Part 1) with other track races (also explained in Part 1) between them. The six-day team consists of two riders who swap out racing the Madison and slowly riding around the top of the track. They swap places when the racer grabs the hand of the other rider and slings him up to race speed. Sprints for points are held every 20 laps, and the team on the lead lap with the most points at the end wins. Even if a team has more points, if they are a lap down, they do not win.

Explaining Cycling, Part 1 of 6: Track Cycling Basics

The Velodrome

All track cycling events are held in Velodromes. The shortest velodromes are 200 meters and have very steep banking, while the longest are 450 meters and have shallow banking (most of these are also outside). An Olympic standard Velodrome is 250 meters long, is inside, and has the track made of wood (most outdoor tracks are concrete).

The Equipment

Almost all riders wear aerodynamic, one-piece skinsuits to reduce drag (even stationary air in an indoor velodrome has an impact). Track bikes are incredibly stiff, as weight doesn't make that much of a difference. There are no brakes, and the crankset and pedals are attached directly to the rear wheel (in other words, if the bike is moving, you are pedaling). The bikes for the Madison, Match Sprint, Olympic Sprint, Keirin, and Points race have standard track frames and drop handlebars. The bikes for the 1 Kilometer Time Trial (Men), 500 Meter Time Trial, Individual Pursuit, and Team Pursuit have similar frames but aerodynamic handlebars.

The Events

Match Sprint
Held over 1000 meters, the Match Sprint is generally considered the "purest" track event. It involves two riders, one of whom is designated to lead the first lap, unless the other rider passes him. The two riders ride slowly around the track for the first two or three laps, before one of them starts their explosive sprint to the line. In the World Championships and other major events, it is a best-of-three competition.

1-Kilometer Time Trial (Men)/500 Meter Time Trial
A very fast and simple event. Riders ride 4 laps (or 2 for the women) of an Olympic Velodrome and are timed. Fastest time wins. The present World Record for the men is held by Arnaud Tournant of France, who covered the kilometer in just 58.875 seconds, for an average speed of over 60 kph.

Olympic Sprint
The Olympic sprint is a three lap event with teams of three riders each. All three start together, but after each lap, the first rider pulls off of the track and the remaining rider (s) continue. This means that the first rider does one lap, the second two laps and the third three laps. Each team is timed and the fastest time wins.

Keirin
The Keirin is one of the strangest track events. Held over 2000 meters (8 laps), the first 5 1/2 laps are paced by a small motorbike which increases the speed from 25 kph up to 45 kph before it pulls off of the track. The final two and a half laps are an insane sprint to the finish, which can include some serious accidents. The first rider across the line wins.

Individual Pursuit
The Mens' Pursuit is over 4 kilometers, while the Womens' is 3 kilometers. Two riders start on opposite sides of the Velodrome, and the rider with the fastest time wins.

Team Pursuit
The principle is the same as that of the Individual Pursuit and it is a mens' only event held over 4 kilometers. Two teams start on opposite sides of the track and the team with the fastest time wins. Germany are the current record holders, averaging over 60 kph.

Madison
A Mens' only event held over 50 to 60 kilometers (200-240 laps), it gets its name from the arena where it was first held, New York's Madison Square Garden. Two man teams participate in the Madison, with only one man racing at a time. The other one rides slowly around at the top of the banking until his team-mate slings him into the race. This is a delicate and dangerous maneuver, which can cause a serious accident if one of the riders makes a mistake. The intent, however, is to get the slower-moving rider up to speed on the track. Sprints are held every 20 laps, and points are given to each of the first four places (1st-5, 2nd-3, 3rd-2, 4th-1) and the last lap counts for double points. However, if a team manages to lap the field, they automatically win because points only serve as a tiebreaker for teams on the same lap.

Points Race
Similar to the Madison, but it is an individual event for both Men and Women and held over a shorter distance (it varies). Sprints are held every 10 laps (the point distribution is the same), and the last lap also counts for double points. If a rider laps the field, they get 20 points. If a rider is lapped by the field, they lose 20 points (this is why you sometimes see negative scores).

Worlds Recap

In case you've been living under a rock, you've heard that Paolo Bettini (Quickstep-Innergetic) won the Mens' Worlds Road Race on Sunday in Stuttgart. Here's a recap of the podiums:

U23 Men Time Trial:

1 Lars Boom (Netherlands)                          48.58 (46.86 km/h)
2 Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia)                         0.09
3 Jerome Coppel (France)                            0.46

Elite Women Time Trial:

1 Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany)                     34.43.8 (43.432 km/h)
2 Kristin Armstrong (United States of America)     0.23.5
3 Christiane Soeder (Austria)                      0.41.5

Elite Men Time Trial:

1 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)         55.41.3 (48.380 km/h)
2 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hungary)                 0.52.1
3 Stef Clement (Netherlands)               0.57.8

U23 Men Road Race:

1 Peter Velits (Slovakia)                         4.21.22 (39.461 km/h)
2 Wesley Sulzberger (Australia)                         
3 Jonathan Bellis (Great Britain)

Elite Women Road Race:

1 Marta Bastianelli (Italy)                  3.46.34 (35.406 km/h)
2 Marianne Vos (Netherlands)                    0.06
3 Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) 

Elite Men Road Race:

1 Paolo Bettini (Italy)                                        6.44.43 (39.642 km/h)
2 Alexandr Kolobnev (Russian Federation)                             
3 Stefan Schumacher (Germany)      

Medals By Country:

1)Italy (3: 2 Gold, 1 Bronze)
2)Netherlands (3: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
3)Germany (2: 1 Gold, 1 Bronze)
4)Russia (2: 2 Silver)
5)Switzerland (1: 1 Gold)
6)Slovakia (1: 1 Gold)
7)Hungary (1: 1 Silver)
8)Australia (1: 1 Silver)
9)U.S.A. (1: 1 Silver)
10)Great Britain (1: 1 Bronze)
11)Austria (1: 1 Bronze)
12)France (1: 1 Bronze)

Established Cycling Nations vs. Everybody Else
(Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Austria vs. USA, Russia, Australia, Great Britain, Slovakia, Hungary)
1)Established Nations (11: 5 Gold, 1 Silver, 5 Bronze)
2)Everybody Else (7: 1 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze)


As you can see, the big cycling nations, especially the squadra azzuri, the Dutch and Germans dominated this years' worlds. The US women were quite disappointing after last year's fabulous showing. France has once again flattered to deceive and were terrible in the Mens' Road Race, with their best place going to Ludovic Turpin in 41st, in the bunch 49" behind Bettini. Big props to Peter Velits for winning big for Slovakia, and to the Russians for their overall solid performance. Italy has once again been the best nation in cycling this year, and hopefully Enrico Franzoi can do well for them as the cyclocross season heats up. I'll be back for either a preview or review of Paris-Tours and the early season 'cross racing.

Forza azzuri e Bettini!

Predictions Part #2

Stage 19:
The queen stage of this year's Vuelta, a massive one to the Alto de Abantos. The Abantos is not a consistently difficult climb, but the first couple of k's have grades of 10-19%. If Carlos Sastre (CSC) thinks he can win this Vuelta, that is where he needs to attack, as much of the rest of the climb is much more suited to malliot amarillo Denis Menchov (Rabobank). He is the leader, and it is up to everyone else to attack him. I expect a pure climber of some order (probably Sastre) to win the stage while Menchov will be well protected by his Rabo' teammates throughout the stage.



Stage 20:
The Vuelta's final time trial is a short (20km/12 miles) pancake flat hammerfest around Collado Villalba. Looking through the strong time triallists left in this field, there are only two men who I can see winning this stage: Denis Menchov and Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto). Menchov already has a couple of stages in the bag, so he may well sit back a tad, knowing that he will win the race overall the next day in Madrid. Evans, on the other hand, will surely be looking for a stage win, so he can take something from this Vuelta. So probably Evans for me, even though I'm sure he's tired after a long season.


Stage 21:
The final stage is a pretty flat parade into Madrid. A short stage at just over 100 kilometers (60 miles), it will be a battle between Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) and Daniele Bennati (Lampre) on the same straight where Tom Boonen won the Worlds two years ago. Petacchi for the stage, but Bennati will win the points jersey.

Final predictions:

Overall:
1)Denis Menchov
2)Cadel Evans
3)Carlos Sastre

KOM:
1)Carlos Sastre
2)Denis Menchov
3)Jurgen Van Goolen (Discovery Channel)

Points:
1)Daniele Bennati
2)Alessandro Petacchi
3)Erik Zabel (Milram)

Combination:
1)Denis Menchov
2)Cadel Evans
3)Carlos Sastre

Teams:
1)Euskalel-Euskadi
2)Team CSC
3)Caisse d'Epargne

I'll try to do a cyclocross season preview soon...hopefully by Monday.

Vuelta Rest Day #2 Wrap-up and Predictions

A fairly nondescript week of racing in la Vuelta, lots of Spanish sun and short climbs. Ale-Jet won two stages and was followed by three breakaway wins from teams which have so far had poor Vueltas: T-Mobile, Disco, and Euskaltel. The heavily backloaded Vuelta parcours (its all going down in the last 4 stages) has meant only one attack by a GC rider (Sammy Sanchez of Euskaltel) whereas normally, these middle stages contain the epic mountains where the Vuelta is decided. The level-headed Russian Denis Menchov seems to be bulletproof overall, limiting his losses to Sanchez to just 41" and being very attentive on the road to Torre-Pacheco when Caisse suddenly hit the front in the last 40 ks and blew the peloton to pieces. Menchov was right where he needed to be, and didn't waste any energy.

My predictions:

Stage 16:

An undualting stage which will probably end in either a big sprint finish (If the sprinters can get over the Puerto de los Rehoyos within a minute of the leaders) or a small group dash from a long breakaway. I'm taking Petacchi if its a sprint, and I'm not even going to try to predict a specific rider to win from a long break. All I'll say is that Liquigas has been underperforming a bit in this Vuelta....Stage 17:

A pretty much pancake flat stage which will almost certainly end in a sprint finish with Bennati battling Petacchi for the points jersey. One of those men will probably win the stage, as Lampre and Milram respectively will chase down all of the breaks and they have proven themselves the two best sprinters in the race.

Stage 18:

A tough stage before the final foray into the mountains. The GC contenders will be keeping their powder dry for the fireworks on the Abantos the next day. Probably a long breakaway will win the day with a bunch of strong climbers. My pick is Damiano Cunego or Christian Vande Velde.



I'll preview the last 3 stages (19, 20, and 21) tomorrow.