Top Tips for Your First Cyclocross Race

1- Prep the bike

• Think about new tires. The more you race ‘cross, the more you’ll realise how much people obsess over rubber. For the time being don’t worry about tubeless, tubular or clinchers. Just run what you brung. If you are lucky, early season races will still be dry, and gravel tires may even be more suitable than some mud-specific ‘cross tires. As the winter progresses, you’ll probably want a narrow 33c tire to cut through the mud, and an aggressive grip. Ritchey has a great range, but something like the Shield or Megabite are decent all-rounders.
• While we are on tires – pressure. There are no hard and fast rules around tire pressure, other than generally you want to run as low a pressure as you can, that avoids punctures or tires squirming hugely. What pressure that is will depend on your weight, the conditions and tire. In general though, you probably want to drop some pressure from your usual gravel set-up.
• Racing is hard on components. Take the time to make sure that everything is fully functional now. Check brake pads, cables, bearings etc and replace them. No one wants a mechanical mid-race, especially when it is preventable. Maybe treat your bike to some new bar tape and saddle. A fresh feeling bike is always faster than an a tired one.

2 - Prep yourself

• Eat a good meal the night before. You know the routine: some carbs, nothing too heavy, etc, etc. Stay hydrated (save the Belgian beers for after the event), eat a good breakfast and some mid-morning snacks (assuming your race is early afternoon).
• Make sure you’ve spent some good time on the bike you’ll be racing, and in the set-up that you’ll be using on race day, getting used to how it handles.
• Pack a bag with a few spares and supplies – I usually bring some warm layers for warming up/waiting around, snacks and drink, a basic tool kit and pump. Often parking isn’t super close to the race course, and it’s good to have everything close when you pick up a puncture on a warm-up lap, or have some other mishap.
• Practice a few ‘cross specific skills. Many ‘cross races have barriers that require you to dismount and lift the bike over and remount afterwards. Lots of time can be saved with the right technique. YouTube is your friend here.
• Think about joining a local club. Many have training and skills night and welcome newcomers.

3 - Race day

• Bring your kids! Seriously… that race the announcer is already commentating on is probably one of the age-group kids races. Fun for all the family. It’s not unusual to see mom and dad tag-teaming childcare in between their own races and cheering on Junior beforehand.
• Register and pin on your number. Depending on the race, you may need to register online first. Check the deal for your local series.
• Do a few laps of the course. You will need to pick your moment to make sure you don’t interfere with any of the other races, but the organisers will put aside time to allow you to pre-ride the course. This serves a few purposes. Firstly, when racing, you know what’s coming up (unless you have my goldfish-like memory… I’m frequently surprised on the last lap of a race). You can also get a feel for conditions. Is it fast and dry, or sloppy? Are there any faster or slower lines into corners (clue: yes!) and how might they change after a few more races have taken place on the course? Are there any points that you’ll need to dismount for? Finally, it’ll warm you up a bit.
• Keep those legs turning. You might want to bring rollers if you use them anyway, but find a bit of ground away from the action and keep riding. If you are here to race, you’ll want as good a start as possible, so warm up with some sprints.
• Listen out for the commissaire calling your race. Head over to the start line. It likely that racers will be gridded based on previous performances. It tends to be a bit of a free-for-all behind the gridded riders, with folk looking to get a good starting position. If you aren’t too worried about being competitive for your first race, don’t worry too much. It will just give you more people to enjoy overtaking once the race starts.

4 - Go!

• Listen for the gun and look to get away as cleanly as possible. Be aware of those around you and try and hold a steady line.
• Be aware that you’ll probably go into the first corner quicker than you had at practice, and might not be able to choose the perfect line if there lots of people around you. Be ready to brake and take evasive action if necessary.
• It won’t take long for the field to stretch out. Get your head down and pedal hard. It will hurt. It’s a hard balance to push hard enough without burning out before the end of the race. You probably won’t get things right first time, don’t stress and if in doubt, pedal harder.
• As the race progresses, be aware of riders coming around to lap you. The vast majority will give you good warning and a clear instruction saying “passing on your right”, for example. Do your best to not impede their progress. Equally, be courteous and clear when lapping others.
• Listen out for the bell. This means that there is only one lap to go when you cross the line. Give it your all and leave everything on the course.

5 - And relax

• Have a chat with your fellow racers. Most won’t bite and you’ll quickly make friends.
• Pull on some warm clothes, especially if the weather is grim.
• Support any races still to come. That cheer that you heard midway round that spurred you on? You can be the cheerleader now.
• Don’t walk off with a timing chip or anything that was meant to be handed back after the race. Easy to do, but a pain to rectify.
• Offer to help the organiser take down the course. ‘Cross races are mostly run by volunteers. Spending ten minutes to help lift the course stakes will make their lives immeasurably more pleasant.
• Wash your bike ASAP. Either bring cleaning kit with you, or wash it as soon as you get home. Dried on mud is so much harder to clean than when it is still wet.
• Keep an eye out for any mechanicals while you clean the bike, it’ll give you time to buy and fit replacements before your next race… Because there will be a next one…