Racing Cyclocross – The easy job

Racing above your maximum threshold for 1 hour seems like one of the hardest things to do. This is what cyclocross racers do day in day out but in my eyes, we actually have the easiest job out of anyone at the race.

Something that becomes clear very early on is that there is way more things to do before, during and after a cyclocross race in Belgium than a race in Australia. In Australia, we ride a few laps of the course to get an idea of what we are in for. Our bikes are usually no dirtier than when we started practice so no clean up is necessary. In Belgium, that is not the case

Christian is the owner of the bed and breakfast accommodation and he also helps Nick and I at the races that we do while over here in Belgium. Christian also gets his friend Frank to help out, since working for cyclocross racers is a two man job (at least). Christian and Frank have become Nick and I’s dream team for cyclocross races and you will see why as I explain what they do during a regular cyclocross race day.

Before the Race

The day starts off by waking up at 6am or so as we need to pack the bikes into the car, have some breakfast and then drive up to 2 hours to get to the race venue. Christian packs the car with all other essential items while Nick and I relax and eat some food. He then drives us the 2 hours to the race venue and sweet talks the volunteers to let us into the rider parking and get a good park close to the course. When we are parked, the first thing Nick and I need to do is go register and collect our numbers, so with Frank leading the way we walk to get our numbers. By the time we get back to the van, Christian has set up a massive tent for us to warm-up in and hang out, our bikes are out and ready to ride and the pressure washer is set up ready to be used on very muddy bikes. So now Nick and I get changed and go to the course for practice. We tend to do two laps then head back to the tent. Once we are back Nick and I get out of our now dirty clothes and get into our race skinsuit which we have pinned our numbers on. Christian and Frank however, are cleaning and then drying our muddy bikes and shoes that we used in practice so they are good as new when we need them to head to the start line. They have also put our other bikes on the trainers ready for us to warm-up on. This is all before the race has even started!

During the Race

As Nick and I ride to the start line, Christian and Frank walk to the pits with our bikes, a pump, bucket with sponges and a backpack full of things we they might need to use on our bikes. During our race, our bikes usually get covered in thick mud that makes the bike really heavy and not work as well as we want. So we enter the pits and hand our muddy bike to Frank and Christian hands us our spare (clean) bike so we are now riding a bike that is light and functioning perfectly. Straight after this bike swap, either Christian of Frank rushes to a section of the pits that has 8 pressure washers or so that every mechanic uses. They wait in line (or push in front) to wash our muddy bike as quickly as possible, take it back to our pit box and then dry the bike like they did after course practice. All this is done (usually) by the time Nick and I have completed half a lap of the course so that if we need to switch our bike every half-lap then they are there waiting to give us our now clean bike. It is hard to put into words just how hectic this process is as there are maybe 70 riders in a race all with mechanics doing the same thing and there are only 8 pressure washers max.

After the Race

Once the race is over, Nick and I get wash ourselves off with warm water than Christian had brought, dry off and get changed into some warm clothes. Once again, Christian and Frank are busy washing our bikes and shoes then drying them off. They then pack up the entire tent (including chairs, table and trainers that are inside) , washing station, bike rack and bikes into the car and trailer so we are ready to drive home.

Hopefully now it is pretty easy to see how Nick and I, as racers have a pretty easy job while racing cyclocross here in Belgium. All we do is ride the course, get changed into race kit, warm-up, race, get changed into warm clothes. This is something that no Australian cyclocross racer experiences while racing at home. Teammates and friends help in the pits during a race for you but you set up the tent, you get your bikes ready and you help pack up. So here is a massive shout-out and thank you to Christian and Frank for making us cyclocross racers have the easiest job possible.