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OUTTAKES: Sport by sport: Cyclo-Mania
By Chris Milliman
2005 Nov (Vol. 7, No. 6) |
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As the afternoon shadows grow longer and the mornings colder, more and more cyclists are gearing up for their primary racing season—September through December—by jumping barriers, running hills and pedaling like crazy.
Long the provenance of hard-boiled European road pros looking to stay fit during dark Continental winters, cyclocross incorporates the hard efforts and speed of road racing and technical savvy of mountain biking in a simple, compact, multi-lap format that’s at once spectator friendly and engrossing for racers. While American riders have historically struggled in Europe, a new generation of American ’crossers, led by three-time US national champion Jonathan Page, is starting to make inroads abroad. In the process, they’re elevating the cyclocross profile domestically. Page became the first American male to podium at an elite European race last fall and along with Ryan Trebon finished in the top 15 at the 2005 World Championships in Germany.
“I’m trying to make a career out of being a professional cyclocross racer also, instead of just a road racer,” says Page, who races for the US-based Colavita Sutter Home pro road team in the summer.
Hundreds of riders, from pros to first-timers, will turn out for races in America’s ’cross hot spots: New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest. The 2005 season will be highlighted by the six-race Crank Brothers US Grand Prix of Cyclocross, a season-long national series with stops in California, Oregon, Washington and Massachusetts. For more information, go to www.cyclocrossworld.com.
By the Numbers
250
Number of gallons of untreated water in the Sierra you would have to drink per day before contracting the parasite Giardia, according to a study by the University of Nevada .
77
Percent increase in women participating in fly-fishing from 2003 to 2004, reported by the Outdoor Industry Association.
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Updated: Feb 24th, 2006 - 14:18:11
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