Riders clear a barrier in the Virginia Cyclocross Sweet Spot Race at City Stadium on Nov. 6, 2016. (Photo by Jesse Peters/Backlight Photography)
A thundering horde of cyclists streams out of a copse of trees. The spandex-clad riders are single file, penned by red tape that funnels them toward a throng of revelers. A clanging of cowbells erupts from the crowd, and a man wearing a green and yellow flannel shirt runs alongside the riders, screaming encouragement as they bear down on two ankle-high wooden fences.
The bikes chatter and squeal over the rough ground, which is streaked with tire marks and muddy ruts. Each rider jumps off, and with bike held aloft, runs over the barriers, then hops back on for the next section of course.
This is cyclocross, and Richmond is a hotbed for it, with a string of races from October to December. According to race director Sean Yeager, upwards of 400 two-wheeled zealots participate.
“I would say that ’cross is like mountain biking on a road bike, with a few obstacles thrown in the mix to force riders to run up stairs or jump over logs and barriers,” says Julie Hunter, a 2013 Virginia Commonwealth University graduate who entered her first race in 2010 — and won. Now a full-time cycling coach, she has competed four times in the Cyclocross National Championships. Courses typically include road, gravel, dirt and grass sections, she says. Conceived in the early 1900s, the sport became a form of winter training for French cyclists who rode over muddy fields to add variety to their routines.
“True ‘cross races are nasty, with mud, sleet, snow and challenging courses,” says Stu Louder, a veteran Richmond bicycle messenger who has been racing cyclocross since 2003. Noting the festive atmosphere, he quips, “Cross is a mullet — business up front and a party in the back.”
At a popular Tuesday event at Forest Hill Park called Sorry Honey I’ve Gotta Work Late, spectators gather near a set of double barriers on a fast, grassy section of the course by 41st Street. Raucous cheers swell when riders reach out, at race speed, to snap up a “handup” of gummy bears, doughnuts, beer or even cash.
In the end, says Hunter, “It’s all about racing hard, having fun, and making new friends in the process.” To find out more, visit vacyclocross.com and bikereg.com.
