If you have time to do some, or all of these things that is great; hopefully you will find them to be useful tips. However, if you don’t have the time or ability to do them, not to worry, we still want you to come out and I guarantee you are still going to have a great time!

The following coaching and tips article is brought to you by Todd McKean, former Trek China General Manager and long time cyclo crosser. Todd brought China it's first ever cyclo cross series in fall 2006 - "The People's Cross" in Beijing.

Keen to try a cross race? Click here for details on riding a China cyclocross!

PRE-SEASON PREPARATION
Training for Cross:

• For mountain bike riders, you can continue your standard training and riding regimen
• For road riders, your training can also continue much the same, although you should plan to take some time to ride a little off road in order to get used to the feeling of riding on a surface that is not always solid under your wheels
• Everyone should plan to add some running into their training program – 20-30min2-3 times per week should be fine to get your legs used to not just turning pedals
• Cyclocross can often require hard, short bursts of energy and power, so it is a good idea to add some interval training into your program…you can do this either on the road or on your mountain bike

Bike set-up tips:

• If you have a cyclo cross bike or want to purchase one that will certainly work the best
• However, for your first season of cyclo cross it may not be possible or practical
• Therefore, it is easy to either convert you current road bike or simply use your mountain bike. Take a look below for some suggestions on how to get your bike ready

Road bike conversion:

• Change to wider cyclocross or all-terrain tires – smooth road tires will not work as well as something with a more aggressive tread. Some bicycle stores should have cyclocross tires in stock
• Be sure to also use a larger inner tube, as the standard700x18-25 will not be suitable for the 700x34 size cross tire.
• Purchase 700x28-32 tubes at your local bike shop
• Lower your saddle ½ - 1cm, Raise handlebars by similar amount
• For those with reversible stems, if your stem is not currently in an upright position,you may consider turning it over so that it places the handlebars in a higherposition
• Remove both waterbottle cages or at least the front one in order to allow you to “shoulder” the bike when necessary [“to shoulder” - to put your arm through the front triangle of your bike frame and put your bike on your shoulder to run up ahill or obstacle]
• Raise brake levers a small amount for a more upright position
• If your rear brake is currently routed to the right hand brake lever, re-route your cables so that the rear brake is on the left. This will allow you to continue braking while you are beginning your dismounts

Mountain bike conversion:

• REMOVE bar end extensions – these are illegal in cyclocross! If you have these on your bike, you will not be allowed to race. This is for the safety of everyone. In a crash, these can impale either yourself or others
• If you have front or rear suspension, adjust so it is as rigid as possible
• Change to the most narrow tires possible
• Remove both waterbottle cages or at least the front one in order to allow you to “shoulder” the bike when necessary [“to shoulder” - to put your arm through the front triangle of your bike frame and put your bike on your shoulder to run up a hill or obstacle
• If your rear brake is currently routed on the right hand brake lever, re-route your cables so that the rear brake is on the left. This will allow you to continue braking while you are beginning your dismounts

Clothing:

• Clothing is very similar to what you would ride on the average road ride, with tight fitting cycling shorts and jersey allowing you to perform at your best
• However, as cyclocross generally takes place at colder times of the year, it is important to dress warmly, including warm gloves and a hat worn under yourhelmet

Footwear:

• It is recommended to wear mountain bike footwear or some shoe with a rugged tread, as part of the time you will have to run through dirt or mud
• How do I keep my feet warm? On a winter ride we can often see cyclists wearing shoe covers, however, since you will have to run at times during the event a shoecover is not recommended as it will cover the tread of your shoe. One tip is to put a plastic shopping bag on your feet, cut the tops of the bag around the opening of the shoe and put your sock on over the bag. This will help keep the heat of yourfeet in and the moisture and some of the cold out.
• Fortunately, most cyclocross races are completed in less than 1 hour, so you will not get as cold as you would on a long winter road or mtb ride.
• Depending on the weather, if you have a spare pair of shoes, it is a good idea to bring them, as you may want to wear your spare pair for your warm up and for pre-riding the course and save your better race shoes for the “main event”.

If you want to take your preparation a step further email us to reserve your copy of Simon Burney’s classic book “Cyclocross…Training and Technique” – ONLY 5 copies available – first come first served!