Cyclocross Racing Skills

You can have a big engine with high power, but without great CX skills, you won’t be competitive. Below are some recommendations for skills to practice along with some pointers on technique. Click here to download a PDF version.

The skills you should focus on include Race Starts, Dismounts/Mounts, Bike Carry, Running Barriers, Front and Rear Wheel Lifts, and Tight Corners.

Race Starts

A fast start in a cyclocross race helps avoid traffic at the first corners and can be pivotal to overall positioning. Large gaps between the lead group and the mid pack form quickly, so it’s imperative to be near the front within the first few turns.

Find similar terrain to your race starts, usually grass.
Choose a low enough gear that will launch you off the line quickly, but not so low you spin out immediately.
Clip into one pedal and set it in your power position, somewhere around 2 o’clock.
Pedal off the line as hard as you can and clip into the other pedal as soon as possible.
Avoid shifting as long as you can, so spin a very high cadence.
Key Practice Points: Best Gear, Pedal Clip-In, High Cadence

Dismounts and Mounts

Barriers, steps, steep hills, and sand or mud may require you to dismount and remount your bike. Oftentimes it’s faster to run than it is to ride up or through tough sections, especially in traffic. Remember, the goal is speed, not staying on your bike. Most new CX racers lose more time from slow dismounts and mounts than lack of fitness.

Dismounts:

Lay a stick on the ground as a marker for the obstacle. (For now, don’t practice jumping, just focus on clean dismounts and mounts.)
Pedal towards it, hands on the hoods.
About 10m away, unclip your right foot, keeping your left foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
Swing your right leg over the bike behind your left.
From here, simultaneously put your right foot on the ground and unclip your left foot and start running. This is slightly easier and slightly slower. OR
Thread your right foot between the left foot and the bike, and simultaneously unclip your left foot and start running. This is trickier, but slightly faster.
Key Practice Points: Dismount Timing, Which Side of Left Leg, Unclip and Begin Running

Mounts:

From the left side of the bike while running, with hands on the bars, push off with your left foot and spring onto the bike, swinging your right leg over the saddle.
Try to land smoothly on the saddle with the inside of your right thigh taking the impact.
Reposition squarely on the saddle and find your pedals and clip in.
Key Practice Points: Jump Onto Saddle, Land on Inner Thigh, Find Your Pedals

Bike Carry

Whether for lifting over barriers or to run up steps or steep terrain, carrying your bike efficiently is a necessary skill. The short carry is best done by holding the bike off the ground by the top tube. The longer or steeper carry is best done by shouldering the bike.

Short Carry: (barriers, short sections)

As you dismount place your right hand midway down the top tube and lift the bike.
As you run, raise the bike high enough to clear the obstacle.
Make sure the seat is behind your shoulder so you can lift the bike high.

Long Carry: (sand, stairs, steep hills)

After you dismount reach your right hand through the frame and grab the down tube.
Lift the frame up and rest the top tube on your right shoulder.
Once shouldered, reach your right arm under the down tube or around the head tube and grab the left handlebar drop OR
Hold the left handlebar drop with your left hand.
Key Practice Points: Short - Lift the Top Tube, Long - Lift the Down Tube to Shoulder the Bike

Wheel Lifts

Lifting your wheels individually or together, as in a bunny hop, can save time and energy. But oftentimes, they are high risk. Barriers can be fairly tall, up to 16”, so practice first outside of racing. Even if you don’t want to risk barriers, jumping smaller obstacles makes learning this skill worthwhile. Note that as you fatigue, your timing and lift height can degrade considerably.

To lift the front then rear wheel, use the load and explode technique:
While coasting, stand tall out of the saddle, then load the bike by dropping your hips and shoulders down sharply with knees and elbows deeply bent.
Then explode upwards by imagining your head moving up to the sky, then pull up on the bars to lift the front wheel.
Right when your front wheel returns to the ground, drop your shoulders down and forward while lifting the back wheel up in a scooping motion with your feet.
The timing is tricky with this, so practice without an obstacle at first. Once your timing is good, try to speed up the front to rear wheel lift transition.
This is the beginning technique towards a bunnyhop, but to get really high requires a bit more refinement of the motions. Reach out to me to discuss how to progress: schedule a call.

Key Practice Points: Load and Explode, Timing is Key, Practice Transitions from Front to Rear

Tight Corners

Just like dismounts/mounts, the tight corners in CX races win or lose races. The corners created by race tape are sharper than in any other discipline. Practice these techniques as much as possible outside of racing where there’s no pressure and you can experiment with different lines.

Lay out cones or bottles in a square or create lanes to ride up and down.
Around sharp turns, use the whole lane and set up on the outside, cut across the inside apex, then continue back to the outside. The goal is always to make your path as straight as possible using the entire width of the course.
Brake before the turn, not during.
Keep your eyes up and look through the whole turn, looking for your exit.
Lean the bike, not the body. Keep your weight towards the outside of the turn, over the tires to maintain traction.
Tires are great at turning and braking, but not at the same time.

Key Practice Points: Outside/Inside/Outside, Brake Before Turning, Look For Your Exit

Conclusion

Take the time to practice these skills regularly before the CX season starts. Remember that practice makes permanence, not perfection, so focus on good technique for each attempt. With enough repetition, you’ll perform these skills automatically which will increase your overall speed through the race, especially as you fatigue.