CYCLING giddily around a mud-churned field in the midst of a bleak Scottish midwinter would seem one of the less likely ways of playing out a mid-life crisis.
The constant likelihood of a crash, coupled with the requirement to run intermittently through the mire bearing the mud-caked bike, would also make most sane folk consider a more rational outdoor pursuit.
Yet, paradoxical as it seems, the Scottish cyclocross scene is thriving, so much so that it may be the fastest growing sport in the land, with fields in the SCX 2016 Series this year exceeding 600 riders, the highest in the UK.
The veteran male category, for riders aged from 40 to 50, has witnessed fields of up to 160 riders taking to the crowded starting grids in steeds modelled mainly from road bikes, with off-road brakes and tyres thrown in.
Women are also healthily represented, with an impressive core of professional mountain bike and road racers locking horns during the cross season to keep their fitness tuned through the winter months.
Cowbells, inspired by the Belgian pioneers of the sport from its origins around 1900, have been ringing the success of events played before roaring crowds crowds in places as far afield as Bo'ness, Ayr, Falkirk, Aberdeen and Mull.
The more mud the better for these hardy souls taking on this mud and guts steeplechase, involving typically an hour of full-blast exertion. And if they’re really lucky the course may also be blessed by a few inches of snow. Or hit by a passing gale force wind.
Forthcoming events for the four-race Super-Quaich Series have been selling out faster than Adele gigs, leaving to swollen reserve lists as the mud-lust has taken hold.
Harry Johnston, a 20-year-old medical student from Helensburgh, is the current Scottish Champion. He races on the road in summer months and has dominated the current cyclocross season.
Harry, from the Pro Vision Race Team, said: “I race cyclocross because you have to remember to have fun throughout the winter training, and for me, cyclocross is much more enjoyable than slogging it out on the road for hours every weekend. I’d get too bored and end up hating riding otherwise.
Photo credit: Anthony Robson
“Cross is different in that it is probably the most intense way to spend an hour on the bike. It’s similar to criterium racing but with the added challenge of technical sections, and a harder, shorter effort than a road race. And it’s the only form of racing the wetter and muddier it is, the better it gets”
“I enjoy the variation with cross, especially the racing up here in Scotland, because no two courses are the same. One week you can be racing round a fast, dry, pan-flat course and the next can be a slippy and technical mud-bath. And each course tends to have its signature feature, such as the sand dunes at Irvine Beach.
“The most ridiculous part is why anyone would want to do it in the first place: every Sunday you sign up to getting cold, wet and have your legs, lungs and bike torn apart, yet somehow it becomes a bit of an addiction.”
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Scotland’s women’s champion is Isla Short, from Peebles, an elite mountain bike rider who loves the cyclocross community vibe in Scotland.
“I come back to the Scottish cyclocross races every year because it’s absolutely the best scene out there,” said Isla, 21, from the OMX Pro Team.
“I maybe don’t get the level of racing I would on the continent but I do enough of that during the summer. During my off season I would rather spend every Sunday getting an effort in and having a laugh with a great bunch of people.
“My incentive is always the prospect of the top step on the podium, but I’m trying to pursue a career in bike racing so if that wasn’t my goal I’d have to rethink, well, my whole life.”
Jim Cameron, who organises one of the most popular races on the calendar at Rouken Glen Park on January 15th, admits the attraction of cyclocross is something of a paradox.
“When I try to explain it, I hear the words coming out of my mouth and I know it sounds like a miserable way to spend a weekend,” Jim explains.
“But the fields are growing faster than we organisers can deal with if I’m honest - but it’s a great problem to have as an event organiser.
“The accessibility of the sport is a major factor. You have people who compete in all sorts of summer sports, who find that racing is the best way to keep fit over winter.
“You’ve also got people who stopped road racing or mountain biking as they have had kids and either can’t devote the same time to their training or they felt the risk of injury was too high.
“In cyclocross most of the field gets lapped by the winner so there is no minimum fitness level expected. Some riders train quite hard and others do nothing at all other than race.
“If you fall, the only thing you tend to injure is your pride. Not only will you fall be witnessed by onlookers, it’ll probably end up on the internet because there are so many photos and videos being shot at each event and a very strong social media community.
“It’s really popular with people who are 40 and older because they often discover it while bringing their kids to races. They see there are adult races and notice the variety in fitness levels then think ‘I could do that’. The next week they are on the starting line.”
Lindsay Branston, 43, is a frequent podium finisher in the ladies veteran category but is set to take on against husband Danny, 44, for the first time at the next big cyclocross melee at Rouken Glen Park in Glasgow.
Lindsay, of Lenzie, said: “The next event will actually pit us against each other for the first time, so that might get quite interesting.
“With Danny I have my own in-house mechanic, who keeps everything ticking over and he built my winning bike from scratch.”
Brand new veteran Anthony Robson, a lawyer from Aberdeenshire, is one of the many riders undeterred by the necessity to politely make way for faster athletes lapping him, as happens in every race.
Photo credit: Michael Martin
He said: “Sadly my ability had never quite matched my enthusiasm. I tried everything from mountain biking to time trialing, but nothing grabbed me like cyclocross has. It takes all the best bits of all sorts of disciplines, cramming all sorts of off-road circuit fun into that hour of pain.
“And, frankly, who doesn’t love playing in mud? My first race was on a commuting bike and I got lapped five times by the leading riders.
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“However, the supportive atmosphere and shouts of encouragement had me coming back for more. Maybe I should know better having turned 40 this year, but racing round a field in horizontal rain gives you a strange buzz.
“It’s something my wife might never quite understand.”
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