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Gordon Chibroski/Staff PhotographerFOR MORE ON cyclocross, go to: www.mbcx.com
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NEW GLOUCESTER — Cyclists who race road bikes crave speed, and take turns without braking.
Mountain bike racers are yet another breed of thrill-seeking athletes. They prefer to fly over woodland trails, boulders and logs at full speed, rather than ride the pavement.
Cyclocross racers are in a galaxy all their own.
These off-road riders race hybrid road bikes with thick tires. And they ride through woods and fields -- but they also run over bizarre, big barriers.
More than anything, they crave the unpredictable nature of this obstacle-laden sport.
"I was hooked after the first one," said Sarah Hart, a Colby College sophomore, following the Downeast Cyclocross race at Pineland Farms earlier this month.
"It's a lot goofier than mountain bike riding. There are barriers, people picking up their bikes. It's ridiculous."
Like so many fringe outdoor activities, cyclocross is often said to be the fastest growing sport today.
In New England bicycle circles, it's certainly growing in popularity.
"The fields have gotten huge. Next week in the race in Gloucester (Mass.), there will be 150 guys in the race ... ," said John Meerse of Portland, a cyclocross racer since 1994.
"Cyclocross in New England is like football in Green Bay."
And just like the Packers, cyclocross racers take the field in all kinds of miserable weather.
Events are run every weekend from September through December in rain or snow, as is the custom in Europe, where cyclocross has its roots.
While mountain biking has grown and taken hold in America over the past 20 years, cyclocross is just gaining momentum.
"Before we knew what mountain biking was, Europeans were racing 'cross," said racer Marc D'Amour of Lewiston. "'Cross is still a subculture. It's going to get bigger among bicyclists, but not among the public."
In the next two months, hundreds of riders will bundle up and bear down in cyclocross races from Connecticut all the way up to New Hampshire's White Mountains.
Cyclocross' unique draw is that it is filled with uncertainty, and that adds to the thrill racers enjoy.
"I like sports out of the mainstream. Most of us are just insane," said D'Amour, 52, of the Maine Cycling Club.
"I have never actually raced in the snow, yet. But I'd like to try it."
AS MANY LAPS AS THE LEADER
At the recent Downeast Cyclocross Race, there were warm skies, dry trails and lots of bikes flying over steep downhills.
There are no set number of laps or distance in cyclocross, which is one more characteristic that distinguishes it from road and mountain bike races.
The riders complete as many laps as the lead rider finishes in a given window of time.
If rain or snow slows the lead racer's effort, then the pack covers less ground as well.
The loop is predetermined; the number of laps are not.
Riders are told they are on their last lap after the lead rider starts it (which comes, again, roughly within the given window of time).
For example, the masters men at Pineland Farms were given 45 minutes to cover as much ground as possible, and Meerse, who led for nearly the entire time, covered seven laps on the 1.6- mile course before the clock reached 45 minutes.
Meerse ended up riding about 11 miles in 45 minutes, 3 seconds, and taking third, while the top two riders finished just under the 45-minute mark.
"That's the way a 'cross race is," D'Amour said. "They tell you 30 minutes plus a bell lap. Sometimes it's longer. Sometimes it's shorter."
The confusing quirks do not make cyclocross races less appealing to its fans.
Just the opposite.
"You go flat-out the whole way. But the conditions change so much," Meerse said. "Three years ago, it was a mud bowl. It rained seven inches leading up to the race. You could only ride half the course. You had to run the rest of it, carrying 10 pounds of mud."
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