We are fully into CX season. Unfortunately, my CX days are very limited this year due to work travel and La Ruta that I just finished. CX has grown insanely popular for several reasons. It’s fast and dirty. People can watch from anywhere along the course and heckle the grimacing, sweaty faces fighting tooth and nail for their position. People trip and fall over barriers(or maybe that’s just me). There are beer hand ups and Belgian waffles…and sometimes- costumes!
Yes, costumes. Halloween was a month ago, but costumes don’t have to be reserved for this special day! Not all costumes have to hamper performance either. Sure, I’d love to wear a gorilla suit and rage on my bike, but that might make things even harder than they need to be. Costumes say “I’m having a killer time, no matter what. I don’t take myself too seriously.” And you CAN be successful in the pro field in a costume. I’ve worn my cape on the podium several times! CX races are only 45 minutes long and are accessible to riders of all ability levels. If you don’t have a CX bike, you can still ride a mountain bike as long as you don’t have bar-ends on your bike.
Last year, I broke out the cape from a past Halloween costume. It does cost me some time with wind drag, but in the end, I just don’t care. Plus, it gets the crowd going. Maybe shop the clearance aisle of the Halloween section next week and give it a try! The pain of a CX race isn’t as bad because you’re laughing at yourself most of the time!
Of course, you don’t have to wear a costume to have fun, but it’s always a pleasant reminder as to why we spend so many hours and hundreds of thousands of pedal strokes on our bikes. We love to have fun and to ride.
