Swanson wins Cyclo-cross bike race

The Daily Press - Ashland, WI :: (DULUTH, Minn.) — Ashland's Aaron Swanson wrapped up a successful cycling season with a final victory at the Spirit Mountain Cyclo-cross race.Cyclo-cross is traditionally the final discipline in the cycling season, long considered to be for the diehards of cycling enthusiasts due to the speed and intensity of the race as well as the typical adverse weather conditions of late fall and early winter. It is a bike race that is a hybrid of road and off-road cycling.

Cyclists compete on a tightly woven course for a timed period, ranging from 30-60 minutes. Designed with hurdles and steep slopes, courses force racers to dismount their bikes and run for short sections on the course. These compact courses create fan-friendly race venues, with spectators able to watch nearly all of the racing action. Racers compete regardless of weather conditions.

In the 45-minute event, Swanson — while at the back of the field to start — was able to move up and hold close to the lead racers through the faster early laps of the race. After countering several surges by other lead racers in the middle of the race, Swanson was able to pull away in the final laps on the hill climbs and muddy off-road sections to take first.

This was Swanson's first-ever attempt at cyclo-cross racing and his fourth overall victory in the 2005 cycling season.